Four thousand years ago a short, black-haired, dark-skinned people spread across the continent of Europe. These people were the Iberians. They were an "Indo-European people who worshipped a fertility goddess and a god of death." They were fierce warriors, and nothing could stop them from their intended spread across Europe. They used highly-developed metal tools to stop those who got in their way and they seemed invincible. They were called by "Keltai" by the Greeks, in honor of their ferocity. At the same time and with the same vigor and vivacity, a second group of people, the Gaels, moved West from North of the Iberians. After centuries of migration, these two peoples met on the British Isles.

It is surprising that two such warrior cultures meshed so cleanly. There is very little evidence of early battle on the British Isles. There are no recorded battles or sites of confrontation. The Iberians and the Gaels lived side-by-side and intermarried, and they both left the native Picts, a non-Indo-European people who had been on the Isles for years, alone according to all ancient accounts (Williams). After centuries, the island that is now Ireland was ruled by a clan of pure-bred Gaels, and the island that is home to Wales, Scotland, and England was governed by a people of mixed Iberian and Gaelic blood, a people who called themselves the Cymry (Celtic Languages).

The Cymry tied together Gaelic and Iberian culture to form a unique set of customs known as the Celtic culture. The people worshipped the god of death, Dagda, and a fertility goddess, Morrigan (Powell 197). Shrines to Dagda were left at peat bogs, and large, single standing stones known as Menhir, "hag stones" in Pre-Old English, were left in honor of Morrigan. The Cymry kept horses for food and drank their milk as cattle were too rare to be eaten and milked regularly. Birds were also not consumed, as they were instead kept for cock-fighting (Powell 134). These peple were tough, religious, and completely tied to their adoptive home.

The Cymry relied mainly on an oral tradition passed from druid to druid. The druids were a group of teachers, religious instructors, and politicians. They oversaw the raising of religious sites, developed a strong magical tradition based upon communication with the deceased, "necromancy," and they taught what they had learned to the community (O'Driscoll100). Most knowledge was passed by word of mouth; a student who desired to be a druid might spend "as many as twenty years in formal school before he was allowed to begin his practice" (O'Driscoll 100). In situations when it was absolutely necessary to record information on stone, the druids made use of a 21-letter alphabet called the "Celtic Ogham" (Celtic Languages). The Ogham was also used as a means of divination, much as the Viking runes were (Celtic Languages). In addition to being scholars, the druids served as politicians, much like today's police officers. They protected the people under a hereditary leader, the chief. Other than this, there was little organized government. The society seemed tobe held together by the learned, the druids.

The Cymry lived in peace on their island, but soon problems arose with the neighboring Gaels. The Gaels had split into two clans, the Féni and the Dési who occupied Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, respectively (Powell 212). Both peoples wanted to colonize the land that is now modern-day Wales, but the Cymry stood in the way. They had already begun losing their land to Anglo-Saxons, and they were not about to lose more of it. When the Dési came across the Celtic Sea and settled in the South of Wales, however, they brought only peaceful tidings. New farming methods and a more flexible Ogham, or alphabet, called the "Beth-Luis-Fearn" were just some of the gifts the Dési brought. The Dési's religious beliefs differed from that of the Cymry, but the two peoples still managed to live together. Again, there was a peaceful meshing of cultures. On the other hand, the Féni, found religious differences with the Cymry to be intolerable, and they believed it was enough to start a war. The Féni moved into North Wales and established as many Gaelic cities as they could. Strathclyde, which is now in modern-day Scotland and was at that point in Cymry lands, was the Féni capital (Powell 213). After a few short years, the Cymry commoners rose up against the Féni tyrants and crushed them, yet the Cymry kept the government the Féni had established, creating the first Pagan aristocracy on the British Isles. Thus all three cultures blended to make one governmental society.

While all of this intermeshing was developing in Wales, the Anglo-Saxons gained power in England. The Anglo-Saxons were a pagan people, but they did not follow the same religion that the Cymry did. The Cymry's Dagda and Morrigan played an important role in their government, but the Anglo-Saxons were more barbaric (Powell 224). As a result of the differences in cultures, they attempted to raid the Cymry once before the Anglo-Saxons were Christianized, and the result was disastrous for the Anglo-Saxons. All the raiding parties were destroyed. The king of the Anglo-Saxons, Offa, built a large earthen structure known as Offa's Dyke. This structure was meant to protect the Anglo-Saxons from further troubles with the Cymry; however, it did not work to their advantage. The Cymry seized the structure and made it their own. They killed off the Anglo-Saxons around the Dyke and claimed the land as their own. All the while, the Cymry nation grew stronger. The druids became famous across the Isles for their learning, and the standard of living was higher than anywhere else on the Isles. This was also the point at which the Welsh received their modern name. They were now known as the wealas - Pre-Old English for "mean-spirited strangers." (Powell 227)

Rome began its dealing with the Welsh years before they conquered Britain in the 1st century a.d. (Celts) The druids' reputation for being skilled sages and magicians had travelled to mainland Europe, and this reputation scared the Romans. The most noteable skirmish is the Anglesey Massacre in a.d. 60. Romans slaughtered an unknown number of druids who had gathered on the shores of the Anglesey for a Samhain, November Eve, ceremony out of fear of their power (O'Driscoll 115). After that, the Romans went on to conquer England, but the Welsh were able to hold them off for forty more years. In a.d. 100, Wales finally subjugated to Rome (O'Driscoll 121).

Life under Roman rule was not too drastically different than life before the conquer. The Welsh still worshipped Dagda and Morrigan, and the standard of living went up (Powell 297). The Welsh aristocracy still worshipped in the Old Ways, and that was enough to keep Wales from losing its religion. Roman religion may have been followed by some common people, but as long as the leaders followed the "Old Ways," the religion grew and prospered.

It was 300 years before Wales underwent a major change. In the 5th century Christianity was declared the official religion of Wales. Idols and statues of Dagda were smashed because of their resemblance to the Roman god Mercury. Churches were built over the site of ancient temples, and the royalty were forced to accept Christianity in name at least. The commoners kept up their pagan tradition, and the Ogham, which had been replaced by a wedge-shaped serif based on Roman cursive, was revived so that holy texts and lore could be recorded in secret. The Cult of Dagda was formed as a way to stay in touch with the Old Ways in secret. The cult members met at peat bogs at night and prayer to Dagda and Morrigan. Many of the noble class was related to the Cult of Dagda. Welsh churches of time were filled with images of a squatting woman next to a horse and a stag - images of Morrigan and Dagda. The Cult was never stopped by the Church because it was so hard to find. The Church could not interpret the Ogham, and the druids were already quite good at hiding. All of the Church could do was preach and hope that it reached some of its listeners. However, it was not as successful as it had hoped it would be.

In the 1260's, the family "ap Gruffydd" succeeded to the throne of Wales. At this point in history, Wales' standard of living was at an all-time low. It was thought that the ap Gruffydds, who would understand the people as they were from peasantry themselves, could bring Wales to the glory it had once known. However, the ap Gruffydds were also members of the Cult of Dagda.

In 1279 Dyfed ap Gruffydd assumed the throne and proclaimed that he would rule Wales in honor of Dagda and Morrigan (History). The Church grew angry. Along Offa's Dyke, which was still being used to mark the boundary between Wales and England, marcher lordships, feudal lordships with extensive militias, were summoned to fight (Wales). It was through these militias that England was finally able to capture Wales. In 1283 Dyfed ap Gruffydd was beheaded and the rest of the ap Gruffydds disappeared (History). Edward I claimed Wales in the name of England. Wales was now a Christian principality of England (History).

In the 17th century, the Bible was translated in its entirity into Welsh, and churches were rebuilt after the secret Dagda-Morrigan worship within their walls was discovered (Williams). Menhir were destroyed, and ancient Ogham-covered stones were smashed, but the standard of living went up. Cattle became less rare, and goats were now popular (O'Driscoll 87). Cock-fighting, though still enjoyed by many, was no longer the sole fate for birds. Schools were built and classes were taught in English as well as in Welsh (O'Driscoll 256). At the end of the 17th century, Celtic culture was on the decline, and Anglo-Saxon culture increased in its acceptance.

In the 1750's, St. David was adopted as the patron saint of Wales (History). The flag, the dragon on the green and white field, was designed (Wales). As education spread, so did the Christian religion. In the late 18th century, the last openly pagan communities, which at this point were only small villages in remote wooded regions - no nobleman had prayed to Dagda or Morrigan in years, became extinct (Williams). Wales could finally say that it was a truly Christian state.

Today, Celtic culture is still on the decline, although it is more alive in Wales than it is anywhere else. Signs are still written in the wedge-shaped serif font. Horses are still kept for food as well as cocks for cock-fighting. Twenty percent of Welshman speak Welsh, which is a much percent than the ten percent that speak Irish, the eight percent that speak Scottish, and the .3% that speak Manx (O'Driscoll 257).

Wales finally became Christian nearly 900 years after its neighbors did. This is partially because of its geography as well as the ferocity of its inhabitants. Though Wales is relatively flat, it lacks the inland rivers that made England so accessable to attacks by river. Offa's Dyke, which was guarded constantly and with the utmost care throughout the years, helped to keep the English away, and the rough waters between Ireland and Wales detered all but the most zealous, the Dési and the Féni. The ferocious ways of the Welsh, however, may have been the most important link in their independence. The Iberians and the Gaels were a warrior people. The Welsh were famous for taking the severed heads of their enemies as trophies. The Welsh loved their way of life, and they were willing to fight for it until the very end. Christianity would certainly reach Wales, but only after massive battles and great spans of Celtic rule.