Cantref Gwaelod (more commonly: Cantre'r Gwaelod, literally: - The Lowland Hundred in English) is the legendary ancient sunken kingdom said to have occupied a tract of fertile land stretching northwards from Ramsey Island to Bardsey Island over what is now Cardigan Bay to the west of Wales, often described as the 'Welsh Atlantis'. This page is a candidate to be copied to Wiktionary. ... Ramsey Island lies one mile offshore of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales. ... Bardsey Island (Welsh: Ynys Enlli) lies off the Lleyn peninsula, in north Wales. ... The term Cardigan Bay, when used by itself, can refer to: A horse called Cardigan Bay A bay in Wales called Cardigan Bay A bay in Prince Edward Island called Cardigan Bay This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd in... Atlantis (Greek: , Island of Atlas) is the name of an island first mentioned and described by the classical Greek philosopher Plato. ...

The Myth

Cantref Gwaelod's capital was Caer Wyddno, seat of the ruler Gwyddno Garanhir. It is described as a walled country that was defended from the sea by a dyke called Sarn Badrig (Saint Patrick's causeway), over which two princes of the realm held charge. One of these princes, called Seithenyn, was a notorious drunkard and carouser, and it was through his negligence that the sea swept through the open floodgates, ruining the land. In Welsh mythology, Lord Gwyddno Garanhir of Gwynedd was the father of Elphin. ... Saint Patrick (385-March 17, 493, see below) was a missionary and is regarded as the patron saint of Ireland (along with Saint Brigid and Saint Columba). ...

The church bells of Cantref Gwaelod are said to ring out in times of danger.

Origins of the Myth

The myth, like so many others, is a folk memory of gradually rising sea levels at the end of the ice age and its structure comparable to the deluge myth found in nearly every ancient culture. The physical remains of the preserved sunken forest at Borth, and of 'Patrick's Causeway', must have suggested to the local mind that some great tragedy had overcome a village long ago, and so the myth must have grown from that. There is little or no physical evidence of the substantial community that legend promises lies under the sea. Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... The Deluge by Gustave Doré. The story of a Great Flood sent by a deity or deities to destroy civilization as an act of divine retribution is a widespread theme in myths. ... Borth is a small Welsh village about 7 miles north of Aberystwyth in the county of Ceredigion. ...

Possible Sighting

The ruins of a city were supposedly visible as late as 1770, when William Owen Pughe reported seeing sunken human habitations about four miles (6.4 km) off the Welsh coast, between the rivers Ystwyth and Teifi. 1770 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Da River Ystwyth (Afon Ystwyth in Welsh) iz a river ov mid west Wales. ... The River Teifi (Welsh: Afon Teifi) is a river in West Wales flowing into the sea below Cardigan town. ...

Cantref Gwaelod in Fiction

Although not as famous as Atlantis, Cantref Gwaelod has featured in fiction with a Welsh flavour, notably the alternate universe Louie Knight series. In "Aberystwyth Mon Amour" a group of Druids plan to launch an ark and reclaim the land of Cantref Gwaelod. A schoolboy genius, Dai Brainbocs, assumed it really did exist and was proved right - using microphones to echo locate the town by the sound of the community's bells ringing underwater. Unfortunately to launch the ark Brainbocs needs to destroy the Nant y Moch dam above Aberystwyth, so the flood would destroy much of it. The irony is obvious. Atlantis (Greek: , Island of Atlas) is the name of an island first mentioned and described by the classical Greek philosopher Plato. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd in... The cover of Aberystwyth Mon Amour showing Louie and Bianca. ... See: Animal echolocation: animals emitting sound waves and listening to the echo in order to locate objects or navigate. ...

External links

• Cantre'r Gwaelod - The Lost Land of Wales
• The submerged forest of Borth
• Experts look for 'watery kingdom'
• An exploration of the 'walled realm' version of the myth, and the semi-legendary King Gwyddno
• local history page looking at possible documentary evidence