Welcome to Gower

Well Wishes from the Gower Peninsula

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 14:33:00 +0000

The Land of Sacred Beauty and Mystical Enchantment

The Gower Peninsula is a beautiful and sacred place - a truly magical land which can inspire, comfort and exhilarate the hearts and minds of those who walk its ancient paths and take in its breath-taking scenery. Come and explore the area's countryside, wildlife, legends and spiritual monuments with writer/photographer Chrys Aelf.

Arthur's Stone, Cefn Bryn

The Gower Peninsula is a truly pagan landscape. It's wealth of megalithic and neolithic monuments recall a fascinating history when our Gower ancestors celebrated nature spirits and worshipped a variety of deities and gods. These ancient stone configurements punctuate the Gower countryside like a cryptic language, as evocative and rich as the most wonderful of written prose or poetry and speaks of a history that is fabulous and brooding with magic and mysticism.

Whiteford Sands, Gower

Emotions and imaginations are easily stirred by Gower's pictorial splendour and this may go someway to explaining why just so much of the peninsula is haunted and infused with remarkable folklore. Dark, shifting shapes of phantom smugglers roaming along the coastal tideline at dusk, a young ghostly woman clutching her baby only moments before drowning both herself and her infant, a black steed-driven chariot commanded maniacally by a long dead squire as he searches for lost treasure, a strange voice requesting unwary visitors to an old, wind-swept parsonage to turn around and confront it - such ghostly encounters are rife on the Gower Peninsula.

Worm's Head, Rhossili

Tales of King Arthur and the Viking King, Sweyne Forkbeard, lend even further mystery to the numerous already enigmatic old stone monuments which are scattered throughout Gower's countryside. Strange standing stones, huge burial tombs such as Arthur's Stone and Giant's Grave, engraved stones from the Dark Age and the curious 'leper stone' of Llanrhidian Church with its stylised depictions of humans and animals all add an extra, deeper dimension to the Gower usually advertised by the Welsh Tourist Board as a mere collection of beaches. These tales, as well as the recorded adventures of Gower's indiginous race of faeries, known locally as the 'Verry-Volk,' infuse the Gower Peninsula with an air of myth and magic which are just as much a part of Gower's character as its various sandy bays.

Blackthorn, Oxwich, Gower

Blessed with so many pagan treasures, the Gower Peninsula truly is a land to cherish and delight in and is one of the most irreplaceable and inspiring locations in the Britain Isles - a place which has been lauded for its spiritual energies since Man first step foot on its sacred soil. The Gower Peninsula's greatest archaeological find - the "Red Lady" of Paviland - for example, was a much honoured Shaman who both visited and was finally laid to rest in a cave near Rhossili (this article is still being worked on and was last revised on September 29, 2009)

Yew and Ramsones, Ilston

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:59:00 +0000

Paviland Cave - An Ancient Shamanic Site

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:57:00 +0000

The Paviland Series of Caves, South Gower

Goat's Hole Cave, Paviland

Scarring the massive limestone outcrop of Yellow Top Cliff (named after the yellow-orange lichen that decorates its rock face) are numerous caves of various sizes and of differing archaeological significance. These are known collectively as Paviland.

Hound's Hole is one of the larger caves in the Paviland Series. It's entrance faces W35 degrees South and the cave is 6 metres high by 4 metres wide. Extending some 30 metres into Yellow Top, the cave has given up two Roman coins to excavation. Despite these finds, the cave is of little historical interest. The cave is also known by a variety of other names, including Goat's Hole West and Paviland Cave West.

Mallow Hole is the highest cave accessible on Yellow Top. Access to this cave should only be attempted by experienced climbers, however, who use the cave as a resting ledge.

The most important cave in the Paviland Series is Paviland Cave itself. More accurately known as Goat's Hole (SS 437 858), the cave offers moderately easy access during low tide conditions only. A watchful eye should be kept on the sea, however, as the cave becomes isolated with the incoming tide. There is access to the cave at other tidal conditions, though these routes are far more difficult to navigate and have led to several deaths in the past. Formed by wave action, when the sea level was up to 8 metres higher than today, the cave entrance is pear shaped and faces S40 degrees West. Standing 10 metres high by 7 metres wide, the entrance leads onto a passage which continues at walking height for some 30 metres into the limestone cliff. This chamber leads into a chimney, from which daylight can be glimpsed 20 metres above, and to two hollows in the ground. These depressions are the remnants of the two major excavations of the cave, dated 1823 and 1912.

Goat's Hole was first excavated in 1822 by Mr. L W Dillwyn and Miss Talbot of Penrice Castle. Interested by the discoveries made here, the Very Reverend Dr. William Buckley re-excavated the cave the following year. It was during this secondary and more substantial exploration that one of the World's most important archaeological finds was uncovered. At the time, however, the discovery was completely misidentified. Buckley was the first Professor of Geology at Oxford at the time and was later to become Dean of Westminster. He was also a devout Christian and it was this latter fact that led Buckley into not recognising the full importance of his find.

Buckand believed that no animal or human remains could be dated earlier than the Great Flood that is recorded in the Bible. Misguided by his religious preconceptions, his dating of the skeleton was wildly off the mark. Another misconception of his also guided him into misjudging the sex of the skeleton as well.

Buckland originally assessed the bones as belonging to a Customs Officer murdered by local smugglers, who had buried the body in the cave to hide their crime. But by the time his excavation was published later that year, the Reverand had decided that the skeleton could not be that of a male because of the jewellery that had accompanied the human bones in the grave. This jewellery consisted of two handfulls of perwinkle shells (perforated in a fashion that suggested they had once been worn as a necklace) and various fragments of Mammoth ivory rings. In the official report of the discovery, the skeleton remains (which had been ritualistically stained red with ochre) were believed to have belonged to a local prostitute who serviced the sexual desires of the Roman soldiers stationed in the camp Buckland, again wrongly, believed had once been located on the hill above the cave. (This Roman fort was actually an Iron Age fort.) The bones were thereafter known as the "Red Lady of Paviland" - an erroneous title which has, unfortunately, stuck - even though they are now known to have belonged to an important male Shaman. As well as his bungled identification and misinterpreation of the historic importance of his discovery in Paviland, Buckland also lost the large Mammoth's skull which had also been buried with the other grave goods as a votive offering. This has yet to be rediscovered.
A further excavation of Goat's Hole, Paviland, and a re-examination of the "Red Lady of Paviland" skeleton was made in 1912 by Professor Sollas. Armed with more scientific means of dating and identifying the remains of Buckland's earlier discovery, Sollas identified the "Red Lady" as, in fact, a male and dated it to around the Stone Age.

Finds at Goat's Hole also include over 4000 worked flints, animal teeth, necklace bones, stone needles, ivory wands and mammoth-ivory bracelets. Some of these can be viewed at Swansea Museum and the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff.

Paviland Exhibit - Swansea Museum

The skeleton of the "Red Lady of Paviland", is now recognised as belonging to one of the earliest orders of modern man and offers one of only a few examples of the biology and behaviour of our ancient ancestors. His bones, which have been dated as being 29,000 years old, are still receiving scientific attention but they have already revealed a wealth of information regarding how this individual lived his life and of his importance amongst the people who sought his mystical wisdom.

The "Red Lady of Paviland" died when he was beween 26 and 30 years of age and had hitherto been a rather healthy person. He is believed to have been around 5' 8" tall and to have weighed in at around the eleven stone mark. During his life, the Bristol Channel was just a shallow river which meandered through the very rich hunting plains which then fronted the Paviland caves. Analysis of his bones show that fish formed an important part of his diet and it can be supposed that he often fished along this river. From the highly ritualistic nature of his burial and the presence of votive offerings and ivory wands (for the practice of magick) accompanying him in his grave, as well as the staining of his body and grave goods with red ochre, it is now believed that he was a man of some important spiritual standing - a Shaman with the power to guide and heal the people who obviously held him in very high regard. Whether the Shaman actually made Paviland his home prior to his death is unknown but it is believed that some important mystical attribute must have been attached to Goat's Hole Cave during those early times for it to have been chosen as his his burial site. It is now also believed that the "Red Lady's" grave was visited as a magical Shamanic shrine and attracted visitors from far afield.

It can only be imagined what the people of those early times would have made of the fact that, 29,000 years after the death of their important Shaman, he would still be honoured and his remains prized as the oldest ceremonial burial ever discovered in Western Europe.

Gower Caves

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Paviland

Cwm Ivy Woods

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Best accessed from the lane that plunges north from Llanmadoc Church, Cwm Ivy marks the western extreme of the Burry Estuary. A lonely area of the peninsula, Cwm Ivy has several interesting habitats to explore, as well as possessing one of the main footpaths to Whiteford Burrows and the curious ruins of Whiteford Lighthouse.

Cwm Ivy Woods is managed by the Glamorgan Wildlife Trust as a local Nature Reserve and is home to buzzards, green woodpeckers, kestrels, the occasional merlin, badgers, rabbits and hares. Cwm Ivy Marsh is a conglomeration of natural sand flats and reclaimed fields. It was in one of these fields at the foot of Cwm Ivy woods that a bell, believed by some to be St Cennydd's famous "titty bell", was uncovered. The bell now resides in the National Museum for Wales, Cardiff.

Facing the marsh at Cwm Ivy is a whitewashed cottage called Brandy House. This cottage was built in 1780 for smuggling purposes. Its floor was excavated to a great depth and then arched over to create a huge and secret cellar where delivered booty could be hidden safely from the prying eyes of Customs officials. A nearby limestone kiln provides evidence of another, this time more lawful industry indigenous to the locale.

Overlooking Cwm Ivy is North Hill Tor (also known as Nottle Tor). The Tor, a large outcrop of limestone rock, was quarried in the past and once contained a large cave where the men of the village used to take refuge when the press gang crossed the estuary from Llanelli. The Tor is also home to another of Gower's Iron Age Forts.

The Betty Tree, Llanmadoc

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:27:00 +0000

The "Betty Tree" - Betty Church Nature Reserve, Gower

The "Betty Tree" is a fascinating "rag" or "dressed" tree located in Betty Church Wood in Llanmadoc.

Dressed trees are a common site in certain parts of Cornwall, Ireland, Glastonbury and Wales. Indeed, they can be found in almost every country of the World. Rags, or clooties, are hung from the branches of certain distinguishable trees in the belief that as each rag disinterates, so the tree spirit would make a wish come true.

Wish Clooties

Wishing Trees are gaining in popularity across Britain. There is now even an established Tree Dressing Day to encourage others to participate in this beautiful and touching tradition.

The 'Rear' View of the "Betty Tree"

The "Betty Tree" is, I believe, the only dressed tree on the Gower Peninsula. It is, without any doubt, the most magical looking dressed tree I have ever visited. Whilst the front of the tree attracts the most attention with its impressive humanesque face, the back of the tree offers a great area in which to sit and rest awhile. There is certainly a presence of the "Other World" here.

Gelli Hir Wood

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:35:00 +0000

Fly Agaric

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:29:00 +0000

Warning: The Fly Agaric Mushroom is Poisonous. Fresh Specimens Should Never Be Consumed

As it's that time of year when thoughts turn to Christmas, I thought I'd publish a little entry on that little gem of a fungi known as the Fly Agaric mushroom - which I found growing in Gower in the Autumn of 2006 down amongst the Pine Woodland in Whiteford. Believe it or, old Santa Clause owes quite a lot to this beautifully coloured fungi:

Synonymous with psychedelic magick, the Fly Agaric mushroom is recognised throughout the world for providing a (notoriously dangerous) portal into the Faery Realm. Under the influence of its main hallucinogenic compounds - ibotenic acid and muscimol - partakers of this mystical fungi have returned from their "trips" with tales of having talked with gnome folk who guided them into other worlds. Certain Siberian Shamans believed that for each mushroom consumed one gnome would manifest itself and, noting that these squat earth spirits race like the wind itself, would always consume two and a half Fly Agaric mushrooms to enter their trance - two to enable their minds to see the gnomes and the half to conjur a weaker "half-gnome." On their race through the convoluted passage to the Faery Realm, the Shaman would often lose sight of the spritely gnomes and, unable to find the entrance to the Faery World unaided, would return to their material bodies with no gifts of arcane knowledge or sage council from the wise spirits. The conjuration of this third, less abled, gnome would hinder the progress of his comrades, thus allowing the Shaman to follow the gnomes through the labyrinthine route to the Nether World with no fear of losing their way.

Fly Agaric, Whiteford Burrows, Gower

An interetsing account of how the physical body reacted whilst the Shaman was "away with the faeries" has been recorded by German ethnologist Enderli. He wrote that the first physical effects of consuming the mushrooms were trembling and sudden twitching. A strange, wild glow in the eyes would soon follow as the muscle spasms reached a crescendo, followed by the Shaman's body falling into a trance. The Shaman would then sing in a low, dull note, gently raising both the pitch and the volume until he started losing control of himself again and started speaking words of no human comprehension. At this stage, the Shaman would usually begin hammering frenzied beats from his ritual drum before building himself into an utter rage and running amok, turning over and kicking out at everything around him. After the intense feeling of strength and energy, the Shaman would then fall to the floor, fast asleep, in a sudden depth of exhaustion. It must be supposed that during these turbulent body reactions, the Shaman's spirit was desperately chasing those gnomes toward the Other World. Whilst the Shaman slept, his spirit was away with the various spirits in that other, magical realm. The Shaman's sleep lasted for only half an hour, however, whereupon followed a recurring, yet diminishing, repeat in the cycle of building frenzy then vision filled sleep.

Fly Agaric mushrooms were so prized amongst Shamans that a typical currency of one reindeer for each specimen was a common rate of exchange. This expense, and the fact that the full psychedelic properties of the fungi are excreted from the user's urine, gave rise to the practice of drinking the water passed by Shamans under the influence of the mushroom. This not only extended the hallucinogenic experience of the fungi but also allowed poorer folk to experience the "high."

The iconography connecting Amanita muscaria, the Fly Agaric (sometimes known as the 'Witch's Mushroom' or the 'Fairy Stool') with the spiritual realm of elves and pixies and gnomes surrounds us all. Even the "straightest" amongst us often choose to bring a little of the Fly Agaric's magick into their lives through the literature they read, the television programmes they watch, the Religious Festivities they follow and even the garden ornaments they may purchase.

For no book of children's fairy stories would be complete without the speckle-topped, crimson headed mushroom making regular appearances amongst its illustrations. That noted piece of Victorian fiction, Alice in Wonderland, also alludes to the mind warping effects of the Fly Agaric when Alice finds a mushroom at the portal between her reality and that of a magical Kingdom. Referring to one of the well known effects of Fly Agaric - that of macro or micropsia, where visual distortions can lead the beholder into believing that both themselves and/or exterior material objects are markedly larger or smaller than they are in reality - Alice either shrinks or grows to humguous degrees depending on which side of the mushroom she ate. The fungi then aids Alice through her journey around Wonderland by allowing he to alter her size to entervarious magical locations that would have hitherto been impossible for her to access.

Children's TV shows are similarly wash with references glorifying the Fly Agaric's psychedelic properties. The perrennial favourite Enid Blyton, Noddy, has a gnome as a best friend who lives in a Fly Agaric mushroom and who helps him through his adventues in a magical land. And the classic hippy model animation series, 'The Magic Roundabout,' with its numerous drug allusions, has as its key character, Zebedee, someone who brings magic to his wold, allowing dogs and snails and pink, hat wearing, cows to talk. Take a closer look the next time you watch this sow and you'll see that Zebedee is himeslef, in fact, a talking Fly Agaric mushroom having funon a spring - check out his head and body shape and notice those numerous white cheek spots on his red, bulbous head.

Enjoyed by adults as much as children, computer video games also use the iconography of the Fly Agaric mushroom, perhaps most memorably in the acclaimed Super Mario Brothers franchise where, upon consuming the fungi, the Mario Brothers gain super powers and strength.

Traditional art is also awash with references to the Fly Agaric's relationship with "Other Worlds." Whilst Victorian illustators filled their canvasses with Fly Agaric Kingdoms adorned with benign, and rather scantily-dressed fairy fol, Medieval Flemish artiss associated such fungi with the eternal damnation of Hell.

Gardens, too, are often given over to replica Fly Agaric mushrooms, along with its mythological partner, the gnome. I can't even imagine the number of tons of concrete and plaster use to create these little psychedelic trip icons.

A thorough study of the origins of Father Christmas, or Santa Claus as he is becoming increasingly more popularly known by, has taken the roots of many of what must be the World's most famous supernatural figure's characterists away from the Christianised St. Nicholas and into the psychedlic rituals of the Fly Agaric consuming Shaman. Siberian Shaman live in a teepee-like construction made from reindeer skins, called a 'yurt.' The rooves of these yurts are supported by a large beam of wood which stretches up to an opening known as a "smoke hole" (an essential feature designed as ventilaton for interior yurt fires). Duing the Mid Winter Festival, the Shaman would dress in a ritualistic outfit, consisting of a Fly Agaric coloured red and white coat wit fur trimmings and long black boots (no prizes for guessing the similarity here with ur own familiar image of Father Christmas) and then scour the woods for Fly Agaric mushrooms. Filling his bag with the magical fungi, the Shaman would then enter the yurt through its smoke hoe - to the thrilled excitement of those awaiting his arrival. The Shaman would then carry out his Mid Winter rites and then share out his Fly Agaric gifts with those present. At the close of the ceremony, the Shaman woud then leave the yurt by climbing the beam of wood and exiting through the smoke hole.

Even the magical reindeer who guide Father Christmas through the sky and the location of his home originate back to the Fly Agaric's halucinogenic properties. Siberian Reindeer have a particuar prediliction for the fungi in question and can behave very odl under their influence. Certain communities, such as the Sami for instance, even feed the animals the mushrooms themslves and then collect the Reindeer's urine as this not only contains the full hallucinogenic strength of the Fly Agaric but much of the mushroom's toxicity is removed by the Reindeer's digestive processes. With both the Reindeer and the Shaman "off their faces," it genuinely appeared to the Shaman that the Reindeer could fly. It is this side effect of the mushroom, the perceived notion of impossible flight in wingless animals, that gave Fly Agaric its name and not, as is too commonly supposed, the myth that peices of the fungi floated in milk, woud attract and kill flies.

As seems the norm with the Christian religion, when missionaries first entered these regions to spread the words of Jesus and they saw the sacred rites of the Shaman and heard the stories of flying Reindeer, it did not take long before the customs and folklore of its indiginous peope became intertwined with Christian traditons - on this occassion, those pertaining to Christmas. Even Father Christmas's magical home was eventually relocated in the frozen lands of the 'far North.'

Whilst much of these original connections between the Fly Agaric mushroom and Christmas are hardly popularised in Britain, some areas, in Central Europe especially, blatantly celebrate the Fly Agaric at this time of year by featuring the fungi on Christmas cards and decorations.

As can be seen, the Fly Agaric mushroom has been venerated throughout the world and across numerous cultures. The Rig Veda,' for example, an ancient Hindu collection of hymns that is one of the earliest known samples of sacred texts (written over 3,000 years ago) is fu of references (over 100 of them) to a plant called Soma, which is now believed by scholars to be the Fly Agaric Mushroom.

In more recent times, especially in Britain and the West, the hallucinogenic properties of the Fly Agaric mushroom have been largely overlooked by the contemporary counter culture in favour of its diminutive fellow entheogenic fungi - the Psilocybin 'Magic Mushroom.' This has much to do with the often unpredictable nature and perceived dangers associated with the consumption of Fly Agaric. Whilst fatalities are, in fact rare (most cases of mushroom deaths seem to be the result of misidentifying other Amanita species such as Amanita Phalloides - The Death Cap -and Amanita virosa - The Destroying Angel), caution is necessary when utilising the mushroom for its entheogenic properties. To reduce much of the Fly Agaric's inherent toxicity, users should always dry the mushroom first. As well as reducing toxicity levels, the act of drying the mushroom actually produces the psychedelic compound Muscinol through the degeneratic effect of the fungi's unstable Ibotenic Acid - effectively increasing the halucinogenic effect of the Fly Agaric manifold. Even with this precaution intact, however, partakers of this mystical fungi can still expect some vomitting to accompany the intense hangover feeling the day after consuming the mushroom. The "trip" experienced by users is in no way as uniform as that delivered by Psilocybin 'Magic Mushrooms' with one quote "some dance and sing whilst others cry out in agony" deftly summing up the volatile nature of Fly Agaric consumption. Nevertheless, with the recent UK legislation outlawing even the picking of Psilocybin mushrooms, the recreational use of Fly agaric is sure to increase.

The chemical properties of the Fly Agaric are not confined to the pschedelic, however. The fungi is an important ingredient in several homeopothy treatments including chilblains, nerve disorders, twitching, dizziness, itchiness, senile dementia and also to control delirium tremens in alcoholics.

BTW, if anyone knows of any other locations in Gower where this beautiful little fungi can be found, please let me know via the comments. Cheers.

Fungi

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:15:00 +0000

Fly Agaric

Trees and Woodland

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:11:00 +0000

The Betty Tree, Llanmadoc

Gelli Hir Woods

The Betty Tree

Cwm Ivy Woods

Bluebells

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:52:00 +0000

Bluebell Wood, Clyne

There really is something bewitching about the way a Bluebell wood comes to life after its winter slumber each year. This magical quality was not lost on our ancestors who believed numerous superstitions and folklore concerning Bluebell woods.

Such was the beauty of an ancient woodland decorated with a sweeping carpet of Bluebells, that it was considered by many to be of unearthly origin. Bluebell woods were considered very dangerous places by folklore. Faeries were said to live in these places and to walk into a Bluebell wood was to risk being whisked away into their Nether World!

Such belief might well be behind the superstition that it was bad luck to pick Bluebells and take them into ones home. So precious are these wonderful flowers that it is today illegal to pick them in the wild.

Bluebells were said to chime out to summon faeries to a meeting and and if a human was to hear their peel, they were sure to die within the year. A further magical attribute attached to the plant was the notion that wearing a wreath of Bluebells would compel its wearer to speak the truth.

Gower Bluebells are special in that they are our native species of the plant. The Spanish Bluebell, introduced into Britain as a garden ornament, is now threatening the population of our less hardy, and prettier, native species ( Hyacinthoides non-scripta). Hybrid species of our native and the Spanish Bluebell are also taking a toll on the number of Hyacinthoides non-scripta. With Britain being home to a large percentage of the World's entire population of this species, the native Bluebell is getting less and less common.

Heather

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:50:00 +0000

To accompany this article on the folklore of Heather, I visited Rhossili Downs - which hosts the finest natural display of Heather found anywhere on the Gower Peninsula. Looking at the Downs from the village, the cliffs or Rhossili Bay, it is difficult to see even a single specimen of this beautiful and hardy plant for the western slopes of this hill are dominated by Bracken. At the summit of the Downs, however, hidden from view to all but those willing to climb its forbidding heights, the landscape is tranformed into a vast, sweeping terrain of ancient Pagan cairns and (visible to visitors during late Summer/early Autumn) whole vistas of the most beautifully hued mounds and carpets of heather imaginable.

Rhossili Downs - Carpeted in Heather, August 2008

Climbing these Downs can be a bracing experience as the wind, which seems to constantly rage across Rhossili, doubles the effort required to climb Gower's highest summit. The Atlantic gales which rise from Rhossili Bay prohibit any tree from growing in this blustery corner of the peninsula and even the ubiquitous Gorse is kept trimmed to just a few inches above the ground by the sycthe-like gales which scour the mighty Downs. This constant check on tall-growing plants has spawned a landscape perfect for Heather to thrive and has provided those willing to undertake the steep walk with a spectacle of colour that can (almost) take one's breath away just as much as the scatheing Atlantic winds which have befriended the plant. Anyway, with further ado, here's my third article on the folklore of Gower's plantlife (I have posted links to the first two at the close of this post):

Intoxicated by its heady scent and dizzied by its vibrant colours, Faery passions are said to be roused wherever large carpets of Heather are found in a landscape. According to ancient lore, such spots mark the location of magical portels, bridging the eveyday world of people with the Faery realm.

A Rare Patch of White Heather, Rhossili Down - Amongst the Vast Acres of Purple,
Pink and Red-Tinged Heather Found Upon Rhossili Downs, I Could Only
Locate One Patch of Lucky White Deather during My Exploration of the Area in
August 2008. The Scarcity of White Gower Heather, However, Makes the One Patch of
This Lore-Rich Plant I Discovered All the More Special and Prized.

White Heather has long been known for is lucky properties, perhas due to its relative scarcity in times past. White Heather was believed to only grow where no blood had ever been shed and also where ancient Faeries had been laid to rest. In Scotland, especially, this superstitious attribute to white Heather seems to have originated during periods of war when victorious clans put down their success in battle to wearing the plants on their bonnets.

An Offering of Heather on Beltane, the May Day Celebration,

Is Said to Attract Faery visitors into your garden.

Historically, Heather has been utilised to serve many practical purposes. These include thatching rooves with its leggy stems, making brooms (its Latin name 'Calluna' is corrupted from the Greek 'Kalluna', meaning 'to brush'), great lengths of sea-hardy ropes have been twined from it and a strong yellow dye has been extracted from the plant.

The Sweeping Vista of Gower Heather, Rhossili

Medicinally, infusions made from the tops of Heather have treated coughs and nervous conditions whilst Heather ointments have been used to ease rheumatic/athritic conditions. Dried flowers from the plant have long been known for their sleep inducing quality and were once packed within bed frames to ease their occupiers into a gentle state of slumber.

Heather has also been made into drinks and Robert Burns is believed to have favoured Heather tea as his refreshment of choice. Heather Ale, made by fermenting the flowers from the plant, was enjoyed in Scotland for generations. The populairty and importance of this drink amongst ancient tribes can best be summarised by the telling of an old legend concerning the times when the Vikings first invaded Scotland c. 794 a.d.

Rampaging across the Scottish landscape, the Viking army conquered and slayed all who crossed their path until they cornered the King and his son (the keepers of the Heather Ale recipe) near a cliff edge. The King and his son were tortured for the secret formula and the King finally relented, stating that should his son be spared any further torture and be given a mercifully quick killing, then he would pass the recipe on to the Viking leader. With the Prince quickly despatched to his death from the cliff top, the king then told the Viking leader that he had feared that his son might have given away the secret if he had been tortured further, whereas he knew that he, the King, would keep the secret to the grave. With that, he took hold of the Viking Chieftain and grappled him over the edge of the cliff to follow his son to their doom.

Cowslips

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:47:00 +0000

"Where the bee sucks, there suck I
in a Cowslip's bell I Lie"
- Aerial, from The Tempest (v.1.88), by William Shakespeare

The large field opposite Oxwich Bay has to be one of the Gower Peninsula's prettiest - well, it is when the cowslips (Primula veris) are in bloom there each May. The swathes and patches of pastel yellows, greens for the leaves of grass and blues from the Bluebells in that field were a real delight to behold and were so beautiful that it almost seemed as though the place was held under some kind of magical charm. Perhaps there really is some truth in the folklore surrounding the once very rare cowslip?

A Symphony of Colour, Bluebells and Cowslips, Oxwich

A once common name for cowslips were 'Fairycups' - so called because it was once believed that fairies used the flowers to collect the morning dew - which they loved to sip at. As noted by William Shakespeare in The Tempest, fairies also like to sleep inside cowslip flowers as they adore the luxury of their comforting texture. The little folk were also said to use the flowers as umbrellas. Quite widespread amongst the old country beliefs collected by folklorists was also the notion that cowslip patches marked the ground where fairies stored their their buried treasure.

Cowslip Field, Oxwich - A Gateway to the Faery Realm?

Cowslips are an important plant to many animals and insects. Producing nectar relatively early in the year, they become a draw to numerous bees and butterflies. Rabbits, too, can often be found near large patches of cowslips as they find the plants irresistable. These are not the only species, however, to have taken a particular liking to this delightful flower. Humans, too, have long known the delicious qualities of cowslips and have used the small plant to produce cowslip tea and cowslip wine. Cowslips are also added as a flavouring to other wine varieties. They have also been used as salads in several European countries, as well as being added to old farmhouse recipes for puddings and tarts.

It was not just the flavour of cowslips which once created a large demand for this precious plant. The cowslip has long been sought after for its medicinal properties too. Herbalists have utilised the plant as antidotes for coughs, headaches, wrinkles, gout and even tremors and convulsions. Indeed, cowslip wine was first produced for its sedative qualities.

Children also made use of cowslips by tying their flowers together with wool to make what were called 'Tisty Tosty' balls. The children would then throw these flower balls to each other singing:

"Tisty Tosty, tell me true,
Who will I be married to?
Tisty Tosty, Cowslip ball,
At my sweetheart's feet you'll fall"

Once rare in the United Kingdom, cowslips are now making a welcome reappearance in the British countryside. You may even be lucky enough to spot cowslips on motorway verges and banks now that their seeds are sometimes included in the seed-mixes used to decorate these areas with wild flowers.

Harebells

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Harebells, Mumbles Hill

During my recent exploration of Mumbles Hill, I was delighted to stumble across a patch of dainty Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia) in full bloom. These delicate flowers, which are amongst the most gorgeous wildflowers you can hope to discover along the whole of Gower Peninsula, are as rich in folklore are they are in beauty:

The flowers are known by a dizzying variety of names, including Witches’ Bells, Fairy Caps, Cuckoo's Thimbles, Harvest Bells and, more ominously, Dead Man's Bells.

Harebells (which are still attractive to bees and butterflies despite their scentless flowers) have long held associations with witches as it was believed that the juices from its sky-blue petals were a vital ingredient to the flying ointment used to make their besoms (broomsticks) take to the air. The flowers are also linked to sightings of faeries. Picking these 'magickal' flowers was said to enrage such earth spirits and bring bad luck to those who removed such spendour from the faeries' playground.

The name Harebell, which is by far the most common name attributed to Campanula rotundifolia, seems to have originated from the way that even the gentlest of breezes rattle these bell-shaped flowers. Growing in places where hares once lived in abundance, it was believed that the animals were warned of approaching danger by their ringing - their large ears being capable of hearing their peal (which rings silently to all other mortal life).

St. Johns's Wort

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:55:00 +0000

St. John's Wort, Mumbles Hill

St. John's Wort is most commonly known today for being a herbal remedy for depression. But the plant's medicinal, and believed magickal properties, have been used throughout history as a prescription to improve a wide variety of physical, mental and spiritual conditions.

Ointments made from the plant were said to be great healing agents for even the deepest of wounds and were used by early surgeons to clean infections. The plant has also been noted to improve sciatica, palsy, ulcers, chronic catarrh, gout, rheumatism, jaundice and bed sores. It has also proved successful in treating bed-wetting in children. Native Americans used the plant as a snake bite remedy as well as a general tonic to build up strength.

St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has also found its uses as a talisman/amulet to ward off troubles of a more supernatural origin. Wearing its flowers was believed to ward off troublesome spirits, explaining an earlier name attributed to St. John's Wort - 'Chase-Devil.'

The plant has also been used for divining the future. Young maidens would pick some of its bright yellow flowers and if they were still fresh the following day, their future marriage was seen to be blessed with good fortune. Examining the drying sprigs of the flowering plant, hung from a rafter in a family home, could also, it was believed, determine the order in which the family members would die!

St. John's Wort, takes its name from St. John the Baptist (probably because the plant flowers around the time of Saint John's Day - June 24th). The red spots which can be found along the plant have also been associated with the saint's blood. These red spots are explained in the following folk tale:

The Devil would often attend the bedsides of the ill, hoping to capture their poor souls as they slipped away from this mortal coil. However, he became increasingly frustrated when these people kept recovering their health after being given medicine prepared from St. John's Wort. In his fury, he stabbed at the plant again and again with his fiery fork until it bled profusely. Unfortunately for the Devil, the blood released from the plant was that of St. John the Baptist's himself, and thereafter St. John's Wort became an even stronger tonic for the ill and infirm!

Poppies

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:55:00 +0000

Poppy, Swansea Vale Nature Reserve

Poppies (Papaver rhoeas) are one of Britian's most vibrant and beautiful wild flowers. Given their delicate splendour, is is no surprise to find the flowers are rich in folklore and symbolism.

Most people know of the poppy's connection with Armistice Day (often called Poppy Day). This association grew from the WW1 battlefields in France, where the fighting churned up the soil and brought thousands of dormant poppy seeds to the surface and decorated the land where so many had died in swathes of the gorgeous red flowers. The colourful scene which marked the fields where so much horror had suffering and death had occurred is, perhaps, best remembered in the following poem, written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae:

In Flander's Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up your quarrel with the foe;
To you from falling hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

Poppies, however, were known to flourish on battlefields long before WW1. It was said after the battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815) that the masses of poppies which suddenly flowered there had grown from the dead soldier's spilled blood.

The flower's connection with death has been known for countless centuries. The twin Greek deities Hypnos and Thanatos, were illustrated wearing crowns of poppies and the flowers were considered suitable offerings for the dead in both ancient Greece and Rome.

In other parts of the world, poppies have happier associations :o) In China, it is believed to be lucky to smell the scent of the flower three times a day and in Turkey, they symbolise the promise of health and peace.

Magical properties have also been attributed to the flower. In 'A Mid Summer's Night Dream', Shakespeare writes " The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid will make a man or woman madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees". Peering into the black centre was a traditional folk remedy for insomnia.

Whilst opium is derived from only one of the hundreds of different varieties of poppy, many poppies have sedative effects on those who consume them and poppies are sometimes inscribed on gravestones to symbolise eternal rest. In the popular film, The Wizard of Oz, a poppy field was depicted as dangerous as it caused all those who passed through it to fall asleep forever. Such are the properties of this plant that foods rich in culinary poppy seeds can even result in the failing of an opiate drug test and the sale of poppy seeds is banned in several countries.

Wild Thyme

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:55:00 +0000

Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum), Bovehill Tor, Landimore

Wild Thyme a.k.a. Creeping Thyme, is a beautiful wild flower which can appear in numerous colour displays ranging through the various hues between pink and purple (very rarely, its flowers can also appear in white). The colourful patch of wild thyme featured in this post was made all the more spectacular by it contrasting nicely with the silver-grey limestone rock which stabs through the earth at various points near the summit of Bovehill Tor.

Perhaps it was the delicious hues and perfume of Wild Thyme which made our ancestors believe they marked favourite sites for faery visitations. Land decorated by Wild Thyme was said to be blessed as sacred by faeries and folklore held that large gatherings of these spirits could be witnessed at these grounds by mortals who smeared themselves in Thyme oil.

If you would like to read some non-magical information on Wild Thyme, then this link is a good starting point. You can also find more on Wild Thyme in Gower here.

As I climbed Bovehill Tor earlier this month (July 05, 2009), and passed the beautiful bundles of purple flowers (which I later discovered to be Wild Thyme), I wondered if their displayheralded another 'special' Gower location. As you will discover for yourselves over the course of the next few posts, I was not to be disappointed :o)

Gower Standing Stones

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:22:00 +0000

Gower Attractions

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:09:00 +0000

Gower Attractions

Work in Progress

Gower Villages

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:09:00 +0000

Mumbles is a busy seaside resort that skirts the corner of coastline that divides Swansea Bay from Gower. A tourist's haven, the area features:

- the magnificent Norman remains of Oystermouth Castle

- a Victorian pier, brimming with modern café and amusement amenities

- numerous small and sheltered beaches - including Bracelet Bay and Limeslade

- extensive shopping facilities, ranging from high-class boutiques to craft galleries and gift shops

- sports and leisure activities, including fishing, waterskiing, sailing, windsurfing, cycling, golf, bowls and tennis

- evening entertainment, from restaurants to ice-cream parlours and wine bars to many, many pubs (the area contains an over 1.5 kilometre long stretch of public houses along the seafront of Oystermouth, known locally as "The Mumbles Mile"

- a full-range of exciting annual events, carnivals and sporting competitions

- commanding views eastwards over the coastal stretches of Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot and Porthcawl and, during particularly clear conditions, southwards to the coast of Devon.

The road, which hugged the sea all the way from Swansea, now veers sharply from the coast at Limeslade, but for those who wish to explore the finer delights this coastline has to offer the walker, a well maintained footpath continues from this point westward all the way to the spectacular land's end of Worm's Head.

An interesting feature in Mumbles is the Prince's Fountain, constructed to celebrate the marriage of King Edward VII (then prince of Wales) to Princess Alexandra of Denmarkon on March 10th 1863. With the village having no real water supplies in those days, the fountain became a very important feature of Mumbles.

Gower Beaches

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:09:00 +0000

Swansea Bay provided the greatest catalyst to the city's historical success. First, the Bristol Channel allowed Swansea to develop as a trading post with England and the world at large. It was also the final incentive that pushed the city into becoming the single most important smelting centre of the world. Having been described as one of the three finest bays in the whole world by the 19th century poet Walter Savage Landore, it is little wonder that the bay also attracted great numbers to its sweeping shoreline and thus brought further wealth to the city by becoming a major tourist resort.

The local council realised the money spinning opportunities offered by Swansea Bay as far back as the 18th Century. Wanting to take advantage of this natural resource to help finance the further development of the burgeoning town, a grand assembly house, graced with many bathing machines, was built on the site of the present day County Hall to help attract wealthy summer visitors to the beach. In doing this, they even went so far as to drive away poorer visitors for fear that they might deter these more welcome patrons from visiting or returning to the bay.

These poorer folk could not be dissuaded from taking in the pleasures of Swansea Bay so easily though and, ushered away from the sands around the grand assembly house, they gathered instead further west along the stretch of bay known popularly as "the slip". By 1850, it was the turn of these poorer folk to feed money into the town as what they lacked in individual wealth they certainly made up for in number. Soon "the slip" had become like a mini modern-day Blackpool with stalls and fairground rides of infinite variety lining the coast here.

The bay's popularity faded however as the growing access to the motor car lead many to discover the finer glories of the beaches along the Gower Peninsula . Also, the area's heavy industrial pollution and poor drainage soon turned the bay into a major health hazard. This ultimately lead the beach into being numbered amongst Britain 's most polluted. The attractiveness of the bay faded fast and it is only in recent years that the area has become a favoured haunt once more.

Realising the financial losses this reputation of Swansea Bay made on the town's tourist industry, Swansea Council have recently plunged huge funds into cleaning the bay. Clearing much of the old disused parts of the city docklands and building an award-winning Maritime Quarter upon its skeleton structure has also enhanced the area's appeal greatly. Although still not yet quite suitable for swimming, Swansea Bay 's wide stretch of sand is once more becoming popular amongst sun-worshippers, day trippers and local families alike.

Amongst all local bays, Swansea stands alone in the fact that it can be enjoyed by motorist, cyclist and pedestrian alike. Between 1804 -1960, it could also be enjoyed by train as well. It's large 7 kilometre arc of sand stretches from Swansea Pier in the east to Mumbles Pier in the west, with each segment of the sands finding its own favour amongst visitors and locals alike.

A curious feature of the east end of Swansea Bay are the sea-worn stumps of ancient posts. These are remnants from the time when local fishermen set large net traps along this stretch of beach. This practice is believed to have originated in Norman times and continued until the First World War. During the 18th and early 19th centuries these nets prevented this part of Swansea Bay from being accessed for bathing. Today, however, this region fronting the city's new maritime quarter is by far the most popular area of the bay's large stretch of sand.

Skirting the bay from here to its dramatic conclusion in Mumbles is a well-maintained cycle and pedestrian track. Suitable for all the family to enjoy, it offers a unique opportunity to take in the full splendour of this historic coastline. It is also an excellent precursor to the further coastline delights awaiting once the headland of Mumbles has been turned and the whole of the Gower Peninsula opens up to exploration.

Swansea Bay also has a dark history, being the scene of three public hangings in the 19th century. The last of these hangings attracted over 15,000 spectators to the sands, making this one of the bay's busiest days in history.

Near the foreshore of Swansea Bay , on the area of beach not far from Singleton Hospital , lie the remains of Iron Age woodland. Over time, the gradual encroachment of sand and sea eventually overwhelmed the wood, but the position of it can still be clearly seen defined in the sands today as the flattened stumps and twisted roots of the ancient trees still protrude from the bay at certain low tides.

Another curio on the beach are the remains of a pill box - the only survivor of a series of such anti-aircraft defences which were positioned along the beach during World War 2. This is a Type 26 pill box, which was capable of supporting both rifles and light machine guns, and was designed to hold back any attempted enemy invasion of Swansea during the hostilities.

Terms and Conditions

noreply@blogger.com (W2G) — Sat, 01 Jan 2000 19:07:00 +0000

All content on this site is copyrighted and must not be reproduced.