Death and Burial
British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881)
Book 3 Chapter 7
by
Wirt Sikes
Find out all the customs about food and drinking, especially Beer, by a coffin, how important Salt is, the Sin-Eater (and whether the stories are true or not), the Scapegoat and Welsh funeral possessions. We learn about praying at crossroads where criminals may have been buried. Sikes also tells us about the Grassless Grave and the Parson's Offerings.
- Death and Burial 1:50
- The Gwylnos 2:49
- Beer-Drinking at Welsh Festivals 3:24
- Food and Drink over the Coffin 3:56
- Sponge Cakes at Modern Funerals 6:00
- The Sin-Eater 6:45
- Welsh Denial that this Custom ever existed 7:48
- The Testimony concerning it 8:08
- Plate of Salt on Corpse's Breast 12:07
- Superstitions regarding Salt 15:05
- The Scapegoat 17:32
- The St. Tegla Cock and Hen 18:13
- Welsh Funeral Processions 19:51
- Praying at Crossroads 20:29
- Superstition regarding Criminals' Graves 20:44
- Hanging and Welsh Prejudice 21:03
- The Grassless Graves 22:40
- Parson's Penny, or Offrwm 24:40
- Old Shows to the Clerk 25:59
- Arian y Rhaw, or Spade Money 26:32
- Burials without Coffin 29:06
- The Sul Coffa 30:07
- Planting and Strewing Graves with flowers 32:28
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.
- Gwylnos
- St Tegla
- Offrwm
- Arian y Rhaw
- Sul Coffa
- Pennant
- Thomas Myddleton
- Coranich
- 'cum mago dolore et clamore cognatorum et propinquorum omnium'
- 'Claddu y marw ac at y cwrw' (To bury the dead, and to the beer')
- Cymru Fu
- Cwrw brwd
Pic: Giving Food over the Coffin
- Llancaiach
- Servis & Humphrey
- Rev. E. L. Barnwell
- Malkin
- John Aubrey
- Lansdwone Mss.
- Hereford
- Rosse
- 'ipso facto'
- Dynder (nolens volens)
- Brecon
- Llangors
- Mr. Gwin
- Bishop White Kennet
- Amersden, Oxford
- Ludlow
- Mr. Matthew Moggridge, Swansea
- Llandebie
- Chepstow
- Mr. Allen, Pembrokeshire
- Mr. E. A. Freeman
- Mr. Eugene Schulyer
- iskatchi
- Cardiganshire
- Cardiff
- Aaron
- Wrexham & Ruthin, Llandegla
- Clwyf y Tegla
- Pater Noster
- Metellus, conqueror of Macedon
- Montgomeryshire
- John Newton
- Welshpool
- Defynog, Breconshire
- Llanrhaiadr-yn-Mochnant
- 'cyfneseifiaid' (next-of-kin)
- 'yr hen glochydd'
- 'cadach deupen
- Richard Griffith, Trefeglwys
- Thomas Dinelly
- Ivan the Harper
- Williams of Merllyn
- Richard the Harper
- Llanfwrog
- Dafydd y Garreg Wen (David of the White Stone)
- Toriad y Dydd (the Dawn)
- Glamorganshire
- Cymbeline
- Milford Haven
- Fidele
Pic: Dafydd y Garreg Wen
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.
