J. Gwyn Griffiths facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
J. Gwyn Griffiths
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Griffiths with his wife Kate on their wedding day in 1939
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| Born | John Gwyn Griffiths 7 December 1911 Porth, Wales |
| Died | 15 June 2004 (aged 92) Swansea, Wales |
| Occupation | Professor |
| Literary movement | Cadwgan Circle |
| Spouse | Käthe Bosse-Griffiths |
| Children | Robat Gruffudd Heini Gruffudd |
John Gwyn Griffiths (born December 7, 1911, died June 15, 2004) was a famous Welsh poet and a specialist in ancient Egypt. He was also a political activist who worked to support Welsh culture and language. For most of his career, he taught at Swansea University in Wales.
Contents
Early Life and Education
J. Gwyn Griffiths was born in 1911 in a town called Porth in the Rhondda Valley of Wales. He went to Porth Grammar School. Later, he studied Latin at University College, Cardiff (now Cardiff University). He earned a top degree in Latin in 1932.
He continued his studies, getting another top degree in Greek in 1933. In 1934, he also earned a teaching diploma. At Cardiff, a teacher named Kathleen Freeman inspired him. She sparked his interest in Egyptology, which is the study of ancient Egypt. This subject became very important in his life's work.
Studying Ancient Egypt
Griffiths then went to Liverpool University. There, he earned a master's degree (M.A.). His research focused on how ancient Egypt influenced Greek religion during the Mycenaean period. From 1936 to 1937, he worked as an archaeological assistant. He helped the Egyptian Exploration Society at a place called Sesebi in Lower Nubia.
He also studied at Queen's College, Oxford. From 1936 to 1939, he worked on his doctorate degree (D.Phil.) at Oxford University. He finished this degree in 1949. His research was about a famous story from ancient Egypt: the quarrel between the gods Horus and Seth.
Meeting His Wife and Starting a Family
While at Oxford, Griffiths met Käthe Bosse-Griffiths. She was a German refugee with German and Jewish family roots. She also loved academics and literature, just like him. She was an Egyptologist too! Later, she became the Keeper of Archaeology at Swansea Museum.
They got married on September 13, 1939. They made their home in Pentre, Rhondda. J. Gwyn Griffiths and Käthe had two sons: Robat Gruffudd, born in 1943, and Heini Gruffudd, born in 1946.
The Cadwgan Circle
Griffiths' writing style was influenced by new European art movements. He was especially inspired by the Dadaist artist Kurt Schwitters. Griffiths and his wife created a writing group in the Rhondda. It was for thinkers who shared similar ideas.
This group was called the Cadwgan Circle (Cylch Cadwgan). It included some of the best writers in the Welsh language from the Rhondda. Famous members included Rhydwen Williams, Euros Bowen, Pennar Davies, and J. Kitchener Davies.
Academic and Political Work
In 1934, Griffiths started teaching Latin at Bala Grammar School. Then, in 1939, he taught at his old school in Porth. During the Second World War, he was a conscientious objector. This meant he refused to fight in the war because of his beliefs.
In 1946, he became a lecturer in Classics at University College, Swansea. He was a visiting lecturer at Oxford from 1957 to 1958. In 1959, he became a senior lecturer at Swansea. He was promoted to a reader in Classics in 1965. Finally, in 1973, he became a full professor in Classics and Egyptology at Swansea.
Supporting the Welsh Language
In 1946, Griffiths and his wife moved to Swansea. That same year, he started editing a Welsh magazine called Y Fflam (The Flame). He edited it with Euros Bowen. They started this magazine because they felt that another magazine, Y Llenor, was old-fashioned.
During this time, Griffiths became more involved with Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru, the national party for Wales. From 1948 to 1952, he edited the party's newspaper, Y Ddraig Goch. Griffiths also ran as a Plaid Cymru candidate in the 1959 and 1964 general elections. He ran for the Gower area, but he was not elected.
Griffiths was very important in promoting the Welsh language. He worked to make sure Welsh was used more in education and in law. He was even arrested several times during peaceful protests for the Welsh language.
Later Career and Writings
Griffiths lectured at many universities around the world. These included Cairo (where he was a visiting professor from 1965–66), Tübingen, Bonn, and All Souls College, Oxford. He wrote several important books about Egyptian religion. He also wrote about Latin and Greek texts.
In Wales, he is best known for his poetry. He published four collections of poems, all in the Welsh language. He also wrote literary criticism, which is the study and evaluation of literature. His most famous work of criticism was I Ganol y Frwydr (Into the Thick of Battle) in 1970.
He retired in 1979 but continued to write about ancient history and Egyptology. Two of his most important academic books are his editions of Plutarch's De Iside et Osiride (1970) and Apuleius of Madaura's The Isis Book (1975). He also edited the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology from 1970 to 1978.
His later books include The Origins of Osiris and his Cult (1980), Atlantis and Egypt (1991), The Divine Verdict (1991), and Triads and Trinity (1996). He also contributed to The Cambridge History of Judaism (1999). He earned more advanced degrees for his contributions to the study of the ancient world.
Works of Note
Poetry Collections
- Yr Efengyl Dywyll (1944)
- Cerddi Cadwgan (1953) – a collection of works from members of the Cadwgan Circle
- Ffroenau'r Draig (1961)
- Cerddi Cairo (1969)
- Cerddi'r Holl Eneidiau (1981)
- Hog dy Fwyell (2007) – a full collection of J. Gwyn Griffiths' poems
Academic Books
- The Conflict of Horus and Seth (1960)
- Plutarch's De Iside et Osiride (1970)
- Apuleius of Madaura The Isis Book (1975)
- The Origins of Osiris and his Cult (1980)
- The Divine Verdict: A Study of the Divine Judgement in the Ancient Religions (1990)
- Triads and Trinity (1996)
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, contributor (2001)
Literary Criticism
- I Ganol y Frwydr (1970)
