The story behind the myth of Santes Dwynwen

Most of us are fascinated by ‘love’, the all-consuming, head-over-heels, knock-your-socks-off kind. Why else would we see it everywhere in popular culture, from romance novels to cinema screens?

But ‘Cariad’ seems almost laced into the core of Welsh culture, the land of song and poetry, land of the love ballads and love spoons, cariad for language, cariad for country, cariad for that special someone.

From the early poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilym to the modern anthems of Tom Jones, the nation seems to have always been fascinated by the concept of ‘cariad’. 

This ‘Dydd Santes Dwynwen’ (St Dwynwen’s Day), January 25, we are taking a deep dive into whether the Welsh are a romantic bunch.

Who was Santes Dwynwen? 

The tale of Santes Dwynwen is multifaceted. It is a story many of us were told as children while we cut out red paper hearts and stuck them on cards for our loved ones. The ‘adult’ version of the tale is a lot more sinister, but as a hopeless romantic, this is the child-friendly adaption.

The more well-known version of the tale is almost like a prelude to Romeo and Juliette: two star-crossed lovers, forbidden love, tragic ending. Add a frosty finish and you have the lore of Dwynwen!

Dwynwen is the patron saint of lovers and her tale stems from the Brycheiniog region during the 5th century.

Storytellers claimed she was the most beautiful daughter of King Brychan Brycheiniog’s alleged twenty-four daughters (although some argue the number was a lot higher). 

The drama unfolds

King Brychan had a plan in place for his daughter- she would marry a Prince of his choosing. Dwynwen, however, had fallen in love with a man called Maelon. The plot thickens.

Distraught that she was forbidden from marrying her one true love, Dwynwen ran into the nearby forest. Heartbroken, she prayed to God for help to ease the pain and in a magical twist of fate, an angel appeared.

So, instead of ‘blocking’ Maelon, which is how modern daters would deal with having to move on, she drank the angel’s magic potion to rid herself of any memory of him.

In what some might call a slight plot twist, the potion actually turned her beloved into a frozen lump of ice.

Not wanting Maelon to live the rest of his days as an ice lolly, Dwynwen prayed again. This time, instead of a magical potion, she was granted three wishes. Firstly, she wished for Maelon to be freed from the ice. Then, she wished that she would never fall in love again, nor marry. Finally, she wished for true love to be protected in her name. 

Ynys y Cariadon- Lovers' Island

Dwynwen became a nun, travelling the length and breadth of Wales building Churches, healing and guiding people in love. Her journey led her to Ynys Llanddwyn (Llanddwyn Island), off the coast of Anglesey where the remains of her Church can still be seen to this day. 

I am not a historian, nor am I thousands of years old, and so I cannot vouch for the validity of Dwynwen’s magical tale. But, I did visit Ynys Llanddwyn a few years ago and can confirm that there is something special about ‘Ynys y Cariadon’ (Lovers' Island).

While I was walking along the coastline, approaching the Church ruins, I felt a sense of serenity. This, along with the incredible scenery, made me a little more inclined that day to believe in magic.

Taking things back to their roots

Visit any Eisteddfod and you will see that Welsh culture is rich with poetry and song. You only have to listen to the Welsh choirs on Britain's Got Talent to notice that the stereotype of "every Welsh person can sing", isn't too far from the truth.

But 'performing' and expressing love through the arts isn't a new phenomenon here in Wales, and dates back to medieval times.

Professor Helen Fulton is a medievalist at Bristol University she says as a nation the Welsh are "quite romantic and emotional."

She said: "Through their literature and creative arts they express strong emotions of nostalgia and love, especially for their country and language".

Professor Fulton puts our "romantic side" partly down to the long tradition of Welsh court poetry, going right back to the Middle Ages. 

She said: "European themes associated with 'Courtly Love', where a male poet suffers unrequited love for a noblewoman, travelled to Wales and we see this in the literature.

"The early poets- y Gogynfeirdd and Beirdd yr Uchelwyr- were writing poetry for either princely or gentry courts. 

"Their job was to praise their patrons and their patrons’ families, so they praised the beauty of wives and daughters by using the language of love poetry.

She added: "There's nothing like this tradition of court poetry in England, it's very distinctive to Wales.

"It is performative, especially as the praise poetry was normally recited aloud. Expressing 'love' in this way had to appeal to a range of audiences.

And continued: "For example, the 14th-century poet Dafydd ap Gwilym, one of the most famous poets of his day, used his love poetry as a form of entertainment, in courts, abbeys and towns. 

"When he sings about love, it is often light-hearted, celebrating a simple but meaningful love located in the natural world. So love, nature, and spirituality are all combined in his poetry."

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