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Thursday, 20 March 2025

Archaeological mythology and the Welsh Triads


  • One of the Three Fantastical Places of 
  • Powerful Stone.........


In Wales, things come in threes.  To quote from the Prydain Wiki:

The Welsh Triads (Welsh Trioedd Ynys Prydein, literally "Triads of the Island of Britain") are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a rhetorical form whereby objects are grouped together in threes, with a heading indicating the point of likeness.

https://prydain.fandom.com/wiki/Welsh_Triads

According to Wikipedia:

Some triads simply give a list of three characters with something in common (such as "the three frivolous bards of the island of Britain" while others include substantial narrative explanation. The triad form probably originated amongst the Welsh bards or poets as a mnemonic aid in composing their poems and stories, and later became a rhetorical device of Welsh literature. The Medieval Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen has many triads embedded in its narrative.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welsh_Triads

I remember reading the classic work of Rachel Bromwich many years ago, and being greatly intrigued by it. What's not to like about the three princes of the Court of Arthur, or the three bulls of battle of the Island of Prydain, or the three arrogant ones, or the three atrocious assassinations, or the three great illusions?  

See also:

https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/triads2.html

Bearing in mind that tales and myths are not necessarily old, and they they continue to be created, we come to the three Great Fabricators, Michael of the East, Robert of the Middle and Richard of the West.  And behold the tale of the Three Fantastical Places of Powerful Stone, known as Rhosyfelin, Carn Goedog and Waun Mawn..........



7 comments:

Tony Hinchliffe said...

.........then we have, chronologically speaking, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Herbert the Thomas, and Brian of Preseli. I know which of them, based on their respective knowledge ( or lack ) of glacial geomorphology, I would implicitly trust.

chris johnson said...

The rule of threes is well known in consultancy circles. It approximates to the number of items the average mind can absorb within one story. Nice to know that it originates in Wales!

Tony Hinchliffe said...

Triangulation points were invented in the mid - Thirties ( and coincidentally into about one - third of the 19th century). Their positioning, usually in concrete pillars, is determined by the process of triangulation. Then there is the well - known phrase in Biblical Christianity, "where two or more are gathered together....."

Tony Hinchliffe said...

and then of course there was Michael Fabricant the Boris lookalike who is reputed to be possessed of three wigs....

Philip Denwood said...

Apparently all the public telephone kiosks in the Chilterns are, or were, aligned in a straight line.

BRIAN JOHN said...

Thanks Philip -- I am sure you have that from the best possible authority......

Anonymous said...

My three ducks are all in a row......Michael, Parker, & Pearson