Snowdonia

snowdon

Snowdon, without much snow

 

Mount Snowdon

"There I beheld the emblem of a mind
That feeds upon infinity, that broods
Over the dark abyss, intent to hear
Its voices issuing forth to silent light
In one continuous stream;"

--William Wordsworth, excerpt from "The Prelude"

 

Snowdonia is one of those places you cannot get out from under your skin once you've visited it. After speaking to countless visitors in the area, I've listened to them marvel without fail about its rugged and wild beauty, the kind of beauty that enthralls not only the eyes, but also the spirit that loves wide, open spaces of freedom. It is a place of exultation, of rising above your ordinary perceptions to see the world with eyes of sudden (and often hard-earned) wonder. No surprise Wordsworth felt compelled to undergo a transformation of soul, recorded in his transcendental poem "The Prelude" (posthumus, 1850), standing atop Snowdon for the first time and seeing it as a reflection of the universal mind. Snowdon (Eryri or Yr Wyddfa, in Welsh) ranks as the highest mountain in Britain (outside of the Scottish Highlands), reaching an awe-inspiring 3,560 feet (1,085 meters) above sea level. The views are truly unbelievable, and apparently, though I've not been so lucky, you can see much of Ireland and England on a clear day from its heights. To climb it is no small feat, and takes not only physical stoutness but also a sharp mind and adventurous spirit. Weather can change suddenly on the mountainside, and that is when you learn that beauty has a terrifying side to it as well. Snowdonia has one of the heaviest annual precipitation in the British Isles--which means that you can guarantee you will need wellingtons and wind and wet-proof clothing if you visit or live in the area! It also means though that everything is richly verdant and waterfalls seem to spring out of nowhere in the most unexpected places.

It is obviously an ancient place. Recently, a Welsh Archeology student from the University of Wales, Bangor, informed me that some of the oldest rocks in the world can be found here in Snowdonia. Snowdon's distinctive dragon-like ridges and sharp edges were formed in the ice age by racing glaciers, leaving soft, grassy cwms or valleys on which the famous welsh mountain Nantlle Ridgesheep graze, or deep, crystal-clear tarns filled with water from the melting ices of long ago. The steepest part of the mountain is on the north and east facing side, which is very rocky and difficult. Main rock types in the area are granite and slate, both which have been mined but particularly so the latter. Slate quarries in the Nantlle Valley are hardly five miles from Snowdon itself. When exploring various parts of Snowdonia, the thought still amazes me to think that the rocks and valleys I tread are home to the deities and spirits of Welsh myth, where all their divine and not-so-divine (yes, surprisingly human) dramas were enacted and continue on through the stories told. You cannot get away from the spirits of Snowdonia; they seep into your bones.
 
It is here in Snowdonia that you will meet Blodeuwedd, the Owl-Crone, or her counterpart Blodueudd Flower-Face. Gwydion still roams here, the wise and alchemical druid-magician, as well as his son (or surrogate son) Lleu Llaw Gyffes, possible Welsh equivalent to the Irish Gaelic Lugh, a sun-beam deity and valiant warrior hero. You will discover Arianrhod's starry keep, where she sits with her silver wheel, seeing and for-seeing much. There is also Math, a magical king with magical needs, not to mention giants who still secretly walk the rumbling terrain of rock and heather. These are the most famous persons you will meet. They are as much a part of the land as the land is a part of who they are--and are becoming. They rise above mere religious obeisance, and penetrate deep into our psyches, our souls, our eternal (and yet ever changing) centres. These beings, whatever you want to define them as--gods, archetypes, spirits--are as much a part of us as we are of them, just as we need them to grow just as much as they need us to continue.

Snowdon itself is called Eryri by the locals, and is often translated as meaning "place of the eagles", because "eryr" is the Welsh word for an eagle. What creature more fitting for such a majestic mountain as the eagle? There have been rumoured sightings of golden eagles in the area, and Lleu Llaw Gyffes turned into an eagle after his wife attempted to have him murdered in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi. Eagles have long been associated with the Sun and its energies. On the other hand, Eryri could have an alternative meaning. Sir Ifor Williams, an Old Welsh scholar from the area of Bangor, wasn't so sure that Eryri means "place of the eagles". He did extensive research concerning Welsh place names and even published a book Enwau Lleoedd ("Place Names") in 1945. The much more probable and satisfactory meaning comes from an older Welsh word meaning "high place" or "highland". Interestingly enough, the actual peak of Snowdon is called Yr Wyddfa, which derives from gwyddfa, on old Welsh word for a burial place or monumental site (what we might now consider to be a "sacred site"). It's easy to see why some legends claim that King Arthur is sleeping in Snowdon. Others associate Yr Wyddfa with the burial place of the dreaded giant Rita Gawr, whom Arthur slew.

The Snowdonia National Park considers Snowdonia to be 827 sq miles in size, but that covers a large area of land to the south of Snowdon and its children mountains. For the purposes of these articles, I am going to use the term "Snowdonia" loosely to mean the northern, mountainous area local to Eryri--instead of the miles of diverse parkland that might be covered in other articles.