Hidden Holy Well in Wales | Llandeilo Literature Festival, Folk Horror & Welsh Folklore
Earlier this year, I headed to the Llandeilo Literature Festival to talk about Welsh ghosts, folklore and witches… and ended up having a cultural adventure, wandering between graves in search of a holy well where pilgrims used to drink holy water from a skull.
Yes, holy water from a skull.
It was a very sunny Carmarthenshire day, and I was there on official book writing duty – kicking off the day chairing a talk about Welsh Witches for the wonderful Efa Lois in Noisy Newt Books, and ending it with my first ever public talk in the Welsh language to a sell-out crowd.
I’ve spoken Welsh my entire life, but this was my first public outing, so while it was a little nerve wracking, it was also long overdue – and hopefully the first of many!
In between all the talking I had a few hours to myself to explore the town, catch up with some friendly faces, and generally get Gothic as I tend to do when there’s time to kill and interesting places to go exploring.
Thanks to a chance recommendation from Trixie, I headed off through the churchyard of St Teilo’s church in search of a local landmark: a holy well tucked away down on the other side of the graveyard.
Pilgrims have visited it for centuries, leaving offerings, coins and small tokens behind, while a barred opening at the back leads into a cave disappearing into darkness.
Along the way I also caught up with artist Karl Morgan of Facing West Prints, whose work focuses on Welsh culture – think Dylan Thomas, Richard Burton and Salem – and author Julie Ann Rees, who was running a creative writing session inspired by folk horror.
Not only are they both great people, they’re also super creative – as you will see/ have seen in the video above (or visit the YouTube channel for that and many more videos).
Anyway, that’s the day out in a nutshell – some Welsh folklore, folk horror, hidden history, and unexpected discoveries in one of Carmarthenshire’s loveliest of places.
Until next time, Llandeilo… nos da! 👻
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