Croeso i gyfres 3 Yr Hen Iaith! Agorwn y gyfres newydd hon trwy drafod dechreuadau’r Diwygiad Methodistaidd yng Nghymru, mudiad a fyddai’n cael effaith anferthol ar y traddodiad llenyddol Cymraeg. Nodwn fod y mudiad crefyddol wedi dod i Gymru ar yr union adeg ag yr oedd yn troi’n fudiad trawsatlantig, gydag un o’r arweinwyr Seisnig, George Whiftield, yn cael ei gofio gan rai fel ‘tad ysbrydol America’ (er ei fod yn ddyn drwg iawn ym marn Jerry Hunter!).

Yn arwyddocaol iawn o safbwynt llenyddiaeth, roedd gwedd lythrennog iawn ar Fethodistiaeth Gymreig gynnar; er nad aeth yr un ohonynt i brifysgol, roedd yr arweinwyr cynnar – Hywel (neu Howell) Harris, Daniel Rowland a William Williams Pantycelyn – wedi derbyn addysg safonol iawn. Gwyddom lawer am Howell Harris gan ei fod yn ysgrifennu cymaint – mae agos at 300 o’i ddyddiaduron a llawer o’i lythyrau personol wedi goroesi hefyd. Un o gefnogwyr Cymreig cynnar y diwygiad oedd Griffith Jones, Llandowror – dyn a wnaeth lawer i hyrwyddo llythrennedd trwy sefydlu’i rwydwaith o ysgolion. Wrth drafod trefniadau ymarferol y Methodistiaid cynnar – y seiat a’r sasiwn – awgrymwn fod y rhwydweithiau crefyddol hyn hefyd yn creu cymuned o ddarllenwyr a ‘derbynwyr llenyddiaeth’.

The Beginning of a New Period: The Methodist Revival

Welcome to series 3 of Yr Hen Iaith! We open this new series by discussion the beginnings of the Methodist Revival in Wales, a movement which would have an immense effect on the Welsh-language literary tradition. We note that the religious movement came to Wales at the exact time when it was beginning a transatlantic movement, with on of its English leaders, George Whitfield, being remembered by some as ‘America’s spiritual father’ (although he was a very bad man in Jerry Hunter’s opinion!).

Extremely significant in the context of, there was an extremely literate aspect to early Welsh Methodism; although none of them went to university, the early leaders – Hywel (or Howell) Harris, Daniel Rowland and William Williams Pantycelyn – all received a very solid education. We know a lot about Howell Harris because he wrote so much – nearly 300 of his diaries have survived as well as many of his personal letters. One of the revival’s early Welsh supporters was Griffith Jones, Llandowror – a man who did much to promote literacy with the establishment of his network of schools. While discussing the practical organization of the early Mahdiists – the ‘seiat’ and the ‘sasiwn’ – we suggest that these religious Networks also created a community of readers and ‘receivers of literature’.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones

Cynhyrchwyd gan: Richard Martin

Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:

- Geraint H. Jenkins, Hanes Cymru yn y Cyfnod Modern Cynnar 1530-1760 (1983).

- Derec Llwyd Morgan, Y Diwygiad Mawr (1981).

- Jerry Hunter, Safana