Monday 25 January 2021

Dydd Santes Dwynwen

Hello Friends

Today I will share with you a little known day of celebration in Wales “Dydd Santes Dwynwen” which is celebrated annually in Wales on January 25th.  Her story, drawn from the mists of time that veil myth and folklore, is often equated to being a Welsh Valentine’s Day.

{pronounced Doo~in~wen, but said so quickly that it sounds more like Dwin~wen}

image found on Pinterest {also available via many other online sources}

Dwynwen was a 5th century Welsh noblewoman, the fairest and most beautiful of all the twenty four daughters of King Brychan Brycheiniog. She fell in love with a prince named Maelon Dafodrill and he with her. They wished to marry, but her father doubted Maelon's integrity and, despite the heartfelt pleadings of both Dwynwen and Maelon, he forbade them to marry. Unable to disobey her father, and distraught by his disapproval, Dwynwen ran away into the forest and prayed to God for divine guidance to help her fall out of love with Maelon. She fell asleep on the forest floor and while asleep she was visited by an angel who gave her a potion to erase all memory of Maelon and to turn him into a block of ice. The angel then granted her three wishes.

For her first wish, Dwynwen asked that Maelon be thawed and life restored to him.

Her second wish was that God meet the hopes and dreams of all true lovers.

Her third wish was that she would never, herself, marry.

The three wishes were fulfilled and thereafter Dwynwen devoted the rest of her life to the service of God.

With her father's blessing, she left the court of Brycheiniog, and taking her elder brother Dyfnan and her sister Cain, crossed the sea in a small boat and eventually landed on a small island just off the coast of Anglesey. Here Dwynwen build a small cell of mud and wood, and over the years that followed many young women joined her and so founded a convent.

On the island is a sacred well {as so often happens in the ancient Welsh folk tales} sometimes depicted as a cauldron, and therein swims a sacred fish with the ability to predict the fortunes of couples. Another tradition says that if the water boils while you are present then good luck in love will follow. 

At the end of a long life of devotion to God, Dwynwen lay on her bed and prayed for one last glimpse of the sea that had carried her to the island. Legend says that a large boulder blocking her view split asunder and she once more looked out on the ocean that had carried her here.

After her death, aged 80, in 465 A.D. the church became a place of pilgrimage. Dwynwen's belongings were placed in a chest known as Cyff Dwynwen and pilgrims would bring a white pebble and place it on the chest in memory of Dwynwen.  Later, money was donated and nearly one thousand years after her death it was used to build a small stone church on the site and was called Llanddwyn, or Church of Dwynwen, the ruins of which can still be seen today. 

Dwynwen became the Welsh patron saint of lovers and, according to some, friendship. The most famous quote attributed to her is “nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness”. Over time she also came to be associated with the healing of sick and distressed animals, a purpose for which she is still invoked today. However, Dwynwen is not actually recognised as a saint by the Catholic Church.

Although gaining in popularity, the story of Dwynwen is not well known, not even in Wales, but of late card giving seems to be establishing itself as a modern tradition.  We do not have the hype and hoopla of Saint Valentines Day on Dydd Santes Dwynwen, just a quiet and personal observance of a little known Welsh woman who became a Saint. However, we do have one other unique tradition to do with love and marriage and that is the Love Spoon.

Book about Dwynwen with a hand carved Love Spoon

The Welsh Love Spoon is the traditional symbol of engagement or betrothal was given by the young man to his future wife.  It is hand carved by the young man from a solid block of wood and is full of symbolism to his commitment.  For example:

A Bell: togetherness in harmony, marriage

A Ball in a Cage {difficult to carve from solid wood}: each ball represents the number of children he hopes to have

A Chain {difficult to carve from solid wood} the number of links relate to the number of children hoped for, or a symbol of togetherness

Cross: Faith in Christ or God

Heart: Love

Diamond: Wealth and Good Fortune

I hope you have enjoyed this tale, and maybe on the morrow, while many of us also celebrate Burn's Night,  you will think for a moment of Dwynwen and her life.


~~~I wish you all Dydd Santes Dwynwen Hapus ~~~


Until next time 
Stay Safe, Stay Well

Deborah xo

22 comments:

  1. What a super post and so interesting. I learnt so much more about St Dwynwen and her life. Thank you so very much. Llandwyn Island was one of the most magical and atmospheric places I have visited. Interesting too to read about Love Spoons. My son's best friend married a girl from Wales in Wales and all the guests were given a miniature love spoon.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. I have never visited Llandwyn Island, but remember reading about your visit on your blog, which I enjoyed greatly, as I know you did. Love spoons are now a popular token gifted to the guests at many Welsh weddings.

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  2. I wonder why one of her wishes wasn't to let her father agree to her marriage and another to reverse the effects of the potion?

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    1. You would think so, wouldn't you, but there's a lot more to this than meets the eye. As with many such stories of Saints, folk lore and fairy tales {not that this is folk lore nor a fairy tale, for Dwynwen was a real person} there's always a deeper meaning. Clarissa Pinkola Estés "Women Who Run With the Wolves" is an excellent read to explore such lines of thought.

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  3. Thank you for that lovely bit of Welsh history.
    Is that little book part of a collection on Welsh women?

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, author Sian Lewis, and I believe there are quite a few in the collection.

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  4. Thanks for the history lesson and this lovely story, I enjoyed it very much! Stay safe and well, hugs, Valerie

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  5. What an enjoyable post about Saint Dwynwen. I have a distant memory about your lovely carved spoon, Deb. I love hearing about your Welsh traditions. It's important to pass on the traditions that can be lost in one generation.
    Stay cozy and safe, my friend. xoxo 💗

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    1. Thankfully, the story of Santes Dwynwen is gaining in popularity, and is now celebrated widely across Wales. Stay safe and stay well xoxo

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  6. If I ever get to Wales (and I hope I will in 2022) I want to buy a Dwynwen love spoon. It's really beautiful and I love the legend behind it. This is new to me (my second great grandmother was Welsh but of course I never knew this till last year) and if I can ever figure out what part of Wales she came from, I'd maybe like to visit there. Thank you for introducing me to this beautiful story! (And to your visits to Marmelade Gypsy, too, of course!)

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    1. When you come to Wales, you must visit the Welsh Folk Museum at St Fagans near Cardiff, for there you will see the oldest known love spoon, carved in 1667. Thank you for your kind words.

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  7. What an interesting story, Deb! That is a beautiful love spoon!

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    1. Thank you, Nellie. I bought it for my mother, it has one ball as I am an only child.

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  8. Thanks for a lovely visit with your history. I treasure my spoon necklace! It means so much to me about friendship.

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  9. I was gievn a love spoon, not be my husband but by a lady who used to wrok with my Mum when I was getting married. It's nice to know the story behnd it.

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    1. What a lovely thing to be given on your wedding.

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  10. I have a love spoon that was carved just for me. It wasn't given to me by a lover for St Dwynwen's Day (or any other day for that matter) but by my Dad. He got interested in wood carving and thought he'd try and make one. Being divorced from my Mam by this time, and not with a partner, he gave it to me instead. At the moment it's still packed from my recent move back home, but when it's unpacked will sit on the shelves with my most special ornaments.

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    1. Now that's a love spoon to cherish, for sure. Still unpacking, what a chore! At least it's something constructive during lockdown!

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  11. Thank you Deborah for this lovely story and it seems appropriate so close to the Feb 14 celebration of Valentine's Day in that it is a love story.

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