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Stori Canthrig Bwt
“Y mae chwedl yn fwy gwerthfawr na cyfoeth y byd” – hen ddihareb Wyddelig
“A legend is more valuable than the wealth of the world” - old Irish proverb
In this richly illustrated book, Lindsey Colbourne retells the ancient 4th Century legend of Canthrig Bwt, the witch of Nant Peris.
A tale set in the dramatic Eryri (Snowdonia) landscape, Stori Canthrig Bwt takes us on a journey like no other. Canthrig is reimagined as a mythic echo of older matriarchal and animist traditions, navigating a changing world. Using a lighthearted, often humorous and poetic writing style and evocative illustrations, Stori Canthrig Bwt gently inspires us to think about how we might (re)connect to land and how we (humans and more-than-humans) could live better together today, and in the future.
Lindsey says: “I was inspired by Clarissa Pinkola Estès (Women who run with Wolves) who says that through the centuries, various conquests of nations by other nations, and both peaceful and forced religious conversations, have covered over or altered the original core of the old stories.
I started to wonder what might it be like to re-imagine legends/stories of women of Eryri, especially those which seem to have lost something over the years. How might these stories be relevant today? The resurgence of interest in witches in recent years, and the amazing response I’ve received to Stori Canthrig Bwt (from adults and young people alike) suggests there is a big appetite for retold stories about the old ways.”
At the end of the book you’ll find ways to contribute your own stories yn Gymraeg (in Welsh), in English, or any other language. You can also read the other wild and wonderful stories people have written as part of this exploration into Chwedlau’r Tir Dyffryn Peris Legends of the Land by accessing the QR code at the back of the book.
Further details about the original project can be found here.
Number of pages: 46
Format: Paperback
Dimensions: 210x210mm
Language: English with Welsh idioms
Lindsey recommends Stori Canthrig Bwt for adults and adventurous children.
“Stori Canthrig Bwt is beautifully done. The drawings are gorgeous as well as the words, and I love the thrust of it, imagining how the tale might have originated and then been distorted over the years”,
Michelle, Canada
Reviews
“I really LOVED Stori Canthrig Bwt. I love the freedom in the graphic design, the wild use of space to express more than the words; the overlaying of drawing with photographs leads you into the space between the lines where nothing is spelt out. The twists and metaphors in the story really put me in touch with the essence of connection with nature and the image of her sheltering, nurturing and protecting the children is a beautiful inversion of the horriffic reputation that she had with the people of the valley, who could not comprehend that life is intrinsically magical.”
Rob, Ireland
“Oh I love this book and the reimagined Canthrig – reading it has changed how I experience the world and I look for Canthrig everywhere now!”
