Welsh Mysteries and Histories

Behind Wales’ sweeping landscapes and proud traditions lies a darker, more unsettling story — one written in whispers, rumours, and cases that refuse to rest.

Welsh Mysteries and Histories uncovers the crimes, disappearances and unexplained events that have slipped through the cracks of mainstream true crime. From chilling unsolved murders to baffling local mysteries, each episode explores stories that still linger in the shadows of valleys, towns and coastlines.

But the unease doesn’t end with crime. Wales is a land shaped by myth, folklore and forgotten histories — tales that blur the line between legend and reality, and continue to haunt the present.

Meticulously researched and told with care, context and deep respect, this is where Wales’ hidden stories are finally brought into the light.

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Welsh Mysteries and Histories

The Mari Lwyd

April 08, 2024 • Season 1 • Episode 3

0:00 | 17:29

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The Mari Lwyd is a symbol of Welsh mythology and it's a tradition that is now recognised around the world. In this episode, Mags discusses the Mari Lwyd, what we know about it's origin and how the tradition continues today.

Corresponding blog post -

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Sources
BBC (2011) Tradition of the Mari Lwyd - BBC Cymru Available at https://youtu.be/G_xFo6Hifzk?feature=shared(Accessed December 11, 2023)

Broster, H. (2019) The tradition of the Welsh Christmas horse skull: Mari Lwyd in Dinas Mawddwy - We learn Welsh. https://welearnwelsh.com/blog/welsh-christmas-horse-skull-mari-lwyd/. (Accessed: December 1, 2023)

Castleton, D. (2023) 5 Really weird Christmas Folkloric customs. https://www.davidcastleton.net/strange-christmas-folklore-customs-mari-lwyd/ (Accessed: December 1, 2023)

Christmas Traditions: The Mari Lwyd (June 14, 2014). https://museum.wales/articles/1187/Christmas-Traditions-The-Mari-Lwyd/ (Accessed: December 1, 2023)

Folk Songs – Roy Saer and folk song collecting at St Fagans (no date). https://museum.wales/collections/folksongs/?id=2(Accessed: December 1, 2023).

Http://www.folkwales.org.uk/mari.html (Accessed: December 8, 2023)

Howell, David ORCID: 0000-0002-7875-1002 (2018) Contemporising Custom: the re-imagining of the Mari Lwyd. International Journal of Intangible Heritage, 13. pp. 66-79.

Ifans, R. (2022). Stars and Ribbons: Winter Wassailing in Wales. University of Wales Press

ITV News (2022) '‘No music on a dead planet’ - New Mari Lwyd mural urging climate change action appears in Cardiff,' ITV News, 30 March. https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2022-03-30/mural-depicting-the-mari-lwyd-appears-in-cardiff-city-centre. (Accessed December 8, 2023)

Mentrau Iaith (2020) https://youtu.be/r3aXbGl5UQ4?feature=shared

Owen, T.M. (1959) Welsh Folk Customs. National Museum of Wales, J.D. Lewis and Sons Ltd, Gomerian Press, Llandysul

Peate, I.C. (1935) '88. A Welsh Wassail-Bowl: With a Note on the Mari Lwyd.,' Man, 35, p. 81. https://doi.org/10.2307/2789906.

Price, S. (2023) Mari Lwyd and the appropriation of Welsh mythology. https://nation.cymru/opinion/mari-lwyd-and-the-appropriation-of-welsh-mythology/. (Accessed December 12,2023