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Reading Notes: Part B Welsh Fairy Tales

Similar to Part A of the Welsh Fairy Tales, Part B is a collection of short stories. A story that caught my attention from Part B of the unit was Melangell's Lambs. Reading the story made me somewhat surprised as there really were no lambs in the story. This is because the animals in the story are hares, or rabbits, and not lambs. However, because they were saved by Melangell, they were later referred to as her lambs. Perhaps there is just a cultural reference that I do not get, but this certainly surprised me when I was reading the story. Researching the Kingdom of Powys revealed to me that it was originally located in what is known today as the English West Midlands. Moreover the name Powys is of Latin origin and means dwellers of the country side. There really is not much significant of the kingdom other many battle and feuds that are part of their existence. Researching Melangell revealed to me that she is fact a saint who was venerated in 590. She even has a church dedicated to her in village in Wales where the Powys kingdom once ruled. A feast is held every 27th of May in her honor. Overall, it is clear that Melangell has much significance to the Powys kingdom and Welsh culture in general. I feel like in a potential retelling I could elaborate more on this to show the significance to the reader. I also feel like in a retelling that I could transition to the story to more modern prose. This would make it easier for there reader to understand but also give the new story a new perspective. Perhaps I could even the set the story in modern times. There is much that I could explore in the story. Overall, it was a great and short read.

Bibliography: The Welsh Fairy Book by W. Jenkyn Thomas with illustrations by Willy Pogány (1908).

Wikimedia: Melangell's church in Wales

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  1. Cate HowellNovember 8, 2019 at 4:18 PM

    Hi Neal,
    How strange that the story is called Melangell's Lambs but has no lambs in it! I guess this could refer to the way lambs are referenced biblically, like the vulnerable members of a flock guided by a shepherd who must protect them. I almost checked out the Welsh unit myself because I think I have some ancestry from there, but I ended up looking into the stories of Britomart, which were pretty cool!
    Thanks!
    - Cate

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