ystwyth =  Welsh for winding

 

afon = river

 

Afon Ystwyth = River Ystwyth        

 

Find a book about the Afon Ystwyth, by John Green, here   He has also written about the birds in the area.

 

aber = mouth of a river.   Aberystwyth would seem to be where the Ystwyth meets the sea, but apparently it should really be Aber Rheidol (where the River Rheidol meets the sea!). 

 

Aberystwyth Cergn. Aberestuuth 1232, aber ystwyth 14th cent., Aberystwith, or Aberrheidol 1868. ‘Mouth of the River Ystwyth’. Welsh aber. The river name means ‘winding one’ (Welsh ystwyth). Aberystwyth is now at the mouth of the Rheidol, but the name relates to the Ystwyth, to the south, where a Norman castle was built in 1110.

A. D. MILLS. "Aberystwyth." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2003. Encyclopedia.com . 13 May. 2009

 

pont = bridge

groes = cross (perhaps crossing?)

Pont-rhyd-y-groes = village named after a place to cross the river Ystwyth

 

 

 

                   The leek and the daffodil have also been used as icons for Wales and the Welsh.   They share the Welsh name Ceninen.