Crowning ceremony taking place
THE Crowning ceremony – one of the centrepieces of the National Eisteddfod each year – will take place today.
It will be presented at 4.30pm for free verse poem of no more than 250 lines, titled Trwy Ddrych (Through a Mirror). The adjudicators are M Wynn Thomas, Glenys Mair Roberts and Gwynne Williams.
The 2017 Crown, which is sponsored by Merched y Wawr to mark its 50th anniversary, has been created by silversmith John Price, a former craft teacher and the designer of many Eisteddfod Crowns.
The Crown’s band represents the Menai Suspension Bridge, the famous structure linking Anglesey with the rest of Wales. But it also represents the concept of ‘bridging’ in a wider context – the bridging between communities, and the fact that the Eisteddfod is a link between Welsh speakers across the country, nonWelsh speakers and learners.
Every arch includes a small fresco, with each one representing different elements. The daffodil, the Merched y Wawr’s emblem, is in one arch, with Dwynwen and the Isle of Llanddwyn depicted in another, representing Anglesey’s link with the sea and reli- gion. There are two triple harps in another fresco, representing the Harpists of Llannerch-y-medd, and the link with music over the years.
One of Anglesey’s most attractive attractions Melin Llynnon is depicted with one arch, representing “Môn Mam Cymru” – or Anglesey, the mother of Wales – the island which once produced food for the whole of Wales. Jonah Jones’ memorial to the Princes of Gwynedd, located at Aberffraw, can be seen in another fresco, with the final fresco repre- “It’s been a great pleasure to have senting Tlws Pant y Saer, the famous been invited to create a Crown sponsored burial chamber from the Neolithic by Merched y Wawr, an organisation period, close to Benllech and a symbol which has been so important of the fact that we are still here, to our language and culture over the safeguarding our nation’s treasures past half a century. Coupled with centuries later. such inspiration in Anglesey’s landscape
Mr Price said:” Although I’ve created and cultural heritage, I hope a number of eisteddfod crowns this Crown manages to reflect the over the years, the thrill when you’re contribution of both Merched y chosen for a project is still there, as is Wawr and Anglesey to Wales.” the enjoyment of working on the first The financial prize is presented by concepts before creating the Crown Perkins Furniture and Flooring, Caernarfon. itself.