Cornish: The Language of Cornwall, England
AnMorgwynn

Cornish, or Kernewek, died out of everyday use in the 19th century, but today there has been a resurgence with many evening classes being offered. There are different versions of Kernewek though, and some controversy about which one should be the standard, as well as local variations.

Cornish is a member of the Celtic family of languages comprising Irish, Scots and Manx Gaelic, Welsh and Breton. Even today the similarities with Welsh and Breton are very striking indeed. Cornish is from the 'P' Celtic family. The P and the Q is used to differentiate between British (Brythonic) and Gaelic because of words like 'Penn' in Cornish would become 'Ceann' in Gaelic. A place name example would be Kintyre in Scotland being essentially the same name as Pentire in Cornwall. The other name for the 'P' Celtic languages is British or Brythonic. 

This leads us to the definition of Britain, the ancient lands of Wales, the far southwest of England (Cornwall and Devon with perhaps a bit of Somerset & Avon) and the Britainy peninsular in France (which became British because the people fled from the mainland and settled there). As the Romans, Saxons and then Danes and Normans invaded the lands the local indiginous population fled to the far west settling primarily in Wales and parts of Britainy. Cornwall was left pretty much alone, probably because there was a smaller population and it was a long way from centralised government. The stories of Arthur became linked to these last Brythonic or British lands as the hero saviour of the people. There are of course many layers to the stories, and I am currently reading 'The Ladies of the Lake' by Caitlin Matthews and can recommend any of her books for a better understanding of the legends.

One of the difficult points to get across to people today is that there is no such thing as 'Celtic'. To say one is following a celtic path is a misnomer, as there is no such thing. Most witches claim this would be better to say they follow a Welsh path if they are working with the Mabinogion, or Brythonic if they are interested in Cornwall or Britainy. And of course, there are the legends and lore from Scotland, Isle of Mann and Ireland that are very different again. Yes, we have a lot of differences in such a small land!

There are very few legends and tales from Cornwall that compare to the Mabinogion. The Brythonic tales tend to be linked to places and seem more 'modern' than those of the Mabinogion. Myself, I resonate with the Welsh pantheon of Goddesses but also recognise those un-named Ladies of the Cornish lands. My grandmother, and also a close friend from an unbroken line of Pellars (Cornish for witch or wise woman), both refer to 'The Lady'. She is not given any name in this area and has Her Lord to keep her company too. She is recognised as the Spirit of the Land, whilst He dances to her song, is born, makes love to Her and dies. It is this perennial cycle that survived in the local customs of the Flora Dance, the Oss and many other local festivals which are still celebrated in villages and towns across Cornwall. Beneges re bo is Cornish for Sacred Blessings and the closest we can get to.

Blessed Be
By: AnMorgwynn
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