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
Grotesque Ghosts - British Goblins CT016 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:39
Grotesque Ghosts British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 4 by Wirt Sikes We hear about the grotesque ghosts of Welsh folklore, the story of the minister and the pha…
Spectral Animals - British Goblins CT015 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:49
Spectral Animals British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 3 by Wirt Sikes We hear abut ghostly hounds, as well as the Gwyllgi or the Dog of Darkness with the gleamin…
Household Ghosts and Hidden Treasure - British Goblins CT014 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:08
Household Ghosts and Hidden Treasure British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 2 by Wirt Sikes In this superb chapter, we learn about how Welsh ghosts are involved wi…
The Spirit World - British Goblins CT013 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:26
The Spirit World British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 2 Chapter 1 by Wirt Sikes In this episode, we look at the similarities between Welsh Ghosts and American Spiritualism…
Origins of Welsh Fairies - British Goblins CT012 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:35
Origins of Welsh Fairies British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 1 Chapter 11 by Wirt Sikes Mr. Sikes discusses the different theories about the origins of the Welsh Fairies.…
Fairy Money - British Goblins CT011 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:19
Fairy Money and Fairy Gifts British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 1 Chapter 10 by Wirt Sikes Sikes tells us the story of Gitto Bach, or little Griffith, the penalty of blab…
Piety as a Protection - British Goblins CT010 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:40
Piety as a Protection from the Seductions of the Tylwyth Teg British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 1 Chapter 9 by Wirt Sikes Piety as a Protection from the Seductions of th…
Fairy Rings - British Goblins CT009 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:28
Fairy Rings British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 1 Chapter 8 by Wirt Sikes Fairy Rings and other fascinating things about Welsh Fairies, including the language of the Tylw…
Fairy Music - British Goblins CT008 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:47
Fairy Music British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 1 Chapter 7 by Wirt Sikes Sikes talks about the magical Birds of Rhiannon, tells us the legend of Shon ap Shenkin, the sto…
Living with the Tylwyth Teg - British Goblins CT007 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:57
Living with the Tylwyth Teg British Goblins: Welsh Folk Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions (1881) Book 1 Chapter 6 by Wirt Sikes All about the wondrous music and dancing of the Welsh fairies, and the dangers o…