My older son Christopher has a Welsh dragon tattooed on the inside part of his lower arm. He mentioned it only afterwards, so I was unable to talk him out of it. Parents can be such boors sometimes. For the life of me I can't remember which arm — the patronymic one, I suppose. Of course, his father is only half Welsh, which makes him a quarter Welsh. Still, he was looking for a connection to the world, and there are far worse things than being connected.
I saw the exact same bright red tattoo on the upper arm of a gorgeous barista wearing a sleeveless blouse at Linaea's Coffee House in San Luis Obispo a few years ago. I asked if she was Welsh. "Am I what?" she replied. "Welsh. That's a Welsh dragon, isn't it?" "Oh, yeah," she said, sort of half-remembering. "They had a whole bunch of them, but I really liked this one the best."
I saw the exact same bright red tattoo on the upper arm of a gorgeous barista wearing a sleeveless blouse at Linaea's Coffee House in San Luis Obispo a few years ago. I asked if she was Welsh. "Am I what?" she replied. "Welsh. That's a Welsh dragon, isn't it?" "Oh, yeah," she said, sort of half-remembering. "They had a whole bunch of them, but I really liked this one the best."
My dad has alway's been into comparative religion and literature. He studies constantly no matter what subject. Folklore and mythology was a big part of his studies.
It gave me opportunities to enjoy my own subjects, History and timelines, who did what and when. King Arthur was the first to wave the red dragon, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. One of the first books I read as a child and finished. He was in search of the Holy Grail, and so was I, and have been ever since.
It seems to me that the Welsh play a part, with an attitude that being Welsh is a feeling that stems from being a free man, free from the British rule, people of the land. I could could go on and on, but this isn't a History lesson or a biography. God tattooed a birth mark on my stomach for some good reason, so that gives me the right to tattoo my badge of freedom on my arm, something that is not History, something that is now.
Roles in America, the pagan tradition, Christmas, all the singing, prayers and joys, those are Welsh tradition. I'm an American with roots in Wales. I was born a Jones and I'm proud of my dad and what the Welsh believe. I believe as an American that the same feelings and rebel beliefs intertwine, that bring me liberty.
The French brought us liberty also, in more ways than one. I am part French. Maybe France will be next.
Thanks for listening,
chris