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Post by Gwenrod on Aug 22, 2022 11:24:09 GMT -1
The first thing to be said about Caer Sidi alias Kaer Siddi, alias etc., is that it is not, and never was an Otherworld. The second thing to be said about it is that the location of its ruin is known, and can be visited in north-east Co. Galway, in Connacht province, Ireland. This ruin is an enormous pre-historic fort in territory which in prehistoric times was the stronghold of the Tuatha Dé Danann who ultimately became the fairies of Irish folklore. Thirdly, it has also poetically been called ‘Caer Ochren’ (the legendary Battle of the Trees took place in adjacent woodlands, known as Bran’s Wood up to the 17th century). Fourthly it was a place which became an abbey site in medieval times, and housed monks -i.e. it was a monastery built within a pre-historic enclosure bounded by a fosse and ramparts. Hence it was called ‘The Fortress of God’s Peak’. Seemingly Cistercian and now called ‘Abbeygrey’ in English, it was a new kind of abbey in the West of Ireland, differing in layout from the cellular design of earlier gaelic monasteries. Using much glass, it was dubbed “The Glass Fortress”. Fifthly, it evidently was attacked by Welsh Normans in 1177 who took a batch of manuscripts of legends and poetry from it, and brought these to Wales. Sixthly, it had (has!) a well above it, to be seen on Ordnance Survey maps, and so it could not be ‘a magic island in the ocean’ as Welsh scholars suggest. Seventh, “rivers of the ocean” surrounded it, and still do, (as does a fosse too), they being the River Suck and two of its tributaries; eighth, it was (is) wheel-like – indeed in a Middle Welsh poem it was poetically described as triple-wheel-like – because it was (is) surrounded by an annular wide fosse surrounding annular wide ramparts enclosing a circle of land of about 6 acres in extent– the total extent being c. 8.5 acres. Ninth, it was called ‘gwenrod’ (meaning “heavenly wheel”) in a Middle Welsh poem, because the poet knew it was monastic land. Tenth, in a reference to the mabinogi legend Bran Ferch Llyr the poem Preiddeu Annwn states “six thousand men stood upon its wall” and “except seven” none escaped from it - because (i) this was the abode of the legendary Irish king Mallolwch (alias Matholwch) who fought Bran (husband of Branwen) following a row at feasting, from which battle only seven survived and and (ii) the top of its wide rampart measures c.5,500 sq. yds. (enough to accommodate 6,000 warriors). Eleventh, the title Caer Sidi is Irish Cathair Sidhe written in Middle Welsh, and means “The Fort of the Fairies”, the reason being that, in Irish mythology, the pre-historic invaders of Ireland - called the Tuatha Dé Danann (who settled in Connacht) - after being finally defeated by the Milesians allegedly lived on eternally in mountains and hills. The poet, aware that Caer Sidi was (and is) on mountainy Connacht land that was anciently Tuatha Dé Danann territory, likened the remote monks’ abbey to a fort of the fairies. Twelfth, the Tuatha De Danann were so dexterous that they were deemed to be magicians by those whom they conquered, and so the poet alleged that this fairy fort (i.e. the abbey) had magical properties in so far as that nobody ever grew old or became ill in it. Finally, the great fake Welsh poet Taliesin had a golden chair in Caer Siddi, which put him comfortably in a Cistercian monastery in the west of Ireland (the poem was of course composed by a Gaelic poet who had joined the Welsh Norman attackers on this monastery (led by De Cogan), and had poetry of his own in the batch of poetry and legends which were taken from that place). Note: The association of Caer Sidi with holy men in medieval times is found in Llewelyn ap Morgan’s description of Brecon (Aberhonddu) with the words ‘aber.../chodni kaer sidi kor saint’ (‘Aberhodni, a Caer Siddi, an assembly of saints’) which was written after 1475 (See Patrick Sims-Williams, Irish Influence on Medieval Welsh Literature, 2011, p 73).
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Post by Gwenrod on Aug 22, 2022 11:31:39 GMT -1
The first thing to be said about Caer Sidi alias Kaer Siddi, alias etc., is that it is not, and never was an Otherworld. The second thing to be said about it is that the location of its ruin is known, and can be visited in north-east Co. Galway, in Connacht province, Ireland. This ruin is an enormous pre-historic fort in territory which in prehistoric times was the stronghold of the Tuatha Dé Danann who ultimately became the fairies of Irish folklore. Thirdly, it has also poetically been called ‘Caer Ochren’ (the legendary Battle of the Trees took place in adjacent woodlands, known as Bran’s Wood up to the 17th century). Fourthly it was a place which became an abbey site in medieval times, and housed monks -i.e. it was a monastery built within a pre-historic enclosure bounded by a fosse and ramparts. Hence it was called ‘The Fortress of God’s Peak’. Seemingly Cistercian and now called ‘Abbeygrey’ in English, it was a new kind of abbey in the West of Ireland, differing in layout from the cellular design of earlier gaelic monasteries. Using much glass, it was dubbed “The Glass Fortress”. Fifthly, it evidently was attacked by Welsh Normans in 1177 who took a batch of manuscripts of legends and poetry from it, and brought these to Wales. Sixthly, it had (has!) a well above it, to be seen on Ordnance Survey maps, and so it could not be ‘a magic island in the ocean’ as Welsh scholars suggest. Seventh, “rivers of the ocean” surrounded it, and still do, (as does a fosse too), they being the River Suck and two of its tributaries; eighth, it was (is) wheel-like – indeed in a Middle Welsh poem it was poetically described as triple-wheel-like – because it was (is) surrounded by an annular wide fosse surrounding annular wide ramparts enclosing a circle of land of about 6 acres in extent– the total extent being c. 8.5 acres. Ninth, it was called ‘gwenrod’ (meaning “heavenly wheel”) in a Middle Welsh poem, because the poet knew it was monastic land. Tenth, in a reference to the mabinogi legend Bran Ferch Llyr the poem Preiddeu Annwn states “six thousand men stood upon its wall” and “except seven” none escaped from it - because (i) this was the abode of the legendary Irish king Mallolwch (alias Matholwch) who fought Bran (husband of Branwen) following a row at feasting, from which battle only seven survived and and (ii) the top of its wide rampart measures c.5,500 sq. yds. (enough to accommodate 6,000 warriors). Eleventh, the title Caer Sidi is Irish Cathair Sidhe written in Middle Welsh, and means “The Fort of the Fairies”, the reason being that, in Irish mythology, the pre-historic invaders of Ireland - called the Tuatha Dé Danann (who settled in Connacht) - after being finally defeated by the Milesians allegedly lived on eternally in mountains and hills. The poet, aware that Caer Sidi was (and is) on mountainy Connacht land that was anciently Tuatha Dé Danann territory, likened the remote monks’ abbey to a fort of the fairies. Twelfth, the Tuatha De Danann were so dexterous that they were deemed to be magicians by those whom they conquered, and so the poet alleged that this fairy fort (i.e. the abbey) had magical properties in so far as that nobody ever grew old or became ill in it. Finally, the great fake Welsh poet Taliesin had a golden chair in Caer Siddi, which put him comfortably in a Cistercian monastery in the west of Ireland (the poem was of course composed by a Gaelic poet who had joined the Welsh Norman attackers on this monastery (led by De Cogan), and had poetry of his own in the batch of poetry and legends which were taken from that place). Note: The association of Caer Sidi with holy men in medieval times is found in Llewelyn ap Morgan’s description of Brecon (Aberhonddu) with the words ‘aber.../chodni kaer sidi kor saint’ (‘Aberhodni, a Caer Siddi, an assembly of saints’) which was written after 1475 (See Patrick Sims-Williams, Irish Influence on Medieval Welsh Literature, 2011, p 73).
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Post by Cian on Sept 2, 2022 12:33:53 GMT -1
The first thing to be said about Caer Sidi alias Kaer Siddi, alias etc., is that it is not, and never was an Otherworld. The second thing to be said about it is that the location of its ruin is known, and can be visited in north-east Co. Galway, in Connacht province, Ireland. This ruin is an enormous pre-historic fort in territory which in prehistoric times was the stronghold of the Tuatha Dé Danann who ultimately became the fairies of Irish folklore. Thirdly, it has also poetically been called ‘Caer Ochren’ (the legendary Battle of the Trees took place in adjacent woodlands, known as Bran’s Wood up to the 17th century). Fourthly it was a place which became an abbey site in medieval times, and housed monks -i.e. it was a monastery built within a pre-historic enclosure bounded by a fosse and ramparts. Hence it was called ‘The Fortress of God’s Peak’. Seemingly Cistercian and now called ‘Abbeygrey’ in English, it was a new kind of abbey in the West of Ireland, differing in layout from the cellular design of earlier gaelic monasteries. Using much glass, it was dubbed “The Glass Fortress”. Fifthly, it evidently was attacked by Welsh Normans in 1177 who took a batch of manuscripts of legends and poetry from it, and brought these to Wales. Sixthly, it had (has!) a well above it, to be seen on Ordnance Survey maps, and so it could not be ‘a magic island in the ocean’ as Welsh scholars suggest. Seventh, “rivers of the ocean” surrounded it, and still do, (as does a fosse too), they being the River Suck and two of its tributaries; eighth, it was (is) wheel-like – indeed in a Middle Welsh poem it was poetically described as triple-wheel-like – because it was (is) surrounded by an annular wide fosse surrounding annular wide ramparts enclosing a circle of land of about 6 acres in extent– the total extent being c. 8.5 acres. Ninth, it was called ‘gwenrod’ (meaning “heavenly wheel”) in a Middle Welsh poem, because the poet knew it was monastic land. Tenth, in a reference to the mabinogi legend Bran Ferch Llyr the poem Preiddeu Annwn states “six thousand men stood upon its wall” and “except seven” none escaped from it - because (i) this was the abode of the legendary Irish king Mallolwch (alias Matholwch) who fought Bran (husband of Branwen) following a row at feasting, from which battle only seven survived and and (ii) the top of its wide rampart measures c.5,500 sq. yds. (enough to accommodate 6,000 warriors). Eleventh, the title Caer Sidi is Irish Cathair Sidhe written in Middle Welsh, and means “The Fort of the Fairies”, the reason being that, in Irish mythology, the pre-historic invaders of Ireland - called the Tuatha Dé Danann (who settled in Connacht) - after being finally defeated by the Milesians allegedly lived on eternally in mountains and hills. The poet, aware that Caer Sidi was (and is) on mountainy Connacht land that was anciently Tuatha Dé Danann territory, likened the remote monks’ abbey to a fort of the fairies. Twelfth, the Tuatha De Danann were so dexterous that they were deemed to be magicians by those whom they conquered, and so the poet alleged that this fairy fort (i.e. the abbey) had magical properties in so far as that nobody ever grew old or became ill in it. Finally, the great fake Welsh poet Taliesin had a golden chair in Caer Siddi, which put him comfortably in a Cistercian monastery in the west of Ireland (the poem was of course composed by a Gaelic poet who had joined the Welsh Norman attackers on this monastery (led by De Cogan), and had poetry of his own in the batch of poetry and legends which were taken from that place). Note: The association of Caer Sidi with holy men in medieval times is found in Llewelyn ap Morgan’s description of Brecon (Aberhonddu) with the words ‘aber.../chodni kaer sidi kor saint’ (‘Aberhodni, a Caer Siddi, an assembly of saints’) which was written after 1475 (See Patrick Sims-Williams, Irish Influence on Medieval Welsh Literature, 2011, p 73).
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Post by Cian on Sept 2, 2022 12:36:56 GMT -1
All of which examples , even those which can be taken as accurate manifestations in the apparent world, are of course illusory projections of the Otherworld place.
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Post by Cian on Sept 2, 2022 12:42:14 GMT -1
All of which examples , even those which can be taken as accurate manifestations in the apparent world, are of course illusory projections of the Otherworld place.
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Post by Gwenrod on Sept 9, 2022 10:05:05 GMT -1
Caer Sidi is Irish Cathair Sídhe meaning ‘the fortress of the fairies’. The fairy reference is to the Tuatha Dé Danann. Caer Sidi is mentioned in a number of Medieval Welsh manuscripts, in particular in the poem Preiddeu Annwn. Caer Sidi is the Regia Altera of Ptolemy’s map of Hibernia, the ruins of which are extant. In medieval times two monasteries were erected within the fortress ramparts – the earlier one seemingly Cistercian and the other Carmelite. The poem Preiddeu Annwn is about an attack on the earlier abbey in Caer Sidi by Welsh Normans, and the seizure of a “cauldron” of legends and poetry from the monks at sword-point. From that poem it becomes clear that Caer Sidi was the abode of Mallolwch (Matholwch) pre-historic king of Ireland who married Branwen in the mabinogi legend Branwen ferch Llyr.
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Post by ysbryd on Sept 15, 2022 8:44:01 GMT -1
Are you saying that Arthur was a Welsh Norman?
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