Dear Readers,
Does this date mean anything to you? Remember what you were doing on that Saturday?
Why That Day?
The 7th day of September. It seems an unlikely date to zoom in on. Â Not a national holiday or seasonal beginning. Not an anniversary or a birthday. And yet, in a sense, it was precisely the latter. For on that day, I acquired a new name.
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A Dramatic Beginning
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It all started one November day in 2017, during the few minutes when Amanda Cadabra and Thomas Trelawney were born. In a moment, I knew, and to this day, I have no idea why, or why the name Trelawney came to my friend’s mind (credit where it’s due), that they were Cornish.
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Within days, perhaps even hours, I knew that my new magical spell language would be half Old English and half … wait for it … Cornish. A year after the first Amanda Cadabra book, The Hidey-Hole Truth, was released, having used Cornish and the Cornish background, I felt moved to begin learning that Celtic tongue. A journey of 5 years had begun.
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A Lifetime Red Letter
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I passed all of the Cornish language grade exams, became a support teacher, and promoted Cornwall and Cornish through the books and the website. And then, one day, the letter arrived, inviting me to become a Bard of the Cornish Gorsedh. Amanda had led me to what was to become the best day (so far) of my life. It was marked by an honour I had never imagined and meeting dear friends face-to-face for the first time.
The Gorsedh?
This organisation dates back a century and is based on the Welsh Gorsedh, which is far older. The website gorsedhkernow.org.uk explains, ‘Gorsedh Kernow – the Gorsedh of the Bards of Cornwall – exists to maintain the national Celtic spirit of Cornwall. The tradition of preserving Celtic history and culture through poetry, song, dance, music, art and spoken word stretches back to the storytellers – the Bards of ancient Celtic countries.’ You can find out far more here.
People from all over the world have and do become invited to be Bards. In my own initiates group of 2024, there were citizens from the US and Australia who were actively promoting Cornish culture and links with Cornwall. And I met them both in person, in unusual circumstances. That’s going into a short story, to be published in an anthology next year, so more news of that to come in due course.
The Sword
New bards are initiated at special annual gathering of the Gorsedh at Callington. According to legend, this was the seat of the court of King Arthur. The Gorsedh gathers under the sheathed sword of peace that represents Excalibur. Once initiated they are permitted to wear the headdress and take their seat in the great circle. Until then, we had to stand lining the entrance to the circle as the procession entered, holding our headdresses. As you see here, bards are robed in blue. The Lady of Cornwall is bringing a symbol of the land’s bounty to the Grand Bard, with dancing girls in attendance. They were a huge hit, needless to say. You can see photographs here
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It is the most important cultural occasion in the Cornish year. Bards and guests gather from all over the world. Present are dignitaries, including the Grand Bards and Deputy Grand Bards of the Cornish and Welsh Gorsedhs, Cornish MPs, the Town Crier of Callington, and the press.
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So when you are called upon, as initiates are, to swear upon the Sword allegiance to Cornwall as a Celtic nation, you’d better mean it. And we did. That part of the ceremony over, we were then invited into the circle and, one by one, called to the Grand Bard.
The Moment
Finally, I receive my Bardic name, as The Grand Bard announces it to the assembled Gorsedh: ‘Kelyn An Hwedhler: Holly the Storyteller.’
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The headdress was placed upon my head, and a steward showed me to my seat in the circle. Perhaps you can imagine my thoughts and feelings as I sat there under a Cornish heaven at the culmination of that 5-year journey of which you have been a part, a journey that has brought me new friends, a new language, new inspiration and at last, a new sense of belonging. The ceremony was recorded live and my special moment is at timestamp 57: 56. If you’d like to read the whole story, I’ve told it in far more detail to my treasured subscribers, as that’s where I share things that are more personal, private or pre-release. You can join here or write to me at hollybell@amandacadabra.com.
What Followed: Something For You
One of the many wonderful things that came out of that day was a new friendship with the photographer who took that photo of me, which is now my all-time favourite of myself, James Kitto. I went in search of James’s website and Facebook page, to be stunned by the beauty of his work. I can now share this with you, as I am given permission to start using his images on this website. But much more than that … in James’s new 2025 calendar, ‘My Beautiful Cornwall.’ You can order it here.
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Next time, I will be bringing you an interview with James about his special connection to Cornwall, its creative inspiration and insights into becoming a photographer. James Kitto’s calendar marks the bright of the new Shop page, which will be added to over the coming weeks, and I’ll announce those additions as they arrive. I promise you’ll like them!
Learn Cornish
If this has inspired you to dip toe into this Celtic language and join the growing number of learners and speakers, you can find out more about the class I support-teach with Linda Beskeen here: https://amandacadabra.com/beginner-cornish-course-with-holly/
New Book, and Can You Guess?
Yes, I can now confirm a new book will be coming your way in the new year. I will be revealing its title, cover and more over the coming week. It is a trilogy of three short stories, set in the 1950s, each of which is a backstory of one of the supporting cast of the Amanda Cadabra series, beginning with Gwendolen – a Philip Rayke Mystery, currently free to download here. The second is entitled Moffat – a Philip Rayke Mystery, and the third … see if you can get it from this list!
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Finally
This is an opportunity for me to express my appreciation to every one of you who has encouraged me on my Cornish journey in particular, as I came up to exams, took and passed them. Thank you for cheering me on to where I am today.
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Back soon.
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Happy Beginning of December,
Holly
PS If you want to start the series now:
