Welsh Christmas - British Goblins CT025

Welsh Christmas - British Goblins CT025

Author: Gary & Ruth Colcombe November 15, 2017 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 Watch' who wake the echoes in the early morning. We also hear about the games, music and Eisteddfodau of Christmas. Sikes tells us about the origins of Boxing Day and the Druid feast of Alban Arthur, celebrated at the Winter Solstice.

  • Nadolig, the Welsh Christmas 1:35
  • Bell-ringing 3:13
  • Carols 4:20
  • Dancing to the Music of the Waits 6:37
  • An Evening in Carmarthenshire 8:44
  • Shenkin Harry, the Preacher, and the Jig Tune 12:26
  • Welsh Morality 13:03
  • Eisteddfodau 14:26
  • Decorating Houses and Churches 16:04
  • The Plygain 17:40
  •  The Colliers Star 18:47
  • he Christmas Thriftbox 19:24
  • Pagan Origin of Christmas 21:52

 

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.

Nadolig
Shenkin Harry
Eisteddfodau
Plygain
Arthur & Merlin
Waits (band of wandering musicians)

 

Bell Ringing

Bell-Ringing


Cowbridge
Aberdare
Penarth
St. Fagan's
Llantrisant
Llanblethian
ayont the twal
Bacchus
Glamorganshire
Rev. Evan Harris
Stendahl
Hellas
Pindar
Sophocles
Phidias
Praxiteles
Herodotus
Llandaff Cathedral
Gwynt traed y meirw (wind blowing over the feet of corpses)
Bethlehem
Belgium
Rhodd Nadolig - Christmas gift

 

The 'Thrift' Box

The 'Thrift' Box


Viscount Palmerston
London
'jour de l'an'
Alban Arthur
Avagddu
Hea
Gorsedd
Cerridwen
Awen
Herefordshire

 

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
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The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 9: Gods and Men by J. A. MacCulloch In this chapter, he examines the Gods of the Celts and their relationships to man. How kings adopted divine names and characteristics.…
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The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 8: The Fionn Cycle by J. A. MacCulloch The story of the mighty hero, Fionn and his warband, the Fianna. McCulloch examines the origins of the Fionn myth and asks how much…
The Cuchulainn Cycle CT042 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 7: The Cúchulainn Cycle by J. A. MacCulloch The story of the mighty hero, Cuchulainn, Queen Medb and the Cattle-Raid of Cooley. Names Used in this Section Conchobar Book o…
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Irish Mythological Cycle CT039 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:39
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 4: The Irish Mythological Cycle by J. A. MacCulloch A broad overview of all fields of Celtic mythology which aims to identify the core beliefs of the ancient Celtic religi…
The Gods of Gaul CT038 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:56
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 3: The Gods of Gaul and the Continental Celts by J. A. MacCulloch A discussion of the innumerable Gods of Gaul and the influence of the Roman gods on the continental deiti…
The Celtic People CT037 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:31
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Chapter 2: The Celtic People by J. A. MacCulloch A broad overview of all fields of Celtic mythology which aims to identify the core beliefs of the ancient Celtic religion. Names U…
[not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
John Arnott MacCulloch, a Scotsman, was born in 1868 and died in 1950. He was one of Scotland's most famous Celtic Scholars and folklore researchers and he published The Religion of the Ancient Celts in 1911 and his leng…
Introductory CT036 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:28
The Religion of the Ancient Celts (1911) Ch. 1: Introductory by J. A. MacCulloch A broad overview of all fields of Celtic mythology which aims to identify the core beliefs of the ancient Celtic religion. Names Used in th…