The Cold Moon in Tycanol Wood

 

A great photo from Hugh Thomas, taken on the night of the "Cold Supermoon".  Ty Canol is of course one of the "magical" places in the story of Martha Morgan, popping up over again in the narrative as a place of high passion and deepest tragedy..........

The Force of Destiny

 

Premise:  A pregnant and suicidal teenager learns from a mysterious wizard that she will live to a great age, and has to go through life knowing that in every crisis others will die but that she will survive.

What would you do if you knew that you would survive every dramatic episode in life and live to a great age?  Would you settle down to a mundane and quiet life, and concentrate on raising a family and having a mellow time?  Or would you take risks that would otherwise have been outrageous, knowing that your actions would bring the defeat of your enemies but also maybe collateral damage to your friends and family? 

This is the dilemma faced by our heroine -- made sharper by the fact that she has identifiable enemies who want her dead, her family destroyed and her estate dismembered?  Deep, deep issues.......

One of the issues, of course, surrounds the issue of future certainty, predestination, destiny, fate, karma, or whatever you want to call it.  From the earliest times this has been a theme in literature and storytelling.  

But there are subtle differences that we should be aware of.  KARMA is about action and choice, while fate is about a predetermined, unchangeable outcome.  In the concept of karma, individuals have free will and are in the "driver's seat" of their lives. There is flexibility.  There is justice. Your current actions influence your future, meaning you have the power to change your course at any time by making different choices. On the other hand, FATE is cruel and unforgiving.   It involves the development of events beyond a person's control, often regarded as determined by a supernatural power or a fixed, unchangeable path. In this view, your life is predetermined, and your choices do not matter to the final outcome.

So when Martha is told by the wizard Joseph Harries, when she is very close to death herself,  that she will live to a great age, and that she is in effect indestructible, what is she to do?  Her first dilemma is to decide whether to believe him, and her second dilemma is to work out how she needs to adapt or modify her own actions to cope with this reality.  Others -- presumably her enemies -- will die before her, but what about her family and friends, who might suffer collateral damage on an unacceptable scale because of her own reckless or selfish actions? 

There is of course a great debate to be had here,  between those who think that salvation is achieved through accumulated good works (karma as in Buddhism and Hinduism) and those who think that salvation is a gift received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  In Christianity, it is of course accepted that good works and kindness are to be applauded, but they do not in themselves involve accumulated merit, or get one into Heaven.  That happens through redemption, as a consequence of Jesus Christ paying the ultimate penalty for human sin through his death and resurrection.  Here we are moving seriously into the realm of theology.......

There are occasions in the narrative of Martha's life where she gets into deep discussions with the clergy for whom she has little respect.  One such occurs when she tries to get the rector of Newport Church to give a church wedding to the ex-prostitute Patty Ellis, enjoying in the process a jolly debate on the differences between fornication and adultery.  Another comes much later in the story, where Martha is angered by the Church's apparent acceptance of injustice and suffering as "ordained by God" and its apparent belief that an acceptance of suffering and pain is somehow noble or worthy.  Suffering is good for you?  Hmmm.....

The great theme of Verdi's opera "La forza del destino" (The Force of Destiny or The Power of Fate) is that human lives and choices are ultimately subject to the overwhelming, relentless power of an inescapable destiny or fate that often leads to tragedy. Fate is the main character in the narrative. The opera suggests that the characters themselves are less important as individuals than their collective reaction to the workings of an irrepressible destiny. The "fate motif" in the overture serves as a constant musical reminder of this overriding force.

While the characters in Verdi's opera are victims of random, cruel chance, Pagnol's characters in "Jean de Florette" suffer consequences directly related to their own moral choices. The central plot revolves around César Soubeyran ("Le Papet") and his nephew Ugolin illegally blocking a water source to Jean de Florette's inherited farm to force him to sell. Their greed leads to Jean's tragic demise.  The "force of destiny" reveals the truth in the sequel, "Manon des Sources". Manon, Jean's daughter, discovers their plot and exacts a form of poetic justice by blocking the source to the entire village, causing distress to her father's tormentors.  Then there comes a brilliant final twist.  The ultimate power of destiny is revealed when a dying César learns that Jean de Florette was, in fact, his own illegitimate son, the heir he had always longed for and for whom he had committed his terrible acts of cruelty. This shocking revelation demonstrates a tragic, yet morally balanced, form of destiny that ensures the perpetrators are crushed by the weight of their own past actions.

And in Shakespeare's "Hamlet", the full lines from the famous "To be, or not to be" soliloquy (Act III, Scene I) are:

"To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?"

In this context, "outrageous fortune" refers to the unexpected and unwelcome hardships and random injustices that fate inflicts upon human life.

A reviewer long ago said of the Angel Mountain Saga that it is "Shakespearean in its scope".  Well, that was very kind -- and perhaps very perceptive -- of him.
 

I am not claiming that the Angel Mountain Saga deserves classic status as a work of art -- but I urge the reader to dig a bit deeper than the narrative itself in order to understand why people do the things that they do -- both good and bad.  And then, what the consequences may be.............

Iolo Morgannwg

Iolo Morgannwg might have looked something like this  as he wandered around Wales looking for ancient manuscripts, bits of folklore, songs and poems.  Did he smile much?  Not sure of that -- he is generally portrayed as a rather serious fellow........

Iolo Morganwg (Edward Williams) was a complex figure in reality -- often described as both a genius and a forger.  He was  labelled a "charlatan" by some scholars after his death.  His legacy is heavily debated, but most historians acknowledges his widespread fabrications, while also recognizing his immense positive impact on Welsh culture and national identity. 

Iolo, as a young man, was a stonemason and a farmer, and he spent some time in London.  He wandered all over Wales, and was not in his lifetime either wealthy or particularly famous.  Indeed, in 1786-87  he spent some time in the debtor's prison in Cardiff because of the failure of his stonemasonry business.  He owed  somebody £3.........  So to those whom he encountered on his travels he must have appeared as a very strange fellow, more like a vagrant or tramp than a pillar of the cultural establishment.........

Iolo was largely self-taught.  But he created numerous manuscripts and poems which he presented as ancient Welsh works, purportedly from the medieval period, but which were entirely his own work.  He invented the Gorsedd of the Bards and its associated rituals, presenting them as ancient Druidic traditions that had survived Roman times.  He created a supposed "Bardic Alphabet" (Coelbren y Beirdd) which had no basis in historical or archaeological fact.

The extent of his forgeries was not widely known during his lifetime; it was later scholars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who exposed them  -- and also acknowledged that some of them were really rather wonderful.

Despite the forgeries, Iolo provided the Welsh people with a crucial cultural re-awakening when it was most needed, effectively becoming one of the main architects of modern Welsh national identity.  The institutions he established, such as the Gorsedd (which is now an integral part of the annual National Eisteddfod festival), have endured and become important parts of Welsh life.  He was a genuinely talented poet, a radical political thinker (advocating for the rights of man, opposing slavery), a pioneer of the Unitarian movement in Wales, and a serious antiquarian who collected many genuine manuscripts alongside his forgeries.

His motivations?  Well, they were largely patriotic and local, aiming to elevate the reputation of Welsh language and culture, rather than for personal gain. Some theories also suggest his addiction to laudanum may have blurred the lines between fact and fiction in his mind.

Since he lived at the time that our imaginary heroine walked this earth, we had to incorporate him into our story.  He died in 1826 at the age of 79.  When he meets Martha in Ch 7 of  "Sacrifice" I have imagined him as a strange fellow, highly strung, very intelligent, and capable of offering sound advice to a troubled woman.  Above all else, he knows all about the Welsh triads.......

The Emperor of China

 

Here he is, splendidly imagined by Steve, using AI technology.  The Emperor of China, one of the most exotic and eccentric characters in the whole of the Angel Mountain narrative.  In the pages of "Guardian Angel" Martha gives him a bit of help, and he reciprocates.........

His name was John Wylde, and he really did exist.   His celestial empire extended for a few acres in the district called Pontystorehouse -- right in the midst of the industrial mayhem of 1840's Merthyr Tydfil. This fine fellow was at the top of the criminal pyramid, ruling over an assortment of thieves, thugs, prostitutes and pimps -- some were referred to as Rodneys, Nymphs and Bullies. His place of residence was excavated out of the Bethesda Cinder Tip, one of the more stable ash heaps adjacent to the Cyfartha iron works. He and his Empress lived in considerable style, surrounded by stolen goods, and "China" was effectively beyond the reach of the law.  Around 1500 people lived on and in the slag tips of the iron town, in incredibly primitive conditions. Truth or mythology? Who cares? Anyway, I could not resist pulling him into the narrative and playing a role in the adventures of our heroine Martha Morgan.........

More on the Empire of China and its colourful Emperor

 

Further to my earlier posts on this topic (in association with the Merthyr Tydfil section of "Guardian Angel") there is an interesting blog post here:

http://upsetvictorians.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-true-origin-of-china-nickname-for.html

It provides some interesting new info about the origin of the "China" name.  

Anthony Rhys says:  Most recently Joe England's excellent new book 'Merthyr: The Crucible of Modern Wales', says:  'Where the name China came from is unknown but it probably came from an imaginative journalist who saw the district as mysterious and dangerous. From the early 1840's Britain was involved in 'Opium Wars' with China.'   Keith Strange says as the Victorians became aware of the real country's 'strange culture and customs' they named another 'alien' society, namely Merthyr's underworld, after the same thing.

However, the new suggestion by Anthony Rhys is that the name came from an enthusiastic but unsuccessful Wesleyan "mission".  The Pontystorehouse hotbed of crime and prostitution was so notorious in the 1840's and 1850's that there were major campaigns by upright citizens to alert the inhabitants of the troglodite community as to the error of their ways, and to listen to the word of the Lord.  One of the leaders of this movement, one Walter Watkins, was a staunch Methodist and teetotaller, who frequently preached fiery sermons at the arch which led into the area of old slag heaps and ash dumps called "The Cellars". He was known as "Father Watkins" -- and he previously owned the Canton Tea house on Marthyr's High Street. He was a strict advocate of temperence, and preached that people should drink tea rather than alcohol. At that time tea was probably too expensive to be drunk by the prostitutes and bullies of the target community -- but all the tea for sale at that time came from China.

Walter Watkins eventually gave up on his campaign in despair, but as a joke the Cellars were re-named "Little China" 1843 and eventually became just "China", with the most powerful man in the locality taking the title of the Celestial Emperor.  At one time the Emperor was Benjamin Richards, alias Benny Blackstone, who was just 28 years old.  But the name I have built into the "Guardian Angel" episode was John Wylde, as a result of information gathered from Keith Strange's book.

I can well imagine that over a period of twenty years or more, there were crimninal power struggles within the Celestial Empire, as a result of which Emperors came and went with alarming frequency.  After 1850, conditions seem to have improved, and crime reduced, as indicated in Olivia Marsh's dissertation.

See also:

Olivia Marsh dissertation:

https://oro.open.ac.uk/85397/1/MARSH_A329_VOR.pdf

http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/china.htm

Keith Strange, ‘In Search of the Celestial Empire’, Llafur, 3.1 (1980), pp. 44 - 45

The Pontystorehouse shop around 1890 -- the arch on the left was reputed to be one of the

entrances to China.

The Mysteries of Ceridwen

Sometimes I am quite impressed by the capacity of AI to distill the essence of something from a wide variety of sources.  This is what it says about the rather nasty secret society that causes mayhem in the pages of "Sacrifice".  It has got things pretty well spot on!!  In particular, it has picked up on the difficulty I had as an author in deciding on the limits of graphic descriptions of horrific events.........

===============

In Brian John's novel Sacrifice, the "Mysteries of Ceridwen" is the name of a depraved and violent secret society that targets the heroine, Martha Morgan. The society is a central element of the book's plot and represents the extreme evil Martha must confront.


Role in the Novel SacrificeAntagonists: 

The "Mysteries of Ceridwen" is the main antagonist group in the novel. Its members are described as four "sinister men" who call themselves surveyors and are responsible for a "campaign of retribution".

Motivations and Actions: 

The society is driven by ancient family animosities and targets specific individuals with grotesque methods. The violence begins with a shepherd being ambushed and having three stripes carved across his chest. Martha Morgan, the main character, is the prime target on their hit list.

Depravity: 

The novel is considered the "darkest tale" in the Angel Mountain Saga due to the explicit exploration of the society's depravity and violence, with the author having to make careful judgments on the boundary of acceptable graphic descriptions.

Comparison to other Secret Societies: 

The "Mysteries of Ceridwen" is presented as a "secret society" similar to others of the time, such as the Society of Sea Serjeants or the Freemasons, but is described as particularly depraved and criminal in its activities, including potentially hiring assassins. 

Mythological Context

The name "Ceridwen" comes from Welsh mythology. She is a powerful enchantress connected with a cauldron of wisdom and poetic inspiration (Awen). The mythological story includes: 

The Cauldron: Ceridwen brews a magic potion in her cauldron, intended to grant wisdom.

Gwion Bach: A servant boy named Gwion Bach accidentally receives the first three magical drops and, realizing the danger, flees.

The Pursuit and Rebirth: Ceridwen pursues Gwion Bach through various transformations. She swallows him when he is a grain of wheat and she is a hen.

Taliesin: She later gives birth to the boy, who becomes the legendary bard Taliesin.

Brian John likely uses "The Mysteries of Ceridwen" to add dark, ancient Welsh folklore to the gang's activities. This contrasts the mythological Ceridwen's pursuit of wisdom with the gang's pursuit of violent retribution and depravity.

Anniversary Tea Party coming up........

 

It's 25 years since the launch of the Angel Mountain Saga and the first appearance of Martha Morgan on the literary scene.........

To celebrate this auspicious event, and the sale of around 150,000 books in various formats, we are organizing an afternoon tea party in the Garden Room of the Memorial Hall in Newport, on Sunday 7th December.  Everybody welcome!  It will be an opportunity to meet old friends and for me as the writer and publisher to thank everybody who has helped to turn the Saga into a "self-publishing phenonmenon" -- and to announce some interesting developments........

Since the 8 books of the Saga have a powerful sense of place, with the Plas Ingli estate (house and home) at the very centre of things, I thought it would be good to spare a moment to think of those who are homeless nin our own country.  So although admission to the event is free, there will be an opportunity to donate, if you wish, to Shelter, the homeless charity.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Brian