Vikings in Wales! A Saint David's Day Special 

By the way! I forgot to mention the leek thing! According to legend, the Welsh put leeks in their hats and tunics during a battle with the Saxons. Dewi Sant himself told the Cymry to wear them, and to this day we honour that by wearing a leek (cennin) or daffodil (cennin Pedr). So there!

The “bugger off we’re vikings” voice though 😂

I want my door bell to say "bugger off! We're vikings!" In exactly that voice.

My mother grew up in Llansteffan, so I visited that village a lot while growing up and spending the days either on the beach or running around the castle pretending I was Owain Glyndŵr. But one day stands out because an old man told me a story of a battle between Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and 20 Viking ships worth of Vikings that had sailed from Ireland and Gruffydd ap Llywelyn had won the battle right there on Llansteffan beach. I was then obsessed with digging up Viking treasure at Llansteffan and would spend the rest of my childhood just digging holes in Llansteffan beach whenever I had the chance. I remember him calling the battle "y Frwydr Abertywi" as the battle had taken place at the mouth of the Tywi river, I'm not sure if his story was even real or if he was just an old man telling stories, but in my heart that story will always be real and every time I visit Llansteffan I imagine the hoards of treasure hidden under its sands...

He stopped the video to save a fly from his beer. Need I say why I love this channel?

The fly rescue was so endearing 😂

That fruit fly will probably tell tales of "that night I fell into some beer "by accident" and got rescued by a giant" until the little fruit flies go "Oh come on Uncle Zippy, that NEVER happened"...

I don't know if it's safe for me to gurgle laugh this early in the morning. The great fly/beer rescue will be remembered. Also the "bugger off, we're Vikings". Thank you for the video!

glad to hear that my gpa's norwegian grandparents and and my gma's welsh grandparents would have possibly gotten along... i've also been told that the only people who can out stubborn scandinavians (especially norwegians) are the welsh.. which explains a lot about my grandparents

Me when there's a bug in my beverage: "That's it- throw it out, burn it. Burn it all down. I'm done!" This wholesome lad: "Oh hang in there little guy, I'll save you."

I love your absolutely bursting enthusiasm! And the fact you have a completely rat-arsed fruit fly somewhere in your flat :D

That comment about Valheim, throwing stones at people behind a fence. " Bugger off, we're Vikings." 🤣

Omg!! Thank you for rescuing the fly! Even if it was just so he wouldn’t ruin your beer! lol

The fly in the beer reminded me of the Brownies in the movie "Willow" ! ! In a tavern, they accidentally fall in a tankard, start screaming for help, then realize they have been rescued from beer and dive back in.

My boy (9 years old) had a homework in school today where he was supposed to feel the moral dilemma that maybe some viking raiders might have felt immediately before raiding Lindisfarne and should write down what he would do? Leave them alone? Only raid half of everything? Raid them? His answer was: "Raid the monastery. Find more monasteries. Raid those" I think, he got the spirit. Your "They wouldn´t have turned round and sailed home just made me think of that.

So uh, when covid is over would you maybe do some field trips to some of the sites you mention? I'd love to have a virtual tour of a place given by someone who knows what they're talking about.

Great video! My Fathers side of the family (surname Jones) are welsh farmers from llanrwst and have been for generations, and my Mothers family originate from vikings (surname Longthorne) , her father made a family tree a few years back that had connections with norway etc, so i think it is possible there were welsh vikings about 🤞

As a Bangor born lad now living in Wallasey I loved this video. My Welsh cousins in Texas, Virginia and North Carolina contacted me yesterday asking me about Welsh connections to the Vikings and your video appeared today. My ancestral roots are in Ynys Mon, Bangor and Pembrokeshire and my dna has trace Norwegian, Irish and Scottish dna. A few years ago I did a walk along the Pilgrim's Way to Bardsey. When I stood on Bardsey Mountain I understood the topography and how the sea links Wales and Ireland. I could see right down to Pembrokeshire and across to the Wicklow mountains. In the 1800s some of my family sailed from Ynys Mon to Pembrokeshire with all their furniture in a boat to settle near Fishguard. In 1979 when I was studying at Bangor University I spent the summer near Holyhead Mountain helping a mature student studying Archaeology to map a huge field covered with small circular stone dais. I think one was excavated but I don't know the results. Currently watching some Nordi noir programmes and it's amazing how much Scandinavian lilt there is in the Bangor accent!

thank god The Welsh Viking channel lore is expanding, can't wait to see where the series is gonna go

As a person who has random bugs in winter, thank you for rescuing the fruit fly, and also then drinking your drink. After all, he didn't drink much!

in school my Welsh teacher always used to tell me that Swansea is a bastardisation of a Viking town name

If the Scandinavians who had been raiders at some point settled and intermarried with the locals, and there were years where there was a food shortage due to poor weather, I would find it very hard to imagine that the people who had previously been vikinger wouldn't go raiding again, and that others who were suffering a bad year for harvest wouldn't have joined them.

Glorious! We even had brief bursts or Sospan Fach - well done lovely boy - a joy to listen to

Rescuing the fly was the most wholesome thing I've seen so far in 2021.

I will sail to Anglesey from Dublin to join you in a great ol' (reenactment) Battle, from an Irish Viking.

I wish I had found this channel earlier! Great content and personality 👏

I always love your voice, pronunciation and the way you express things. I am Dutch and I do not always (immediately) understand what you are talking about. Still, I am happy with a new clip every time.

I'm now going to imagine every Odinist and Brosatru saying 'bugger off we're vikings' in the jimmyvoice.

Had no idea about the Battle of Anglesey Sound, how cool!

The actual content was really great too, but I'm very happy the fly made it.

Happy St. David's Day!

dude, you took an obscure topic related to stuff you're passionate about and expanded it. respect.

Loved this video! Thanks for the info! Also a Daffodil suits you very well!

There's similar under appreciated history in Cornwall. 836/8 (Depending on ASC version) you also have Vikings allied with Cornishmen fighting King Ecberht at Hingston Down. The eclectic nature of the Trewhiddle hoard also implies it may be a raiders collection. AND the Cardinham Cross is also the furthest southern example of a particular Norse spiral pattern. Would love to see your opinions on the Irish Sea as a wider cultural zone.

It's honestly getting amusing hearing your answer to most of these questions as "we don't know" the way you're just so unashamed about confidently not knowing what the rest of us think we take for granted xDDD

Im from swansea and my home town gets its name from a viking. You deserve a show on tv so more people can find out about the influence of the vikings on the british isles

"I have stolen a flower from a public park!"

Ha, I stayed at that campsite as a kid back in the early 80's,

Hey Jimmy, I am an Aussie who knows very little about Welsh history but I happened to be listening to some lectures today on the legend of King Arthur that taught me a bit and I enjoyed learning some more from you as well. I have some Welsh and more Cornish ancestry and happened to meet some re-enactors at an event who I have joined with the start our own group re-enacting the Dumnonii through the Viking Age. So the topic of this video is right up our alley. I would love to see your Welsh Viking age kit some day. I remember you mentioning it in one of your videos. I am a new re-enactor and am enjoying the process of learning, finding sources and getting kit together for my son and I.

I think you are absolutely right, I am Norwegian and after a DNA test my family has been connected to the royal house in Norway, Sweden and Denmark and we can follow the lines all the way back to Ragnar Lotbrok and Bjørn iron side but we also have branches that follow us back to ireland, scotland and england royal houses. I have not found anything from Walsh yet but I reckon that Walsh is also connected to the other royal houses. Before I took the DNA test we thought it was just Norwegian. To my great surprise, I was told that I am 19% Irish / Scottish. This means that far back in the family there must have been more who have had children with people from the UK, otherwise the DNA test would not have shown such a high percentage. Harald the Fair-haired is my great-grandfather. 27 times backwards and Ragnar lotbrok Sigurdson is my 32 grandfather. Egill skalgrimmarson from Iceland is my 34 grandfather and I have 19% Irish / Scottish DNA. one of the lines to ireland stops at Ruaidri Saide Buide O Conchabhair king of Connaught ireland. It looks like we got married and had children in several generations that go back to the Viking Age. Since I am from a noble family, my lines are much easier to follow than ordinary people. since I now live in Norway there is good reason to believe that we were everywhere in the uk. and that they were on a raid otherwise I would not have been sitting here with 19% DNA from the UK in Norway today.

"A sea-based raiding... profession" Yes!

You make me so proud of my heritage...even if we’ve been here for 280 years. Keep sharing! 💜

My boyfriend has Welsh and Norse ancestors. His family on his Dad's side are from North Wales. Caernarfon area.

It looks like there is more Viking evidence in Wales than in mainland Scotland. Unfortunately, The Picts didn't leave us some writing records to let us know what might have happened. I always wonder whether the Picts trade with the Vikings or were wiped out by the raids.

from uncle sven, lars lars and lars to vlaheim references your content is soooo much fun to hear and so informative, people dont give enough credit to what might be more parsimonious.... what is more plausible to happen and requires less... steps ... thanks a lot

I came for vikings. I stayed for the "priscilla" references lol

I always wondered who would be recruited to go a Viking/ thanks for discussing all this- and the link! You bring it to us in a down to earth, practical way, awesome!

When I got the notification for this it said "Welsh Viking the final" and I was like WHAAAATTT!!!

Is anyone else starting to worry that Editing Jimmy is being kept in a cage somewhere? FREE EDITING JIMMY! say it with me, Free Editing Jimmy!

Stumbled across your very informative video while trying to find out more about Welsh DNA. I recently did a DNA test & found out I'm part Welsh so I'm curious as to any predominant physical traits or differences from the English. I live in the U.S. so I dont know anything about the Welsh but am glad I found your channel. I will be subscribing & look forward to your upcoming videos! ~Ginger

D'awww, you also save random insects you stumble upon? A kindred soul! Seriously though, still waiting for all those spiders and wild mice I saved and released into the wild from the hotel I work at to sew me a ball gown :-[

Dude! I dig your channel mucho! Keep kick ass my man. Hello from Oregon USA

This reminds me of the very weird, oddly specific bit of family lore from my mom's side that states that a 'Dutch Viking' married into the family at some point. Not a regular Viking, or a regular Dutch person, very specifically a 'Dutch Viking'. That said, if this person did in fact exist they would have lived at least a thousand years ago, and I am skeptical that my family is competent enough at passing down information for it to stay in circulation this long, so who knows what it's actually based on at this point.

Phrase of the week happened! Yay!!!

Now that we've figured that out, I can't help but ask if there were Vikings in whales as well. Easily defendable, Very aquatic, Big.

Like your way of thinking.

I want to replace my doorbell chime with the impression of the Insular Welsh Viking.

Thank u for the knowledge!

I was a bit confused when I saw the Daffodil. In Canada it's the symbol for the Canadian Cancer Society and every year they have Daffodil Campaign in April (not March but still the confusion was there). They sell Daffodils to raise money for Cancer research. Anyway this was an interesting video. Would love to know more about Welsh history.

YES!!!! I have been wondering about the leek on St Davies day since I watched Sir Branagh play Henry V in the 1989 movie. Wait...WHY WEAR A LEEK ON St.DAVIES' DAY?

Love all the interesting info but the fly saving was the best part. Jimmy is just such a sweet person. Love that that stuff doesn't get edited out.

OOO, Farming...That was not the f-word I thought you were going to say. Which I suppose says more about me then you. Also that Daffodil makes a very bold statement. lol Super glad to be back from the chaos of the past three... five months. :~O Okay off to binge everything I missed. Have a lovely day!

Pfffffffffffft!!!!!!! I had to truly focus after the heroic fly rescue.

I'm not sure about you, but editing Jimmy seems to be very smart 😜 (In all seriousness: I found your channel a few weaks ago and I love it. The great research based informations in combination with your light hearted personality and humor makes it very binge-watchable 😍)

I love this! Really want to get back into Viking re-enactment again now! 😊

"Lars, Lars and Lars" sounds like my family reunions 🤣

Yay for the Wirral! (were I am from, in fact just down the road from the likely sight of Battle of Brunanburh). My dad did his dissertation on the comparative history of the developments of Liverpool and Chester which spent a lot of time looking at the River Dee and how important it was for centuries which is why Chester, the North Wales coast and the obscure little Wirral were so significant during a number of periods including with Vikings, long before the rise of Liverpool and the Mersey. Waterway access is a big deal when talking about a boat faring culture.

Thank you for this. I was always curious about why there never seemed to be much talk about Vikings in Wales!

Loving the different intros to the segments! Scared the crap outta me while getting ready for work but I paid more attention!

Thank you for the video! It was a lot of fun. I wish I could manage a better comment but Im knackered so have a second thank you, and a good day.

Doesn’t surprise me that there were Vikings in Wales and that they intermarried with the locals. I haven’t looked into it but I’m fairly sure my surname (Carl) is derived from the Viking word for man (Karl), and as I’m Welsh, assuming my paternal lineage can’t be traced to elsewhere in Britain in the intervening years between now and the Viking Age and I’m not mistaken in my belief about the name derivation, that would imply if I’m not descended from Vikings that settled in Wales, then at the very least my forefathers would have had to have had close enough ties/dealings with Vikings in Wales for them to pick up the Viking word as an epithet.

God, that ending🤣 😗👌💖

I'm sure the fly was half thrilled with being rescued and half, like, "I was enjoying that...*hic*". An entertaining and informative video, as always. It's so interesting to learn how far people managed to spread with the technologies of the time. Thanks for sharing your insights. Take care.

Fascinating! This was one of my favorite videos you've done. Diolch yn fawr iawn!👍❤️

Jimmy saves a fly!🤣🥳

When you do the phrase could you do it once slowy and then again like a normal speaker?

More! Give us more!

Excellent video Cymry! I want to move back to my homeland.. I am currently stuck in New England North East Pennsylvania across the pond here. I have always felt like I wasn't at home here & our families bloodline is strong! My Great Grandmother migrated to Plymouth Mt. Also known as (Welshmen Hill) in the early 20th century after the loss of her husband. Things have definitely changed for the worse and though the Mt. Communities are very close and the land is beautiful the politics and the corruption in my area especially is atrocious & utterly disgusting. The (Commonwealth) is the most corrupt idea anyone in history has ever come up with lol.

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus.. no accents because .. keyboards .. One of the things I remember from my Great Aunts visits to Canada.. I was afraid to make Welsh cakes for fear of stuffing them all into me today lol. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Sir Benfro has many Viking place names- I grew up in Hubberston (now part of Aberdaugleddau/Milford Haven), Herbrandston is up the road and Yerberston is across the Cleddau. Herbrand, Yerber and Hubber were minor Viking chiefs/princes that settled in the sheltered bays of the Daugleddau in the medieval period. Skomer, Skokholm, gateholm etc. are all islands with Viking names. The church in Hubberston is of Viking origin- you can tell by the arches- they are heavy duty and very unlike the Roman style.

LOVE THE WELSH PHRASE!!!!! I love how much knowledge there is out there. I know a story about a Viking raid and a Celtic cross from long ago, but back in my day, the knowledge was not so free flowing. So when I tried to find the actual facts of the story, I ran up against -- nothing! YAY, Jimmy, love your channel!!

Almost certainly there were Welsh vikings, as in Welsh locals that joined the Norse settlers on raids. Vikings were, as you point out, the furthest thing from insular.

hahaha! Unkle Sven and his nephews Lars, Lars, and Lars! i'm dying!!! thank you for that laugh

Thank you for sharing!

People are always looking for a better job/situation. Opportunity rises and is grasped. The whole point of the guild and other protective systems is to stop 'other' people from horning in on the opportunity. Blacksmith culture is fascinating for that reason. Usually attached to family groups - marriages of apprentices to daughters of the forge are numerous- and the always underlying theme of a cult/religion/magic entwined. I believe that Welsh vikings are inevitable for all the reasons you present, and a knowledge of geo-cultural systems as well.

That hogback looks familiar, I said to myself, then I saw the caption. It's in a churchyard just fifteen minutes from where I live.

I love maps of Viking settlements in the UK. It shows that they really could not be arsed with North East England. Well apart from raiding. It set the attitude from then on really. The last people who took an interest were the Romans.

Just found your channel! I like it. Love all things ancient. I was born in London, lived in America since 99. Not a whole lot of ancient culture here lol your comment about "goat land" reminded me that my younger half sister who is swedish, lives on Gotland Island. I call it Goat land because there's in fact more goats than people there lol she a Celtic Scandanavian, I'm a Celtic Saxon my Mum's German American. All things ancient are cool as hell.

Time flies like an arrow. Fruit Flies like a banana... or a pint, apparently. "Wales: don't even think about it!" :D

Did a reenactment event in Anglesey many years ago

I had my dna done and I am Welsh/Scottish and a little bit Norwegian and trace German. I grew up in New Jersey USA (b.1954) and moved to Minneapolis Minnesota in 1979. My mom was born in Carmarthen, Wales and grew up in Aylesbury (last name Johns). My dad was 3rd generation German raised in Brooklyn, New York and met mom in the UK during the Korean War and they married in the US. I’m convinced the Norwegian part is Viking dna!!! Our family joke was that the only action my dad saw in the war was my mother. 🥰

A day late, but Happy St David's Day!!!

Daffodils barely grow in Colorado :( I miss British Spring.

Quality content!! Love you doing a double take for the fly in your beer again at the end!

Compare the Welsh Corgi to the "Västgötaspets" , this is an old dispute , I think it has been settled that they are not related, the breeds are in different FCI-groups, but ...

Another great video Jimmy,,,ah Bangor happy memories I lived o Anglesey for a short time and myself and two friends would regularly travel to Bangor from Llangaffo to watch Bangor blues band The Duke's,,,,and then walk all the way home 😃

While it was nice of you to rescue the fly, I kept wondering if the fly really wanted to be rescued. After all, he may have been REALLY enjoying himself, swimming around in all that great beer. Just a thought.

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus !! Another amazing video that taught me something new and made me want to go and research everything from history to languages to lovely yellow flowers! 🤓 That’s one of the many reasons I love your content!! 😍 You are a GENIUS man! Keep doing what you do! P.S. An ad played while I was watching the video in between the “then this happened” and the fruit fly rescue. I don’t know how this works, but if it was you who put it exactly there...chef’s kiss!! Got me cackling after my initial “wtf just happened?” reaction 😂

Dai you lovely man Dai !

Very nice and educative video, mate. Cheers