Dyn Hysbys

[branynos]

I was going to put this in the Shamanism thread but decided it might be worth its own.

I've been trying to find out more about the dyn hysbys (one who knows) of Welsh village life right up to the early years of the 20thC.

Unsurprisingly there's not much on the web (in English) but I did find this interesting article (written in 1923)

called "Witchcraft & Wizardry in Wales"
gaslight.mtroyal.ab.ca/gaslight/wizwales.htm

this bit jumped out at me. It's the author reporting on a practice being denounced in the 16thC

"Wise men" seem to have flourished from time immemorial in Wales, every village having its "dyn hysbys" in old days. It is said that their numbers were kept up by the superstitious practice amongst
the very ignorant country-folk of "sacrificing children to the Devil," in order to make "wise men" of them. The Rev. Rees Prichard, of Llaydovery, in a hymn against "conjurors," alludes to this
dreadful custom:—

Tynnu'r plentyn trwy ben crwcca.
Neu trwy'r fflam ar nos f'lamgaua,
A'u rhoi ymhinny felyn uchel,
Yw offrumm plant i Gythraul.

Meaning that "to drag children through a hoop or flame of fire, on All Hallows Eve, and taking them to the mill bin to be shaken, is the way of sacrificing them to the Evil One."

I'm pretty sure the translation is off slightly but haven't sat down and worked it out yet.
So any ideas what was going on? An initiation into the secrets of wizardry as Rev Prichard seems to think, a misunderstanding of a general healing process as the author seems to think?
A complete fabrication?
etc.

[Blackbird]

I'd not heard of the Dyn Hysbys before - fascinating stuff!

For the poem, I get:

To pull children through a cartwheel (ben = cart, crwc = bucket or barrel... but perhaps wheel in the sense that it is also something shaped and banded in a similar way?)
Or pull them through flames on bonfire night
And take them to the () high mill
Is to offer children to the Goblin.

As to the author of the site you found, the first thing that strikes me is the similarity to the custom of passing children through a hoop made of a living ash tree to cure rickets, epilepsy and other ailments. And to the general 'good luck' of passing various things through fire. Makes me wonder if this is a general folk custom for luck/health/etc which has been deliberately misinterpreted by the churchmen.

Fascinating account, and I would love to learn more about these practices, and other lore associated with the dys hysbys.

[branynos]

The dyn hysbys is usually given as the Welsh name for the 'cunning man' of England. The word gets translated as 'faith healer' 'soothsayer' "seer" "Wise One" and probably a few I've missed
"dyn" means man but in some parts of South Wales is gender neutral and is used to mean person.
"hysbys" is an interesting word without a direct translation into English but is understood to mean : (adj.) known, manifest, evident, aware, cognizant .

Most of the lore out there is from the 19thC and regards them as charlatans conning gullible rustic folk.

spruce.flint.umich.edu/~ellisjs/Allen.PDF should take you to a PDF about John Harries who is one of the more famous ones.

It's interesting that at least one version of Myrddins story (the bit about a fatherless child being needed to build Vortigern's fortress) says that a council of 'dynion hysbys' were consulted rather than a council of druids. Though it's impossible to tell if the person recounting the tale was using the earlier form or the later form.

Apart from that its scraps about them being able to see spirits, lift and make curses, and hand out herbal remedies.

[Blackbird]

Thanks for that - I've printed it off for a read, and have also stuck it into the Articles page of the site

[littleraven]

admin said:

Thanks for that - I've printed it off for a read, and have also stuck it into the Articles page of the site

A couple of years ago I wrote an article for private circulation on witchcraft in Wales during the Tudor period. I'll dig it out (along with the other article I am re-writing Blackbird).

Little Raven

[Blackbird]

Many thanks, that would be very welcome