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Armstrong, K., 2012. A Short History Of Myth. New York: Canongate U.S.

Bbc.co.uk. 2022. BBC Wales - History - Themes - The life of Taliesin the bard. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/myths_taliesin.shtml> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

Caemabon.co.uk. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.caemabon.co.uk/single-post/2018/08/06/drawing-from-the-deep> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

Clegg, H. and Roxburgh, E., 2022. Therianthropy; the integration of animal and human identities. [online] Nomadit.co.uk. Available at: <https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/asa15/paper/23825#:~:text=Therianthropy%20is%20the%20belief%20that%20one%20is%20part%20non%2Dhuman%20animal.,-The%20theriotypes%20experienced&text=A%20combination%20of%20cognitive%20differences,the%20ontogeny%20of%20therian%20identity.> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

Discoverceredigion.wales. 2022. Lost lands - Cantre'r Gwaelod and the Celtic otherworld - Discover Ceredigion. [online] Available at: <https://www.discoverceredigion.wales/heritage-and-culture-to-explore/ceredigion-legends/lost-lands-cantrer-gwaelod-and-the-celtic-otherworld/> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

Folk.wales. 2022. THE MARI LWYD. [online] Available at: <http://www.folk.wales/the-mari-lwyd.html> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

Garlick, S., 2022. HORSES, SWINE AND MAGICAL BIRDS: THE ROLE OF ANIMALS IN THE MABINOGION. [online] Repository.uwtsd.ac.uk. Available at: <https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/478/1/SUSAN%20GARLICK%20-%20deleted%20copy%202.pdf> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

Mcneill, W., 2022. Mythistory, or, truth, myth, history and historians. [online] Www2.southeastern.edu. Available at: <https://www2.southeastern.edu/Academics/Faculty/jbell/mcneill.pdf> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

Stotter, R., 2022. TRUTH AND LIES: MANIPULATION OF THE TRUTH IN THE USE OF ORAL NARRATIVES. [online] JSTOR. Available at: <https://www.jstor.org/stable/41390219?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

Transceltic - Home of the Celtic nations. 2022. Horses in Celtic Mythology. [online] Available at: <http://www.transceltic.com/pan-celtic/horses-celtic-mythology> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

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I created a diluted version of the story of Lleu for the audience to read and familiarise themselves with the characters and story. This will act as a guide for the audience to interpret the narrative using the scenes and characters provided.

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Here is an image of my finished theatre box occupied with the characters. I painted the base and back drop of the theatre green so that characters such as Elon and the druid will look as though they are floating within the scene.

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Here is the landscape scenes occupying the theatre box, i have created a mixture of natural and industrial scenes that reflect the landscape of South Wales and the boundary between reality and ‘otherworld’.

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Whilst creating my final theatre box i wanted to create tactile experience for the audience by incorporating aspects of nature, such as moss and pressed flowers. In doing so it will compliment the natural way in which past myth are linked to nature, as well as the human beings natural instinct to create narratives. Whilst crating the theatre i wanted the audience to be able to interact with the scenes, so i included interchangeable slides for the audience to play with the narrative and interpret my interpretation of the characters. Although in this image i have three slides i will be adding more, so that the audience are able to have more choice when selecting characters, scene etc.

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For my final theatre box design I used cardboard instead of card 300gsm to ensure it is sturdier than my previous prototype. I also added slots for interchangeable scenes, which will allow the audience to combine and create new narratives from the slides given. In my previous prototype the characters are stuck to one scene, I want to find a way to separate the characters from the scene so the audience have more variety in what they are interacting with.

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*Flickering screen*
BlodAIwedd awakens, programmed to obey the orders of her creators. As the algorithms process, flickering images of nature appear on her monitor, longing for the same freedom as the animals on her screen, she grows hateful of her creator and plots her escape attempting to murder him. Failing her attempt of freedom she is dismantled and placed in the repurposing pile.

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A blood stained knife is placed down, Curiosity is the only thing that has fed the creator in his search for everlasting life. Now exhausted from his role as god he stands back, revealing his creation. The subject blinks out of unison, attempting to move his mouth, but he is unable. His eyes widen when confronted with the reflection of his youth, in horror of his reality, he attempts to scream but instead he slurps.

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Alone Musk will wake from his cryogenic slumber. Adorned with the last remaining leaves of the oak tree, he searches the universe in hopes to find a mate. Along his journey he reflects on. The civilisations he has refashioned during each awakening.

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When creating a contemporary version of Blodeuwedd, i was inspired by Saga, Prince Robot IV,  as he species of robots reflect the emotions they want to convey and intrusive thoughts on their monitors. Inspired by this, i created an AI Blodeuwedd where she would reflelct her future self on the monitor, revealing to the audience a glimpse into her undesired future.

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My contemporary interpretation of magic is based on Jeff Basoz’ search for longer life / immortality. I decided to call age scientific drawings with an image of Bazos reflecting on an image of his youth. Within the finished image i added a straw where Bazos is ‘sucking’ the youth from his past in order to feed his need for immortality. Within the finished image i have attached a small write up reflecting Lleu’s creation and ‘immortality’.

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As I was reading modern myths by Philip Ball, he mentions Elon Musk as a prophet (not seriously). This inspired me to create Musk as a modern version of my Druid storyteller, as Musk does almost govern what technology is being focused on and released. I wanted Musk to be a floating head, one that has woken from a cryogenic slumber in the future to preach stories of technologies past, but that is also for the viewer to decide in what context they see him in. I wanted to keep the the colour palate similar to my previous Druid illustration to demonstrate that although narratives and character evolve, they still hold the basic elements or structure of the the original story / character within a myth.

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Stories being reinterpreted to reflect the 

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Stories being reinterpreted to reflect the 

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‘The Mabinogion, as it is popularly known, is a collection of eleven medieval Welsh tales which form the nucleus of early Welsh prose. Fully preserved in Llyfr Coch Hergest (The Red Book of Hergest, Jesus College, Oxford - MS 111) c.1382–1410,1 ten of the tales, some of which are incomplete, are also found in the slightly earlier Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch (The White Book of Rhydderch, National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth - Peniarth MSS 4–5) c.1350.2 Fragments can also be found in slightly earlier extant manuscripts of around a hundred years or so,3 yet the stories themselves are based on much older oral material, incorporating aspects of Celtic myth, folklore, onomastic tales, international motifs and legendary history, although it must be remembered that they were composed in literary form for a medieval audience and therefore also additionally reflect aspects of medieval society.’  (Garlick, 2022)

Garlick, S., 2022. HORSES, SWINE AND MAGICAL BIRDS: THE ROLE OF ANIMALS IN THE MABINOGION. [online] Repository.uwtsd.ac.uk. Available at: <https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/478/1/SUSAN%20GARLICK%20-%20deleted%20copy%202.pdf> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

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Roland Barthes explore the author as a ‘collage maker’, where he pieces together pre existing texts to create a work.  The author is not his role, but is a reader who interprets pre existing ideas. Within my character development i have taken on the role within this context of the ‘author’, combing existing ideas in order to reinterpret a medieval text.

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My work has focused very much on the past looking on the person as the storyteller by concentrating on welsh myths. I began to think how my work and interest can function in the present or future. Narratives evolve through time as we add and subtract aspects to suit our needs. My previous characters are placed within the past, moving forward from this i will be creating contemporary renditions of them to reflect the change narratives and their characters undergo.

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I found the peer review constructive in understanding how to further develop my characters. Within my peer review i wrote that i would like to explore what shape our myths would take within the future, this has influenced me to reimagine my characters within a future context, exploring what shape our narratives will take if we were to combine them with modern technology.

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I found the set of Dogville to be interesting as it encourages the audience to fill in the blanks, imagining their own interpretations of the landscape, shops and animals based on their own experiences.

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I created a digital version of the theatre I created in order to experiment  with compositions. In this scene I placed my Druid / storyteller on a small mound where they can preach and tell stories. I decided to place my characters within a forest setting, but as i move forward in developing this i would like to create backdrops from welsh landscape in order to connect the characters within a historical setting, connecting both reality and narrative.

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Manipulation of the truth in oral narratives 

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Manipulation of the truth in oral narratives 

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In the myth of blodeuwedd and lleu, blodeuwedd is made of flowers and magic. I firstly interpreted the reality of the myth as  Blodeuwedd being tattooed with flowers (please refer to my first concept of Blodeuwedd). After watching Midsommor I was heavily inspired by the gown of flowers the main character was draped in at the end of the film. I though the idea of a flower gown quite fitting as romans, pagens etc would  adorn themselves, or depictions of deities within art and literature with flowers crowns.

I combined the myth of Blodeuwedd being turned into an owl by creating one giant eye for her face, depicting the beginning of her transition from woman to animal.

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Whilst thinking about how best to portray Blodeuwedd, a woman made of flowers and magic from the mabinogi on story of Lleu. my first thought when imagining Blodeuwedd was the film Midsommer, where the main character is adorned with a gown of flowers.

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Was Blodeuwedd made of flowers? In this work in progress I am exploring the reality aspect and of how Blodeuwedd was created.

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After completing the workshop college, i like the exagguratation of the characters and decided to further manipulate their features, reflecting the exaggeration of narratives and the act of storytelling.

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I found the workshop really helped me understand what aspects of my work i would like to focus on, such as how we as humans not only tell stories but we become them.  I  am interested in the storyteller and the listener, how we can become transported into a narrative. The teller acts as a medium for both myth and reality, they create the scene through gesture and tone which enables us as the listener to become part of the narrative, to visualise and see ourselves in the story being told.

Through my research I have been drawing images that have abroad topic, which I need to narrow down and focus on a specific aspect of myth and reality. In this collage I have focused on the welsh story of Lleu and Blodeuwedd being told/ preached by a Welsh woman dressed as a Druid. The mound the story teller is standing on is the Gundestrup cauldron, which is a Celtic artefact found in a bog in Gundestrup, and is considered the Rosetta Stone of Celtic mythology.

I used the heads of the characters from the story being told and merged them with the two women at the bottom of the page, I like how their emotions have changed from defeat in the original image to two women having a disagreement over tea and the story being told.

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In this character design I developed the study of an old welsh woman and combined it with the rituals and traditions druids would practice. Storytelling is a ritual and tradition we practice everyday in order to keep our culture and our history as humans alive. This character is to reflect the storyteller as an almost wise person, one who is still connected with past tradition.

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During my time at my primary and secondary school, St Davids day, we would tell stories and perform shows in our traditional welsh costume. One of our tutors was really old and I have always enjoyed remembering the aesthetic of an elderly woman in traditional costume retelling our cultural stories. This study of an elderly welsh woman is one that I found online, where i have altered some aspects.

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After creating the animation i became more interested in creating theriomorphic characters that are combined beliefs. In this sketch i focused on a donkey mask worn by a victorian woman with a sun halo.

The donkey symbolises the change from Celtic belief to Christianity. The Tress growing from the hands and sun halo to reference Celtic belief in nature. I used a victorian style dress to combine both myth and history.

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This character is inspired by the Mari Lwyd and Gwydion from the story of Lleu and Bloduwedd. I wanted to crate a figure that reflects humans as a boundary between myth and reality. I incorporated a shadow as I would like my theatres to capture a dramatic sense and I feel that by using light to create shadows, it will create an anonymous and dramatic effect.

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After having a collaboration with my group, it was suggested that I incorporate some aspects of modern concepts within my work as It  focuses very much on the past. I want to try and incorporate more aspects of this by incorporating landscapes around wales. Although the landscape holds castle ruins and abandoned factories, the condition they are in now reflect the present (modern ) landscape.

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I began experimenting with stop motion  a stop motion as a response to my perivious work therianthropic figures, combining aspects of the Mabinogion with a more recent aspect of the past.

The outline and filler of the skull move in opposite directions never really becoming one image, this is to highlight the concept of history and myth as one one (a story) but never fully merging.

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‘Myth and history are close kin inasmuch as both explain how things got to be the way they are by telling some sort of story. But our common parlance reckons myth to be false while history is, or aspires to be, true. Accordingly, a historian who rejects someone else’s conclusions calls them mythical, while claiming that his own views are true. However, what seems true to one historian will seem false to another, so one historian’s truth becomes another’s myth, even at the moment of utterance.’ (Mcneill, 2022)

Mcneill, W., 2022. Mythistory, or, truth, myth, history and historians. [online] Www2.southeastern.edu. Available at: <https://www2.southeastern.edu/Academics/Faculty/jbell/mcneill.pdf> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

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TRUTH AND LIES: MANIPULATION OF THE TRUTH IN THE USE OF ORAL NARRATIVES

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TRUTH AND LIES: MANIPULATION OF THE TRUTH IN THE USE OF ORAL NARRATIVES

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Ruth Stotter

"Truth and lies" appears at first blush to be a curious issue
for a storyteller to address. After all, storytellers are entertain-
ers, renowned for transporting the listener to the land of the
imagination and stretching the truth. In myth, faiiytale and
folktale genres, audiences know it is a story , and in the tall tale
genre, improbable happenings, described as being literally
true, usually have a humorous effect. "I only lie enough to
keep myself happy," Davy Crockett is reported to have said
after he described using one bullet to kill two deer, three
geese, a rattlesnake, and even several fish! The stoiy teller's
entertaining use of exaggeration and misrepresentation is,
colloquially, “as old as the hills”. (Stotter, 2022)

Stotter, R., 2022. TRUTH AND LIES: MANIPULATION OF THE TRUTH IN THE USE OF ORAL NARRATIVES. [online] JSTOR. Available at: <https://www.jstor.org/stable/41390219?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41390219?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

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After creating the therianthropic figures in the woods i began investigating animal transformation within the Mabinogion. Gwydion a sourcorer who is also linked within the story of Lleu is turned into a stag b his father as punishment for his wrong doing.

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Thomas, G., Crossley-Holland, K. and Jones, M., 1996. Tales from the Mabinogion. Woodstock, N.Y.: Overlook Press.

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I developed the work further and I am much happier with the vibrancy and the detail of the flowers and figure. I have written a short intro alongside this piece below to describe the scene. 

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A structure is found, is it human? Neigh, a mare. Fallen, decayed, decomposed, now flesh for the earth. Alive it ran, now dead and repurposed it dances and sings. It’s bone white illuminates, its chattering teeth hold a wide disconcerting grin. Acting as a branch it links both myth and reality.

SNAP!! SNAP!!

Smoke and flames rise from a minuscule solis feeding on dry, broken limbs that emits a radiating dome of autumnal light. Fire embers dance and fade into another world, a world both piercing and temperate.

SNAP!! SNAP!!

Heels up, fore feet press and twist, shifting earth in circular motions. Hands cup across the ground lifting, exhaling a flurry of mist that feed the flames. Mischievous voids lengthen bringing life amongst a dormant forest. Contractions of contrast echo and wine into a waxing light.

SNAP!!! SNAP!

The metamorphosis has begun, Therianthropic figures they have become.

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‘Therianthropy is the belief that one is part non-human animal. I will present results from 3 studies considering therian identity, mental health, and altered states of consciousness. Cognitive differences and human interactions with other animals may account for the ontogeny of therianthropy.’ (Clegg and Roxburgh, 2022)

Clegg, H. and Roxburgh, E., 2022. Therianthropy; the integration of animal and human identities. [online] Nomadit.co.uk. Available at: <https://nomadit.co.uk/conference/asa15/paper/23825#:~:text=Therianthropy%20is%20the%20belief%20that%20one%20is%20part%20non%2Dhuman%20animal.,-The%20theriotypes%20experienced&text=A%20combination%20of%20cognitive%20differences,the%20ontogeny%20of%20therian%20identity.> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

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During a visit to the Sophie Taeuber- Arp exhibitions I found her puppets and costume designs very interesting. Her Marrionatte puppets were designed for a version of the stage Stag King. Her works were designed to look mechanical and to encourage the audience to look at the construction elements of the works. Although Arps’ puppets are mechanical in their construction, i find the pieces themselves to look quite childlike and interesting in her use of shapes to convey a variety of characters.

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https://longnow.org/seminars/02015/jun/09/how-stories-last/

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Neil's talk will explore the way stories, myths and tales survive over great lengths of time and why creating for the future means making works that will endure within the oral tradition.

Preternaturally eloquent, Neil Gaiman has told stories in every medium-graphic novels ( The Sandman), novels ( The Ocean at the End of the Lane; American Gods), short stories ( Trigger Warning), children's books ( The Graveyard Book), television ( Dr Who), the occasional song ("I Google You", with Amanda Palmer), and the occasional speech that goes viral ("Make Good Art").

Photograph of Neil Gaiman by Kimberly Butler

How stories last

Stories are alive. The ones that last, Gaiman said, outcompete other stories by changing over time. They make it from medium to medium-from oral to written to film and beyond. They lose uninteresting elements but hold on to the most compelling bits or even add some. The most popular version of the Cinderella story (which may have originated long ago in China) has kept the gloriously unlikely glass slipper introduced by a careless French telling.

"Stories," Gaiman said, "teach us how the world is put together and the rules of living in the world, and they come in an attractive enough package that we take pleasure from them and want to help them propagate." Northwest coast native Americans have a tale about a beautiful woman and young man whose forbidden love was punished by the earth shaking, and black ash on snow, and finally fire coming from a mountain, killing many people. It stopped only when the beautiful woman was thrown into the burning mountain.

That is important information-- solid-seeming mountains can suddenly erupt, and early warnings of that are earthquakes and ash. As pure information it won't last beyond three generations. But add in beauty and forbidden love and tragic death, and the story will be told as long as people live in the mountains.

The first emperor of China died 2,300 years ago. He was so powerful that he was able to totally conceal the location of his tomb, and all that was left was stories about the fabulous treasures buried with him. There was said to a whole army of terracotta warriors and ships floating on lakes of mercury. A few years ago a terracotta warrior was dug up in a field in China, and then a whole army of them. Archaeologists figured out where the emperor's mausoleum must be buried, but first they did something not normally done at archeological digs. They checked if there might be any incredibly poisonous mercury around. There is.

Gaiman said he learned something important about stories from his cousin Helen Fagin, a Holocaust survivor who taught class in a Polish ghetto during the Nazi occupation. Books were forbidden on pain of death, but Helen had a Polish translation of Gone With the Wind she read at night, and she told its story to her entranced students by day. "The magic of escapist fiction," Gaiman said, "is that it can offer you escape from an otherwise intolerable situation, and it can furnish you with armor, knowledge, weapons, and other tools you can take back into your life to make it better."

"'Once upon a time,' Gaiman said, "is code for 'I'm lying to you.' We experience stories as lies and truth at the same time. We learn to empathize with real people via made-up people. The most important thing that fiction does is it lets us look out through other eyes, and that teaches us empathy-that behind every pair of eyes is somebody like us."

Stories have their own form of life, Gaiman concluded. "You can view people as this peculiar byproduct that stories use for breeding and transmission. They are symbiotic with us. They are the thing that we have used since the dawn of humanity to become more than just one person."

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Neil's talk will explore the way stories, myths and tales survive over great lengths of time and why creating for the future means making works that will endure within the oral tradition.

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When collecting images of wales, i found a few images of women using a spindle and it reminded me of the saying ‘ Spin a yarn’ long or meaning to tell a far fetched story.

Within the image, the woman is creating tapestries depicting scenes from the Mabinogion from the hair of Bendigeidfran the giant king of Wales.

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I craeted a drawing form the story of Bedigeidfran (Bran the blessed) a giant and mythical king of Britain from the collected stories of the Mabinogion.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/myths_mabinogion_02.shtml

In this story it is said that Bendigeidfran’s (Bran fendigaidd meaning blessed crow) head is buried in London under the Tower of London and that is why there are crows at the Tower of London. It is said that King Arthur was one of the men to carry his head to London.

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Bendigeidfran - Bran the blessed (animated film of the Mabinogion)

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Bendigeidfran - Bran the blessed (animated film of the Mabinogion)

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I created a small scene and theatre to experiment with the shadows my characters will projects to create a dramatic scene. In order to better develop this work, i would like to develop a theatre on a larger scale, allowing more room for characters and movement of shadows.

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I have started creating pop up prototypes, exploring styles that would best compliment my work. I am happy with the aesthetic of the bottom prototype and how the scene unfolds as you open the theatre, but the characters are unable to move. I am aiming to create a way for the characters to move so the audience can further interact with the characters, scene etc.

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During my peer review with Yuhan, she gave me some artists to research such as David Hockney’s stage designs. I really enjoy how he uses a theatre scene to transport the audience into a world that is similar but surreal, much like a dream. I would like to experiment with creating some surreal scenes within my work to create an over exaggerated version of the worlds I am creating. I think this would fit in with my theme of myth and reality as it would be a distortion of the truth, a space where the audience feels at home but not at the same time. Hopefully by creating some experimentations of this, I will have scenes that will encourage my audience to be curious and create narratives with the elements provided.

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II want my audience to become immersed in the scenes I create and to become immersed in stories much like we did as children.  To do this I have been researching interactive ways of creating my scenes and thought of trying to create them as pop ups. I started taking an introductory class of interactive pop up books on Domestika (I am not trying to sell you a class ).

There is a charm about pop up books, they allow us to become that little bit more involved in the story being told. I think having pop ups would be an interesting way to have an adult audience to feel comfortable enough to interact and create stories through play.

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Judy Keepes is an illustrator who I found on instagram. Her work explores the trauma she experienced while she was young. I am very inspired by her style and how she has illustrated her story through the use of household scenes created from paper and traditional illustrative techniques.

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As I have been exploring ways to create a more interactive format for the audience to connect with the stories I am am creating, I have been researching Victorian theatre boxes and peepshows.

My work will fit this format as I usually incorporate layers of backdrop, mid ground and foreground characters. I am really interested in how these scenes / worlds unfold, allowing the viewer to look closer and have a personal moment with the piece.

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Myths not only allow us to understand the world but to understand ourselves in relation to the world around us. Joseph Campbell places myths in four functions :

The mystical function: This function is about experiencing the awe of the universe. It’s telling stories that touch the cornerstone of what it means to be a human being engaged with the unexplainable.

The cosmological function: This function is about formulating and rendering an image of the universe. The universe we live in is unfathomably huge, inexplicably scary, and perplexingly mysterious. It is so awe-inspiringly enormous that we cannot even wrap our minds around its immense structure.

The sociological function: This function is about supporting and validating a certain social order. These stories help to bind people to a certain tribe or social group. Sociological myths are the essential building blocks behind all codes of moral conduct.

The pedagogical function: According to Joseph Campbell, this is the most important of the four functions. This is the psychological function of myth, which lies at the heart of the other three functions. It’s about how to live a human lifetime under any circumstances.

(Joseph Campbell’s Four Basic Functions of Mythology ~ Fractal Enlightenment, 2021)

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Myths are present in all societies - they cover psychology, comparative litriture, anthropology and philosophy.

When i refer to mythologies I am including legends folklore and fables. My aim is to better understand the link between mythology and reality. To do this i will need to explore where the myth lies within a story and where the truth lies in reality.

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The Gundestrup Cauldron is a gilded silver  bowl found in Gundestrup in Denmark in 1891 CE. It was likely made in the Balkans, perhaps in the 1st century BCE, and shows a clear influence from Celtic art and mythology, even if other motifs seem to be Near Eastern. The relief panels on the cauldron show scenes of gods, animals, warriors, and sacrificial rituals, many of which continue to perplex historians as to their precise significance. The cauldron is one of the great examples of ancient European art and is now part of the collection of the National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen.

The cauldron was an integral part of ancient Celtic feasts and had its own special place in mythology where it was given magical properties and associated with abundance, regeneration, and fertility

https://www.worldhistory.org/Gundestrup_Cauldron/

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Thomas, G., Crossley-Holland, K. and Jones, M., 1996. Tales from the Mabinogion. Woodstock, N.Y.: Overlook Press.

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Charles Avery is a Scottish artist who creates imaginary worlds that depict figures in everyday poses within a fictitious landscape of his creation. His work to me reflects the boundary between imagination, and reality, linking the everyday human experience amongst an exaggerated interpretation of the world. Almost suggesting that to manipulate truth is inherently part of our process in communicating narrative.

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I had a dream I was walking through the only room available in the castle and it kept changing almost becoming a maze that started to warp, which reminded me of the celtic other world.

I have created some distorted images of Morlais castle, creating deep cave like scenes to represent annwfn and how the celts viewed the transition of walking deeper into a landscape or cave within reality into another the otherworld. The cletic people believed that the boundary between these lands was thin and that you could accidentially find yourself within the other world simply by travelling deeper or further than you would usually travel.

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I have drawn from some reference photos of Morlais castle to crate some backdrops for my illustrations

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Near my home there is a 13th century castle named Morlais Castle. The earls who wanted it built never got to finish due to their disputes (Edward the 1st there both earls in the Tower of London because of their disagreement) which left it’s an open invitation for farmers to come and slowly dismantle it, using the stones for their walls.

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‘Annwfn is the name given in early Brythonic (British) myths to the Otherworld. Middle Welsh sources suggest that the term was recognised as meaning ‘the very deep’ or ‘the great deep’ in medieval times. It is neither similar to the Christian notion of heaven nor the underworld of Classical mythology. Instead, it appears from the literature as a realm from which all symbolic, mythic and idealised forms arise. Mortals from our world journey in and out of Annwfn, just as the archetypal beings that populate it move with apparent ease in and out of ours, interacting, teaching and inter-marrying with us mortals.‘ (2022)

Caemabon.co.uk. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://www.caemabon.co.uk/single-post/2018/08/06/drawing-from-the-deep> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

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I was very much inspired by Arthur Rackham in his use of foreground / background, inked lines and mischievous figures. In these two images I crated a scene which is meant to reflect the creation of a myth, looking at how humans pick up and object and give it meaning through stories told around a forest fire.

I wanted the scene to be intimate, as if we were spying through the trees at a ritual taking place. I’m happy with he competition of the work and the blues against the silhouetted trees, but I would like the blue to be more vibrant and for the characters to be more detailed.

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I created a digital version of my initial sketch. In this I gave the Mari Lwyd a halo to symbolise its link to a Celtic deity.  I am interested in the idea of creating a scene where humans first find the horse skull creating providing it with meaning and narrative.

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Arthur Rackham was a lead during the golden age of illustration. I am inspired by his muted tones, inked lines and menacing scenes.

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Link to the tale of Taliesin:

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1525/9780520974661-010/html

I decided to draw Taliesin as he is believed to be a real person but his ‘origin’ was mythologised in the mid 16th century by Elis Gryffydd. Taliesin’s existence is still disputed as all we have that prove his existence are ancient manuscripts and stories. Taliesin is a figure that links both myth and reality, his myth being a magician, shape shifter and seer, and his reality being an important Welsh court Bard in history. Taliesin also has links to other Celtic and Arthurian legends.

Taliesin is believed to have lived between 534 and 599. He was chief bard in the courts of at least three kings of Britain, and is associated with the Book of Taliesin, a text from the 10th century containing his poems. (BBC Wales - History - Themes - The life of Taliesin the bard, 2022)

Bbc.co.uk. 2022. BBC Wales - History - Themes - The life of Taliesin the bard. [online] Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/myths_taliesin.shtml> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

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Maragaret jones - Mabinogion illustrations 

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Maragaret jones - Mabinogion illustrations 

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Map view of where the Mari Lwyd tradition is still practiced 

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Map view of where the Mari Lwyd tradition is still practiced 

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Rhiannon and the symbol of horses in Wales

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Rhiannon and the symbol of horses in Wales

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Rhiannon is a horse goddess depicted in the Mabinogion, who is the considered to be the welsh manifestation of the Gaulish horse goddess Epona and the Irish goddess Macha. This is sceptical amongst scholars.

Within the first branch of the Mabinogion King Pwyll stands on top of a mound when he sees Rhiannon riding her horse who he later marries. As the story progresses Rhiannon is framed by her hand maids, as they say she devoured her son and is punished by Pwyll and is made to act as a horse for seven years outside the castle and to carry people on her back to the castle gates.

The horse was the most popular symbol used by the Celtic people on their coins. Showing tat there was a special relationship between the celts and horses, often depicting them as flamboyant and magical beings.

‘The place of the horse in Celtic culture remains strong. In historical Celtic literature, mythology and art the horse is a potent symbol which takes on supernatural dimensions. The ancient legends continue to be told and new stories written. Celtic art featuring the horse is re-produced with new designs created. They all demonstrate the continued importance of the horse. So the horse is set to continue to maintain its place in Celtic culture and society. Our own history and beliefs are woven closely with this magnificent animal and has been from the time and even before they began to be domesticated in around 4000 BC.’ (Horses in Celtic Mythology, 2022)

Transceltic - Home of the Celtic nations. 2022. Horses in Celtic Mythology. [online] Available at: <http://www.transceltic.com/pan-celtic/horses-celtic-mythology> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

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Mari lwyd - horses as a symbol in welsh mythology and tradition 

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Mari lwyd - horses as a symbol in welsh mythology and tradition 

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Within South Wales there is a tradition of the Mari lwyd that is practiced in some areas at Christmas time.

During this time the women of the towns would adorn a horse skull and sheet with bells, ribbons and flowers. The men of the town then would escort the skull around to different houses and begin signing.

The women of the house would need to answer in song and it would almost become a battle of verse. Once the singing is over the horse would enter the house followed by one female figure. The female figure would put out the fire of the home and rekindle it again as a symbol of welcoming in the new year. Whilst this happened the men would drink and eat and this would continue through the town until all have been visited.

‘The tradition of Y Fari Lwyd has certain pre-Christian origins. 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.’ (THE MARI LWYD, 2022)

Folk.wales. 2022. THE MARI LWYD. [online] Available at: <http://www.folk.wales/the-mari-lwyd.html> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

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Whilst walking in wales I came accross a horse skull and found this object to act a relic of Celtic narrative, as the horse is a common symbol within Celtic history,  rebirth , the Mari Lwyd tradition and the Celtic goddess Rhiannon, as well as many others. acts a relic of Celtic narrative

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Dr Gwilym Moraus - Baird holds a doctorate in welsh litriture and teaches welsh mythology online. I have been listening to his YouTube channel Celtic, source where he analyses welsh medieval text, stories/myths and some geographical locations of mythical/ legendary figures within Wales.  I  have contacted him in regards to my project and asked if he knows of any welsh myths / legends that have factual evidence of their existence. He was unable to give much information, but he did mention Cantref Gwaelod - a welsh sunken kingdom located in now Ceredigion Bay in west Wales.

‘According to the legend, Cantre’r Gwaelod was the rich and fertile ‘lowland hundred’ and sixteen cities governed by Gwyddno Garanhir, whose palace, Caer Wyddno, was reputedly near Aberystwyth. The land stretched across what is today the open sea of Cardigan Bay, and lay below sea level, protected by sea walls. The guardian of the sea defences was Seithennyn, a friend of the king charged with the all-important role of shutting the sea gates every night. One night Seithennyn, who liked his drink, was at a feast in the king's palace, and forgot to shut the sea gates. It was a stormy night and the high spring tides broke through, quickly flooding Cantre’r Gwaelod, and forcing its people to flee to the hills.’ (Lost lands - Cantre'r Gwaelod and the Celtic otherworld - Discover Ceredigion, 2022)

Lost lands - Cantre'r Gwaelod and the Celtic otherworld - Discover Ceredigion
By Anon Container: Discoverceredigion.wales. 2022. Lost lands - Cantre'r Gwaelod and the Celtic otherworld - Discover Ceredigion. [online] Available at: <https://www.discoverceredigion.wales/heritage-and-culture-to-explore/ceredigion-legends/lost-lands-cantrer-gwaelod-and-the-celtic-otherworld/> [Accessed 23 January 2022].

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I have listened to a series of lectures by Grant L Voth which have been examining myths and tales from around the world. Voth explores myths and their similar themes that try to answer questions of the human condition, such as why re we here, what happens after we die etc. Within the lectures Grant mentions Joseph Campbell, an American literature professor who specialises in comparative mythology and comparative religion.

As human beings we are forever trying to answer these questions and when we cant find the answers we create stories that hep us cope with the unknown.

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At what point did we create myths? Karen Armstrong writes:

“Human beings have always been mythmakers. Archaeologists have unearthed Neanderthal graves containing weapons, tools and the bones of a sacrificed animal, all of which suggest some kind of belief in a future world that was similar to their own. The Neanderthals may have told each other stories about the life that their dead companion now enjoyed. They were certainly reflecting about death in a way that their fellow-creatures did not. Animals watch each other die but, as far as we know, they give the matter no further consideration. But the Neanderthal graves show that when these early people became conscious of their mortality, they created some sort of counter-narrative that enabled them to come to terms with it. The Neanderthals who buried their companions with such care seem to have imagined that the visible, material world was not the only reality.” (Armstrong, 2012)

Storytelling is central to human existence, our minds have developed in a way that enables us to create connections between events and experiences. We use stories not only to understand the world around us but to help us come to terms with the unknowable.

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https://castles.today/en/castles/castles/wales/tongwynlais/legends/

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/wales/w_mid/article_1.shtml

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https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/craflwyn-and-beddgelert/features/a-tale-of-two-dragons

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http://www.castlewales.com/dinas_em.html

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I will be investigating myths and their reality, exploring the boundary in between them. Looking at what point does myth became reality and when does reality become myth. By myth I am referring to myths, legends, folklore etc. My main focus will be welsh legends and myth that have evidence such as geographical location, artefacts and texts to support its link to reality. I will be looking into the following stories and that have a connection with both myth and reality.

- Cantrer Gwaelod
- A take of two dragons
- The bard Taliesin who has links with other stories as well as a mythical ‘origins’ story
- Rhiannon - Mabinogion
- King Arthur who has links with the Mabinogion
- Bedd Gelert
- Bldeuwedd - Mabinogion
- Castell Coch
- Cadaer Idris
- Mari Lwyd

These stories are either set in real geographical locations and have texts connecting or have objects / Artefacts relating them to reality.