Cantre’r Gwaelod

2007-09-06T15:34:13Z

LinguisticDemographer: /* Possible Sighting */ tyop

'''Cantre'r Gwaelod''', (literally, ''The Lowland Hundred'' in English) is the legendary ancient sunken kingdom said to have occupied a tract of fertile land stretching northwards from [[Ramsey Island]] to [[Bardsey Island]] over what is now [[Cardigan Bay]] to the west of [[Wales]], often described as the 'Welsh [[Atlantis]]'.

== The Myth ==
Cantre'r Gwaelod's capital was Caer Wyddno, seat of the ruler [[Gwyddno Garanhir]]. It is described as a walled country that was defended from the sea by a dyke called [[Sarn Badrig]] ([[Saint Patrick]]'s causeway), over which two princes of the realm held charge. One of these princes, called [[Seithenyn]], was a notorious drunkard and carouser, and it was through his negligence that the sea swept through the open floodgates, ruining the land.

The church bells of Cantre'r Gwaelod are said to ring out in times of danger.

==Origins of the Myth==
The myth, like so many others, may be a folk memory of gradually rising sea levels at the end of the [[ice age]] and its structure comparable to the [[Deluge (mythology)|deluge myth]] found in nearly every ancient culture. The physical remains of the preserved sunken forest at [[Borth]], and of Sarn Badrig nearby, could have suggested that some great tragedy had overcome a community there long ago, and so the myth may have grown from that. There is little or no physical evidence of the substantial community that legend promises lies under the sea.

== Possible Sighting ==
The ruins of a city were supposedly visible as late as [[1770]], when [[William Owen Pughe]] reported seeing sunken human habitations about four miles (6.4 km) off the Welsh coast, between the rivers [[River Ystwyth|Ystwyth]] and [[River Teifi|Teifi]]. As the sea goes out the remains of trees are left behind.

==Cantre'r Gwaelod in Fiction==

Although not as famous as [[Atlantis]], Cantre'r Gwaelod has featured in fiction with a [[Wales|Welsh]] flavour, notably the alternate universe [[Louie Knight]] series. In "''Aberystwyth Mon Amour''" a group of Druids plan to launch an ark and reclaim the land of Cantre'r Gwaelod. A schoolboy genius, Dai Brainbocs, assumed it really did exist and was proved right - using microphones to [[Echo location|echo locate]] the town by the sound of the community's bells ringing underwater. Unfortunately to launch the ark Brainbocs needs to destroy the Nant y Moch dam above Aberystwyth, so the flood would destroy much of it. The irony is obvious.

Cantre'r Gwaelod is also a major location in [[Susan Cooper]]'s "''Silver On The Tree''", the fifth and final book in her series "''The Dark is Rising''". Young Will Stanton, last of the Old Ones (a group of immortal beings associated with the Light that must save mankind from the Dark) and his friend Bran Davies, son of the famous [[King Arthur]], travel through time to ''Cantr'er Gwaelod'', the Lowland Hundred, in search of the last great Thing of Power. With it the Light can finally stand together against the Dark and banish it forever.

==External links==
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/wales/w_mid/article_1.shtml Cantre'r Gwaelod - The Lost Land of Wales]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/coast/pages/5.shtml The submerged forest of Borth]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/mid_/5016240.stm Experts look for 'watery kingdom']
*[http://www.britannia.com/bios/ebk/gwyddgmd.html An exploration of the 'walled realm' version of the myth, and the semi-legendary King Gwyddno]
*[http://www.llangynfelyn.org/dogfennau/disgrifiadau_topog.html local history page looking at possible documentary evidence]

[[Category:Sunken cities]]
[[Category:Welsh mythology]]
[[Category:Mythological places]]

[[cy:Cantre'r Gwaelod]]

Community (Wales)

2007-07-19T09:25:56Z

LinguisticDemographer: a counsil's a council

A '''community''' ([[Welsh language|Welsh]] ''cymuned'') is the lowest level of [[Local Government in the United Kingdom|local government]] structure in [[Wales]], corresponding to a [[civil parish]] in [[England]]. Until 1974, Wales was divided into civil parishes. These were abolished by section 20(6) of the [[Local Government Act 1972]], and replaced by communities by section 27 of the same Act. The [[Subdivisions of Wales#Principal areas of Wales|principal areas of Wales]] are divided entirely into communities. Unlike in England, where [[unparished area]]s exist, no part of Wales is outside a community, even in [[urban area]]s.

[[Community council]]s in [[Wales]] are identical to English parish councils in terms of their powers and the way they operate. Welsh community councils may call themselves town councils unilaterally and may have [[List of cities in the United Kingdom|city status]] granted by [[the Crown]]. In Wales, all town councils are community councils. There are currently two communities with city status: [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]] and [[St David's]]. The Chair of a town council or city council will usually have the title [[Mayors in the United Kingdom|Mayor]]. However, not every community has a council. In communities with populations too small to justify a full community council, [[community meeting]]s may be established.

==See also==
* [[List of communities in Wales]]

{{Wales-geo-stub}}
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[[Category:Subdivisions of Wales]]

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Cantre’r Gwaelod

Community (Wales)