Mention of the phrase 'Brythonic Tradition' induces a glassy-eyed incomprehension among many members of modern society. So what exactly does it mean? And what do we do?

Brython ic basically means British. It is the name given to the language[1] spoken by the Romano-British, the ancestor of modern Cymraeg (Welsh language). It is related to words describing the early inhabitants of Britain and the island itself i.e. Prettanic, Prydein, Pretani.

The first person to record this name was Pytheas, writing somewhere around 325BCE[2]. He was a merchant and explorer, who recorded the name of the British Isles as 'Prettanike', amended by Diodorus Siculus to the more familiar 'Pretannia', which most other Classical writers followed.

These days, the general public associate 'Brythonic' (or perhaps 'Celtic') with Wales and Cornwall. But the Brythonic languages were spoken throughout Britain, right up into Scotland, and elements do survive in areas outside of the obvious places. For example, here in North Nottinghamshire and up into Derbyshire, there is a cluster of surviving Brythonic place names such as the towns Mansfield and Carburton and the river Derwent[3].

In a nutshell, we are talking about traditions that relate to the language and culture of the inhabitants of Britain from prehistory through to around 600CE. The traditions also encompass later expressions of that lore, such as the medieval bardic material, the Matter of Britain, the poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilym and even the writings of Iolo Morgannwg. It encompasses some of modern druidry and all of the ancient.

The next statement offered is usually along the lines of 'So you are druids, then'. To which the answer is both yes and no. Not everyone in ancient Britain was a druid, and the same applies to those who are now working within the Brythonic traditions.

Some of us are called in that direction. Others are smiths, bards, harpers, jewellers and some do not practice any art, but are drawn to the gods and the stories of the land.

Another difference between the Brythonic traditions and other revivalist and traditionalist 'Celtic' groups is the emphasis, which as set out above, is focussed directly upon the British lore, rather than upon the Irish or Scottish.

There is no fixed set of beliefs within the Brythonic traditions, and various practitioners approach the material in different ways. Some take their inspiration from archaeological finds, while others enjoy the word-craft of linguistics and poetry. Some are bound strongly to the gods and the land where they live, while others work in a more abstracted way.

We also approach the lore in various ways. Some would consider themselves to be traditionalists, perhaps working within living traditions in areas or as part of families in which Brythonic languages are spoken. Others may see themselves as revivalists or reconstructionists, while others work unconditionally with the lore as it has come down through modern forms of druidry. However we choose to work within it, the Brythonic tradition is as alive as it ever was, informing our present just as it did our past.  

by 

Blackbird