Courtship and Marriage - British Goblins CT026

Courtship and Marriage - British Goblins CT026

Author: Gary & Ruth Colcombe November 22, 2017 Duration: 18:42

Courtship and Marriage

British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881)

Book 3 Chapter 5

by

Wirt Sikes

Welsh customs of courtship and marriage. Sikes tells us about the Welsh Goddess of Love, later known as St. Dwynwen and how commonplace was the Welsh custom of 'Bundling' or 'courting abed'! We learn about romantic divination and how a Maid may find herself in trouble with the fairies if she is not a 'true maid'. He finishes the chapter by discussing divination by the Knife and the Sheath!

  • Courtship and Marriage 0:55
  • Planting Weeds and Rue on the Graves of Old Bachelors 2:23
  • Special Significance of Flowers in connection with virginity 3:24
  • The Welsh Venus 4:30
  • Bundling, or Courting Abed 6:25
  • Kissing Schools 10:28
  • Rhamanta 11:10
  • Lovers' Superstitions 11:20 
  • The Maid's Trick 11:35
  • Dreaming on a Mutton Bone 13:10
  • Wheat and Shovel 13:35
  • Garters in a Lovers' Knot 14:14
  • Egg-Shell Cake 14:40
  • Sowing Leeks 15:30
  • Twca and Sheath 16:33

Names Used in this Section

All proper names and words in Welsh or other languages are recorded here in the show-notes and we've done our best to get the pronunciations right for you.

Rhamanta
Twca and Sheath
Howell the Good
Dwynwen, daughter of Brychan

St. Dwynwen - Artwork © Jonathon Earl Bowser – www.JonathonArt.com

St. Dwynwen - Artwork © Jonathon Earl Bowser – www.JonathonArt.com


Anglesea
Thomas Stephens
Sopen, sypio
Pontypool
Caru yn y gwelu (courting abed)

Bundling, or Courting Abed

Bundling, or Courting Abed


Myrdim, Carmarthenshire
Pemrokeshire
Glamorganshire

Y sawl sydd i gydfydio,
Doed i gydgribinio!


'Dyma'r twca, p'le mae'r wain?' (Here's the twca, where's the sheath?)

 

British Goblins can be found on Archive.org

You can find out more about Wirt Sikes on Wikipedia.

Try the Celtic Myth Podshow for the Tales and Stories of the Ancient Celts at http://celticmythpodshow.com or on Apple Podcasts.

Our theme music is "Gander at the Pratie Hole" by Sláinte.  You can find their music on the Free Music Archive.


Imagine a shelf of old, beautifully bound volumes filled with tales of ancient heroes, elusive fairy folk, and age-old wisdom from the misty hills and shores of Celtic lands. Celtic Tomes is an invitation to open those books with Gary and Ruth Colcombe, who serve as your guides through this rich literary landscape. Each episode is a curated reading from classic texts, bringing to life the myths, legends, and folklore of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and beyond. This isn't just a recitation; it's a shared experience for anyone who has ever admired those collections in a shop or library but found the time to delve into them elusive. You'll hear the stories of the Celts themselves, the deep lore of the Otherworld, and accounts of magical encounters that have shaped cultural imagination for centuries. Tuning into this podcast feels like joining a conversation in a cozy study, where the weight of history meets the warmth of storytelling. Whether your interest lies in bardic poetry, ancient battles, or the mysterious customs surrounding fairy forts, Gary and Ruth provide a direct, engaging pathway into these narratives. They handle the reading so you can simply listen and be transported, making the vast world of Celtic literature accessible and vividly alive one episode at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 59

Celtic Tomes
Podcast Episodes
Wedding Customs - British Goblins CT027 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:25
Wedding Customs British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 3 Chapter 6 by Wirt Sikes Ancient Wedding Customs of the Welsh, including the custom of bidding for wedding gifts and…
Welsh Christmas - British Goblins CT025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:20
Welsh Christmas British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 3 Chapter 4 by Wirt Sikes All about bell-ringing competitions between villages at Christmas time, the 'Pipes of the Wa…
Midsummer Eve - British Goblins CT024 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:59
Midsummer Eve to Hallowe'en British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 3 Chapter 3 by Wirt Sikes All about Midsummer Eve and the Beltane Fires that precede it leading up to Hall…
Sundry Lenten Customs - British Goblins CT023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:57
Sundry Lenten Customs British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 3 Chapter 2 by Wirt Sikes All about traditions and customs occurring around Lent in old Wales. Sikes tells us al…
Quaint Old Customs - British Goblins CT022 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:54
Quaint Old Customs British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 3 Chapter 1 by Wirt Sikes Quaint Old Customs tells us to rise early on New Year's morning to bring good luck, the M…
The Corpse Candle - British Goblins CT021 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:47
The Corpse Candle British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 9 by Wirt Sikes Corpse Candles are ghostly candle lights that allow us to see through the veil, or seen as…
Tolaeth Death Sounds - British Goblins CT020 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:40
Tolaeth Death Sounds British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 8 by Wirt Sikes The Tolaeth Death Sounds includes the strange sounds that foretell death, the story of…
Welsh Death Omens - British Goblins CT019 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:26
Welsh Death Omens British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 7 by Wirt Sikes Welsh Death Omens includes the Welsh Banshee or Gwrach y Rhibyn, crying spirits, the groan…
Medieval Devil in Wales - British Goblins CT018 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:59
The Medieval Devil in Wales British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 6 by Wirt Sikes The Medieval Devil in his customary form in Wales. How Sion Cent tricked the Dev…
Familiar Spirits - British Goblins CT017 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:14
Familiar Spirits British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 5 by Wirt Sikes Familiar Spirits are known to often throw stones, especially when at Preachers trying to ex…