The tale of the Welsh dragon
Have you ever wondered why the Welsh flag has a red dragon on it?
Well, there are lots of ancient Welsh stories, passed down from generation to generation. But this, this is the tale of the red and white dragons.
Long, long ago, a red dragon lived peacefully here in Wales. All was well until one day the land was invaded, by a white dragon. The red dragon resisted fiercely, and the two creatures battled in the skies above this green and pleasant land.
On and on the conflict raged and such were the terrible, ear-splitting roars of the two feuding dragons, the people of the land became ill; crops failed, animals were dying, women lost their babies.
Someone had to break up the fight.
Enter Lludd — a Welshman of extraordinary bravery, who lured the two dragons towards a giant cauldron filled to the brim with mead. Like bees to honey, the dragons took the bait and were soon drinking their fill, becoming more and more intoxicated as they did.
Tying the now docile beasts in a giant silk sheet, Lludd buried them deep beneath Dynas Emrys, a mountain in Eryri, Snowdonia.
There the sleeping dragons lay for centuries. The land, animals and people living on it were restored to good health. Until the day King Vortigern decided he would build a castle on the very same mountain.
Every time the walls of his impressive fortress were built, the land shook and the walls tumbled to the ground. Time and again the walls went up, and time and again, they crumbled and fell. In frustration he consulted a wise man named Merlin, who told him about the sleeping dragons buried deep underground — and suggested that they might be the root of the problem.
Vortigern dug down and freed the dragons who immediately took to the skies and resumed their vicious battle. This time though the red dragon was victorious, defeating the invading white beast. Vortigern built his castle, and peace returned to the land.
That tale was written around the time that the Anglo-Normans were invading Wales. It’s no wonder the red dragon has become a symbol of Welsh pride, nationhood and resilience.