Ein brenin a fu, ein brenin a fydd

Legendary  Landmarks

Coed maenarthur

At SN 726730 Maenarthur (Arthur’s stone) is the name of a farm west of Pont-rhyd-y-groes which derives from a standing stone (now recumbent) in the corner of a field that once acted as a boundary between the parishes of Llanafan and Ysbyty Ystwyth, this is private land and the owners should not be disturbed.  Coed Maenrthur however is a beautiful stretch of forestry commission woodland complete with many paths and trails and accessible via the miner’s bridge in Pont-rhyd-y-groes (SN 738723)  which is just along a minor road that forks away from the B4343 in the village.

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Legend

 

There is no specific legend attached to the landmarks of Maenarthur and Coed Maenarthur although I have included it in the project because of the beauty of the site and because it tells us much about the nature of folklore specifically through the nature of the renowned king Arthur in folklore.

From at least the 9th-century, Arthur was held up as a hero of local tradition and topographical folklore, He led a group of warriors through the wilds of the untamed landscape like some god or spirit, inhabiting an atavistic world of enchantment, totemic animals, giants, and other wonders.  Wherever the influence of the Celts held out, the tales and stories of Arthur attached themselves to impressive aspects of the local landscape, dramatic rocks and prehistoric monuments, long before his reinvention through medieval romance.  As Tenneyson said:

             ...that grey king whose name, a ghost,

             Streams like a cloud, man-shaped,

             from mountain peak,

             and cleaves to cairn and cromlech still. (Idylls of the King)

These tales relating to place names repeat themselves throughout Celtic folklore and the literature that it inspired.  One intriguing aspect of this topographical folklore tradition is the way in which Arthur is depicted as some form of giant fighting with other giants for pre-eminence in the folklore of the landscape and its legendary landmarks.  It is often he intervening on behalf of ordinary mortals when they are threatened by other giants.  This aspect of his legend has led many to propose that Arthur represents some form of pre-Christian demi-god, a protecting but warrior-like deity as Thor was to the Teutonic peoples.  Indeed the similarities are marked: they are two beneficent warrior heroes visiting the land of giants, sorceresses and monsters, embarking upon dangerous journeys to the Otherworld in order to rescue prisoners and raid for treasure.  Both were associated in folklore with the sky and the tales of the Wild Hunt and it has been proposed that Arthur was a Celtic bear deity as ‘arth’ means bear in the British tongue and the constellation of the Great Bear in the night sky was often known as ‘Arthur’s Wain’ (ie. ‘Arthur’s Wagon’). 

It would seem likely that the original story connected with Maenarthur and the many other ‘Arthur’s Stones’ across the country was probably distinctly along this folkloric, beneficent-giant vein.  Of course all of this is theoretical speculation and that an historical king Arthur could have employed such landmarks and boundary markers for his territory is entirely possible, indeed Maenarthur did become a boundary stone in later centuries.

ARTIST:

The towering coniferous plantations that now dominate much of Coed Maenarthur in the Ystwyth valley.

To contact chris:

E-mail: legendarylandmarks@hotmail.co.uk

Press/Venues: for publicity material click here

9th - 23rd April 2006

The completed artwork:

The installation consists of a number of wooden plaques inscribed with the names of the many figures historical, semi-historical and legendary associated with Arthur which are mounted in the trees around the an accessible area of the wood just past the miners’ bridge where the footpath meets the forest road.  This network of plaques is then connected by a web of wool strands in order to produce a genealogical display similar to a family tree for the dynasty of Arthur.  The work echoes the artist’s philosophy of subverting the visual language of the modern and mundane in order to retell traditional concepts, in this case using plaques that recall the suburban house signs and wool that, like the logs, is the local landscape transformed into a physical commodity. This display is documented below in the form of photographs and a formalised copy of the potential family tree created for Arthur, amalgamated from numerous disparate sources.  I have produced this family tree mostly from early Welsh sources such as the Saints Lives, Bonedd y Saint, Bonedd yr Arwyr, Bonedd yr Arwr and the Magbinogion tales.  However I have also included input from later French and English romances where they elaborate on detail, in such cases I have attempted to naturalise the spellings upon Welsh lines.  Although the majority of the genealogical data shown is no doubt entirely legendary there may well be some tantalising elements of historical fact contained tangled within.  To view the family tree along with those elements of it that are translated into the installation situated at Coed Maenarthur click here:

Chris Collier

Maen Arthur (Arthur’s Stone) itself is located near the top of the hill overlooking the spectacular views of the Ystwyth valley below.  The stone itself stands on private farmland but visitors can reach an area near the summit of the hill from the other side by following the Forestry Commission Maenarthur trail.  By doing this it is possible to take in some of the impressive views although unfortunately not to see the stone itself.

If you are visiting the wood as part of a day out or are simply interested in similar impressive scenery in the local area then the Hafod estate is well worth a visit.  The Estate, situated in Cwm Ystwyth, is steeped in history and offers a range of walks with clear signposting and easy parking.

 
Most of the Hafod Estate is managed by the Forestry Commission but it was once a private family estate- made famous by Thomas Johnes who set out to create a miniature paradise in the Ystwyth Valley in the late eighteenth century.  He built a mansion in the grounds and created a unique landscape of gardens, paths and walks. Over the years, the estate fell into disrepair and today the mansion has gone and Hafod lies within a working forest.  Managed by Forestry Commission Wales, in partnership with the Hafod Trust, the estate is managed to conserve and restore the historic landscape, protect its important habitats, and provide access and enjoyment for walkers by recreating Johnes's path network.  As part of this restoration project, there are now five walks to chose from – the Bedford Monument Walk, the Lady's Walk, the Ystywth Gorge Walk, Coed Hafod Walk and the Gentleman's Walk. They all start from the Forestry Commission's Hafod car park, which can be difficult to find if you don't know the area. It's best to phone the estate for more information.  Entry to the estate and car park is free of charge- for further information contact 01974 282581

For further information on events and attractions in the local area then the Pentir Pumlumon website is a great place to start.  I would like to thank them for their help with publicising this project.  For more walks in the area another good local website is www.wales-walking.co.uk. 

Photographs of the installation: