A special twin-sword has been used to strengthen the link between the Eisteddfod and its Celtic cousins, the Welsh Daily Post reports.
At a ceremony on the Maes in Cardiff one half was presented to the Archdruid Dic Jones and the other half presented to the Breton Gorsedd of Bards.
Isle of Man, Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland and Patagonia also attended.
Gorsedd of Bards spokes-man John Gwilym Jones said:
It was the Bretons that had the idea of instituting the twinhalf sword ceremony to celebrate the Celtic knot. But the dismantling of the sword, in accordance with tradition, is also a symbol of refusing to fight.
The sword dates from 1899.
After that ceremony one half was taken to Brittany, and when officials of the two Gorsedd of Bards meet the two halves are brought together.
The Daily Post in Wales reports that the Welsh flag has been banned from official venues at the Beijing Olympics in a crackdown by Chinese authorities.
Supporters and competitors travelling to the Games face a strict ban on waving the Ddraig Goch in celebration.
Only the flags of the 205 Olympic nations, including Great Britain, can be taken into the showpiece arenas, according to “house rules” published by the organising committee for the Games.
The rule, believed to be aimed at potential Tibetans, independence demonstrators, effectively vetoes the Welsh and Scottish flags., traditionally seen atinternational events.
Cathy Owens, Welsh director of Amnesty International, said:
It would be a terrible shame if the Welsh flag were banned from the Olympics, but with so many domestic activists silenced, I’m not surprised the Chinese authorities want to control what can be seen at venues.
To us, in Wales it’s absurd we can’t fly our flag at the Olympics. For people in China the repression of free speech is much more serious. Saying the wrong thing can land you in prison and many journalists and activists have been arrested.
The Beijing rules for spectators state: To avoid delays at security and to maintain an orderly flow, please DO NOT bring the following articles to any venue: flags of non-members of the Olympics or Paralympics; flags or banners larger than 2 m x 1 m; flagpoles; any banners, slogans, fliers, brochures or samples.
On the 21st July, SEGA of Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. announced Sonic™ and the Black Knight, an all-new Wii-exclusive adventure. Part of the storybook series of games that began with Sonic and the Secret Rings, this new title brings Sonic into the world of Arthurian legend and offers the worlds most infamous blue hedgehog the chance to become a knight. Using the unique Wii control system, this exciting game will take advantage of both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk to offer an interactive experience that any Sonic fans will love.
Created by Sonic Team in Japan, this innovative game takes Sonic into a medieval world and arms him with a sword to aid in his effort to save the day. Sonic and the Black Knight will provide Sonic fans with an irresistible cast of characters and teach them all what it takes to be a true hero and the ultimate knight. With a series of missions taking place in stunning Arthurian-inspired locations, Sonic and the Black Knight promises to offer a fast-paced adventure that gamers of all ages will enjoy.
After the success of Sonic and the Secret Rings we’re delighted to announce a second title in the Storybook Series,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe, “Following Sonic on his way to knighthood will excite players of all ages.
Sonic and the Black Knight, exclusively for the Wii, will be out in Spring 2009. Continue Reading »
The BBC reports that a host of stars including John Hurt, Michelle Ryan and Richard Wilson are set to appear in BBC One’s latest Saturday night drama, Merlin.
The 13-part series follows the fabled friendship between the young wizard Merlin and Prince Arthur.
Bafta-winner Hurt will provide the voice of Merlin’s mentor, the Great Dragon, while Bionic Woman star Ryan will play wicked sorceress Nimueh.
Newcomer Colin Morgan, 22, from Northern Ireland, takes the title role.
BBC Wales’ Head of Drama Julie Gardner, also an executive producer on Doctor Who, said:
In this new version, Merlin and Arthur are young contemporaries for the first time ever, bringing a much loved tale to a whole new generation with a fresh, youthful new look and approach for Saturday nights
The drama is set in a time before Arthur becomes king, as Merlin comes to terms with his magical powers.
Wales Online reported on the 12th July that the Holy Grail may have rested in Wales, as an academic claimed.
Cardiff University folklore expert Dr Juliette Wood, said theories linking the Grail to Scotland, such as those in Dan Brown’s hit book The Da Vinci Code, were relatively new.
The work has sold 60 million copies since 2003 by suggesting Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh may have been the iconic Grail’s home.
In her new book Eternal Chalice: The Enduring Legend of the Holy Grail, Dr Wood says Wales’ claims on the ancient relic are far stronger.
The Holy Grail, believed to be the cup from which Christ drank at the last supper, is thought to have magical powers.
Wales Online reports that the allure of the Holy Grail has fascinated writers and ensnared knights for more than 1,000 years.
From Malory to Monty Python, the eternal chalice – said to be the very cup from which Jesus drank at the last supper – has become enshrined as one of popular culture’s most spiritual icons.
But while Scotland has been given the credit for being the Grail’s final resting place – thanks largely to Dan Brown’s hugely-successful novel The Da Vinci Code – a new book by a Welsh academic says Wales’ claim to the relic is stronger.
Ammanford will be stepping back in time this weekend as the local history society teams up with Dyfed Archaeological Trust to celebrate National Archaeology Week. The Castle and Conquest in Wales will be a free admission, all-day event on Saturday, July 12, between 10.30am and 4.30pm at the remains of Ammanford castle in Tirydail.
Richard Jones, heritage management archaeologist for Dyfed Archaeology Trust, said:
The open day at Ammanford castle will be our major event for National Archaeology Week. We have other events taking place at Llandeilo and Carmarthen, but Ammanford will have a huge range of activities and demonstrations.
FRENCH historians have suggested King Arthur was indeed a Welshman despite years of English “spin” claiming the mythical figure as their own.
As part of a major conference into the legend, academics say that if the king ever existed he was probably from Wales with strong links to Brittany, in northern France.
And far from being English – a ploy, they say, to appeal to nationalist sentiment – he would actually have been the sworn enemy of the Anglo-Saxons.
The organisers of the event at Rennes University, in Brittany, say the fable of Arthur and Camelot has been continually updated by English nationalists keen to bring back the Age of Chivalry.
The tales of Camelot, Excalibur and Arthurian derring-do have long been popular throughout Europe, with the earliest images of the king found in Italy, dating from about 1120. They also quickly spread as far apart as Iceland and found particular popularity in rural Brittany, although French historians have not gone as far as trying to claim the king as French. Continue Reading »
Got Game Entertainment has announced that it will be publishing the first-person, point-and-click horror adventure game, Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches, in North America for the PC.
“Rhiannon: Curse of the Four Branches”, based on the classic Welsh “Four Branches” legends, is set in a mystical place on the Celtic fringes of Britain, a place where myth and magic spill into reality, threatening the sanity of a teenage girl and bringing an ancient battle for revenge to a remote Welsh farmstead.
Are reports of unexplained noises and strange visions by fifteen year old Rhiannon Sullivan merely the figments of an overactive imagination? Or does the history of her family’s new home, Ty Pryderi, hold a terrible connection to a timeless struggle between man and magic? Her parents take Rhiannon away, leaving Ty Pryderi to your watch and exploration, but their absence can only postpone an ancient inevitability of revenge and death.
Unless you can stop it!
+ First person point and click adventure
+ Spine-tingling story blending magic with technology, fact with myth, and horror with compassion
+ Rich, atmospheric game world
+ A feast for lovers of ghost stories, mystery, legend and puzzles
The RPG Vault have managed to secure an interview with the designers of the Mabinogi Online Role-playing Game. Mabinogi is Nexon’s popular massively multiplayer title based on a world and themes derived from medieval Celtic mythology. Mabinogi is a cell shaded 3D MMO based on an Asian interpretation of Celtic and Welsh mythology. On the surface, the art quite often appears to be pretty or cute, but below it, there are some truly horrendous evils the player must face. The main influence would be an anime style trying to convey a medieval setting, while hiding a dark, concealed world.
Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, goes to live for a year in the underworld, called Annwn, where two kings vie for dominance. Taking the place of one, Arawn, he wins his abiding friendship by besting the other, Hafgan, in combat, thus uniting the domain. Considered a medieval masterpiece and even Wales’ foremost literary work, The Mabinogion begins in this manner. The book is a collection of tales ostensibly about the lives of Welsh royal families whose members are thought to represent pre-Christian gods. These stories, first written down in the 1300s, preserve an oral tradition that dates from centuries earlier. The compilation has been enormously influential. A number of experts believe it gave rise to such enduring figures as King Arthur and Merlin. They also cite it as having furnished the foundation for the fantasy fiction genre that’s so popular today.
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