Hope & the Red Dragon

1,501 words

I have always wanted to visit Wales. Ever since I was a kid I was fascinated with the Welsh flag, known in Welsh as “Y Ddraig Goch,” which means “the red dragon.” The red dragon on the Welsh flag has become a symbol of Wales and all things Welsh. Furthermore, the mythology and history of this dragon have given the Welsh people an identity and a shared hope for the future. Since my plans to visit friends in Wales have been postponed this year, I’ve been reminded of just how important it is to have things to look forward to in the future, particularly for nationalists and white advocates.

Throughout my childhood, my parents always gave me video games for Christmas. One of the video games I got for Christmas was Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? For those unfamiliar, Carmen Sandiego was a computer game series for kids that required players to solve clues relating to history and geography to catch the main villain, Carmen Sandiego. The game came with a physical almanac, and you had to look up various national flags to progress through the game. Nearly every time I played that game and looked through the almanac, I always noticed the Welsh flag because it had a red dragon on it. I would stare in awe of that dragon with its pointed tongue, majestic wings, and curly tail.

The history of this dragon goes back hundreds of years. The History of the Britons is a ninth-century chronicle of the Celtic Britons attributed to the Welsh monk Nennius. The chronicle tells the story of a red dragon and a white dragon fighting each other underground. While the white dragon appears dominant at times, the red dragon eventually wins the battle. In this story, the white dragon represents the invading Saxons of the fifth century while the red dragon represents the Celtic Britons.

The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth is a 12th-century source that mixed history and mythology. It is famous for being the first known account of the wizard named Merlin. It is here that Merlin makes various prophecies, one of which is a battle between a red dragon and a white dragon. Merlin prophesies that the red dragon would defeat the white dragon and that the victory of the red dragon would be aided by a future king by the name of Arthur.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote extensively on how The Mabinogion influenced some of the lore and languages of Middle-Earth. The Mabinogion is a loose collection of Welsh mythology and folklore throughout the ages that were translated and compiled by Lady Charlotte Guest between 1838 to 1845. One of the folk stories she added in the collection was the famous Welsh tale of Lludd and Llefelys. In this tale, Lludd and Llefelys are brothers who must find the cures to three plagues. One of the plagues is caused by a red dragon fighting a white dragon underground. The brothers come up with a plan to lure the dragons to a fort in Wales called Dinas Emrys and get them to fall asleep by drinking mead. Naturally, the red dragon defeats the white dragon in the fort; then falls asleep atop him.

The red dragon has also been used on the flags and banners of some important events in Welsh history. Owain Glyndwr can be thought of as the Welsh version of William Wallace. In 1400, Glyndwr used the dragon on his banners during his revolt against the occupation of Wales by the English. In 1485 Henry Tudor used the red dragon on his banners at the Battle of Bosworth Fields against Richard III. Despite being outnumbered, Henry defeated Richard III. After the battle, Henry took the red dragon banner to St Paul’s Cathedral.

The colors of the House of Tudor were often green and white, and from that time, those two colors have been present on most versions of the Welsh flag. The current version of the flag was standardized in 1959 and shows the same white and green background. The only major change to the dragon on the flag is that the modern depiction has the dragon’s tail curling up.

Last year, I met two guys from Wales who have become very good friends of mine. I met the first guy at one of the Scandza Forum events. After these events, various groups go out to dinner at local restaurants, and I ended up sitting next to a guy who lives in Wales. We started talking about the characteristics of the Welsh language and stayed in touch ever since. We were making plans to meet in Wales and that we would sightsee around Cardiff and the outlying area. We had three days of sightseeing planned, the highlight being a visit to Cardiff Castle.

I met the other person from Wales at a heavy metal festival in Finland. He had a Moonblood shirt on, and since they are one of my favorite black metal bands, I complimented him on his shirt and started chatting with him. He explained that he was from Wales but that he lived in the countryside away from Cardiff. We also stayed in touch and were making plans for me to visit him. Along with showing me the castles and ruins in his area, he also offered to take me to a local Welsh brewery and restaurant that served traditional Welsh food. So naturally, we had a few days planned for sightseeing, drinking Welsh beer, and eating rarebit, cawl, and Welsh cakes for dessert.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our plans had to be postponed. I even tried to reschedule the flights a few months out, but even the rescheduled flights were canceled by the airlines. I apologized to both of my friends and told them that once this virus goes away and travel restrictions are lifted, I would be searching for the next available flights to Wales to visit them. At first, my friends appeared hopeful. As time went on, my friends seemed less optimistic, and with good reason. After all, this pandemic has destroyed entire industries, numerous jobs, and the livelihood of countless people. Sometimes there are more important things to worry about than sightseeing.

Within the next few weeks, various countries will be re-opening certain businesses and sectors of society. The big question looming in the back of my mind is whether things will ever get back to normal (or at least what was considered normal in December 2019)? Or have we reached a point where certain aspects of our lives will be forever changed? Will airline flights still be affordable and available to the average person? Will there still be family-owned restaurants and bars to visit in small towns?

I’ve been extremely fortunate in my life to always have things to look forward to. As a kid, I always looked forward to spending Christmas with my family. Throughout my 20s I always looked forward to attending the next heavy metal concert and festival. Within the last two years, I have always looked forward to the next nationalist event and conference. Simply put, having things to look forward to has helped me stay positive and motivated throughout the various periods of my life.

Our enemies want us to be depressed and hopeless. Don’t give the anti-whites what they want. Even in these tough times, I want you to stay happy and positive. I want you to find those things that give your life meaning and purpose. I want you to always look forward to things in your life. We all know the challenges we face, but staying motivated and having hope for a better tomorrow is one small solution that all of us can take part in. We can look forward to the content our people are creating online every day. We can look forward to the nationalist conferences and events our people are arranging for the future. We can look forward to a time where white people can stand up for their lands, sovereignty, and identity. An unashamed, unapologetic, and positive white identity.

I hope this virus goes away and that things can get back to normal. Nevertheless, I always prefer to hope for the best and be prepared for the worst. I look forward to finally traveling to Wales and visiting my friends there. I look forward to visiting all the historic castles and trying all the welsh dishes at the local pubs. I look forward to meeting more white advocates and nationalists at the next event. And if for any reason these things never happen, it’s ok.

I still have hope and inspiration from the red dragon.

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