White draigon

Vortigern and Ambros watch the fecht atween the reid an white draigons: a pentin frae a 15t-yearhunner manuscript frae Geoffrey o Monmouth's History o the Keengs o Breetain.

The white draigon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Wen, Auld Inglis: Hwīt Draca) is a seembol associate in Welsh mythologie wi the Anglo-Saxons.

Stairt o tradeetion

The earliest uise o the white draigon like a seembol fur the Anglo-Saxons is fund in the Historia Brittonum. The erest story that effeirs til the uise o the white draigon in the Historia Brittonum, at Dinas Emyrs whan Vortigern tries tae big a castle. Ivery nicht, forces no seen malafouster the castle waws an foondins. Vortigan tawks tae his advisors. Thay tell him tae fun a laddie wi nae naitural faither, an tae sacrifice him. Vortigern funs ane, but efter hearin thit he is tae be duin awa wi tae sort oot the waws fae malafousterin, the lad daesnae pit forrit the knawledge tae the advisors. The lad tells the keeng aboot the twa draigon. Vortigern appens up the brae, lattin awa the twa draigon. Thay keep on wi thair fecht an the reid dragon beats the white draigon at the hinder end. The lad tells Vortigern thit the white draigon maks a seembol fur the Saxons an the reid draigon is a seembol fur the fowk o Vortigern.

The story is telt again in Geoffrey of Monmouth's fictional History of the Kings of Britain (c. 1136). In this version, the lad is kent as the young Merlin. The Historia Brittonum an History of the Kings of Britain are the anely medieval texts tae uise the white draigon as a seembol fur the Inglis.

A seemilar story wi white and reid dragons fechtin is fund in the mediaeval romance Lludd and Llefelys, awtho in this case the draigons arena uised as seembols fur Britons or Saxons. The fecht atween the twa draigon is the seicont plague tae git tae the island o Breetain, as the white draigon wad kemp tae beat the reid draigon, makkin the reid lat oot a feart screich heard ower ilka Brythonic hearth. This screich gaed through fowk's herts tae the pynt thit the men lost thair tune an strenth, weemen lost thair bairns, young lads an lassies went aff thair heids, an aw the animals, trees, yird an the watters war left malafoustert.

At the hinder end, Lludd did awa wi the plague bi catchin the draigons an yirdin thaim in a rock pit at Dina Emrys in Snowdonia, north Wales, the maist siccar airt in Breetain at the time. He capturt the draigons bi diggin a pit unner the exact pynt whaur the draigons wad faw doun, pechin fae the fecht.

This place wis at Oxford, whaur Lludd fund tae be the exact centre o the island when he measured the island of Breetain. The pit haed a satin kivverin ower it an a caudron fou o mead at the bottom. The draigons wad first fecht bi the pit takkin form as braw animals. Than thay stairtit tae fecht in the air ower the pit as draigons. Efter, wabbit fae the fechtin, thay faw intae the pit as pigs an faw doun the pit, whaur thay end up drinkin the mead an fawin asleep.

The draigons war happit up in the satin kivverin an war pit in tae be buried at Dinas Emrys.

Modren uise

Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) mentions the white draigon in his poem "The Saxon War Song":

Whet the bright steel,

Sons of the White Dragon! Kindle the torch,

Daughter of Hengist!

In Februar 2003 whiles he wis gien the throne at Canterbury Cathedral, Archbishop Rowan Williams haed haund-weaved gowd silk robes on wi a gowd an siller clesp shawin the white draigon o England an the reid draigon o Wales.

In 2014 the Royal Wessex Yeomanry pit on the white draigon as the centrepiece o thair new capbadge.

See an aw

• Anglo-Saxons
• Ingland
• Inglis Fowk
• Welsh Draigon