| “Anhraethol, Y Tu Hwnt i Eiriau. Experience the Oldest Language of This Island” |
Aderyn/ Bird |
| Harebell Tellers , George Mackay Brown Library, Edinburgh , September 3, 2026 |
The description read:“Atop a far-off mountain, birds gather to perch on the fate-shaping hands of an old mountain man – stories stirring in the murmuration, waiting to glide into the human world. “In this Harebell Tellers production, traditional storytellers Ailsa Dixon and Ffion Phillips follow the flight paths of bird mythology across ancient Britain; oceans, forests, in and out of this world and that. Weaving together Welsh and Scots language, music and story into a meditative hour of storytelling magic, breathing new life into ancient myths and re-enchanting old folktales.” From an audience member: "If you want to experience the most beautiful and oldest language 'Cymraeg' of this island 'Prydain' with it's mythical tales of Branwen from the book of the 'Mabinogion' then this is the show for you. “What makes it unique is its fusion with Alba (Scotland). Without storytelling through music none of these languages would have survived and even now Celtic languages are still on the endangered list. Each generation is given the weight of responsibility to honour what our ancestors have left us and to pass it on to the next. “The 'Mabinogion' is some of the most complex text out there, but these two took it on, and turned it into something that we all could understand and enjoy. Llongyfarchiadau eto/ massive congratulations!” * * * * All Edinburgh Theatre was there: “Aderyn/Bird is a wondrous escape backwards into the ancient and mythological roots of the British Isles. Scottish instrumentalist Ailsa Dixon and Welsh guitarist/storyteller Ffion Phillips share an anthology of eerily familiar folk tales like long buried artifacts, freshly uncovered. “The show’s bilingual title is named after the central figure piece of each tale. Here, starlings gossip and wrens hitch a lift on the backs of eagles, redstarts are so called because they carry fire in their wings, and owls are revered among their kind as so-called “great thinkers”. “The stories are as nostalgic and bittersweet as a warm cup of herbal tea on a rainy day. It’s altogether lovely. “It is difficult to do justice to Dixon and Phillips’ storytelling: their spoken word swoops and soars with each emotive swell in their stories, as a softly sung musical motif binds each tale together. Like a dance, when one leads, the other supports with instrumentation. The music tenderly grants each tale a heartbeat and pulse. The characters speak through Phillips in Cymraeg but even to audience members unfamiliar with the language, the emotional resonance translates beautifully. Their storytelling thrums with life.” “There is magic to be discovered here.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://www.alledinburghtheatre.com/aderyn-bird-the-harebell-tellers-scottish-storytelling-centre-edfringe-2026-review/ * * * * The Fringe Review was there: “These calming, soothing tales and songs are charmingly told by the engaging Ffion Phillips and Ailsa Dixon, who take turns accompanying one another on cello and guitar. “...These folkloric and mythological bird stories take us across ancient Britain and, as we travel, our journey is interlaced with chirps, twitters and gentle whispers of Welsh and Scots languages. The bilingual element is not presented as something that needs explaining; instead, the different sounds and rhythms of the languages become part of the musical texture of the performance. “...This meditative hour lulls its audience from one story into another as we hear of eagles, owls, wrens, sparrows and geese who are just some of the Aves of over 2,000 recognised genera across all living bird families. It becomes easy to picture the vividly described murmuration, the powerfully beating wings and the devastating plummet towards the Earth as the storytelling is animated with hand gestures, movement, facial expression and changes in tone of voice and intonation. “...There is something particularly pleasing about being asked simply to listen. In an environment where so much Fringe performance competes for attention through volume, movement and visual stimulation, Aderyn / Bird takes the opposite approach. It trusts that a well-told story can create its own imagery, and that an audience is capable of filling in the spaces between the words. The result is a gentle invitation to slow down and allow the stories to take flight. “....The stories themselves have the quality of folklore: strange, beautiful, sometimes unsettling and often difficult to separate entirely from the natural world. Birds become more than simply creatures within the tales; they carry messages, memories and connections between different places and states of being. The show’s journey moves between forests, oceans and other worlds, drawing on the rich folklore of these islands. Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://fringereview.co.uk/review/edinburgh-fringe/2026/aderyn-bird/ * * * * Another reviewer from All Edinbutgh Theatre was there: “Edinburgh’s Ailsa Dixon and Welsh storyteller Ffion Philips, together known as the Harebell Tellers, enchant the Scottish Storytelling Centre...Weaving together mythology, folklore, and language from across the archipelagic Celtic nations, the pair create a captivating hour of bardic wonder. “...Harebell’s tale begins on a mountain on the Isle of Skye in a cave, where a woman (if woman is the right word for what she is) is singing and milking a great deer. She is a’ Chailleach, hen fenyw, old woman; the Cailleach, a deity of the land and the weather. “...It is these birds whose stories Dixon and Philips tell, following their flights across ancient Britain and beyond. “How dryw/wren became the king of the birds and gained his bent-up tail, wondering if Lleu Llaw Gyffes knew he was firing at the little sovereign of the trees; how the princess Gŵydd/Goose saved her seven transformed brothers from their mother’s accidental curse; how drudwen/starling carried Branwen’s plea, dros y tonnau/over the waves from Ireland to her brother Bendigeidfran, Brân the Blessed, to free her from Matholwch her husband. "Last of all we are transported to Tír na nÓg, where tiny tingoch/redstart seeks to Ffraid, Bríde, Brigid, for fire to bring to bring to humans in the winter cold, explaining both how fire came to Alba for the first time, and how redstart got his bright feathers. “...Dixon and Philips have that spark of magic that guarantees the tradition of storytelling tradition will endure; something anhraethol, y tu hwnt i eiriau/inexpressible, beyond words. They are bearers of a fire that, like Ffraid’s cloak, will not soon go out. Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://www.alledinburghtheatre.com/aderyn-bird-harebell-tellers-scottish-storytelling-centre-edfringe-2025-review/ |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
This review has been read 45 times |
