Welshness

I am studying an online course about Welsh Mythology right now and I am learning loads.
Some things I didn't know.

1) We have some of the best early literature, and the best preserved in the world.

http://bansheearts.com/2014/01/macha-she-would-not-stand-down/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/myths_red_book.shtml
http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=blackbookofcarmarthen

These books are beautiful, amazingly well written and contain knowledge and some oral histories that can be traced back to the 6th century.

2) Wales (and Cornwall) is the area the Britionian culture got shoved back to. At the peak of their culture and influence those of "The Mighty Island" controlled an area that included half of main land Britain (including most of Scotland) most of "The North" a large chunk of the Midlands and Somerset, Dorset and Cornwall. A lot of the poems and stories were written in Edinburgh!

3)There are loads of Mabinogi lovers from all over the world. Most of them seem to know a lot more than me!

4) Some of these quietly write books, translate difficult text, come up with new theories, and build websites for other Mabinogi enthusiasts. http://www.mabinogistudy.com/xz-articles/

5) As someone who LARPs the battle poems and so on are crazy good. The fact they are translated into modern English helps make them seem really fresh and potent. (Not the best translation but)

A man’s might,
a youth’s years, 
courage in battle. 
Swift long-maned horses 
beneath the thigh of a handsome lad. 
A broad light shield 
on the crupper 
of a slender steed. 
Bright grey-blue blades, 
intricate golden tassels. 
This is what will never be: 
emnity between you and me. 
 Better will I do for you, 
by praising you in song. 
Sooner to a bloodbath 
than to a wedding-feast! 
Sooner to be ravens’ food 
than properly buried! 
A dear friend was Ywain, 
a horror that he is under stones.
A sad wonder it is to me, 
in what country was slain 
Marro’s only son.

Find more here. http://druidnetwork.org/what-is-druidry/bardic-expression/poetry-and-prose/poetry-translations/

6) "King" Arthur was actually a bit of a cock in the early stuff, and was most likely given the name Emperor of Brition. His "wizard" or bard was never Merlin. His bard was Taliesin.  

7) There were three bardic schools. The head or chief bard at each school took on the name of the school when they took over. Only they could teach. The three schools were Aneririn, Merddyn(Merlin) and Taliesin.

8) Many of their older pagan Gods and Goddess have older Proto-Indo-European roots, some in common with Hindi.

9) My University days were not a TOTAL WASTE! I hated my degree. It was miserable. However I did take a theater and anthropology module, the reading of which has been helpful. Victor Turners work has a lot of echoes about the importance of ritual and play. Both things I have a big interest in.

10) We take for granted that we know "our" history when we really don't. Hundreds of people over many thousands of years worked hard to preserve something unique and wonderful.They are not just "tales" they are names, places, histories and ideas of a people. I am privileged to have had a brief glance beneath a curtain. While Wales has worked hard to preserve the knowledge, customs and language they are a treasure that belongs to the world if they only looked.