Plygain - Trefdraeth

Google Photo Archive

If you want to check back and find any of the photos I have used on this blog, you can find the full archived gallery here:

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/112312986974547323674/album/AF1QipPueRBf-JeDhvDcJZ2yEVwhZEPC2GFSZEY_476Z?authKey=COOz7Za__6uEkwE

At the moment, there are 1252 items in the gallery.  Feel free to have a good browse......

Drag and drop doesn't vseem to work (if you want to re0use any of the photos, but you can always do a screenshot.  In case of any problems, just drop me a line.....

The rough with the smooth........

 

When you are a writer you have to learn to take the rough with the smooth.  Here are three reviews from "Audible" -- based on the audiobook version of "On Angel Mountain."  It just shows how variable people's expectations and perceptions are, when they choose a book to read or listen to. 

No matter how brilliant a writer you are, there will always be some who hate your style, your pace, your characters,  and the world you are trying to create.  Do not be discouraged!  This all goes to show that one person's dross is another person's gold.  Stick with your vision, and feel blessed when you find at least some people who derive pleasure from what you have created.......

The Earth Goddess

 

With acknowledgement to Hugh on the Preseli 360 Facebook page, here is a rather fine drone image of the Earth Goddess profile which so many people see from lower down, at ground level......

WHS bestsellers -- things are not quite what they seem.....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-62736615

This is why you should never believe what you read in the WHS in-store hype -- and in the media -- about "bestsellers".   It's all a con. The label has nothing at all to do with recorded sales. Waterstones is more honest. But Amazon is just as bad, and even more exploitive than WHS, and it has an additional trick up its sleeve. It has so many book categories that if you publish a book on the car parks of Surrey, it will probably reach the number one best-selling position in the category entitled "Car Parks of Surrey." Bingo! If you are an author, you have a best-seller on your hands, even if you just sell 50 copies......... the world of publishing has gone mad. The ones who lose out are the small publishers like myself, who do not have the available funds to pay WHS or the other chains for prominent sales positions in their stores.

The Demetian Dialect and Martha's private diary

This is a very interesting and quite detailed article in the Journal of the Pembrokeshire Historical Society.  It's written by Gwenllian Awbery, who has worked a lot in the past on the strength and distribution of the Welsh language in Wales.  I'm not entirely sure when this was published.........

 https://www.pembrokeshirehistoricalsociety.co.uk/glossary-demetian-dialect-william-meredith-morris-cwm-gwaun-part-i/

Note that sometimes we see the spelling "Dimetian" and sometimes "Demetian" -- but you will see from the article that the dialect was quite widely used, and it is not at all beyond the bounds of the possible that a lady such as Martha might have used it as her "private language"..........

Rebecca Riots, Ceffyl Pren and the age of innocence

 

I have just been reading about the Carmarthen celebration (on May 1st) of the Rebecca Riots, in a somewhat strange artistic event in which three men dressed up as "female" rioters -- without a blackened face in sight.

This was in contrast to the 2014 celebrations in Efailwen:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-27375757

Eight years ago, the BBC website covered the event, and published photos of men dressed in female garb, and with blackened faces and white linen bonnets.  That was fine, and was a pretty good representation of what went on in the Rebecca Riots and the Ceffyl Pren tradition that pre-dated the riots and continued for some time afterwards. It needs to be emphasised that the blackened faces had absolutely nothing to do with racism or racial stereotyping, and everything to do with hiding identities.  All of the rioters must have been familiar with the idea that (like chimney sweeps) black-faced men emerging from the west Wales coal mines at the end of their shifts were none too easy to recognize -- and so the tradition of blackening faces went along with the costumes and the straw hair, the bonnets and the aprons to ensure that bystanders could not put names to faces.  And it worked -- very few rioters were ever brought to justice.  

I can fully understand why the word "nigger" has effectively been banned from the English language, and why people on radio and TV nowadays refer obliquely to "the n-word" instead.  There is great sensitivity out there, and political correctness is everything -- while at the same time there is greater and greater tolerance of verbal obscenities, with swearing now so commonplace that it has become more than a little sickening........

Strange old world.

Up on the Mountain

 

Credit: Bancyreithin holiday cottage & vintage caravan

Nineteenth century industrialisation in Pembrokeshire

A lot was going on in Pembrokeshire in the first part of the Nineteenth Century, when Martha Morgan was in her prime.  Plas Ingli and the estate, and Martha's life, were not much affected by the process of industrialisation, but now and then its effects appear in the stories.

Wilmot Gwynne, when he appears on the scene, has made his fortune in the copper industry of the Swansea area, and of course the theme of "Guardian Angel" is all to do with the voracious appetite of the iron industry monster -- which comes too close to home for comfort.......

Anyway, fascinating short summaries and great photographic illustrations are contained on this web site.  Well worth a browse........

 http://industrialgwent.co.uk/w-b12-pembroke/index.htm#porthgain

We are climbing Angel Mountain

I came across this rather splendid album from singer Rhys Williams, featuring Angel Mountain in the title and main track.  A great voice -- and his diction is excellent.  I hope the record becomes a great success for him........

 https://justlistentothis.co.uk/reviews/rhys-williams-climbing-angel-mountain/

You can also find the tracks on Spotify, by putting "We are climbing Angel Mountain" into the search box.

The recordings were made in 2016 and 2017.

Here is Rhys's web site:

http://www.rhyswilliamsmusic.com

The Angel Mountain iris

 

Not everybody knows this, but there is a gorgeous Japanese iris (you can get it from commercial growers) called "Angel Mountain".  Was its breeder inspired by Martha Morgan and her adventures?  Probably not, but it's a nice thought........

Carningli -- Brynach's shelter?

 Many thanks to Hugh Thomas for publishing this image in his recent drone footage of Carningli -- published on Preseli 360.  

It shows the very subtle semicircular "bank" of stones around the edge of the grassy hollow on the summit of the mountain.  According to legend, this is where St Brynach communed with the angels. It is quite possible that there was a rough shelter here, using the rocky outcrops for half of the circle and a little bank of boulders and stones for the other half, maybe with roof of supporting branches covered with rough thatch or bark and turfs.  Maybe it was horizontal, or maybe sloping. 

There have been no excavations here as far as we know.  But there has been intermittent occupation of the mountain down through the centuries -- so a shelter here could be Bronze Age, or Iron Age, or from the Age of the Saints, or even from the Middle Ages.  Maybe it was even built and rebuilt many times....... by people who needed to be up here for one reason or another......

To Paradise and Back

This is the web site devoted to telling the tale of the Hoole / Stephens family, as far back as we can trace it.  Many people have contributed to the collection of information.  Some of it is true, and some of it is probably mythology.  Maybe we will never know the full truth -- but it is an extraordinary story nonetheless.....

My mother Gwladys John (then Stephens) was born in Port Elizabeth in 1906, and her family returned to Wales in 1915.

You can click on this link:

 https://thesouthafricanconnection.weebly.com

Pwnc at Capel Jabes

I thought this was lost for ever, but the BBC has kept this on the archive, and has made it accessible online, here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00s7zzq

It's from a programmes called "The Hills of David", first transmitted in the 1960's. I think the first part (the Pwnc) was filmed in Jabes Chapel, and it's great to see the boys and girls singing the Pwnc with such clarity and confidence.  The second part was filmed in Ffynnondici Farm, and captures the Hen Galan celebrations very nicely.  

Some familiar faces in there........ 

The Parrog sea defences

 

Erratic boulders of dolerite were used in the earliest phases of sea wall construction, to provide a solid foundation.

This slipway is made partly of dolerite boulders collected locally, and partly of slate slabs from the sea quarries.

Here we can see that an old set of steps has been abandoned as the height of the wall has been increased.  Also, lines of new boulders were brought in to prevent the wall from being undercut by wave erosion.

The Parrog sea defences are rather fascinating!  They were built mostly in the early 1800s in the heyday of the port, when vessels were coming and going on almost every tide.  Some of them were actually built as trading quays, designed for vessels to tie up alongside, but they were hardly ever used as intended, because except at extreme spring tides there was never an adequate depth of water.  So vessels were mostly loaded and unloaded as they lay on the sandbanks around the river mouth, held up with props, with horses and carts carrying the goods in and out of the Parrog warehousers and to the storage area now occupied by the car park.  

Originally there was a spit of land projecting from the south shore of the estuary, and the Barony of Cemais agreed to requests in the 1700s for the building of storehouses and lime kilns.  Then, in the  early 1800's private landowners and the Barony combined to provide a protective wall of slate slabs, to raise the level of the old spit to make it secure from storms and spring tides, and to add more warehouses and other buildings close to the double lime kiln (which still exists). 

They also had to protect the shoreline to the west, where assorted fishermen's and seamen's cottages were very vulnerable to the waves especially when the wind was in the north.

So the defences were built, using slate or meta mudstone slabs from the sea quarries between Parrog and Cwm yr Eglwys.  It's obvious from examining the walls that there were many phases of construction and many changes of plans. There are slipways giving access down onto the sandy shore, drainage piped and gullies, buttresses, old flights of steps and a great deal more.  There is even a little dock next to the Boat Club, where vessels could be hauled up at high tide.  One day somebody will elucidate what was built, and why, and when.........

Martha's territory

Here are a few of the gorgeous photos assembled in recent months, giving glimpses pf "Martha's territory"  - coast, woodlands and mountains.  Some are my own, others are from the PCC and NPA collection, some are from "commons" web sites, and some are published by Ruth Crofts and Deborah Tilley.  

The 8 books of the saga

Here is the full bibliographic information about the 8 paperbacks:

GREENCROFT BOOKS
Brian John, Trefelin, Cilgwyn, Newport, Pembrokeshire SA42 OQN
Tel: 01239 - 820470. Email: greencroft4@mac.com  Web: http://www.brianjohn.co.uk
Web:  https://www.angelmountainsaga.com

The Angel Mountain Saga
Eight volumes are now available in this best-selling series -- with over 100,000 copies sold.

All eight novels are also available as Bolinda audiobooks.  


On Angel Mountain (Part One), Greencroft Books 2001. 

ISBN 9780905559803. A5 paperback, 328 pp, £6.99.

House of Angels (Part Two), Greencroft Books 2002. 

ISBN 9780905559810. A5 paperback, 432 pp, £7.99.

Dark Angel (Part Three), Greencroft Books 2003. 

ISBN 9780905559827. A5 paperback, 432 pp, £8.50.

Rebecca and the Angels (Part Four), Greencroft Books 2004. 

ISBN 9780905559834. A5 paperback, 432 pp, £8.50.

Flying with Angels (Part Five), Greencroft Books, 2005. 

ISBN 9780905559841. A5 paperback, 400 pp, £7.99.

Guardian Angel (Part Six), Greencroft Books, 2008. 

ISBN 9780905559865. A5 paperback, 256 pp, £6.99.

Sacrifice (Part Seven), Greencroft Books, 2009. 

ISBN 9780905559902. A5 paperback, 352 pp, £7.99.

Conspiracy of Angels (Part Eight), Greencroft Books, 2012. 

ISBN 9780905559933. A5 paperback, 352 pp, £7.99.

The essence of place

I love the manner in which the essence of place can sometimes be captured in a piece of music or an image.  This is Daniel's Jok (Yoik) sung by Jon Henrik,  who came to Sweden as an orphan from Colombia and who has made an amazing career as  a moderniser of the Sami or Lapland yoik tradition.  He won the Sweden's Got Talent competition in 2014 with this song, composed in memory of his friend Daniel.

On sex and sin....

Martha promises -- somewhat rashly -- that she will organize a church wedding for her great friend Patty Ellis, who used to be a prostitute..........

This is from Chapter 2 of "Dark Angel".
Sometimes, writing fiction can be quite enjoyable.......

--------------------------------

So it was that I arrived at the Rectory on time at eleven of the clock, to be helped down from my horse by Master Devonald's man. I felt apprehensive but not afraid, and a good deal more confident than I might have done even a year ago in a similar circumstance. The Rector and his wife appeared at the front door to greet me, and after exchanging pleasantries she went off to fetch some tea while he and I settled into the study for our conversation about matrimonial matters. “Well well, this is very pleasant,” said he. “I am delighted to hear of the betrothal of you and Master Owain Laugharne. An excellent match, if I may say so. Two good old families coming together in harmony. Very good. Very good. Now then, on the matter of the arrangements?”

“I am sorry to disappoint you, Rector, but those particular arrangements can wait for a little while. The settlement has still to be finalized, and no date is set. I have come to discuss another marriage.”

“Oh indeed? Well well, let us see if we can help. And who might the happy couple be?”

“Patty Ellis and Jake Nicholas, who live on the Parrog.”

I watched Master Devonald’s face with more than a little interest. First it registered puzzlement, then comprehension, and then apprehension, and finally horror. His face reddened, and his eyes started to bulge. His feet twitched, and his knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists. Then he started to breathe deeply, as he sought to control his own emotions. He closed his eyes and brought his hands up to his chin in a gesture of prayer. The ticking of the clock on his study wall grew very loud.

I knew that I had a problem and a challenge on my hands. “Are you surprised, Rector?” I asked. “I presume you know the good people on whose behalf I am here?”

“Yes, I know of them,” he replied in a strangled voice. “The one is a fisherman by trade, and the other is a common.......”

Buffoon that he is, he could not bring himself to mention the word. So I helped him. “A common whore?”

He nodded like a frail old man carrying the weight of the world’s sin upon his shoulders. At last he steeled himself to face the problem which now confronted him. He straightened his back and looked me in the eye. “I cannot possibly allow it,” he said, as masterfully as he could. “It is absolutely out of the question for a prostitute to be married in the House of God. Maybe a license can be arranged, but there is no way that I will marry those two in church.”

“You disappoint me, Rector.”

“Your disappointment, Mistress Morgan, is a small price to pay for an irrevocable decision which is based upon a respect for the Ten Commandments and upon my desire to encourage virtue among my parishioners.”

I felt that matters were now getting interesting, and I decided that I would not leave the study until the wedding was duly arranged. Mistress Devonald came in, served tea and cakes with a sweet smile upon her face, and then retired to the warmth of the kitchen when she sensed a chill in the air.

I worked out my strategy while I nibbled and sipped. Then I played my opening card. “On the matter of Patty Ellis’s profession,” I said, “may I remind you, Rector, that it is a thing of the past? She is a reformed character, as many of your parishioners will attest, since they now have to travel all the way to Moll Liberal Favours in Fishguard when they have a few pennies to spend.”

The Rector flushed to a beautiful shade of crimson. “Whatever do you mean?” he spluttered.

“You know perfectly well what I mean. I do not need to elaborate. And are you aware, Rector, of the circumstances which drove Patty into prostitution?” He shook his head wearily, and I continued. “Then I will explain. It will be no bad thing, in my view, for you and other gentlemen in authority to know what has happened to this poor girl; we might then move from condemnation towards compassion, and from punishment towards rehabilitation. We might even seek to move towards an understanding of the word “forgiveness”, since that is a word we do not hear very often from your pulpit.”

That, in retrospect, was very unkind of me, and also risky, since I have to admit to a somewhat haphazard attendance at church myself. But I calculated that since the Rector’s attendance in church is also haphazard, I might get away with my insolence. And so it transpired. Before he could open his mouth to respond, I told him the full story of Patty’s entrapment by Joseph Rice, and of her miserable life in the boudoir while he lived in some comfort as a pimp. The Rector is not very familiar with the details of a whore’s life, and I daresay that he found my narrative more than a little enlightening.

By the time I had finished, Master Devonald was sunk deeply into his chair, with an expression of resignation on his face. Poor fellow, I thought, he is kind enough, and does his best, but he should really have been an attorney’s clerk or a shopkeeper rather than a man of the cloth. I almost started to feel sorry for him, but then I remembered that I had a job to do, and that one should always kick a man when he is down.

“I am not very practiced in matters theological, Rector, but did not our Good Lord have more than a passing acquaintance with a lady called Mary Magdalene?” He nodded weakly, for he could see where this was leading. “And did he not demonstrate, in his dealings with her, that those who are fallen can be saved, and that those who are penitent and who change their ways may enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Am I free of sin? Are you, Master Devonald, ordained as a priest, free of sin? But we poor sinners take comfort from the promise of redemption. Did Christ not also say that all of us, no matter what our station in life, obtain grace through forgiveness, and that we must seek to follow his will? My dear Rector, do you have the good grace to forgive this poor girl, and to extend the hand of friendship towards her?”

I dare say that this piece of sermonizing on my part was all very garbled, but it had the effect of keeping him quiet. Before he had had a chance of working out a theological riposte, and while he was still down, I thought I might as well kick him again.

“On more practical matters, Rector, how many allocated pews do you have in St Mary’s Church?”

He looked at first surprised and then suspicious. He knew that this was going to lead somewhere, but he could not work out the direction of travel or the steepness of the slope. “About fifteen, I believe,” he said.

“I thought as much. You include, no doubt, the Morgans of Plas Ingli. That means that fifteen of the best families in this area contribute to your wellbeing, and to the upkeep of the church, as well as paying their tithes on time and making contributions to the poor rate?”

He nodded. Then I said: “Would you like me to tell you how many of the squires who sit in those pews of a Sunday morning, all happily married and seen as the very pillars of society, have been regular clients of Patty Ellis in her cottage on the Parrog?”

“You would not dare!” exclaimed the Rector, with the look of a hunted man on his face.

“Indeed I would. I happen to be very friendly with Patty Ellis, but in the days before she became a reformed lady her tongue was as loose as her morals. I assure you that I know a great deal about her clients. And before I forget, may I ask you a theological question?”

“Oh dear, I suppose so.”

“On the scale of things, when we stand at the Pearly Gates and are called to account, which is the greater sin, fornication or adultery? Is it not the case that adultery is mentioned in the Ten Commandments, but that there is no mention of fornication? And might that be because the former involves betrayal, whereas the latter simply involves frailty, and the sharing of a little pleasure by two like minded people?”

Once again I perceived that I was in danger of getting a somewhat complicated and protracted theological response, so I continued after a sip of tea. “To carry on where I left off. Rector, would you like the names of those august gentlemen who sit before you in their paid pews and who have, to my certain knowledge, betrayed their wives and families and made adulterous visits to Patty’s feather bed?”

“No, I beg of you, Mistress Martha, please do not tell me. It is probably best that I do not know these things.” He squirmed in his seat, and wrung his hands just as despicable whingeing characters do in cheap novels.

“Very well, Rector. I will keep this secret. But your part of the bargain will be to announce to the world that Patty is forgiven, that she will be welcomed into the bosom of the Church, and that you will give her and Jake a church wedding.”

“This sounds to me like blackmail, and blackmail ill becomes a lady.”

“No no, Rector. What we are talking about is a course of action which brings mutual benefit. I make an oath of secrecy, you demonstrate Christian charity to your parishioners, and Patty and Jake get a Church wedding. By the way, I will pay for it. Happiness all round.”

“ And if I do not cooperate in this murky business?”

“Then I will give you the list of names, and await your response. A public denunciation of the adulterous squires from your pulpit should suffice.”

“Absolutely impossible! The Lord Marcher would probably take away my living, and my relations with the good families of this area would be at an end!”

“But you would be a hero with the poor people, as well as showing yourself to be a true man of God. You must decide, Rector, which may be the lesser of two evils.”

The poor fellow moaned and slumped deep into his chair once again. Time for one final kick with my booted foot. “And by the way, I forgot to mention that my father, whose estate is at Brawdy, is on the most amiable of terms with the Bishop of St David’s. They wine and dine frequently, and share many confidences. Having given you the list of adulterous squires, I will of course ensure that the Bishop is informed of the scandalous situation that has developed in Newport. He will no doubt keep a careful eye on your actions in upholding virtue and condemning vice.”

The rector was now entirely at my mercy, and he knew it. I have to admit to enjoying the situation, and to feeling more than a little sorry for him, for he is by no means a bad fellow. He follows his calling moderately well, and ministers to his flock appropriately enough when occasion demands it. But he does like a peaceful life, just like the rest of us. He had no option but to agree to my proposal, and admitted as much.

“Will you now go to visit Patty and Jake in their cottage as a gesture of forgiveness? The locals will take note, and will be very impressed. There is a lot of sympathy for the couple on the Parrog. There will be some wagging tongues, especially from the Baptists, but you can deal with them, and if I get the chance I will defend your actions and express my admiration for your magnanimity. Others will do the same. Your standing in the community, Rector, will be greatly enhanced. You may take it from me.”

He brightened up noticeably. “Do you really think so?” he asked.

“Absolutely. And you will also make the Nonconformists, in their complaining, look mean-spirited and vengeful in the eyes of fair-minded people. Will you now fix a date with Jake and Patty, and arrange for the reading of the banns?”

“Yes, very well. But what if I receive objections from my congregation on the basis that Patty is -- or was -- a loose woman?”

“I doubt that you will. The squires who are Patty’s past clients will certainly not say a word, and if anybody else does, I am sure you can deal with anything that might be raised. You have the final word, Rector, on whether any objection is serious enough to be considered as a true impediment to marriage, and I have every confidence, in the interests of all those involved, that the marriage will go ahead.”

I smiled at the Rector, and he smiled a weak smile in return, and it was clear that we understood each other. Then I stood up. “I really must be going,” I said. “Thank you so much, Rector, for the delightful refreshments and for our most interesting conversation. We must talk again of theological matters one day, since I am keen to know more about the scriptures.”

“Heaven forbid, Mistress Morgan! Of course you are always welcome at the Rectory, but may I suggest that you leave the scriptures, and the interpretation of them, in my hands?” And to his credit he chuckled at his little joke, and then gave a great roar of laughter, and I had to follow suit. And so we parted on the best of terms.

Twenty minutes later I knocked on the door of Patty’s cottage on the Parrog. After my triumph I was grinning like a Cheshire cat, and she welcomed me with open arms. She invited me inside. She was alone, for Jake was out on the shore of the tidal basin, doing things to his boat.

“It is all fixed!” I declared. “You and Jake can have your church wedding!”

Patty could hardly believe it, and before long the pair of us were dancing around her front room and giggling and screaming like a pair of hysterical little girls. I fear that the neighbours must have been very shocked, for sound travels easily on the Parrog. At last we calmed down enough to talk, and Patty insisted that I gave her all the details of my conversation with the Rector. As I spoke she looked more and more surprised, and at last she intervened, and said: “But Mistress Martha, who are all these worthy squires who are supposed to have paid me visits in the past? I declare that I cannot remember a single one of them coming here.”

“Oh dear, is that so?” said I. “What a pity. Perhaps I have misheard something, or misunderstood the matter. I really must concentrate more in the future, and ensure that I get my facts right.....”

And we embraced, and had another fit of childish hysterics, and wept tears of unadulterated joy.

Mari Lwyd

There is enormous interest in the Mari Lwyd tradition right now.  That's great!  Let's keep these old traditions alive.  There is some argument about whether the tradition comes from a horse cult, or has associations with death and the supernatural.  The central figure is certainly rather scary!!  But in more recent times the Mari Lwyd was associated with wassailing, and a visit from the Mari Lwyd was an opportunity for friendly banter or singing competition between the visitor and the visited.  A visit from Mari was also a mark or respect -- and it was in this context that I built Mari into the Angel Mountain story of Mistress Martha Morgan.

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

 https://teifidancer-teifidancer.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-tradition-of-mari-llwyd-y-fari-lwyd.html

Here is a 2018 description of the roots and the meaning of the tradition, borrowed from Teifidancer.

The tradition of Y Fari Lwyd which translates to Grey Mary or Grey Mare in English is one of the strangest and most ancient of a number of customs in which people in Wales have used to mark the passing of the darkest days of midwinter. It certainly has pre-Christian origins and is said to bring luck.Though the tradition's exact origins are murky, the image of a white horse has been a powerful symbol in the United Kingdom for at least 3,000 years. In Celtic Britain, the horse was seen as a symbol of power and fertility and prowess on the battlefield. In Celtic mythology, animals who had the ability to cross between this world and the underworld (the Celtic Annwn) are traditionally white or grey coloured. Arawn, the King of Annwn’s dogs, is white with red ears and he rides on a large grey horse.

The first written record of Mari Lwyd dates back to 1800, in J. Evans’ book ‘A Tour through Part of North Wales’.  Traditionally a New Year’s Eve luck bringing ritual Y Fari Lwyd consists of making a horse figure from a horse's skull,( though a genuine horse’s skull is gold dust these days ) with two black cloth ears sometimes sewn onto the cloth, making it look extra horrible, and the eye sockets are often filled with green bottle-ends, or other colored materialdecorative false ears and eyes attached.They adorn it with colorful reins, bells and ribbons and the equine image of death has an especially ghostly appearance thanks to the white sheet draped over the person carrying it.The lower jaw is sometimes spring-loaded, so that Mari's operator can snap it at passers by or householders. 

The Fari Lwyd and her group go from house to house and pub to pub and try to gain access by performing a series of verses, or ‘pwnco’ in Welsh. The inhabitants would reply with their own verses in a battle to outwit Mari and her gang and prevent her from entering. Eventually she will be let in, as this confers luck on the household for the coming year and scares out anything unwanted from the previous year. Once inside, more songs are sung and the group is given drinks and food.

The Mari party consists of commedia del’arte characters. The Merryman plays the fiddle; The Leader, plus top hat, holds the Mari’s reins; The Sergeant keeps the peace. Pwnsh a Siwan (Punch and Judy) are played by two male characters. The practice of disguising the characters was to preserve anonymity and to distance them from everyday life. This tradition of blackening or colouring the face to take on another ‘character’ can be found in most indigenous cultures and in Britain in the older Morris sides.

The tradition has similarities to other hooded animal customs in Britain, such as the ‘Hoodening’ in Kent, the ‘Broad’ in the Cotswolds and ‘The Old Tup’ in Derbyshire, which involved a group of poor people trying to find food and money in the harsh depths of the winter. 

Although the custom was given various names, it was best known as the Mari Lwyd; however, the etymology of this term remains the subject of academic debate.

 
The folklorist Iorwerth C. Peate believed that the term meant “Holy Mary” and thus was a reference to Mary, mother of Jesus, while fellow folklorist E. C. Cawte thought it more likely that the term had originally meant “Grey Mare”, thus referring to the heads’ equine appearance.

In other instances, the Mari Lwyd custom is given different names, with it being recorded as y Wasail “The Wassail” in parts of Carmarthenshire. In the first half of the 19th century it was recorded in Pembrokeshire under the name of y March “The Horse” and y Gynfas-farch “The Canvas Horse”
The industrial revolution and the rise of fire-and-brimstone chapel preaching had a serious effect on the Mari Lwyd. The parties had gained a bad reputation for drunkenness and vandalism as they roamed the villages. Many a sermon was preached against the continuance of such a pagan and barbaric practice, and the participants were urged to do something useful instead, such as taking part in eisteddfodau. Enter Nefydd, the Rev. William Roberts (1813-1872), a Denbighshire man who became a Blaenau Gwent Baptist minister. He hated the Mari Lwyd. He wrote a book entitled The Religion Of The Dark Ages, gave a detailed account of the Mari and transcribed 20 verses, so his congregation could recognise it. He campaigned with great fervour: “We must try and get the young people of our time more to interest themselves more in intellectual and substantial things such as reading and composing poetry, essays, singing etc, as is encouraged and practised in our Eisteddfodau… I wish of this folly, and of all similar follies, that they find no place anywhere apart from the museum of the historian and the antiquary.”
Christmas carols began to be sung at the doors instead and the battle of insults and verse dissapeared, and in some areas the Welsh language gave way to English. By the 1960's the custom of the Mari had almost died out. Only a few Mari processions were left by this time including in Pencoed near Bridgend and Pentyrch near Cardiff. 

But the Welsh population hungrily seized on the fragments of the Mari’s tradition, and – thanks to Nefydd – we can now study the Mari verses in all their true splendour, and thankfully there has been a growing interest in Y Fari Lwyd in recent years, which has seen a resurgence in groups performing this tradition across Wales, Maris can now be spotted from Holywell in Flintshire to Pembrokeshire involving bardic battles, revelry and much drinking. I do like a good revival, especially of something as unique and unusual as this.The strength of the Mari tradition can be measured at the National Eisteddfod, which takes place in August. At one Eisteddfod, 30 Maris turned up. Wonderful stuff!!   Long may this tradition continue to grow.

Finnish Lapland Yoik music -- strange and wonderful

Nils-Aslak was a very famous Sami poet. He is the yoik singer. The music and setting is by Esa Kotinainen

Nils-Aslak Valkeapää + Esa Kotinainen — Eanan, Eallima Eadni
Eanan, Eallima Eadni
Eanan, Eallima Eadni (The Earth, Mother of Life) ℗ 1989 Dat O/S Released on: 1999-08-27 Producer: Nils-Aslak Valkepää 

Putting this on here for no other reason than that I am very fond of this recording, which is difficult to find!  I bought it as a tape many years ago, and had despaired of ever finding a digital version.  YouTube to the rescue.........

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/evaxCvlYu4I" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Some Goodreads Reviews

Overall, 79 reviews of "On Angel Mountain"-- average 4.2 stars out of 5. I'm quite pleased with that -- and you will never get unanimity or universal praise for a work of historical fiction, especially where readers are coming at something cold and have never heard of the author before....... On the other hand, where big authors and well-known titles are concerned, there is a predisposition to "like" something and to trust the judgment of those who have gone before you.........

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

Andrea Atkinson rated it -- it was amazing
This book was recommended to me by a friend who knew I was interested in the Welsh language, history and culture. I fell in love with Mistress Martha Morgan very early on in the story. Not only is it an exciting read but also rich in historical detail, folklore and culture. The descriptive passages are beautifully written by someone who obviously knows and loves the area. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Mrs Barbara Guard rated it -- it was amazing
A great read full of romance, disaster and intrigue
I loved this book and have just read it for the second time. Living in Pembrokeshire meant that many of the places are familiar, even the fictitious ones! Brian John has clearly carefully researched the social history of the time and made much of the work believable.
I look forward to reading the other 7 novels in the saga.

Elaine McCulloch rated it -- really liked it
Not my normal read, wouldn't have picked it up but read it with my local book club, and really enjoyed it, set locally to where I live. Had my heart in my mouth towards the end.

Michael Carter rated it -- it was amazing
I really enjoyed this book and proceeded to read the entire series. The chracter of Martha Morgan is a little improbable but her incredible strength is what endures and makes the series possible and so is entirely forgivable. It is written in a diary format but Martha is the type of person that thinks deeply and empathises, giving other characters (even her enemies) plenty of meat.
Her turning up in historical events (rather like the hundred year old man) is written a little tongue in cheek and is very entertaining.
As well as being enjoyable the story (and indeed, the series) is very informative as to Welsh history, and along with detailed geographical description gives a real sense of place.
There are many other well developed characters that add to the texture of the story and local traditions provide many situations in which they develop.
I did sometimed feel the story was tinged with a bit too much tragedy particularly if it seemed gratuitous. Overall though, a thoroughly reccomended series

Beni Morse rated it -- really liked it
I come from this part of the world and I think this is an excellent portrait of the West Walian landscape and community. Not too keen on historical novels generally but this is a great yarn and the narrative is well handled and (by and large) believable. The guy who wrote it comes from the area and clearly has a deep connection with this part of the world. This comes across in the novel.
Also, when he first wrote it, he published it himself and took copies round local bookshops in the back of his car. Later it got taken up by a publisher (Transworld I think?) and there are several follow up novels which have also sold well.

Pauline Evans rated it -- really liked it
A historical novel and part of a saga beginning in 1796. I noticed it in a bookshop in Newport, Pembrokeshire, the county where I grew up from the age of 10. I was drawn to it because it is set around Carningli Mountain near Newport where all my husbands ancestors are from. I loved reading about the mountain I have climbed many times and all the surrounding places I have visited over the years and know so well. A good read for historical novel fans!

Erika rated it -- really liked it
Very good book that was recommended to me and it was good. Set in a diary format following a young lady, Martha Morgan, at a farm in West Wales. Very good characterisations of Welsh characters set in 1797. Loved some of the names like Lewis Legal! Overall a good story, and interesting to read how the main character grows up over the course of the book. Also interesting to read about local customs and traditions at that period in time.

Pat rated it -- it was amazing
I loved this book from the off and have read all the series. Can't recommend them highly enough, for sheer beauty of the place, the magical qualities of the tale, the vividly portrayed characters and the historical setting, which made me feel they were all real people involved in the unfolding drama.

Melissa rated it -- it was amazing
My mother-in-law sent this book (first of 8) to me from Wales. It's a wonderful bit of historical fiction, complete with mystery, romance, and rich characters. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!