Gwyddbwyll, a Chess-type game from ancient epics Articles / History, Legend & Myth Posted by Makarios on Mar 08, 2010 - 02:00 PM Considered a “lost Game”, Fidchell appears in several ancient Irish epics and chronicles. Under the name of Gwyddbwyll it also appears in the Welsh Mabinogion and seems to have been held in peculiar reverence throughout the British Isles. The playing of Fidchell was essentially a royal pursuit, restricted to the nobility and druids, as they often prove their noble rank by showing they can play the game. Also that the boards were sometimes, despite the game’s name, made of gold or silver and set with precious stones; and that it was believed that sometimes the game could magically play by itself. Besides being an intellectual pastime for the nobility, Fidchell had a prophetic dimension, echoes of which linger in the Mabinogion account of King Arthur’s game with Owein in the midst of battle. This article is from WiccanWeb.ca   http://www.wiccanweb.ca/ The URL for this story is:   http://www.wiccanweb.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=26483