Roots Of The Past - Episode 4

In this deeply personal and evocative episode of 'Roots Of The Past', Dilwyn the Bard commemorates eight years since the passing of his mentor, Fenra, with a moving pilgrimage to Fenra’s Oak near Little Bol*ock. Interwoven with wit, original music, and honest reflection, Dilwyn unpacks the profound legacy of Fenra—a high-ranking Druid, healer, and teacher whose influence stretches far beyond his years, anchoring modern seekers to the ancient Welsh-Irish tradition.

Listeners are invited on a journey threaded with nostalgia as Dilwyn wrestles with grief, unfinished bardic training, and lessons that, heartbreakingly, went untaught. The oak itself—planted with Fenra’s ashes and descended from the fabled Merlin’s line in Carmarthen—stands as a living symbol of memory, continuity, and the ever-renewing cycles of nature. Through stories of ritual, myth, and the unseen connections binding roots and people alike, Dilwyn finds wisdom, gentleness, and gentle acceptance in the rhythms of the land and the ties that endure across generations.

Amidst the countryside of Derbyshire, you’ll encounter wild flora, the ancient mystique of the oak, and the lightness of spirit that brings solace even in loss. Dilwyn also shares the madcap joys and challenges of teaching (complete with a saga of chocolate-fuelled chaos and an original song for class 9SDE), and salutes everyday heroics, including a mate’s ultramarathon tenacity.

Blending heartfelt storytelling, folklore, poetry, and humour, this episode draws you into a sacred grove where history lives on in the soil, laughter mingles with sorrow, and every listener is gently reminded that our roots—and the marks we leave—carry forward into the world.

Join Dilwyn beneath Fenra’s Oak for comfort, inspiration, and the resilience to weather your own storms, as the echoes of the past continue to guide us all.