The questions most asked about Wales are `Why the Red Dragon`, Why the Leek as a national emblem,
`Why the Daffodil`, and where did your national costume come from.
In this section I will try and give you both the Folklore behind them, and the Facts.
`Why the Daffodil`, and where did your national costume come from.
In this section I will try and give you both the Folklore behind them, and the Facts.
Wales is one of the newest democracies in Europe but with the oldest national flag - a red dragon set
against a green and white background. The most famous emblems of Wales are the dragon, "Ich
Dien"the leek and the daffodil.
against a green and white background. The most famous emblems of Wales are the dragon, "Ich
Dien"the leek and the daffodil.
The Red Dragon
You will already know the legendary tale of the Red Dragon from my
other pages, The ancient poets Aneirin and Taliesin use the Welsh word
for dragon "draig" in the sense of "warrior" or "leader" and this usage
remained to the middle Ages. In the Historian Brittonum (ascribed to
Nennius) of around 800 A.D. the dragon is seen as a symbol of national
independence in the story of the red dragon battling with the white
dragon of the Saxon enemy.Here is the "truth" behind the myth.
You will already know the legendary tale of the Red Dragon from my
other pages, The ancient poets Aneirin and Taliesin use the Welsh word
for dragon "draig" in the sense of "warrior" or "leader" and this usage
remained to the middle Ages. In the Historian Brittonum (ascribed to
Nennius) of around 800 A.D. the dragon is seen as a symbol of national
independence in the story of the red dragon battling with the white
dragon of the Saxon enemy.Here is the "truth" behind the myth.
At the time of the Norman invasion of England in 1066, the dragon symbol seems to have been used by
both sides. The Bayeux tapestry shows king Harold close to a dragon standard as he falls and the
dragon also appears on the pennant of one of duke William's messengers.
Despite its occasional use by other figures famous in Welsh history, the red dragon became the symbol
of the Welsh nation through its adoption by the Tudor ancestors of king Henry VII. Edmund and
Jasper Tudor had a dragon as crest and supporter to the arms granted them by Henry VI. When Henry
Tudor faced king Richard III at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 his battle standards numbered three.
One of these carried the arms of St. George of England, one the arms of the house of Beaufort and on
one was a "Red ffyry dragon peyntid upon white and Grene Sarcenet". It is held that this dragon
banner represented Henry Tudor's claim to be a true representative of the ancient kings of Britain and
served as his tribute to the Welsh people who had made his victory possible.An "englyn" written at the
time refers to Llywelyn and his army, "There is my lord Llywelyn and tall warriors follow him; a
thousand, a host in green and white."
"These are the colours in which the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock, was to dress his Welsh
contingent at Crecy in 1346: these men were, as D.L. Evans remarked, 'the first troops to appear on a
continental battlefield in national uniform.' Thus, by the middle of the fourteenth century, green and
white appear to have been understood as the national colours of Wales; they were to be used later by
Henry Tudor as the field for the Red Dragon, and they remain to this day the colours of the national
flag, upon which the Red Dragon is set." There is no "standard" Welsh dragon, the dragon on the flag
must, however, face to the left, be sited centrally and cover equal parts of the white and green panels. It
has always been associated with Wales and Henry the seventh used it as his banner at the Battle of
Bosworth when he gained the English throne in 1485. Henry was also the first to use the Dragon on his
coins, an emblem of Wales, which has recently been reinstated on pound coins today.
both sides. The Bayeux tapestry shows king Harold close to a dragon standard as he falls and the
dragon also appears on the pennant of one of duke William's messengers.
Despite its occasional use by other figures famous in Welsh history, the red dragon became the symbol
of the Welsh nation through its adoption by the Tudor ancestors of king Henry VII. Edmund and
Jasper Tudor had a dragon as crest and supporter to the arms granted them by Henry VI. When Henry
Tudor faced king Richard III at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 his battle standards numbered three.
One of these carried the arms of St. George of England, one the arms of the house of Beaufort and on
one was a "Red ffyry dragon peyntid upon white and Grene Sarcenet". It is held that this dragon
banner represented Henry Tudor's claim to be a true representative of the ancient kings of Britain and
served as his tribute to the Welsh people who had made his victory possible.An "englyn" written at the
time refers to Llywelyn and his army, "There is my lord Llywelyn and tall warriors follow him; a
thousand, a host in green and white."
"These are the colours in which the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock, was to dress his Welsh
contingent at Crecy in 1346: these men were, as D.L. Evans remarked, 'the first troops to appear on a
continental battlefield in national uniform.' Thus, by the middle of the fourteenth century, green and
white appear to have been understood as the national colours of Wales; they were to be used later by
Henry Tudor as the field for the Red Dragon, and they remain to this day the colours of the national
flag, upon which the Red Dragon is set." There is no "standard" Welsh dragon, the dragon on the flag
must, however, face to the left, be sited centrally and cover equal parts of the white and green panels. It
has always been associated with Wales and Henry the seventh used it as his banner at the Battle of
Bosworth when he gained the English throne in 1485. Henry was also the first to use the Dragon on his
coins, an emblem of Wales, which has recently been reinstated on pound coins today.
| The Leek On the evidence of Shakespeare, the leek was the recognised emblem of his day, and there is written evidence that it became the Welsh emblem considerably earlier. Entries in the household accounts of the Tudor Kings include payments for leeks worn by the household guards on St. David's Day. According to one legend, the leek is linked to St. David because he ordered his soldiers to wear them on their helmets when they fought a victorious battle against the pagan Saxons in a field full of leeks. It was more likely, however, that the leek was linked with St. David and adopted as a national symbol because of its importance to the national diet in days of old, particularly in Lent." |
| The Daffodil The Story behind the daffodil is a charming one and representative of the Welsh characteristics of humour and pragmatism. The Welsh for leek is Cenhinen and the Welsh for Daffodil is Cenhinen Pedr. Over the years they became confused and so the Daffodil along with the Leek was adopted as another emblem of Wales. It has become the more favoured emblem of late, however, since some people find that it makes a more attractive buttonhole on St. David's day. Daffodils and newborn lambs herald the summer in Wales. |
| "The crest of three ostrich plumes and the motto of "Ich Dien" This has been the motto of the Prince of Wales since 1346 when Edward the Black Prince adopted it as his motto in tribute to the blind king of Bohemia who led the cavalry charges against the English. |
National Dress
The popular image of Welsh "national" dress, of a woman
in a red cloak and tall black hat is one, which has developed
as a result of various influences, which arose in the
nineteenth century.
The costume regarded as national dress is based on clothing
worn by Welsh countrywomen during the early nineteenth
century, namely a striped flannel petticoat, worn under a
flannel open-fronted bed gown, with an apron, shawl and
kerchief or cap. The hats generally worn were the same as
hats worn by men at the period. The tall "chimney" hat did
not appear until the late 1840's and seems to be based on an
amalgamation of men's top hats and a form of high hat
worn during the 1790 - 1820 period in country areas. Lady
Llanover, the wife of an ironmaster in Gwent, was very
influential in encouraging the wearing of "national dress",
both in her own home and at Eisteddfodau. She considered
it important to encourage the use of the Welsh language and
the wearing of an identifiable Welsh costume. She succeeded
in her aim mainly because people felt that their national
identity was under threat and the wearing of a national
costume was one way to declare that identity.
The popular image of Welsh "national" dress, of a woman
in a red cloak and tall black hat is one, which has developed
as a result of various influences, which arose in the
nineteenth century.
The costume regarded as national dress is based on clothing
worn by Welsh countrywomen during the early nineteenth
century, namely a striped flannel petticoat, worn under a
flannel open-fronted bed gown, with an apron, shawl and
kerchief or cap. The hats generally worn were the same as
hats worn by men at the period. The tall "chimney" hat did
not appear until the late 1840's and seems to be based on an
amalgamation of men's top hats and a form of high hat
worn during the 1790 - 1820 period in country areas. Lady
Llanover, the wife of an ironmaster in Gwent, was very
influential in encouraging the wearing of "national dress",
both in her own home and at Eisteddfodau. She considered
it important to encourage the use of the Welsh language and
the wearing of an identifiable Welsh costume. She succeeded
in her aim mainly because people felt that their national
identity was under threat and the wearing of a national
costume was one way to declare that identity.
WELSH NATIONAL ANTHEM (HEN WLAD FY NHADAU)
The words of the Welsh National Anthem date from January 1856 and were printed two years later, in
1858. Until then Wales had no National Anthem. The words are attributed to Evan James from Pontypridd
and his son, James James, inspired by an old melody composed for the harp, set the words to music. The
Anthem was sung at the National Eisteddfod in 1874 and since then has been recognised as a true
expression of Welsh national sentiment. It is uncertain when the piece was adopted as the Welsh National
Anthem. It should be sung in Welsh only, the language, of course, being an integral part of Welsh national
identity. The difficulties encountered in translating the Welsh accounts for a variety of renderings in
English. Caerphilly can lay some claim to the Welsh National Anthem. The words to “Hen Wlad Fy
Nhadauâ"The Land of My Fathers" were written by Evan James in 1856 - James was born in the Parish of
Eglwysilan, near Caerphilly, in 1809. His son James James (1833-1902) composed the music to accompany
the words and in 1858 the work was entered in the National Eisteddfod at Llangollen as "Glanrhondda".
The original Welsh is difficult to translate literally and many attempts have been made to produce an
English version which mirrors the sentiment of the anthem. The original Welsh of the first verse is set out
below and is followed by a translation by Ebenezer Thomas (1802-1863) whose Bardic name was Eben
Fardd.
The words of the Welsh National Anthem date from January 1856 and were printed two years later, in
1858. Until then Wales had no National Anthem. The words are attributed to Evan James from Pontypridd
and his son, James James, inspired by an old melody composed for the harp, set the words to music. The
Anthem was sung at the National Eisteddfod in 1874 and since then has been recognised as a true
expression of Welsh national sentiment. It is uncertain when the piece was adopted as the Welsh National
Anthem. It should be sung in Welsh only, the language, of course, being an integral part of Welsh national
identity. The difficulties encountered in translating the Welsh accounts for a variety of renderings in
English. Caerphilly can lay some claim to the Welsh National Anthem. The words to “Hen Wlad Fy
Nhadauâ"The Land of My Fathers" were written by Evan James in 1856 - James was born in the Parish of
Eglwysilan, near Caerphilly, in 1809. His son James James (1833-1902) composed the music to accompany
the words and in 1858 the work was entered in the National Eisteddfod at Llangollen as "Glanrhondda".
The original Welsh is difficult to translate literally and many attempts have been made to produce an
English version which mirrors the sentiment of the anthem. The original Welsh of the first verse is set out
below and is followed by a translation by Ebenezer Thomas (1802-1863) whose Bardic name was Eben
Fardd.
Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
Dros ryddid gollasant eu gwaed.
Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad;
Tra môr yn fur i’r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i’r hen iaith barhau.
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
Dros ryddid gollasant eu gwaed.
Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad;
Tra môr yn fur i’r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i’r hen iaith barhau.
The land of my fathers, the land of my choice,
The land in which poets and minstrels rejoice;
Whose stern warriors were true to the core
While bleeding for freedome of yore.
Wales! Wales! favourite land of Wales!
While sea her wall, may nought befall
To mar the old language of Wales.
The land in which poets and minstrels rejoice;
Whose stern warriors were true to the core
While bleeding for freedome of yore.
Wales! Wales! favourite land of Wales!
While sea her wall, may nought befall
To mar the old language of Wales.
The land of my fathers is dear unto me,
Old land where the minstrels are honoured
and free:
It's warring defenders, so gallant and brave,
For freedom their life's blood they gave.
Country, Country, true am i to my Country,
While seas secure this land so pure,
O may our old language endure.
Old land where the minstrels are honoured
and free:
It's warring defenders, so gallant and brave,
For freedom their life's blood they gave.
Country, Country, true am i to my Country,
While seas secure this land so pure,
O may our old language endure.
The ancient land of my fathers is dear to me,
A land of poets and minstrels, famed men;
Her brave warriors, patriots much blessed,
It was for freedom that they lost their blood
Chorus:
Homeland! I am devoted to my country:
So long as the sea is a wall to this fair beautiful land,
May the ancient language remain.
A land of poets and minstrels, famed men;
Her brave warriors, patriots much blessed,
It was for freedom that they lost their blood
Chorus:
Homeland! I am devoted to my country:
So long as the sea is a wall to this fair beautiful land,
May the ancient language remain.
| And to give you an example on how problematic it is to translate, here are two other popular examples |
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