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Today is the first day of the National Eisteddfod, Wales' annual festival of competitive poetry, music and storytelling! The two highest honours awarded each year are the Eisteddfod Crown and Chair. Gotta say, this year's versions look somewhat more 'comfy' than some of their predecessors!

Coming up shortly! Listen in for a sneak peek at some of the soundtrack from Tales from the Mabinogion... :) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Radio Wales - Listen Live - BBC SoundsListen live to Radio Wales on BBC Soundswww.bbc.co.uk

#screenshotsaturday Flying pigs, one for the bloopers reel! (And don't ask about the random boar testicles that appear to be left floating mid-air!!).

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#BookWormSat 'Cynghanedd' is a unique system of poetic stress and sound-arrangement that originated in Welsh-language poetry around a thousand years ago. Despite it's ancient origins, it's still often used in contemporary Welsh poetry today. 1/4

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An intensely weird trailer, not quite sure what to make of it... The story has very strong 'Blodeuwedd' vibes to it though, so I expect I'll end up watching it at some point! Anyone else noticed this yet, and have any thoughts on it? youtu.be/j1t_yHoypks?...

Wicker | Official Trailer (Olivia Colman & Alexander Skarsgård, 2026)YouTube video by Entertainment Tonightyoutu.be

At some point I want to do an expansion/DLC that tells the story of Culhwch and Olwen entirely from the point of view of King Arthur's dog, Cafall... (But yet again, I must push these ideas aside to focus on getting the existing game finished!).

Last week I posted about Japanese translations of the Mabinogion, today it's time to look at the German versions! While there is no widely recognised complete translation of all eleven stories in German, there are some well-respected interpretations of parts of the full work. 1/6

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This was an interesting piece to write, reflecting on how stories changes over time, how they both shape and are shaped by ideas of national identity, and how that feeds into my own current work. I've been following the HGN blog posts for a while now - it was lovely being invited to contribute!

#WyrdWednesday Arawn is Lord of the Welsh Otherworld of Annwn, and master of the red-eared, ghost-white hounds known as the Cŵn Annwn. He first appears when Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, interrupts a stag hunt. Pwyll's hounds chase off the Cŵn Annwn, claiming their kill in an insult to Arawn. 1/3

#FairyTaleTuesday In the Mabinogion's tale of Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain, our eponymous hero rescues a lion from a venomous serpent. In return, the beast becomes his loyal companion, hunting for him and fighting by his side. 1/3

I just learned that Spencer Davis, of the Spencer Davis Group, was Welsh! Here's a very, very young version of me (on keyboards) rehearsing the classic "Gimme Some Lovin"... :D www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7BpzM9VwYc

99% Protection - Gimme some lovin - 1991.mp4YouTube video by AyeshaDivawww.youtube.com

#MythologyMonday Cân yr Henwr, or The Song of the Old Man, is a sad and moving poem, reputedly written by the 6th century bard Llywarch Hen, in which he laments as his old, battle-wearied body fails him. 1/3

#FolkloreSunday Described as "one of the great female personalities in World literature", Rhiannon is a powerful and magical figure in the Mabinogion. 1/3

#BookWormSat The Mabinogion has not been widely translated. However, Japanese boasts not just one, but several notable editions. Although partial Japanese translations had existed since the 1920s, Setsuko Nakano's version, originally published in 2000, was the first of the complete work. 1/5

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The whole video is worth watching, as commentary on the current debates surrounding The Odyssey movie. youtu.be/yFn1JfOd3b0?...

Nolan's Odyssey & The Western View of Greek CultureYouTube video by Farya Faraji & World Musiciansyoutu.be

#WordsOnWednesday 'Yr Afallennau' (The Apple Trees) is a medieval Welsh poem, in which Myrddin Wyllt, the character who would later evolve into the wizard Merlin, sits amongst the trees of an apple orchard while prophesying the victories of the Welsh over the English. 1/2

#FairyTaleTuesday There are interesting similarities between the Mabinogi's character of Pryderi, and the later Arthurian knight Percival. 1/5

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#MythologyMonday In the depths of Cardigan Bay, if stories are to be believed, lies the lost land of Cantre'r Gwaelod. According to the 'Black Book of Carmarthen', when a careless well-maid neglected her duty, the waters overflowed and drowned the surrounding lands. 1/2

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