Visit Ammanford Library – You Won’t Be Boar-Ed!
A wild willow boar created by the people of Ammanford is now on show at the town’s library.
The boar was created for the popular Twrch Trwyth Festival which took place in September.
Ammanford takes as its emblem the wild boar or ‘Y Twrch Trwyth’, from the legend that King Arthur had hunted wild boar in the Amman valley.
Y Twrch Trwyth is also the emblem of a number of organisations and groups including Ammanford Cricket Club, Twrch Trwyth Motorcycle group and Amman Valley School.
The account of Arthur’s boar hunt comes from the story of Culwch and Olwen; it is the first written record of Arthur and can be read in the Mabinogion, a medieval collection of Welsh myths and legends
At the festival, people were given the opportunity to help create a boar with the support of willow weaver Cassandra Lishman.
The willow was part of Cassandra’s own crop and was soaked in water for five days prior to use.
A basic frame was constructed by Cassandra and visitors then wove the willow strands through the frame to create the boar.
A number of different types of willow were used hence the different colours throughout the weave.
The boar is on display in Ammanford Library from now until the end of the month along with information as to how it was created.
Executive board member for libraries Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “The boar is a wonderful creation by the people of Ammanford, it symbolises the rich history and heritage of the area.
“I hope people go along to see the boar and also to discover all the other facilities the library has to offer.”
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