1.6- The Dragons of Dinas Emrys
This week, we delve into the magical world of dragons, druids and destiny as we look at two versions of the classic Welsh legend of the Dragons of Dinas Emrys. This tale is a must for anyone who loves a good Arthurian legend.
Emrys, Ambrosius or Merlin?
One of the things that inspired us to write about the Dinas Emrys is the vital role it plays in the origins story of one of the nation’s most beloved legendary figures, Merlin. The tale of the boy who solves the riddle of Vortigerns collapsing fortress and frees the dragons comes to us from two historical sources. The first of these is the Historia Brittonium of Nennius in around 828 AD(which you can read in full here) and the second is the medieval The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who essentially invented the genre of Arthurian legend.
Both texts tell a similar story, both of them focus on Vortigern as either bad or foolish and both texts agree that it is a special boy who tells the king about the dragons fighting underneath the hill. But each author has chosen a different name for the boy. Nennius calls him Ambrosius (or Ambrose) and explains that his father was a Roman consul- giving him a lovely Roman sense of authority in the eyes of that author.
And Geoffrey, who is apparently working off an ancient British text that he refuses to show anyone else and of which he possesses the only copy, refers to the boy by the name Emrys, which is then transposed into the name Merlin.
Both names mean ‘immortal’ but what is interesting is that Nennius chooses the Greek word ‘Ambrose’, whereas Geoffrey, for all his other faults, chooses the Welsh ‘Emrys’.
Mountains and Waterfalls
A few years ago we took a trip to Gwynedd in the early spring with the specific goal of climbing Dinas Emrys and inspecting what was left of the fortifications. The day was raw but sunny, and the streams and waterfalls were full to bursting with winter rain.
It remains one of the most magical experiences of my life. Not only because of the beauty of Eyri or the wonder of the seemingly endless waterfalls and spring but because the landscape is so breathtaking, so steeped in magic that it just carries you away. It was all to easy to look at the craggy remnants of the little fortress on the hill and the giant portal stone by the pool below the summit and imagine dragons.
If you are ever in North Wales, follow in our footsteps and find Dinas Emrys. You won’t regret it.
Diana Wynne Jones
The third and final inspiration for the episode somes from one of my favourite authors. No one writes magic for children as well as Diana Wyne Jones. For both Sam and I, she was the writer who first inducted us into the mysteries of Welsh mythology. In fact, I still regularly re-read her books. Many people will be familiar with her novel ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ because of the Studio Ghibli film (which is great but nowhere near as good as the book).
However, not many modern readers will be as familiar with one of her best novels, ‘The Merlin Conspiracy’ which weaves the legend of the white and red dragons into a pacy duel narrative that crosses worlds and timelines. From Gwyn Ap Nudd to the magic of flowers, Jones manages to squeeze into one tight narrative hundreds of tiny details from British and Welsh folklore. It is classic fantasy fiction at its best. We cannot recommend it enough.