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| Yr Eifl (The Rivals) |
English translation and vocab beneath:
Roeddwn i'n gwylio rhaglen 'Coast' yr wythnos yma, oedd yn mynd o gwmpas Cernyw (Cornwall). Roeddan nhw'n siarad am greigiau peryglus ofnadwy o'r enw y 'Manacles', lle poblogaidd iawn efo plymwyr oherwydd y nifer o longdrylliau. Mae 'na eglwys cyfagos efo meindwr (spire), sy'n rhoi'r enw Cernyweg (Cornish) gwreiddiol i'r creigiau sef 'Maen Eglos'. Mae'n amlwg gweld o le ddaeth yr enw Saesneg ar ól gweld y Cernyweg! Mae'r gair 'maen' (stone/rock) yn gair Cymraeg hefyd (meddyliwch am 'Maentwrog', 'Penmaenmawr'), ac mae 'Eglos' yn debyg iawn i'r gair Cymraeg 'Eglwys' (ac y gair Ffrangeg 'église' hefyd wrth gwrs!). Roedd morwyr yn defnyddio meindwr yr eglwys fel tirnod er mwyn trio osgoi peryglon y 'Maen Eglos', neu'r 'Manacles'!
Mae 'na sawl enghraifft yng Nghymru o enwau sydd wedi cael ei newid yn yr un modd. Un enwog ydy 'The Rivals', mynyddoedd trawiadol Pen Lly^n. Enw Cymraeg (neu enw go iawn!) wrth gwrs ydy 'Yr Eifl', sy'n golygu 'the forks', ond mae pobl (wrth rheswm) yn cymryd 'The Rivals' i gynrychioli'r gystadlueuaeth rhwng y tair pig i fod yr un fwyaf. Pethau diddorol iawn ydy enwau llefydd!
geirfa/vocab
oherwydd - because of
llongdrylliad - shipwreckplymwyr - divers
yn debyg - similartirnod - landmark
er mwyn - in order to (idiom)
osgoi - avoid
amlwg - obvious
enghraifft - example
modd - means/way
trawiadol - striking
go iawn - genuine/real
golygu - to mean
cymryd - to take
cynrychioli - represent
cystadleuaeth - competitionpig - peak
diddorol - interesting
I was watching the programme 'Coast' this week, which was going around Cornwall. They were talking about the very dangerous rocks called The Manacles, a popular place with divers because of the number of shipwrecks. There's a nearby church with a spire which gives the rocks their original Cornish name, namely 'Maen Eglos'. It's obvious to see where the English name came from after seeing the Cornish! The word 'maen' (stone/rock) is a Welsh word as well of course, and 'Eglos' is very similar to the Welsh word 'Eglwys' (and the French word 'église' as well of course!). Sailors used the spire as a llandmark in order to try and avoid the dangers of the 'Maen Eglos', or 'The Manacles'.
There are many examples in Wales of names which have been changed in the same way. A famous one is 'The Rivals', the striking mountain on the Lly^n peninsula. The Welsh name (or the 'real' name!) of course is 'Yr Eifl' (pronunciation - uhr ay-vil), which means 'the forks', but people naturally take 'the Rivals' to reflect the competition between the three peaks to be the biggest. Place names are interesting things!
Yes, I have to admit, that's how I saw the origin of the name 'The Rivals' until your post.
ReplyDeleteThe English title (and also the misconception) is however interesting in it's own right and brings to mind another example of a placename which perhaps even outshines the welsh translation (sacrilege!-ed)-namely Twll Du in Cwm Idwal which is maybe better known as Devil's Kitchen. A brooding place-if it were an album it would surely be Black Sabbath's debut.
(On the Vertigo label which is rather apt.)
Rhaid i mi ysgrifennu yn cymraeg! By the way,
We also had a little token of appreciation for you at term's end but we were refused permission to enter the building with it. That caretaker is far too officious. Anyway, it's happily grazing on Geraint's allotment so feel free to visit him at any time.
We called him Idris.
Roll on September.