Welsh Witchcraft. A guide to the spirits, lore, and magic of Wales
Mhara Starling, article
Llewellyn, 2022 (paperback), 255 p. ISBN 978-0-7387-7091-8. € 22,50. $ 18.99
Wales, or Cymru, as its name is in Welsh, is “a land rich with a legacy of myth, legend, superstition, and intrigue”. Its history and culture differ from that of its neighbour England. The attitude towards magic also varied in Wales, and maybe that is why in the period of witch hunts in England and Scotland there were far less accusations of witchcraft in Wales. There was not even a word to translate the concept of ‘witch’ in Welsh: in the rare occasions witch trials were held in Wales, the English word was used for the accused person. There was a strong belief in fairies. These of the mischievous kind, the ones you had to protect yourself from. When something went wrong, it could be blamed on the fairies. In Wales the ‘Swynydd’, the charmers and diviners, were respected and loved by their communities. Most of them were Christians, calling upon God, Jesus and Mary in their charms and incantations.
Still, Mhara Starling had to find ‘Welsh Witchcraft’, or the modern form that she now practises and teaches. Born in Wales, raised on the isle of Anglesey, and being a native Welsh speaker, she was immersed in the landscape and the culture of Wales. “I am a Welsh Witch, a Swynraig who is informed by the rich culture, mythology, and history of my land. My Witchcraft is rooted in a reverence for my culture, my native language, and the landscape in which I was raised.” She is not Wiccan, and spends a whole chapter on ‘Finding a Welsh Witchcraft’, including research on the words and concepts of ‘witch’, ‘magic’, ‘druidry’ and specific Welsh words. (The book contains a glossary and guide to Welsh pronunciation).
Other chapters explore the history of magic and witchcraft in Wales; the sacred landscape; legends of the land; divinities of the land, ‘Cerridwen: the archetype of the Welsh Witch’; fairy tales of Wales; Welsh fairies; practical Welsh witchery; the virtues of the natural world; and the ever-turning cycle.
I read the book (bought in Leiden/Leyden) because I planned to visit Wales and wanted to know more of its culture. This book and her Welsh Fairies. A guide to the lore, legends, denizens & deities of the Otherworld do provide a wealth of information on Welsh culture, myths, folklore, and the inhabitants of the Welsh otherworld. I’m not sure what the best order is: first reading the books, or first encountering the landscape. I could not really imagine that from reading.
But another way to use this book is as an introduction into practising Welsh Witchcraft. The many sound exercises will certainly give you the necessary insights. Not just for Witches, not just for those wanting to practise Welsh witchcraft.
The book also contains a ‘Recommended reading’ list and a bibliography, plus an index. Also the author is on TikTok, as @mhara_starling, where her witchcraft videos have more than a million views, according to the back cover of her ‘Welsh Fairies’ book (dating from 2024 – and highly recommended by Ronald Hutton). So here the old and the new Witchcraft worlds meet!
