Originally set up for the South Wales Geocachers' 'All Things Welsh' Camp 2016 this series takes a little stroll around Llandovery and surrounding area whilst learning a little more about Wales and local history. Have Fun!
The Welsh Flag - Y Ddraig Goch (The Red Dragon)
Apart from being the hardest flag for any kid to draw, we are very proud of our dragon.
The standard itself was not recognised until 1959 as the official Welsh Flag, however, the has long been an emblem or symbol of Wales. The actual history of where it originated has been lost in time, although, some believe the Romans displayed a symbol of a dragon during their occupation of Britain. The white and green stripes were added by the Tudor Household, a welsh noble family, during their reign on the english throne.
Personally, I like the story of the battle between the white and red dragons.
The mythology connecting the Red Dragon to Wales begins in the Mabinogion, a collection of stories collated from mediaeval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology and early mediaeval historical traditions.
In the Mabinogion story of Lludd and Llefelys, the Red Dragon fights with an invading White Dragon. His awful pained shrieks bring about mayhem and disaster; women miscarry, animals perish and plants become barren. Lludd, the then king of Britain,seeks help from his wise brother Llefelys in France. Llefelys tells him to dig a pit in the centre of Britain, fill it with mead, and cover it with cloth. Lludd does this, and the dragons drink the mead and fall asleep. Lludd imprisons them, still wrapped in their cloth, in Dinas Emrys in Snowdonia.
The dragons remain at Dinas Emrys for centuries until King Vortigern tries to build a castle there. Every night the castle walls and foundations are demolished by unseen forces. Vortigern consults his advisers, who tell him to find a boy with no natural father, and sacrifice him. Vortigern finds such a boy (who is later, in some tellings, to become Merlin) who is supposed to be the wisest wizard to ever live. On hearing that he is to be put to death to solve the demolishing of the walls, the boy dismisses the knowledge of the advisors. The boy tells the king of the two dragons. Vortigern excavates the hill, freeing the dragons. They continue their fight and the red dragon finally defeats the white dragon. The boy tells Vortigern that the white dragon symbolises the Saxons and that the red dragon symbolises the people of Vortigern. If Vortigern is accepted to have lived in the fifth century, then these people are the British whom the Saxons failed to subdue and who became the Welsh.
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You are looking for a small tub. Although there may already be a pencil, please bring a pen(cil) just in case.