Golden Dragon of Wales Rises to Life

Explore the vibrant history of Welsh culture, the significance of the golden dragon, and an inspiring vision for Wales that encompasses five kingdoms, fifteen castles, and a modern charter influenced by the Laws of Hywel Dda.

Uniting Five Kingdoms to Create a Singular Wales: The Golden Dragon at Our Heart

I am known as Goldie The Grey.

The mention of gold merits further explanation, while the grey aspect is clear.

What is the story behind that golden dragon?

A narrative is waiting to unfold. So, grab your favourite drink—be it coffee, tea, or perhaps something a bit stronger. Sit back and get ready to dive into the visions I will share through storytelling.

Beginning the Journey of Exploration

One might expect the adventure to kick off with a sword, an ancient prophecy, or a mysterious figure emerging on a tempestuous night.

My journey actually starts with the task of securely digitising my mother’s paperwork for future generations.

This is quite a weighty responsibility, wouldn’t you agree?

Family paperwork often evolves into more than just documents. A name transforms into a question. A branch becomes an adventure. Before long, you find yourself studying a family tree and reflecting on how much of your identity you understood before embarking on this journey.

At some point, my quest evolved far beyond merely finding a home for my mother’s documents.

Uncovering the Names That Bind Us Together

As I trace my lineage, I discover that I am thirty-five generations removed from Rhodri Mawr.

This connection carries weight. Tracing generations is vital, as a family tree signifies more than a mere link between a king and a modern descendant.

There are numerous individuals between us.

Individuals with families to nourish, children to mentor, grief to endure, and decisions to confront.

Individuals whose lives deserve more than a fleeting mention on the way to an illustrious name.

I yearn to learn their stories, too.

I aspire to create space for familial narratives that do not fit neatly into a chart.

For the House of Rhodri, as I am starting to refer to it, is quite unconventional.

A House Abundant in Varied Identities

Witches. Mages. Shamans. Seers. Healers. Empaths. Mystics.

These terms describe facets of the mystical experiences within my family.

Not everyone would use the same vocabulary. Each generation may have interpreted these concepts in unique ways.

I do not suggest that every ancestor left behind documentation confirming their unique gifts.

My mother had enough paperwork to handle as it was.

Nevertheless, these terms are part of the language through which I understand our family: love, intuition, mystical practices, inspiration, care, and experiences that often require more time to articulate than to perceive.

I can share these stories without expecting everyone to interpret them in exactly the same way.

They deserve to be acknowledged on their own merit.

Finding My Own Voice

For me, I define certain experiences as shamanic, while others resonate more with a mage-like essence. Inferred

These terms currently encapsulate my meaning most accurately.

The stories behind them require their own telling. I do not wish to obscure them in borrowed mystery or imply that I have simplified something merely by labelling it as mystical.

This space allows for belief.

This space also welcomes inquiries.

In telling this story, I aim to distinguish between what I remember, what my family has shared with me, what I can verify, and what I perceive through my own mystical encounters.

The golden dragon can embody deep significance without being irrefutable evidence of everything.

Embracing My Kingdom

So, before anyone gets too carried away:

I am not claiming a throne.

I am asserting ownership of a kingdom.

The heavenly kingdom of Wales is the term I use to describe the mystical landscape of this narrative: ancestry, imagination, belonging, and a vision of what could still be achieved.

As Above, So Below.

On the map, this vision begins to take shape.

Gwynedd.

Powys.

Seisyllwg.

Followed by Dyfed and Gwent.

Five Names, Five Colours: A Unified Wales

This map was inspired by an interest in Rhodri’s domain, and the dialogue extends beyond mere history.

The family narrative stretches beyond the initial three coloured regions. As it expanded, so too did the vision.

It is important to clarify this distinction:

We are not rewriting the past while pretending it always appeared in this way.

We are imagining a future.

Our five-kingdom map represents a proposal communicated through narrative and art. Its borders outline an idea rather than a claim that every component once belonged to a singular ruler in a particular historical moment.

The House of Rhodri is the name under which I am assembling this concept.

The Castles Under the Watchful Eye of the Dragon

Then the castles appeared.

If we are to discuss five kingdoms, we must identify the locations within our vision.

Fifteen castles became our initial landmarks.

These are not the only castles in Wales, nor do they define the full extent of the story. They represent fifteen sites from which we can begin weaving the narrative threads.

In Gwynedd, we recognised Caernarfon, Conwy, and Harlech.

In Powys, we identified Powis, Montgomery, and Dolforwyn.

In Seisyllwg, we noted Cardigan, Dinefwr, and Carreg Cennen.

In Dyfed, we acknowledged Pembroke, Carew, and Manorbier.

And in our broader Gwent, we named Caerphilly, Cardiff, and Chepstow.

There they stand.

Fifteen Castles, Five Kingdoms, One Wales

Within our vision of the House of Rhodri, each castle stands beneath the golden dragon.

This is how we position them within the narrative; not by suggesting that they were all built by our ancestors, nor that their histories began with us. Each castle carries its own legacy, and this declaration does not alter its current guardianship or stewardship.

We are envisioning how these sites might belong to a shared future.

Some may enter our family narrative through a memory. Others through an uncharted connection. Some may serve as spaces where we pause, reflect, and consider what we wish the next chapter of Wales to encompass.

Naming them brings the vision closer.

You can mention “five kingdoms” and leave people envisioning nearly anything.

But mention Caernarfon. Mention Dinefwr. Mention Pembroke.

Suddenly, there are destinations to explore, inquiries to make, and stories to uncover.

The map starts to transform into a realm you can navigate.

Which is all well and good.

Before anyone wonders where I plan to keep the keys to fifteen castles (that remains a secret!), I should remind you that this all began with the need to digitise my mother’s documentation.

We are tackling one responsibility at a time.

The Flag that Unifies Our Vision

Then we created a flag for this vision.

For this proposed flag, we retained the white above and the green below, placing a golden dragon at the centre, where the red dragon typically resides. The red dragon signifies primal emotion, a force of will, fire, and ash. We replace it with intention, love, and fearlessness…

The white symbolises the heavens.

The green embodies the earth.

The golden dragon represents our hopes for Wales’ prosperity within our vision of the House of Rhodri.

To me, the colours reflect the belief that God created both the heavens and the earth. They merge the mystical and the terrestrial into a single image.

As Above, So Below.

And beneath that imagery, our guiding principles:

Peace, Prosperity, Patience & Justice Under God.

• Peace – not a demand for unanimous agreement, but a commitment not to impose consensus.

• Prosperity – not wealth concentrated in a few hands, but the flourishing of individuals, communities, culture, and land.

• Patience – because a future worth cultivating cannot simply be summoned into existence by proclamation.

• Justice – because none of the other promises hold much weight if individuals cannot expect fair treatment.

“Under God” expresses my unwavering faith and the accountability I feel within it. Everyone is not required to share my beliefs.

No one should be compelled to profess a religion, accept a mystical assertion, or acknowledge something sacred in the dragon to enjoy equal dignity.

I would raise this flag as an invitation to contemplate a vision.

Not as permission to silence another’s voice.

What Do the Kingdoms Symbolise?

A map serves as an excellent starting point.

It is insufficient as a governing tool.

Eventually, someone is entitled to ask a practical question.

What would this mean for the individuals living here?

That is a valid inquiry.

A golden dragon is visually striking, but it cannot resolve grievances merely by shining more brightly.

The narrative requires a charter.

I do not recognise the current governmental structure as the future I envision for Wales. Yet, dissatisfaction, no matter how deeply felt, is only the beginning of a discussion.

If I am to articulate a different future, I must be prepared to explain it.

Not just who would occupy the centre of the map.

How power would be limited.

How individuals would be heard.

How someone could disagree with the House of Rhodri and still be just as free, just as safe, and just as Welsh as anyone else.

A Modern Charter for a Promising Future

To lay this foundation, we chose to draw inspiration from Cyfraith Hywel … the Laws of Hywel Dda.

This is not a literal restoration of every medieval law.

It is a contemporary charter grounded in that legacy, meticulously examined and tailored for the people who would live under it today.

This is the proposal we have begun to articulate.

No longer the Laws of the Sea, we demand the Laws of the Land …

Equal dignity.

Freedom of conscience.

Freedom of speech.

Leadership that is accountable for its decisions.

Justice that strives to remedy harm where possible while safeguarding those who have been injured.

Care for the land, the water, the minerals, the language, the traditions, and the places entrusted to us.

A meaningful voice for individuals throughout all five kingdoms.

These are commitments we must honour in practice, not mere phrases to place beneath an attractive image.

The charter must allow for individuals whose beliefs differ from mine.

There must be space for the mystic and the sceptic, the religious and the agnostic, the person who finds significance in the dragon and the individual who appreciates the artistry.

No one should need to share my mystical understanding to possess equal rights.

Justice Within the Castles

Within this proposed future, the castles would serve a purpose beyond their geographical location.

We envision them as venues for courts: places where justice is administered within the communities they serve.

This is not the current judicial system with a new flag hung above its entrance, but a proposed alternative whose authority would derive from an agreed charter and laws established openly with the consent of the people.

Our aim would be for all courts to convene within castle settings, wherever conservation, safety, and accessibility could be harmonised with that purpose. If a location could not accommodate an operating court, suitable facilities would need to be considered without compromising the site we wish to honour.

Because a symbol is ineffective for justice if access is restricted.

Judgment would be entrusted to peers within the community governed by the new laws we propose.

“the community” must never become another term for the loudest voices within it.

A person should not lose a case because they are unpopular, unfamiliar, impoverished, or different.

Knowledge of someone’s reputation must not be confused with understanding the evidence.

The charter would need explicit protections: impartial selection, the removal of anyone with a conflict of interest, independent legal counsel, and a fair opportunity for each party to present their case.

Anyone accused would be presumed innocent unless the evidence against them meets the legal standard. They would retain the right to comprehend the accusation, receive legal aid, contest the evidence, and pursue an independent appeal.

Those who report harm would deserve safety, dignity, and support throughout the process.

Decisions must be accompanied by justifications.

The laws themselves should be public, comprehensible, and open to scrutiny and revision through agreed procedures.

No one—not a leader, not a relative, nor the founder of this vision—would have the authority to dictate a verdict.

Including me.

Especially if I happen to be standing beneath a particularly impressive dragon at the time.

Where harm can be rectified, the court would seek meaningful restoration. Where protection is necessary, it must be provided. Forgiveness may be freely offered, but never demanded from someone who has suffered.

This is the justice I aspire for these castle courts to pursue.

Not spectacle.

Not vengeance.

Responsibility, fairness, and a path forward.

These proposals envision a potential future, not courts we can establish simply by declaring their existence. Until any changes are legally instituted, the vision would not replace existing courts or relieve anyone of their current legal obligations.

The Meaning Behind a House

When I use the term “House,” I intend it to convey a sense of responsibility.

My ancestry may help explain why I embarked on this journey. It does not elevate my worth above those alongside me.

It does not exempt me from the law.

And it cannot, by itself, grant me authority over those who have not chosen it.

Any future political structure would require the freely expressed consent of the populace, achieved through peaceful and lawful means.

Otherwise, we would have delineated five kingdoms without addressing the most critical question:

Whose home are we referring to?

Wales is already home to individuals with their own lives, beliefs, aspirations, and conflicts.

A meaningful vision must accommodate them.

The House, as I envision it, must be capable of listening as well as speaking.

If its proposals do not withstand scrutiny, then those proposals require further refinement.

Awakening to New Realities

When I declare the Golden Dragon of Wales is awake, I am naming the awakening that resides at the core of this narrative.

My growing focus on family.

My quest for a language that encapsulates mystical experiences.

My desire to envision a Wales organised around belonging, responsibility, and justice.

The dragon serves as the symbol that unifies these elements.

Its awakening does not serve as proof that I possess all the answers.

It marks the commencement of my inquiry into how I intend to engage with these questions.

What does my ancestry demand of me?

What does my faith require in terms of how I treat those who do not share it?

What am I prepared to alter in my vision after listening to another’s perspective?

These questions are as integral beneath the flag as any declaration.

Our Current Position in the Narrative

This is where we currently stand.

A lineage being traced.

My mother’s research.

My own attempts to articulate experiences that hold significance for me.

Five kingdoms illustrated on a map.

Fifteen castles identified within the vision.

A proposed flag of white, green, and gold.

And the inception of a charter: a document to discuss, test, question, and refine.

There remains much that I do not yet know.

This is not a justification for fabricating the missing elements.

It is a call to continue seeking.

They call me Goldie The Grey.

The gold requires explanation.

The grey is self-explanatory.

If you arrived here expecting a demand for a throne, you may have to settle for a family narrative, a proposed charter, and an ambitious map.

All of which commenced with the quest to find a suitable place to store and digitise my mother’s research.

Peace, Prosperity, Patience & Justice Under God.

As Above, So Below.

The Golden Dragon of Wales is Awake.