Many pics of actual, in-the-wild Mari Lwyd's (Mari Lwydau??) in my feed this week... But this one I found the most entertaining!

#FolkloreSunday The traditional Hunting of the Wren - 'Hela'r Dryw' in Welsh - is seldom practiced these days, but continued in parts of Pembrokeshire in particular until well into the 20th century. 1/2

#BookWormSat Puffin Island, off the coast of Anglesey, is one of the reputed locations of the Fairy Fortress of Caer Sidi. A spinning tower of black glass guarded by six thousand silent sentinels, it was perpetually shrouded in darkness, the only light shining from lanterns hanging from its gates.

Just a single line of dialogue for #screenshotsaturday today, with a little music. Have a listen... :) The condemnation of Rhiannon is one of the emotional peaks of the game, and voice actor Phil nails the scene with a perfect performance. The seething anger in his voice on this line is magnificent!

#BookologyThursday "For the bite of a mad dog... ...pound leek and vinegar in a mortar, or fennel seed and honey and put it on it." Some of the earliest Welsh language references to the leek, the Welsh national vegetable, are found in the medicinal recipes of the Physicians of Myddfai. 1/2

This location, Pryderi's home at Arberth, is still not quite finished. But while wandering the map I hit this view misty view, across the forest towards the castle, and wanted to share... :) In the comments are some photos of various Welsh castles that I`ve been using as references!

#WyrdWednesday From the moment that Rhiannon is first sighted by Pwyll and his companions, it's clear that she's the one in control of her own destiny. She chooses Pwyll, over her betrothed Gwawl, driving many of the events of the First Branch of the Mabinogi.

#MythologyMonday Most legends tell how the Cauldron of Inspiration, the magic brew of the witch Cerridwen, was tended to by the boy Gwion Bach before his transformation into the poet Taliesin. 1/2

#FolkloreSunday The 'Adar Rhiannon', the Birds of Rhiannon, are three magical birds found in the stories of the Mabinogion. Their song had the power to lull the living to sleep, or wake the dead, and could be heard as if close by even when the birds were far away.

#BookWormSat Tolkien owned multiple copies of the Mabinogion in his own personal library, and was undoubtedly influenced by ancient Welsh myth. An obvious reference is the Red Book of Westmarch, a clear nod to the Red Book of Hergest, one of the original source texts for the Mabinogion.

#BookWormSat Sindarin, the everyday language of Tolkien's Elves, was inspired both phonologically and grammatically by Welsh. One interesting example is the use of consonant mutations in both languages, where the first consonant of each word can change depending on its grammatical context.

#PhantomsFriday I've posted before about the Cŵn Annwn—the red-eared, ghost-white spectral hounds of the Welsh Otherworld that run and hunt alongside Arawn. But these ethereal creatures appear in other tales as well. 1/3

More on Arawn here! A link in the comments there takes you to the full story of Arawn, King of the Otherworld, and his deal with Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed.

#BookologyThursday I adore this painting by Giles Watson of Arawn, King of the Welsh Otherworld of Annwn. Later literature largely replaced Arawn with the soul-guide Gwyn ap Nudd. Although clearly separate characters, it seems likely they both evolved from the same, far older, mythological complex.

"And so ends this branch of the Mabinogi." The final words shared across each of the Four Branches are not only an ending, but also serve to bind each story into the whole, closing one chapter while building anticipation for the next. A fine statement to end the year!

The wonderful voice of Phil Rowe will also be appearing again next year when Tales from the Mabinogion launches! He takes the role of Pryderi, as the narrator of the game, returning home to find his kingdom devasted by a cursed magical fog. www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN6iAcAELvg

Another screen from an in-game cinematic, with some of the 19th century paintings that inspired that particular shot. If you haven't already Wishlisted 'Tales from the Mabinogion' on Steam, then this #wishlistwednesday is your last day to do it this year!

While you all wait for 'Tales from the Mabinogion', here are a few more ideas for games to check out!

Ooo, this event is still a while away, but looks interesting! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blodeuwedd...

#MythologyMonday “A creature strong, Without flesh, without bone, Without veins, without blood, Without head, and without feet.” From Taliesin's ‘Song of the Wind’, the enchanted poem he recited to conjure a storm to free the imprisoned Elffin.

I always knew when I started making videos that I'd get comments eventually "correcting" my pronunciations of Welsh words :P People often forget that Wales has different accents and dialects up and down the country, let alone the north/south differences.

#BookWormSat Much in the Mabinogion is felt, rather than stated. Seasons in particular are often implied, as in the opening of ‘The Dream of Rhonabwy’. The scene is set with stormy weather, carpeting of boughs of holly, a hearth with barely sufficient warmth, and peasants carrying bundles of wood.

A photo of my gorhengaw (great-great-great grandfather), Seth Roberts. He was the first person in North Wales to ever sing the Welsh national anthem, ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’. His performance was at an Eisteddfod, just outside of Wrexham, at Christmas in 1859. 1/2

The oldest living thing in Wales: the yew in the churchyard of Llangernyw, #Conwy, which is believed to be somewhere in the region of 3,000 years old. #ThickTrunkTuesday #Wales

Look what Santa left in my stocking this morning! A few real gems in there. A few I'm less keen on also. But overall, I'm enjoying it, and can recommend!

"It's remarkable that you can have a culture that's shunted into the west side of England that has nothing to do with the English at all." Robert Plant on how the mystique of Wales and the magic of J.R.R. Tolkien influenced Led Zeppelin. share.google/lm8rup4ZkCzf...

Some useful Welsh phrases for you! As an aside 'Gwledd' is also the name of a Welsh language horror movie, if you're in need of some alternate Christmas viewing! Search for "The Feast" if you have a hard time finding it to stream.

#wyrdwednesday Even in a book filled with weird stories, the tale of the giant Bendigeidfran`s head stands out. 1/3

Still unsure what to give your favourite indie game dev for Christmas? How about going to their Steam page and giving them a wishlist! It's completely free, and sure to put a smile on their face... :) store.steampowered.com/app/3067260/Tales_from_the_Mabinogion/ #wishlistwednesday

Just had the link to these fabulous prints of various characters from Welsh myth shared with me, and I love them! I imagine it's a little late to order prints for Christmas, but maybe if you're looking for a late present for a fan of Welsh mythology...? jonathanestore.bigcartel.com/product/wels...

You see, I don't only share photos of Welsh castles and forests... Sometimes I share artwork of them too!

For those of you that don't already know, the Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake is coming soon! But not only is this the best game in the series, it's also the most Welsh in the series! You can read a breakdown of the Welsh references in the game here: walesingames.com/game/assassi...

#MythologyMonday In the earliest Arthurian tales from the Mabinogion, Arthur's warriors are not bound by a symbolic table, their kinship is born in action. Their bond is operational, rather than ideological, their proof coming from what they do, not what they swear.

Yes, it’s absolutely cheesier than a Camembert (or perhaps a Caerffili), but it’s still worth sharing, if only because most people will have never heard ‘Ar Hyd y Nos’ (‘All Through the Night’) sung in its original Welsh.

The photo shown in the article here is the Pentre Ifan dolmen, that's stood for more than 5000 years. Unlike the ceremonial, cosmological standing stones of places like Stonehenge, this was likely built as a funerary structure, serving as the entrance to a communal tomb.

#screenshotsaturday This opening shot of ‘Tales from the Mabinogion’ draws quite explicitly on Caspar David Friedrich, drawing inspiration from his approach to composition and landscape. store.steampowered.com/app/3067260/Tales_from_the_Mabinogion/

#FolkyFriday "And so ends this branch of the Mabinogi." It's a subtle but powerful closing line, a phrase that ties each individual story into the larger, interconnected tapestry of the Four Branches. It`s a line that, much like Christmas, gives both closure and anticipation for what's to come!

#BookologyThursday Margaret Jones' wonderfully illustrated map of the Mabinogion is filled with details of the many magical beasts from the tales, from the white-furred Cŵn Annwn, to the horrific clawed monster stealing away Pryderi from his cradle. What other creatures' stories do you find there?

#WyrdWednesday In the opening story of the Mabinogi, Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed, intrudes into an Otherworld hunt led by Arawn and his Cŵn Annwn. The encounter results in the two switching places for a year and a day, Pwyll taking on the face and form of Arawn to rule over the Otherworld.

It`s time to #TeaseYaGame ! Here`s a quick tease of our tracking gameplay, one part of ‘Tales from the Mabinogion’, a game about Welsh mythology, narrated entirely in the Welsh language. store.steampowered.com/app/3067260/Tales_from_the_Mabinogion/

#ScreenShotSaturday I was doing some facial-rig tests for Bendigeidfran’s buried head this week, which took on an unexpectedly Monty Python-esque tone... :D

#BookWormSat In early Welsh literature, the white-furred, red-eared Cŵn Annwn are the hunting dogs of the Otherworld, running ahead of their lords, Arawn and Gwyn ap Nudd. 1/2

While we're on Christmas gift recommendations, you probably still have time to order a copy of Mark Wigan's gloriously illustrated Kat Godeu, from the Book of Taliesin. My own copy arrived recently, and it really is beautiful! www.markwigan.com/collections/...

#bookologythursday Thinking of buying your loved one a copy of The Mabinogion for Christmas, but not sure which edition or translation to gift? Here are my quick gift-giving edition recommendations to help you out! 1/5

#LegendaryWednesday Arawn, lord of the Welsh Otherworld of Annwn, once gave a gift of magical pigs to Pryderi, King of Dyfed. The sorcerer Gwydion used his illusionary magic to steal the animals, sparking a war between Dyfed, in the South of Wales, and Gwynedd in the North.

#WyrdWednesday In a cave below Aber Cleddyf lies what was once the home of the werewolf witch Rhymhi, and her two cubs. The story of Culhwch and Olwen tells of how Arthur slayed the sorceress, and adopted the two were-cubs into his retinue of knights.

#FairyTaleTuesday Peer hard through the frosty winter air, and you may just see a faint Krampus-like echo in the tale of the birth of Pryderi. A clawed otherworldly intruder, skulking into a child's room, stealing the young away - a pattern that hints at dark and ancient fears!

Someone mentioned the shipwreck on this beach just the other day! Nice to see such a splendid photo of it popping up in my feed this afternoon... :)

This is the first known photograph of a snowman. It was taken in Swansea, Wales, in 1853 by Victorian photography pioneer Mary Dillwyn. 📷 National Library of Wales - Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru #christmas #snow

Any fluent Welsh speakers want to help Mike out? I'd say "unicorn porffor blewog ydw i," but maybe a native speaker would have a more natural translation?