Aesop & Cymru/Wales

Gerallt Cymro (a.k.a. Giraldus Cambrensis or Gerald the Welshman), a half Welsh and half Norman ecclesiastic living during the upheavals of the 12th century, once wrote of the Welsh that "If only they were inseparable, they would be insuperable". Recently I came across this fable from Aesop's collection which brought it back to mind; A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarrelling amongst themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion; and for this purpose he one day told them to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They each tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it. He next untied the faggot, and took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into their hands, on which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words: 'My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks.' A century later we saw a loss of sovereignty, and the imposition of an English Prince and English towns & counties, but Taliesin's 'Destiny of the Britons' has been borne out, "Their Lord they shall praise, Their language they shall keep, Their Land they shall lose Except Wild Wales". We've gone from Cadwaladr, canonized by Pope Sergius in 689 as 'blessed king & sovereign of Britain, via Gruffudd ap Llywelyn who reigned over all the land known today as Wales to the anglophone, or Cymru to a speaker of the native tongue, until his rule came to an end in 1063 at the hands of an assassin, and Owain Glyndwr, with his sovereign Parliament and plans for universities for the north & south respectively, Henry VIII, who in his wisdom officially delineated the Welsh border and incorporated Wales into the English legal system, to today with our dream of universities long since realized, we even have a Parliament with law making powers, albeit very limited, and our Language is on the verge of full acceptance within the E.C. We've a long history, an ancient heritage, some of which is known, much of which isn't, and given the opportunity, an invaluable contribution to the cultural patchwork that is Europe. As a doctor friend from Be'sda once said to me: "Hir Oes i'r Achos".