- Image: Banshee - 33mhz
The entity is variously known as Gwrach y Rhibyn, Gwrach y Rhybin, Gwrach y Rhybyn or Gwrach y Rhibin. The problem is always that last word, because it has no known etymology in the entity's native Welsh language. The first two words are easy. They translate as 'hag/witch of', but the last has been puzzling folklorists for generations.
Gwrach y Rhibyn: No Consensus on an Unknown Name
Common translations have assumed that a placename has been referenced, rendering her as the Witch of Rhibyn. However, no such location exists, at least on modern maps. Her propensity to rise from water, or to appear in the mist and rain, has led to other versions. She is then called the Hag of the Dribble or the Hag of the Mist, though neither of these words are correct in Welsh. Dribble is 'defnynnu, diferu, diferynnu or glafoerio', while mist is 'niwl, niwlen, nudden, tarth or caddug'.
Others have noted that the word 'rhibyn' is pronounced like the English 'ribbon' and determined that it's a borrow word. To them, she is the Hag of the Ribbon, despite the fact that the Welsh here should be 'rhuban' or 'ysnoden'. There is nothing in her legend to suggest ribbons of any kind.
Finally there is one Welsh word that is close and occasionally used. That is 'rhibin', which translates as 'streak, string or scanty row'. Nemeton Sacred Grove point to the fact that, in 18th century south west Wales, this word also described strips of cloth. They are amongst advocates of calling her 'Hag of the Tattered Vestments'. Eye-witness accounts have stated that the entity is dressed in rags. But Gwrach y Rhibyn exists all over Wales, bearing the same name, so a slang word specific to one small area seems an unlikely match.
In short, the Welsh have not reached a consensus as to the name meaning of their own entity. Could it be that the creature, and thus her name, has come from somewhere else?
Gwrach y Rhibyn: A Simple Mishearing?
The English and Welsh speakers have traditionally had trouble pronouncing the name of the Irish war goddess, Morrighan or Morrigan. The English tend to say it as 'Moh-ree-gan'; while the Welsh have merged her into the tales of Arthurian Morgan. The error only becomes apparent when the name is heard in her native Irish Gaelic. The 'gh' becomes a 'b', rendering the phonetics more like ' Mor-REE-ban'. Factor in the rolled 'r' that exists in both Morrigan and Rhibyn and suddenly the latter is precisely the last two syllables of the former.
Hag/witch of Morrigan could be the true translation of Gwrach y Rhibyn.
Links Between Gwrach y Rhibyn and Morrigan.
When placing Gwrach y Rhibyn in the lexicon of international paranormal terms, it is easy shorthand to say that she is a kind of banshee. Many of the same themes are there: howling woman; death omen; fearsome visage. Generations of folklorists and historians have linked the banshee with Morrigan. Amongst the legends relating to the Irish war goddess, there is Her aspect as Washer at the Ford. This recalls many of the attributes that have survived in the figure of the banshee.
Amongst those noting this are David Rankine and Sorita D'Este. In their book, Guises of the Morrigan, they list all of the ways in which memory of this powerful Celtic goddess has survived over the centuries. Morgan Le Fey, Queen Mab, Black Annis, Modron and Lamia are amongst the many disguises by which Morrigan is still known. Also on the list is Gwrach y Rhibyn. The similarity of her lore to that of the Washer at the Ford, built the case for them.
It is also worth noting the description of Gwrach y Rhibyn. Unlike the banshee and Washer at the Ford, she flies. She has wings and, in the story of her attack at Pennard Castle, she was said to 'peck' during her attack. She has 'withered' limbs, ie disproportionately slim in comparison to her body. Her fingers and finger-nails are like talons. This is a crone that resembles a large bird. Her hair and clothes are black. A crow or raven immediately springs to mind as the large bird in question. These birds, of course, belonged to Morrigan.
Why Would Morrigan, an Irish War Goddess, be in Wales?
There is only the Irish Sea between Ireland and Wales. Before the English gave the Irish and Welsh something bigger to worry about, the two countries appear almost constantly in a state of war. St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was originally a British slave, snatched and taken to Ireland in a raid. Around 300 CE, all along the western coastline of Wales, defences were being created or refortified, in response to an increased Irish threat. Even in the folklore, clashes between Ireland and Wales are registered, such as in the tale of Branwen, collected in The Mabinogion.
The Irish undoubtedly came to Wales, as hostile raiders or in war. It is not unreasonable to suppose they called on Morrigan to aid them in battle. Did the Welsh mishear the name, or otherwise lose the 'mor' from it over the centuries? It might explain why Gwrach y Rhibyn, alone amongst banshees, ravages and attacks those who would die.
Sources:
- D Rankine & S D'Este, The Guises of the Morrigan, p 113 and 119. (Avalonia, 2005)
- J Davies, A History of Wales, p 40-41. (Penguin, 1993)
- J Pugh, Welsh Ghostly Encounters, p 24-25. (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 1990)
- G Jones & T Jones (trans.), The Mabinogion, p 25-40. (Everyman, 1989)
- Grainne Lynch. As a native Irish Gaelic speaker, Ms Lynch indulged me in repeating the name of Morrighan several times, without knowing the context.
- Nemeton Sacred Grove: The Cymric Folkloric Figure Gwrach-y-Rhibyn: Hag of the Tattered Vestments
- R Kee, Ireland, A History, p 24. (Abacus, 1994)
Jo Harrington - Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.
