Lily Dewaruile: Medieval Welsh Romance

Dwynwen rejects the attentions of her lover.

With the publication of Traitor’s Daughter, this is the perfect opportunity to talk about the various Celtic marriage laws that are the premise of the book.

Depending on the tribe, there are nine laws that governed the marital status of a couple. Many of them are not allowed these days but were acceptable in the early Celtic civilizations. My sources for this information are Peter Berresford Ellis’s book, Celtic Women, and Henrietta Leyser’s Medieval Women. These nine forms are also to be found in the eight types of marriage in Hindu law.

Polygamy was a commonplace occurrence in the earliest, war-torn times, in practicality, to provide for the many widows who otherwise would have starved to death along with their children. A warrior with many wives served the social needs of his tribe by taking responsibility for the families of his dead soldiers.

According to (at least) one Celtic woman, when chastised for her lack of chastity, ”Why should we not enjoy the best of men. Roman women comingle with the worst.”

As necessity waned, polygamy in Celtic society disappeared and, with the conversion to Christianity in Celtic countries by the 6th-7th centuries, was no longer acceptable. In Cymru, some monastic Celtic Church clergy continued to marry until the late 12th century. In Ireland, polygamy continued for some time after the conversion to the Christian church.

Marriage in antiquity was predominately a contract merger of property for the establishment of a family and household.

Hywel Dda codified the marriage laws in Cymru.

The first degree of marriage was priodas (pree-O-das) – the partnership of a man and woman of equal financial position. This is how Heledd and Garmon are wed (eventually) in Traitor’s Daughter. In this form of marriage, a catalogue of goods is made and shared between the partners for the good of the household. I have also used this form in the marriage of minor characters in Invasion, the first book in my Pendyffryn: The Conquerors.

The second form is agwedi (aG-WED-ee). The woman brings a lesser amount or no property to the partnership. Heledd is in this position when she believes she is to wed Huw.

The third form of marriage is caradas (car-A-das), from the word caru (car-ee) to love. In Cymru, this is when a man lives with a woman with her kin’s consent. In Ireland, the third form is the man who has nothing to offer to the wealth of the household. (She must love him very much!)  In Invasion, Gwennan Pendyffryn has no difficulty accepting Ieuan Emyr on the Irish grounds but it doesn’t work out that way for them.

The fourth form of marriage in Cymru, deu lysuab (day lees-EE-ab), having no equivalent in Irish marriage law, is the union of two persons related only by the marriage of their respective parents, i.e., stepbrother and stepsister. The word llys (ll [an aspirated l] = llees) refers to a court of law; a legal relationship). Garmon is Huw’s llysfab (stepson).

The fourth form in Ireland is lánamnas fir thathigthe (sorry, my limited Gaelic won’t help with this pronunciation) – a man is given permission to live with a woman with her kin’s consent. This is the same as the third form in Cymru.

The fifth type of marital union is called llathlut goleu (llAHth-leet go-lay) means ‘open connection’ – two people chose to live together openly without the consent of the woman’s kin. I use this form of marriage in my forthcoming novel, Invasion.

Numbers six on the Celtic wedding hit parade is llathlut twyll (llATth-leet tOO-eell [aspirated l]). An independent-minded woman allows herself to be abducted by a man or is visited by a man in secret without the knowledge of her kin.

Beichogi twyll gwraig lwyn a pherth (bay-CHO[hard CH as in loch]-ee too-eell gur-eyeg loo-een ah phair-th) is number seven, literally “to impregnate a woman between loins and hedge”. This is a double entendre as llwyn also means hedge. It can be taken to mean “to make love in the hedgerows”.

In Traitor’s Daughter, Elgan choses the eighth form, cynnywedi ar liw ac ar oleu, as well as the nineth, to take

Win this ebook! Anwsers by May 29th.

Heledd away from her lawful husband (cun-ee-WED-ee ahr loo ahk ahr O-lay), rough literal translation: ”to join by color and by light”, a union by abduction of a woman without her consent.

Twyll morwyn (tOO-eell MOR-ooeen) is the nineth form of marriage, leading on from the eighth, a marriage by rape. In Ireland, there was a different nineth form: lánamnas genaige – a union of two insane people.

So now you know but can you guess which form Garmon uses to make his initial claim on Heledd? If you are one of the first nineteen to guess correctly, you will win a copy of Traitor’s Daughter in whichever ebook form you prefer. Please leave your answer and your email address in the Comments for this post. I’ll reveal the answer and the winners on May 29th, so hurry.

Ebook Cover for Traitor's Daughter

The title says everything I need to say today.

Diolch yn fawr!

http://www.smashwords.com/books/tags/medieval_welsh

Until the end of May I’m offering a discount voucher to everyone who comments on this post.

–Lily

Myths & Legends.

Another version of the legend of Santes Dwynwen , patron saint of lovers, and Maelon, the man she loved.

I have put the first chapter of my medieval Welsh romance, Traitor’s Daughter, on my website. Please have a look and a read.
http://www.lilydewaruile.com/TraitorsDaughter.htm
Let me know what you think. I will appreciate any comments, thoughts, suggestions.
Diolch yn fawr.

Hywel Dda by Peter Lord

The grandson of Rhodri Mawr – the first of the rulers of Cymru to bring the many princedoms together to form one nation – Hywel Dda continued his grandfather’s effort with less bloodshed. One of his political decisions which brought the southern region within his control was to marry Elen, the daughter of the king of Penfro, bringing the whole of southwestern Cymru under his control.

The earliest coin of a king in Cymru bore the legend: Hywel Rex. He is best known as the ruler responsible for the earliest written code of Welsh laws. The Laws of Hywel Dda were first believed to have been codified during the reign of this powerful man. According to the historian, J. Goronwy Edwards, in his contribution to Wales Through the Ages, four points appear in the manuscripts containing these laws: 1) Hywel brought together all of the important clerics of the time and six men from each of the sub-divisions of the country – generally assumed to be in Arberth, near Caerfyrddin, where he held his court (llys); 2) this senedd studied and discussed all of the existing laws for 40 days; 3) changes and improvements were made; 4) the revised code of law was set in writing to be the authority throughout the country. Additional points appear in later manuscripts but these are not as well authenticated.

Among The Laws of Hywel Dda are eight that govern marriage. Many of these are in line with Celtic laws existing also in Iwerddon (Ireland). I have drawn on the laws governing women as background for my novel, Traitor’s Daughter, in which Heledd Bannawg is denied her right to wed as punishment for her father’s crimes.

Illustration of the Judge in the manuscript: The Laws of Hywel Dda

Although women in Celtic societies enjoyed more freedom and independence than their Saxon sisters – they weren’t required to throw themselves on the funeral pyre of their mate nor condemned to death because they were raped – their testimony was not accepted in a court of law. They could own and distribute their own property; divorce was by mutual consent. “A woman is free to go where she likes, for there is no bondage for her save her amobr.”

Among Hywel’s other achievements were his treaties and alliances with his Saxon neighbors to the east. Throughout his reign, this kept Cymru from foreign domination. Like his grandfather, Rhodri Mawr, Hywel’s vision for his country was unification and constructive peace, placing Cymru on the international stage.

Hywel Dda was the last of the rulers of Cymru to bring so much of the country together. With his death, jealousies and petty squabbles left a legacy that opened the door for the Normans in the 11th Century and despite their origins, the Tudors of Penfro were the lasting stroke that drove Cymru into a binding association. However, no one among the Cymry signed the so-called “Act of Union” of the 16thC and its validity is therefore disputed.