The Physicians of Myddai is a small museum in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Wales. The museum traces the native Welsh tradition of herbal medicines and the great plant medicine traditions of the world such as the Mediterranean, Africa, China and the Americas.
These illustrations are part of an interactive book within the museum's exhibition containing original ancient manuscripts, along with legends and stories tracing the histories of the Physicians of Myddfai. They tell the story of The Lady of the Lake.
The Lady of the Lake
The Carmarthenshire village of Myddfai is considered to be the birthplace of modern medicine. According to legend, a dynasty of herbalists known as the Physicians of Myddfai lived and worked here in the 11th and 12th centuries. Some believed they had magical powers.
The 14th century Red Book of Hergest, one of the most ancient manuscript volumes in existence, contains the tale of The Lady of the Lake, set beside Llyn-y-Fan Fach, the lake below the peak of Black Mountain in the west of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
According to the story, a Carmarthenshire farmer once saw a beautiful woman sitting on a rock in Lyn-y-Fan Fach. A woman with magical powers. After three attempts to woo her, she agreed to marry him. They had three sons, and as the sons grew up it became clear that they had inherited their mother's magical knowledge and powers. These sons were to become the first in a long line of great healers.
These illustrations are part of an interactive book within the museum's exhibition containing original ancient manuscripts, along with legends and stories tracing the histories of the Physicians of Myddfai. They tell the story of The Lady of the Lake.
The Lady of the Lake
The Carmarthenshire village of Myddfai is considered to be the birthplace of modern medicine. According to legend, a dynasty of herbalists known as the Physicians of Myddfai lived and worked here in the 11th and 12th centuries. Some believed they had magical powers.
The 14th century Red Book of Hergest, one of the most ancient manuscript volumes in existence, contains the tale of The Lady of the Lake, set beside Llyn-y-Fan Fach, the lake below the peak of Black Mountain in the west of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
According to the story, a Carmarthenshire farmer once saw a beautiful woman sitting on a rock in Lyn-y-Fan Fach. A woman with magical powers. After three attempts to woo her, she agreed to marry him. They had three sons, and as the sons grew up it became clear that they had inherited their mother's magical knowledge and powers. These sons were to become the first in a long line of great healers.
