Mhara Starling

You might have heard the legend behind how the red dragon became the emblem of Wales. It is a fantastical story…one of a King desperately trying to build a castle, of royal advisors intent on sacrificing a child. A story of the young Merlin showing up said advisors, and revealing to the King that the reason his castle continues to fall is because of the presence of two dragons battling beneath the earth.

One dragon was red. The other white. The red represented the native Britons, the ancestors of the Welsh. The white represented invaders, those who came to these shores with aims of conquering the people and the land.

Despite the Red dragon being smaller, and seemingly weaker…every time it seemed defeated, it rose again and continued to fight.

This was a prophecy. A symbol that though our people, our culture, our language would always be under attack…we will rise again. We will persevere.

These photos are from when friends and I journeyed to the very place this story takes place.

Dinas Emrys, located in Eryri, North Wales.

What a stunning place. A powerful place. We climbed up steep hills, enjoyed the waterfalls, we were enchanted by the mossy landscape, and captivated by the very song of the mountains.

What an amazing and magical day. How fortunate we are to have such enchantment right on our doorstep.

Yesterday we spent the entire day in reverence of Branwen and her story.

The story of Branwen is one bubbling with wisdom that we could do with remembering in the modern world.

Branwen was a foreigner in a foreign land who was used as a scapegoat and mistreated terribly. The entire tale ripples with narratives concerning the othering of people we might perceive as “different”, and the devastation that can come when these beliefs divide us. Remind you of any current issues?

Photos taken at Pont Branwen over the Afon Alaw, a bridge which crosses the river beside which Branwen died according to the second branch. And Bedd Branwen, Branwen’s grave. An ancient monument that became associated with Branwen in local lore. Interesting how the monument looks almost like a heart broken in two. Evocative of the fact Branwen died of a broken heart.

Oh I do love a good Gorsedd stone circle.

Across the landscape of Wales you will come across an abundance of ancient, prehistoric monuments. Mysterious and beautiful monuments that are thousands of years old. But these stone circles pictured are not ancient.

These are Gorsedd circles.

Gorsedd stone circles have always fascinated me. I’m sure many of you are aware that Wales is dotted with ancient monuments - many of which are just as impressive and ancient as the infamous Stonehenge. Considering I grew up on Ynys Môn, the isle of Anglesey, I’m no stranger to standing stones, stone circles, burial chambers and cairns.

These stone circles above, however, are set up for the Eisteddfod. The Eisteddfod is a cultural festival here in Wales, a festival that celebrates and honours Welsh culture in all its glory. It has a tremendous focus on art in all its various forms - music, poetry, writing, singing, dancing etc. I have fond memories of singing at or simply attending the Eisteddfod.

The Gorsedd stones form a ritual space, where the Druids perform some rather enigmatic ceremonies. One of those ceremonies involves presenting a horn of plenty, whilst another involves flowers being presented to the arch Druid, as well as a floral dance. Of course, the Druids of the Eisteddfod are not exactly religious pagan Druids. Many of the Druids of the Eisteddfod...if not a huge majority of them...are Christian. As a pagan who does spend a lot of time with Druids...watching the Druids in ceremony at the Eisteddfod is always such a strange thing. To my pagan eyes, the ceremonies do not look too different to the rites and rituals of the Druids I am friends with. Of course, that may be because both the modern pagan Druids and the Eisteddfod Druids pull inspiration from similar sources.

Despite being somewhat modern, I still find Gorsedd circles exceptionally magical. They are emblems of modern Welsh culture and identity.

Hi there! Oooh back on Tumblr…first time since I was a teenager!

My name is Mhara. I’m orignally from the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales, and I’m a Witch. I’m also an author, I wrote “Welsh Witchcraft” which was released three years ago…and my second book Welsh Fairies released last year.

I love to share content which focuses on the magic and lore of Wales. You might have seen my videos at some point!