So I was daydreaming, I mean, thinking about Nuada and stuff, when I noticed I didn't explain who were the Tuatha Dé Dannan in yesterday's post, although I mentioned them quite some times! Ooops!
     The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (usually translated as "people(s)/tribe(s) of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a race of supernaturally-gifted people in Irish mythology. They are thought to represent the main deities of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland.
     The Tuatha Dé Danann were descended from Nemed, leader of a previous wave of inhabitants of Ireland. They came from four cities to the north of Ireland–Falias, Gorias, Murias and Finias–where they acquired their magical skills and attributes. According to Lebor Gabála Érenn, they came to Ireland "in dark clouds" and "landed on the mountains of [the] Conmaicne Rein in Connachta; and they brought a darkness over the sun for three days and three nights". According to a later version of the story, they arrived in ships on the coast of the Conmaicne Mara's territory (modern Connemara). They immediately burnt the ships "so that they should not think of retreating to them; and the smoke and the mist that came from the vessels filled the neighboring land and air. Therefore it was conceived that they had arrived in clouds of mist".
      A poem in the Lebor Gabála Érenn says of their arrival:

It is God who suffered them, though He restrained them
 they landed with horror, with lofty deed,
in their cloud of mighty combat of spectres,
upon a mountain of Conmaicne of Connacht.
 Without distinction to descerning Ireland,
Without ships, a ruthless course
the truth was not known beneath the sky of stars,
whether they were of heaven or of earth.

     Led by their king, Nuada, they fought the First Battle of Magh Tuireadh on the west coast, in which they defeated and displaced the native Fir Bolg, who then inhabited Ireland. In the battle, Nuada lost an arm to their champion, Sreng. Since Nuada was no longer "unblemished", he could not continue as king and was replaced by the half-Fomorian Bres, who turned out to be a tyrant. The physician Dian Cecht replaced Nuada's arm with a working silver one and he was reinstated as king. However, Dian Cecht's son Miach was dissatisfied with the replacement so he recited the spell, "ault fri halt dí & féith fri féth" (joint to joint of it and sinew to sinew), which caused flesh to grow over the silver prosthesis over the course of nine days and nights. However, in a fit of jealous rage Dian Cecht slew his own son. Because of Nuada's restoration as leader, Bres complained to his family and his father, Elatha, who sent him to seek assistance from Balor, king of the Fomorians.
     The Tuatha Dé Danann then fought the Second Battle of Magh Tuireadh against the Fomorians. Nuada was killed by the Fomorian king Balor's poisonous eye, but Balor was killed himself by Lugh, the champion of the Tuatha Dé, who then took over as king.
      A third battle was fought against a subsequent wave of invaders, the Milesians, from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (present day Galicia and Northern Portugal), descendants of Míl Espáine (who are thought to represent the Goidelic Celts). The Milesians encountered three goddesses of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Ériu, Banba and Fodla, who asked that the island be named after them; Ériu is the origin of the modern name Éire, and Banba and Fodla are still sometimes used as poetic names for Ireland.
     Their three husbands, Mac Cuill, Mac Cecht and Mac Gréine, who were kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann at that time, asked for a truce of three days, during which the Milesians would lie at anchor nine waves' distance from the shore. The Milesians complied, but the Tuatha Dé Danann created a magical storm in an attempt to drive them away. The Milesian poet Amergin calmed the sea with his verse, then his people landed and defeated the Tuatha Dé Danann at Tailtiu. When Amergin was called upon to divide the land between the Tuatha Dé Danann and his own people, he cleverly allotted the portion above ground to the Milesians and the portion underground to the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Tuatha Dé Danann were led underground into the Sidhe mounds by Manannán mac Lir.
     Much of Irish mythology was recorded by Christian monks, who modified it to an extent. They generally depicted the Tuath Dé as kings, queens and heroes of the distant past who had supernatural powers or who were later credited with them. However, some writers acknowledged that they were once worshipped as gods. A poem in the Book of Leinster lists many of them, but ends "Although [the author] enumerates them, he does not worship them". Goibniu, Credne and Luchta are referred to as Trí Dé Dána ("three gods of craftsmanship"), and the Dagda's name is interpreted in medieval texts as "the good god". Even after they are displaced as the rulers of Ireland, characters such as Lugh, the Morrígan, Aengus and Manannán mac Lir appear in tales set centuries later, showing all the signs of immortality.

~Ally

     Back when I watched "Hellboy II: the Golden Army" for the first time, I became enchanted by Prince Nuada and his fellow elves, despite the fact that he was a destructive megalomaniac who acted very strangely around his twin sister (spoilers?). Well, surfing around the internet these days I found some interesting facts about another Nuada, who might have served as inspiration for the movie character. So let's get to know him!
     An Irish mythology, Nuada or Nuadha, known by the epithet Airgetlám (meaning "silver hand/arm"), was the first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is cognate with the Gaulish and British god Nodens. His Welsh equivalent is Nudd or Lludd Llaw Eraint.
     Nuada was king of the Tuatha Dé Danann for seven years before they came to Ireland. They made contact with the Fir Bolg, the then-inhabitants of the island, and Nuada sought from them half of the island for the Tuatha Dé, which their king rejected. Both peoples made ready for war, and in an act of chivalry allowed their numbers and arms to be inspected by the opposing side to allow for a truly fair battle. During this first great battle at Mag Tuired, Nuada lost an arm in combat with the Fir Bolg champion Sreng. Nuada's ally, Aengaba of Norway, then fought Sreng, sustaining a mortal wound, while the Dagda protected Nuada. Fifty of the Dagda's soldiers carried Nuada from the field. The Tuatha Dé gained the upper hand in the battle, but Sreng later returned to challenge Nuada to single combat. Nuada accepted, on the condition that Sreng fought with one arm tied up. Sreng refused, but by this point the battle was won and the Fir Bolg all but vanquished. The Tuatha Dé then decided to offer Sreng one quarter of Ireland for his people instead of the one half offered before the battle, and he chose Connacht.
    Having lost his arm, Nuada was no longer eligible for kingship due to the Tuatha Dé tradition that their king must be physically perfect, and he was replaced as king by Bres, a half-Fomorian prince renowned for his beauty and intellect. The Fomorians were mythological enemies of the people of Ireland, often equated with the mythological "opposing force" such as the Greek Titans to the Olympians, and during Bres's reign they imposed great tribute on the Tuatha Dé, who became disgruntled with their new king's oppressive rule and lack of hospitality. By this time Nuada had his lost arm replaced by a working silver one by the physician Dian Cecht and the wright Creidhne (and later with a new arm of flesh and blood by Dian Cecht's son Miach). Bres was removed from the kingship, having ruled for seven years, and Nuada was restored. He ruled for twenty more years.
   Bres, aided by the Fomorian Balor of the Evil Eye, attempted to retake the kingship by force, and war and continued oppression followed. When the youthful and vigorous Lugh joined Nuada's court, the king realised the multi-talented youth could lead the Tuatha Dé against the Fomorians, and stood down in his favour. The second Battle of Mag Tuired followed. Nuada was killed and beheaded in battle by Balor, but Lugh avenged him by killing Balor and led the Tuatha Dé to victory.
     Nuada's great sword was one of the Four Treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann, brought from one of their four great cities

~Ally

     A dust devil, apart from what I thought  - a devil made of dust (yeah, I read far too many mythology books) -  is a strong, well-formed, and relatively long-lived whirlwind, ranging from small (half a meter wide and a few meters tall) to large (more than 10 meters wide and more than 1000 meters tall). The primary vertical motion is upward. Dust devils are usually harmless, but can on rare occasions grow large enough to pose a threat to both people and property.
      Also called "dancing devil", "chiindii" or "Saci", they are comparable to tornadoes in that both are a weather phenomenon of a vertically oriented rotating column of air. Most tornadoes are associated with a larger parent circulation, the mesocyclone on the back of a supercell thunderstorm. Dust devils form as a swirling updraft under sunny conditions during fair weather, rarely coming close to the intensity of a tornado.

~Ally

     Recently back in fashion - or not so much gone from it all these years, I guess - beards have exerted considerable influence in human history.
    Facial hair is a secondary sex characteristic that may have been present in our evolutionary lineage for millions of years. Given that facial hair isn't necessary for survival, Charles Darwin, himself a beard enthusiast, surmised that this trait functioned in sexual selection, making our heavily bearded ancestors appear more attractive to mates and intimidating to rivals.
     Throughout the ancient world, beards were common, a sign of masculinity, virility, age and wisdom. Beards weren't simply grown; they were cultured. Ancient Assyrian men, for example, were known to curl their beards and sprinkle gold dust in them. Ancient Persian kings laced their beards with gold thread. For a man to have his beard shaved off would be a punishment or form of humiliation. Off with their beards!
     During the 4th century B.C., the clean-shaven look started to catch on with the rise of Alexander the Great. In 345 B.C., he decreed that his soldiers would shave their beards, so that their enemies couldn't grab hold of them for an advantage in battle. Makes sense. As Alexander's influence and empire grew, so did the practice beyond the Macedonians. The Macedonians didn't invent the look, however. There are depictions of clean-shaven men in cave paintings dating back to 10,000 B.C.
     Before the first century B.C., ancient Roman men grew long beards and viewed clean-shaven faces as effeminate. Following the footsteps of another conqueror, Julius Caesar preferred the hairless look, inspiring Roman men to follow suit. Emperor Hadrian two centuries later would reverse that trend, however, when he made beards once again fashionable by sporting one himself.
     While beards have gone in and out of fashion in different societies over the years, there are religious denominations, including Sikhs, Muslims, the Amish and sects of Judaism, that encourage or require men to have facial hair. The reason for the requirement is fairly simple: to promote masculinity. In some religious traditions, facial hair fashions were also used to distinguish members of one faith or culture from another. The ancient Israelites, for example, are often depicted as bearded, while the Philistines were clean-shaven. Similarly, early Muslims were directed to trim their mustaches and beards a certain way to distinguish themselves from Christians. In Christian history, however, facial hair has a bit of a tangled history. The question of whether to shave or not to shave divided the early church, reflecting one of many tensions that would lead to the Great Schism, or the separation of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. When a French cardinal attempted to excommunicate the Patriarch of Constantinople, facial hair was one of the "heresies" listed as grounds for the expulsion. In 1170, Pope Alexander III prohibited beards among members of the clergy.
     Throughout the Middle Ages, popular interest in facial hair waxed and waned within a matter of a few generations. Certain styles also fell in and out of fashion. During the 17th century, for example, Van Dyke beards, a style of facial hair involving a pointed mustache and goatee, named after Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck, were considered stylish amongst European men.
     In order to modernize Russia, Peter the Great instituted a tax on long beards in 1705, emulating the Western European fashion of clean shaven faces. In addition to paying the tax, anyone sporting a beard would have to carry around a copper coin  indicating that they had paid up. Inscribed on the coin is the phrase: "The beard is a superfluous burden." This tax stood in stark contrast to Ivan the Terrible, who one and a half centuries before Peter the Great, declared: "To shave the beard is a sin that the blood of all the martyrs cannot cleanse."
     Beards in the 21st century still hold the same fascination that they have throughout human history, with their fair share of fans and critics alike. Modern beards aren't just about style; they're also about sport and the spirit of competition. First hosted in 1990, the World Beard and Moustache Championships are held annually and attract competitors from all over the world.

~Ally

     After watching the new Disney movie "Frozen" a couple of times, I found out that one of my favorite songs in it (called "Vuelie") were based on chants from the Saami people. So I decided to dig a little deeper about their history and traditions. Oh boy... Amazing folks.
     Saami (also referred to as Sami) in Scandinavia can be compared to many other indigenous peoples. They now live in relative harmony with the mainstream population, but the relationship has by no means been one without conflict. In the past the Sami have been known as Lapps, though this term is now widely considered to be derogatory. The giant area named Sapmi, which covers all land north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Russian Kola Peninsula, as well as south into Jämtland and Dalarna in the northwest part of Sweden near the Norwegian border, is partly recognized as a Sami nation in all these countries. In Sweden, the Sami homeland area covers more than 150 000 square kilometers, around 35 percent of the countries' total area. There are Sami political, cultural and youth organizations in all four countries and a Sami parliament in each of the three Nordic countries. The Sametingslag, the Swedish Sami Parliament was established on January 1, 1993.
     Through the years many efforts have been made to assimilate the Sami into the mainstream culture of Sweden with the hard custody of Sami peoples resulting in a great loss of their culture. The Sami still bear the consequences of language and culture loss related to generations of them being taken to missionary and/or state-run boarding schools, and the legacy of laws that were created to deny their rights. Yoiking, drumming and scarification have been regarded as "magic" or "sorcery", and banned during various periods of history. The Sami language has been forbidden in schools. In 1913-1920, the Swedish race-segregation policy created an institute which collected research material from living people and graves. Sami women were sterilized under the auspices of a programme that was in existence until 1975. In the 1990s the Swedish government revoked the Sami exclusive right for hunting within their communities and created a new law permitting non-Sami people to fish in lakes previously reserved for the Sami. Throughout history, settlers have been en-couraged to move to the northern regions through incentives such as land - and water - rights, tax-allowances, and military exemptions. Strong economic development in the form of mines and railways has led to a weakening of status and economy for the Saami. In 1998 Sweden formally apologized for the wrongs committed against the Sami and the authorities have been making an effort to build up Sami cultural institutions and promote Sami culture and language to make up for past suppression. But economic development, like the world's largest onshore wind farm being built where the Eastern Kikkejaure village has its winter reindeer pastures, are a cause of concern for the Sami.
     Though they have, in most aspects, been fully assimilated in modern Swedish society, the Sami still proudly and energetically retain their traditional culture and lifestyle. A large majority of the Sami live in permanent urban and rural settings but an element of their traditional nomadic lifestyle remains as the reindeer herders and their families follow the herds over huge areas, from the forests in winter to the mountain highlands in summer, though today they use modern equipment such as snowmobiles, motorcycles and helicopters, rather than skis and dogs. The traditional Sami tepee is still used.

~Ally

     An Indonesian sulfur mine by day and a spectacular - and dangerous - show by night, Kawah Ijen is the hazardous workplace of many men. Miners hike to the top of the peak, descend 660 feet into its crater, then pick up chunks of raw sulfur and slog them back up to the rim in a pair of baskets that hold 100 to 200 pounds.
     The blue lava is the result of the molten sulfur just over the boiling point of water. Conditions in the crater aren’t actually hot enough for the sulfur to self-combust, so it turns molten when miners drop their torchesSulfur becomes molten at temps just over the boiling point of water and turns into the spectral blue lava you see here. Conditions in the crater aren’t actually hot enough for the sulfur to self-combust — it turns molten when miners drop their torches. .
     Take a look at Olivier Grunewald's testimony about this place:

    "For over 40 years, miners have been extracting sulphur from the crater of Kawah Ijen in Indonesia. To double their meagre income, the hardiest of these men work nights, by the electric blue light of the sulphuric acid exhaled by the volcano.
     As the light of day recedes, an eerie incandescence appears to rise from the depths of the Kawah Ijen crater. The high-temperature liquid sulphur that flows from an active vent at the edge of the world's largest hydrochloric acid lake flares in blue flames that can reach up to 5 metres.
     At the foot of the glow, miners bustle amidst the toxic fumes. They are monitoring the flow of molten sulphur as it pours out of pipes at 115 °C, and its subsequent crystallisation. Breaking up, gathering up, loading up and transporting the coagulated blood of the earth earns them a living. By the blue light of the flare, they extract hunks of sulphur, then carry them up the flank of the crater to sell for 680 roupees per kilo (about €0.04). But the loads they carry, weighing between 80 and 100 kilos, cost them their health—and sometimes their life. By working nights, they manage to haul out two loads every 24 hours, doubling their salary, avoiding the daytime heat of the Kawah Ijen cauldron, and despite the condition remaining independant.
     The sulphur, among the purest in Indonesia, is destined for the food and chemical industry. Whitening sugar, at the price of their health and youth, such is the destiny of these serfs to sulphur."

~Ally

     Thanks to pareidolia, it's very easy to see a glowing hand in the image above, but the ghostly palm and fingers reaching out into the cosmos are actually the blown-apart remains of a dead star, zapped by powerful energy beams shooting out from its spinning corpse. Who said astronomy couldn't be creepy, huh?
   The image is a composite made from observations by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), showing the appropriately-named “Hand of God” nebula located 17,000 light-years away.
     And somewhere within that bright area is the pulsar PSR B1509-58, a super-dense, rapidly spinning neutron star barely 12 miles wide — but blasting huge amounts of high-energy radiation into the 150-light-year-wide cloud of material it blew off nearly 2,000 years ago. As the pulsar’s emissions interact with the surrounding, expanding material, it glows in X-rays that orbiting observatories can see.
     Scientists still don't know if the hand shape is just an illusion or not. Oh, and the bubbling orange cloud the hand seems to be reaching for is the nearby gas cloud RCW 89, which is also being energized by beams from the pulsar, as well as the faster wind within the “fingers.”

~Ally

     As if navigation and maps couldn't get cooler. Than you find out that some winds have names! Here are some of them! Read. Be amazed. Pretend you know the name of the next wind that blows your hair.

• Abroholos - A squall frequent from May through August between Cabo de Sao Tome and Cabo Frio on the coast of Brazil.
• Borasco - A thunderstorm or violent squall, especially in the Mediterranean.
• Boreas / Borras - A ancient Greek name for north winds. The term may originally have meant "wind from the mountains" and thus the present term BORA.
  

• Diablo - Northern California version of Santa Ana winds. These winds occur below canyons in the East Bay hills (Diablo range) and in extreme cases can exceed 60 mph. They develop due to high pressure over Nevada and lower pressure along the central California coast.
• Euros - The Greek name for the rainy, stormy southeast wind.
• Foehn - A warm dry wind on the lee side of a mountain range, whose temperature is increased as the wind descends down the slope. It is created when air flows downhill from a high elevation, raising the temperature by adiabatic compression. Examples include the Chinook wind and the Santa Ana wind. Classified as a katabatic wind.
• Papagayo - A violet northeasterly fall wind on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua and Guatemala. It consists of the cold air mass of a norte which has overridden the mountains of Central America.
  

• Willy-willy  A tropical cyclone (with winds 33 knots or greater) in Australia, especially in the southwest. More recent common usage is for dust-devils.
  

• Zephyros  The ancient Greek name for the west wind, which generally light and beneficial.  It has evolved into "zephyr" which denotes a soft gentle breeze.
  

~Ally

     I knew Babe and his pals could learn a trick or two, but to know that researchers compare pigs' intellect to be on the same level as dolphins and higher apes... Well, I didn't see that one coming.
     Part of this intellect, they say, might be because large chunks of pig genome are virtually identical to humans, though our last common ancestor died out 100 million years ago. Pigs love to become couch potatoes and would rather eat, drink, smoke, and watch TV than be active. Man, I totally know many pig-people.
     In a study, when introduced to a mirror, the animals were initially fascinated by the pig in the reflection and tried to interact by nudging and vocalizing. While they could see food in the mirror, they tried looking behind the mirror only to end up hungry. Poor things. The next time the mirror was presented, they were not interested in their own image, but instead used the reflection to find the bowl of food behind them in under 30 seconds. Ha!
     Pigs can also be trained to learn tricks fairly easily, as I said before. However, if at first they don’t succeed, getting the courage to try again is a long process, especially if the pig got hurt in the attempt. Researchers speculate that the memory of the failure is a big hurdle to overcome for many pigs. Humans too, they might add. Failures in training and living conditions can affect a pig's mood, as the animals are capable of having and expressing complex emotions. Who knew, right?!

~Ally

   Cad Goddeu (translated in English as: The Battle of the Trees) is a medieval Welsh poem preserved in the 14th-century manuscript known as the Book of Taliesin. The poem refers to a traditional story in which the legendary enchanter Gwydion animates the trees of the forest to fight as his army. The poem is especially notable for its striking and enigmatic symbolism and the wide variety of interpretations this has occasioned. Check it out!
     ~ Oh, and before you ask: Tori Amos' song above was inspired by the story of Cad Goddeu. ~

" I was in many forms
before I was set free
I was a narrow blood-spotted sword
I believe, when I was formed
I was teardrops in the air
I was a star-woven star
I was the truth of a letter
I was the tale of origins
I was illuminated lanterns
         for a year and a half
I was a bridge that spanned
         three-score estuaries
I was a journey, I was an eagle
I was a coracle on the sea
I was the froth on the beer
I was a droplet in a shower [of rain]
I was a sword in hand
I was a shield in battle
I was a string in a harp
         a phantom for nine years
foam on the waters
I was a spark in the fire
I was a log in the blaze
I naughty but my song
         since I was a little child
I sang in the van at the Battle of the Trees
         before the Defender of Britain
There passed me by, fleet-hoofed steeds
         treasure-laded fleets
There passed me by a wide-mawed beast
bearing a hundred heads
one mighty host
'neath the root of its tongue
and another host dwells
in the napes of its neck
A black-groined toad
bearing a hundred claws
a mottled, ridged, serpent
with a hundred souls, by their sin
tortured in the folds of its flesh
I was at the fortress of Nefenhir
where trees and grass rushed into battle
minstrels sang
warriors clashed
the war-like hosts
that Gwydion made
Neifion was invoked
as was Christ of the inception
until the time of redemption
by the Lord of all he made
The Lord responded
'through words of reconciliation
conjure noble trees
together as a host
and resist the mob,
unused as they are to battle.'
When trees were conjured
their hope in tree-form
that brought before them trees
plucked from four harp-strings
they cast-down in battle
three war-weary chieftains
sadness tortured the maiden
cut through by the battle cry
Flaxen-tipped the maiden's hair
the spoils of the restless cow.
They did nos manage to disperse us
with the blood of men up to our thighs
the greatest of three bloodsheds
known to the world
and one that happened
was in the form of a flood
and Christ was crucified
with the day of judgement near at hand
The alder at the front line
that foraged first
the willow and rowan trees
were late to join the army
The spiky blackthorn
was eager for slaughter
beloved and powerful
resisted all they saw
rose-trees ventured forth
against a venomous host
the raspberry-tree formed
they made an enclosure
box and honeysuckle,
and ivy in its prime
the surge of giant gorse
cherry trees raised the alarm
Birch-tree, in its great beauty
was delayed by donning his armour,
though not out of cowardice,
but rather from its greatness
Almond trees of valuable nature
foreign wood with exotic form
pine trees in the hall's place of honour
in the great throne of battle
oak, the best, was exalted
before the other rulers
the lime-tree in all its fury
flinched not a single foot
slew in the centre,
then on the left and the right
hazels were adjudged
worthy of the fray
the privet, blessed are they
battle-bull, king of the world
on sea and estuary
the beech excelled
the holly, greened anew
was in the battle
superlative in his cry,
terror dealt from its hand
briony burst forth
breaking the battle ranks
bracken destroyed
broom headed for battle
in the furrows of wounding.
Gorse was not denied
though it be the peasant's bane
Heather, fine and victorious
bewitched your warriors
even pursued your men
The oak rushed
before him heaven and earth trembled
Borage, valiant warrior
his name on the courtry floor
the congress of elms
causing terror
rebuffing all onslaughts
when their defences were breached
Pear, superlative in oppression
on the field of battle.
Their aim to rush into the fray
the awesome thorn-apple
The chestnuts shamed
the pine with its thrust
Jet's nature is black
The mountain's nature is to be bent-backed
The tree's nature is slim at daybreak
Powerful is the nature of the high seas
Ever since I sensed the time [of year]
when leaflets adorn the tips of the birch trees
our revival removing the enchantment [of winter]
The crowns of the oaks have ensnared us
by the incantations of Maeldderw
laughing on the cliff-side
the lord in battle-array
Not from mother or father
Was I engendered
My blood, my creation
from the nine elemental forms
from fruit from fruition
from the first fruit-formation of god
from primroses and highland flowers
from the flowers of trees and shrubs
from soil and earth
was I made
from the flowers of nettles
from the water of the ninth wave
was I charmed [into being] by Math
before I became the gifted one
I was charmed [into being] by Gwydion,
great king of the Brython
as did Eurwys and Euron
and Euron and Modron
and a hundred and fifty mages
learned men, descendants of Math
they fashioned me
the Protector enchanted me
when he was partly burnt
The ways of the mages
conjoured me before the world [was formed]
before its peoples were mine
before the world's extent was set
the beauteous gifts of the finest bard made us all
in verse do I abide by what the tongue tells
I spent my time at daybreak,
I slept in the purple
I was arrayed for battle
by Dylan, scion of the sea
In the circle at the heart of things
between the knees of rulers
like two eager spears
from the heavens they came
flooding into Annwfn
to battle did they come
eight-score hundred
and I pierced them all, despite their aggression
they are not older, they are not younger
than I in their spear-thrusts
the power of a hundred men was mine
each and nine hundred
they were mine
upon my mottled sword the blood
of nobles flows towards me
from god, from the burial where he lay
he came to where the boar was slain
he formed things, he unmade them
he formed languages
Radiant his name, the strong-handed one
Lluch leads a host:
'The might of my sparks
fly high at my approach.'
I was a varicoloured serpent on a hill
I was a viper in a lake
I was mad a star by danger
I was a spit, thus
these are my cloak and my cauldron
I am well prepared
four-score puffs of smoke
for all is brought
five battalions of arms
are equal to my knife
six tawny steeds
are a hundred times better
my chestnut mount
is fleet as a seagull
myself, I was not astonished
between the sea and shore
For I have caused carnage
Upon me a hundred parts
My shield is studded with ruddy gems
my shield-strap is of gold
He was not born in the doorway
who was so dear to me
namely Goronwy
from the meadows of Edrywy
My fingers are long and white
It is a long time since I was a herdsman
I dwelt upon the floor
before I became literate
I dwelt I went around them
I slept on a hundred isles
I took a hundred forts
Wise druids
foretell to Arthur
that which is and that which once was
to be perceived
from the meaning of the flood
With Christ crucified
and Judgement Day at hand
extolled in honeyed tones
I would conjure shrubs
for I am wanton
with the prophecy of Alchemists."

~Ally