TOWERING LEGENDS
Colourful new mural for capital landmark inspired by Welsh myths BIRTHDAYS
AN EYE-CATCHING 50ft high mural celebrating Welsh legends has appeared on the Water Tower next to Cardiff Central train station.
The Grade II listed tower, which was once illustrated by a giant daffodil, is seen by thousands of commuters pulling in and out of the railway station each day.
It’s been illustrated by artist Pete Fowler, who is best known for Super Furry Animals’ most iconic album covers.
The vivid artwork showcases the mythical past of Wales, inspired by The Mabinogion; the ancient oral stories of Wales which were written down in the Middle Ages.
The stunning mural was unveiled by Literature Wales, in partnership with Cadw, as part of Weird & Wonderful Wales – a six-stop tour of the country which draws on some of the strange and fantastic stories recorded on the Land of Legends website.
Passers-by will be able to get a glimpse of the huge mural throughout 2018, and tourists from across the globe will be exposed to our country’s history when they visit for events such as the Volvo Ocean Race.
Legends include that of the giant Bendigeidfran (Blessed Crow) who fought the Irish and whose severed head talked to his men for 87 years,
1500: Navigator Pedro Alvarez Cabral discovered Brazil and claimed it on behalf of Portugal.
1838: The British packet steamer Sirius became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic to New York from England.
1870: Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin), Russian revolutionary leader, was born in Simbirsk.
1915: Germany first used poison gas at Ypres as a chemical weapon.
1933: Frederick Henry Royce, co-founder of Rolls-Royce car company, died.
1943: The printing of British £1,000 notes was discontinued.
1969: Yachtsman Robin Knox-Johnston sailed into Falmouth to complete his 312-day, non-stop, round-the-world voyage.
1989: Archaeologists said they had unearthed a 2,000-year-old mummy in a gold-covered coffin in the Egyptian oasis, Fayoum. She was wrapped in linen and dried flowers and had a child beside her.
ON THIS DAY LAST YEAR: Actors Sir Patrick Stewart and Juliet Stevenson teamed up with football stars to celebrate the contribution refugees make to the sport. and the maiden Blodeuwedd, who was created from flowers by two magicians as a wife for Lleu, but was then transformed into an owl as punishment for trying to murder her husband.
There is also the goddess Rhiannon, whose horse-riding skills far surpass those of the best horsemen of Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed.
Stopping at six Cadw sites in Conwy, Gwynedd, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Torfaen, Pete and 30 guest writers worked with local community members to create new works of art based on weird and wonderful tales from nearby.
Each location will receive a mural, drawing on all things creepy, haunting, tragic and mystical.
Literature Wales chief executive Lleucu Siencyn said: “We’re thrilled to showcase Wales’ distinctive and compelling myths in such an eyecatching location. To be able to share our stories and literary heritage with thousands of visitors to Wales is a fantastic opportunity, and we’re grateful to all our partners for helping us do this in a contemporary and accessible way.”