We are the newest and fastest growing movement in the Welsh nationalist scene
Who are we?
The Situation
Wales stands at a precipice. Whilst limited political autonomy has been achieved through devolution, it falls short of the mark and has only served to render the nationalist movement complacent. Meanwhile, British nationalist elements seeking to undermine and ultimately abolish our fledgling Welsh democracy are gaining momentum. This situation most certainly hasn’t been improved by the corrupt and incompetent Labour Party in government that has demonstrated brazen disregard and disrespect for Welsh institutions.
The New Generation
Mudiad Eryr Wen is a breath of fresh air to the nationalist movement, it is an energetic and youthful approach to protecting our nation and campaigning for a Welsh republic. We are a movement and community created by the youth, for the youth. After years of relative stagnation, the Welsh nationalist movement has lost much of the vigour and energy needed to stir up an impassioned flame within the hearts of the Welsh people. Mudiad Eryr Wen aims to rekindle that flame within our hearts, for if we do not, then no one else will.
The Path Forward
It all begins with us, the youth of Wales. We must begin building the communities and networks for the next generation of Welsh nationalists to arise from. We must pursue a campaign of provocative and eye-catching activism that brings talk of independence, the language and the wellbeing of the Welsh into general conversation. Our world is quickly growing increasingly unpredictable, with new challenges and instability arising on a near daily basis. Therefore, it is prudent that we organise now so that we may seize an opportunity when it arises.
Yr Eryr Wen
An Ancient Legacy
Both the name and symbol of our movement is derived from the legend of Yr Eryr Wen, which translates to the White Eagle in English. Written to have been progenitors of great wisdom in the Mabinogion, the white eagles were believed to watch over Wales and warn of hostile incursions from atop the peaks of Eryri.
Owain ap Gruffydd, a medieval king of Gwynedd and one of Wales’ greatest military leaders in the struggle for independence had three such eagles retrospectively attributed as his royal coat of arms. It is from here where the historic county of Sir Gaernarfon gets its flag consisting of three golden eagles on a green field. Bards and poets of old prophesised that the eventual liberator of Wales, often referred to as the ‘Son of Prophecy’, would bear the Eryr Wen.
Owain ap Gruffydd, King of Gwynedd
Today
Come the 1960s, Harri Webb, a Welsh poet and staunch republican socialist, set about reviving the legends of old. Drawing inspiration from the Mabinogion and ancient bardic prophecies, he designed a stylised Eryr Wen for a modern movement. The symbol would later come to be adopted by the Free Wales Army (FWA), with which it is often associated. It has been a renowned symbol of Welsh republican nationalism ever since.
Our movement now proudly inherits this ancient legacy and defiantly flies Yr Eryr Wen for the new generation of Welsh nationalists. After almost a millennium of London rule in Wales, our language and nation stand on the brink. We are the vanguard of the new republican nationalist movement that will fight for a free Wales.