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3. What’s in a name – Yr Wyddfa

You may have noticed that we try to use Yr Wyddfa as much as possible on this website. Sometimes, public awareness and long-term use (the Snowdonia National Park Authority only switched to Yr Wyddfa and Eryri as recently as November 2022) mean we have to use Snowdon instead. Our sister-company Climb Snowdon is the perfect example. But we are pretty committed to encouraging the use of Welsh place names wherever possible. With this in mind, we wanted to write a quick blog about Yr Wyddfa, where the name comes from and why it is important.

Pronunciation of Welsh names

One of the main issues non-Welsh speakers have with Yr Wyddfa is how to pronounce it. So let’s get that out of the way nice and early. The correct pronunciation is Uhr-With-Va. Eryri, the Welsh name for Snowdonia, is pronounced Er-ruh-re.

What does Yr Wyddfa mean?

Yr Wyddfa translates as “the tomb” or “burial ground”. The occupant of the tomb is Rhita Gawr. In Welsh mythology, Rhita was the fiercest and strongest giant in the land. Frustrated by the men who called themselves kings and tried to rule over his mountain home, Rhita Gawr gathered an army of giants, thieves and other menacing creatures and killed king after king, each time shaving the defeated man’s beard and weaving it into his majestic cloak.

More than 100 kings fell before the might of Rhita Gawr and all their beards were incorporated into the blood-soaked cloak that symbolised the giant’s supremacy. But one king stood defiant. The famous Warrior-King, King Arthur. Refusing to shave his beard and submit to the giant, King Arthur gathered a band of men and set out to confront Rhita Gawr atop the highest peak in the country.

After a fierce battle, in which both Arthur and Rhita were wounded, the legendary king finally managed to slay the giant. As the giant’s army of evildoers slunk back into the shadows, Arthur’s men piled rocks on the giant’s deceased body, creating a tomb. From that day onwards, the mountain was known as “Gwyddfa Rhita” (Rhita’s Tomb). Over time, this evolved into Yr Wyddfa.

It is important to note that there are other explanations for the name’s origins. For instance, some linguists believe wyddfa is an evolution or corruption of gwydd (meaning “slight” or “face” and signifying a visible peak or mountain face) and ma (meaning “place”). In this account, wyddfa would mean “the (high) visible place”.

And what about Snowdon?

Snowdon is a combination of the Anglo-Saxon words Snow (pretty self-explanatory) and dune, meaning hill. So Snowdon translates as Snowy Hill. Not quite as glamorous as the giant-slaying King Arthur story…

Why does the naming debate matter?

One of the reasons we wrote this article is that there is an ongoing debate about language, its power and what it means to local culture, history and politics. This isn’t just occurring in Wales. You only have to look at Cataluña or the Basque Country in Spain, Flanders in Belgium or Breton in Brittany to understand that this conversation is taking place across Europe and around the world.

The Welsh language is an integral part of Welsh culture, though the degree to which it is spoken has varied over the years. It has often been suppressed, both intentionally and unintentionally, by English speakers imposing their language on Welsh communities. Today, there is a recognition that the Welsh language needs to be preserved, protected and promoted if it is to survive, thrive and remain a vital and vibrant part of the culture. Using Welsh names is a critical step in that process.

A few things we regularly hear

We regularly hear people criticising the use of Yr Wyddfa. To be honest, it rarely happens in real life and is more prevalent on social media. With this in mind, we thought we would tackle a few of the most common comments we see.

Snowdon just sounds better…

Ummm… Does it? We think Yr Wyddfa is a beautiful name. But which words sound best is all down to personal preference. Some prefer Snowdon, others Yr Wyddfa. But how much should that determine the name of a place?

It’s just a name…

And names matter. Language and the names used within those languages are inherently political. Even when we don’t realise it because it is so ingrained in our culture and way of being. The name Wales is an excellent example. Its origins are in Anglo-Saxon, too. It is rooted in the Proto-Germanic and Anglo-Saxon words used to label “outsiders” or “foreigners”. So Wales can be translated as “Land of the Outsiders”. Even though the Welsh it referred to had lived in the British Isles for far longer than the invading Anglo-Saxons.

This is also something you will almost only ever hear someone who only speaks a dominant language say. It’s easy for it to be “just a name” when your names are not the ones under threat.

Why are people forcing me to call it Yr Wyddfa?

We hear this a lot. It comes into the same category as the following:

I’m just going to keep calling it Snowdon
If it’s acceptable to have Welsh names for English places, why can’t I call Welsh places by English names?
What are you going to do if I call it Snowdon? Arrest me?

Basically, the answer to this is that no one is forcing you to call it Yr Wyddfa. You can keep calling it Snowdon if you like. No one is saying it’s unacceptable to have an English name for a Welsh place. And no one is going to do anything if you call it Snowdon. You might get a slightly less warm reception if you’re stubborn about it. But if you’re being stubborn about this kind of thing, you’re probably the type of person who is already pretty accustomed to getting frosty receptions.

No one is forcing Yr Wyddfa on anyone. Yr Wyddfa is being promoted as the traditional Welsh name for the mountain. It’s up to you whether you want to respect this name and embrace, encourage and enjoy the linguistic diversity of the UK or continue using the English Snowdon. We would love to hear more people using the mountain’s Welsh name. And that’s all it comes down to, really.

Yr Wyddfa and RAW Adventures

If you want to explore Yr Wyddfa in all its Welsh glory and learn more about the mountain and surrounding area’s history and culture, we organise several events in the area. These include the Climb Yr Wyddfa Challenge, the Eryri Slate Trail and Walks Eryri.

Feel free to get in touch with the RAW Adventures team if you have any questions about our challenges or expeditions.