Rhiwaedog
Encyclopedia
Rhiwaedog is the name of an ancient estate in North Wales
, located in the Penllyn
forest near Bala, Gwynedd
. It gives its name today to two hills, Rhiwaedog-is-Afon and Rhiwaedog-uwch-Afon, meaning "Rhiwaedog above the river" and "Rhiwaedog below the river" respectively. There is also the ancient manor house Plas Rhiwaedog, from which Rhirid Flaidd
(also known as Rhirid ap Gwrgenau) (fl.
1160) ruled his demesne
.
. The appellation of blaidd (wolf) was inherited from his maternal grandmother, Haer, daughter and heiress of Gillyn, son of Blaidd Rhudd (meaning "the Bloody Wolf") of Gest in Eifionydd
.
There are a number of traditions and legends associated with Rhiwaedog. One such legend speaks of an egg-sized crystal which is passed from generation to generation, and is said to have had the power to foretell the death of the head of the household when its brilliant color became clouded.
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, located in the Penllyn
Penllyn
Penllyn is a former civil parish in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The parish was created in 1894 from the part of Criccieth parish that lay outside the ancient borough. It was abolished in 1934, and divided between Llanystumdwy and Criccieth....
forest near Bala, Gwynedd
Bala, Gwynedd
Bala is a market town and community in Gwynedd, Wales, and formerly an urban district of the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies at the north end of Bala Lake , 17 miles north-east of Dolgellau, with a population of 1,980...
. It gives its name today to two hills, Rhiwaedog-is-Afon and Rhiwaedog-uwch-Afon, meaning "Rhiwaedog above the river" and "Rhiwaedog below the river" respectively. There is also the ancient manor house Plas Rhiwaedog, from which Rhirid Flaidd
Rhirid Flaidd
Rhirid Flaidd , according to Welsh tradition, was the son of Gwrgenau, who is supported by an obscure and doubtful pedigree going back to Cunedda Wledig, the progenitor of the House of Cunedda which had provided the kings of Gwynedd from the end of Roman Britain until 825...
(also known as Rhirid ap Gwrgenau) (fl.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1160) ruled his demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
.
Traditional history
According to Welsh tradition, Rhirid was the son of Gwrgenau, who is supported by an obscure and doubtful pedigree going back to Cunedda WledigCunedda
Cunedda ap Edern , was an important early Welsh leader, and the progenitor of the royal dynasty of Gwynedd.-Background and life:The name Cunedda derives from the Brythonic word , meaning good hound. His genealogy is traced back to Padarn Beisrudd, which literally translates as Paternus of the...
. The appellation of blaidd (wolf) was inherited from his maternal grandmother, Haer, daughter and heiress of Gillyn, son of Blaidd Rhudd (meaning "the Bloody Wolf") of Gest in Eifionydd
Eifionydd
Eifionydd is an area in north-west Wales covering the south-eastern part of the Llŷn Peninsula from Porthmadog to just east of Pwllheli. The Afon Erch forms its western border. It now lies in Gwynedd....
.
There are a number of traditions and legends associated with Rhiwaedog. One such legend speaks of an egg-sized crystal which is passed from generation to generation, and is said to have had the power to foretell the death of the head of the household when its brilliant color became clouded.