A BRYNAMMAN man has created a fun card game based on Welsh mythology and legends.
Eifion Rogers created the card game alongside business partner David Daniel with the hope of getting more people interested in and learning about Welsh mythology.
The idea came after Mr Rogers went on holiday to Athenry in Ireland in 2018. “I was talking to an elderly woman who was involved in the church and we started talking about the story of Athenry,” he told the South Wales Guardian.
“I thought I knew the story but I got it completely wrong and so she educated me on it and we were talking about folklore and mythology.
“She told me about how many centuries ago, they found an old book in the church which they told the children to go home and ask their oldest relative for the oldest story they knew.
“They made a book out of them with the children writing and drawing the stories. I thought something like that could be done for Wales.
“Game of Thrones has got nothing on Wales when it comes to mythology.”
So initially, Mr Rogers thought about creating a book on the myths of Wales but then it escalated to the card game after he met business partner David and the pair began to work on the card game.
They initially had no budget and set up an IndieGoGo page which saw more than 180 backers donated more than £3,000, passing the original £2,000 target to create the game and have already sold more than 400 sets.
The game – called Welsh Legends/Cardiau Chwedlau - is played in a Top Trumps style and has a wide range of characters from Welsh mythology including the Lady of the Lake, Merlin, the Mari Lwyd, the Black Nun of Llangrannog and many more and has backing from sponsors including Welsh jewellers Rhiannon.
It is hoped that the game will inspire children across Wales to learn more about Welsh mythology, something Mr Rogers believes is not taught enough in school and there are currently two schools taking part in a pilot for the game. The cards are in both English and Welsh which means that no matter whether players are Welsh or English speakers or Welsh learners, they will be able to enjoy the game.
He wants any schools in Wales, across the Celtic nations, in Welsh-speaking communities such as Patagonia, to get involved with the card game and spreading the nation’s mythology.
There are also plans for many more decks to be released due to the number of legends and myths in Wales and the cards will be interchangeable, meaning you can play with a deck of 32 which can be mixed from the releases.
Welsh Legends/Cardiau Chwedlau is available to buy at https://www.cardsofwales.com/
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