A Philatelic Tour of Wales
- ronniesramblings
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 2
Part 1
The Daffodil, the Leek and the Dragon
The origins of the daffodil as a Welsh emblem is obscure but probably arose at the beginning of this century. The daffodil was incorporated in the definitive of George VI (including 10/- and £1.00 of the 1939 high values) and Elizabeth II until 1967 and also 4d and 1/3 stamps commemorating the Coronation of Elizabeth II.
The traditional plant as a Welsh emblem is the leek, legend has it that during the battle of the Welsh against Saxons at Heathfield in 633, the Welsh wore a leek (probably the wild variety) in their caps in order to recognise one another in the heat of the battle, as they won the battle the leek was adopted as a good luck symbol.
Shakespeare makes a mention of its Welsh connections in Henry V; “If your majesties is remembered of it, the Welshman did goot service in a garden where leeks did grow, wearing leeks in their Monmouth caps: which, your Majesty knows, this hour is an honourable padge of the service; and I do believe, your Majesty takes no mourn to wear the leek upon Saint Tavy’s Day”.
In 1958 the General Post Office issued “regional” or “country” stamps for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Welsh 3d, 4d, 1/3 and 1/6 values incorporated the leek and the dragon in their designs and the 6d and 9d contained just the dragon.
Vortigen, an ancient Romano-British king, adopted the dragon as his symbol. He chose the site of Dinas Emrys (Snowdonia) to build a Welsh stronghold against the Saxons, but every night the foundation stones laid during the day disappeared. Vortigern’s wizards said he must kill a young boy born to a virgin and spill the boy’s blood on the mortar holding the stones together. Eventually such a boy was found and he was brought to Dinas Emrys. However, the boy said the stones kept disappearing because Vortigen was trying to build the site on an underground lake where the dragons slept, one red and one white. Diggings proved the boy right but the dragons were none too pleased at being woken and started fighting one another. Eventually the red dragon won, the boy predicted this to mean the eventual victory of Wales over England and so Vertigen adopted the red dragon as his symbol. The boy is said to have been Merlin, King Arthur’s wizard.
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