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Saint Dwynwen's Day

© Sarah Stevenson

"She is a small corrugated seashell opening her valves in the tidal shallows of a deep bay at the edge of an enormous salty heart." - David Greenslade, poet (from Cambrian Country)

This quote from modern Welsh poet David Greenslade demonstrates that the legend of Saint Dwynwen, Welsh patron saint of lovers and of sick animals, is still alive and well and maintains its place in the popular imagination in Wales. Her feast day, January 25th, is imminent, and so here is a brief musing on the story of Dwynwen and her place in Welsh culture.

Nearly everyone is familiar with the customs of sending cards and gifts on St. Valentine's Day, but not everyone knows that it's becoming just as popular for the Welsh to send cards on January 25th to celebrate St. Dwynwen's Day in a similar spirit. The story of St. Dwynwen has its origins in the 5th century. Dwynwen, or Dwyn, was said to be the loveliest of 24 daughters of the Welsh king Brychan Brecheiniog. The prince Maelon Dafodrill fell in love with her, but their marriage was not to be.

A few different versions of the story explain this. Some say that Dwynwen returned Maelon's love, but her father wished her to wed another. Others say that she loved him but was virtuous and pious, and set on remaining chaste and becoming a nun. Still others maintain that she had no interest in him. There are also conflicting versions of this part of the story-whether she successfully resisted his sexual advances, or whether he possibly seized her and even raped her. The different versions of the tale seem to reflect different traditions of whether Maelon was a "good guy" who couldn't help his love for Dwynwen, or a "bad guy" who was coldhearted and wanted Dwynwen at any cost.

In either case, Dwynwen was overcome with sadness and prayed for a solution. Again, one version of the tale states that God turned Maelon into a lump of ice because of his coldheartedness; while others maintain that she had a strange dream in which God or an angel offered her a sweet drink. This drink freed her of her troubles, but turned Maelon into ice. Praying to God once again, she was given three wishes: She wished for Maelon to be restored to life; for herself, never to marry; and to become the patron saint of lovers in order that with God's intercession, she might help people to achieve fulfillment of their love or freedom from unwanted passions.

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