Hi everyone, thanks for watching, I just wanted to clarify something a couple of people have been confused by. The intention of disagreeing that the shark possessed the intelligence to be genuinely malicious, rather than just acting as a typical predator, was not to then imply that sharks have no intelligence at all. Whilst only a few people have asked about this, looking back I don’t think the wording is as clear as it should be, particularly towards the end where it makes very little sense out of context. In hindsight I think “sapience” might have been a better translation in the context of this story, sorry about that.
The more animal awareness is studied the more we are discovering species previously thought unaware are actually self aware. Even if that's not the case for a shark, it's hard to ignore that evolution might favor getting pissed off at an attacker. Poor guy, he was probably better off staying in the water and trying to make it even less worth it for the shark to stay. Another stab wound might've done that
@@GoofBallGuru Im thinking that a big Tiger shark could have bitten him in hallf, but the jumping from the water with the doomed man in its mouth -that definitely says White Shark. The Tiger would approach the attack much differently. The spectators on deck would have seen the head of the animal at the surface,. with Owens legs and lower torso in its mouth. It would have been tearing him side to side until he was cut in half. It would have swallowed the half in its mouth and swum away with the other half floating on the surface..
@@Phlostonparadise2971 me too. I also have a couple of crossbows. I think I’d try that first, but a sword could work. Particularly a stabbing style like a gladius
amongst all the sadness and pain, i like to think he felt pride when he told his sons story. he may have lost him, but it'd be a great feeling to know all of what your son is before loosing him. a real hero.
@@CambrianChronicles Griffith really is worthy of that name. A true hero! Dafydd must have been so proud of the son he raised so well, as Griffith appears to have turned out just like his father. This is a very bittersweet story and you're right, Griffith deserves to be remembered. I wonder if there is a maritime museum, somewhere in Wales, that would love to know of Griffith - providing they don't already know of course. It would be wonderful if a place like that would do something to honor him. Anyway, it's just a thought that crossed my mind. Thank you for sharing his story with us. It's sad that it ended so tragically. Best wishes.
I've heard that it was quite common for sharks to follow ships, not only for burials at sea, but also because of the refuse and scraps thrown overboard which acted like chum and attracted smaller fish
I have also read that the slave trade also prompted this behavior, that sharks commonly followed slave ships waiting for dead slaves to be thrown overboard
There was a slave captain whose ship sharks recognized and followed…he would do things like throwing a woman in labor overboard because it went for too long,one and she screamed too often. He did it so often it’s actually documented that sharks followed him. Having read first hand accounts from slaves and owner and overseer diaries I know firsthand a fact the idea that because these human beings were worth money the people who sold and owned them treated them well is utter myth.
Man literally grabbed the first blade he saw dived head first into the watery abyss and went 1 on 1 with a great white shark Now i know GWS are very uncommon in this region but they are the only one from the list of three To have the ability to shoot itself out of the water to take a bite
Just diving into the ocean like that alone is almost a guaranteed death sentence. Even in modern times man overboard is extremely dangerous. Humans are SO small amongst the immensity of the ocean, and waves can and will block line of sight from the boat. And that's with modern searchlights, floatation devices, knowing how to swim being an extremely common skill especially amongst people who work on or around ships. Really doesn't take long for someone to totally disappear in the water even with all that equipment, especially if its night or storming or both. Fortunately his enormous balls acted as a floatation device.
"The animal he was facing had 450 million years in evolutionary training- and Griffith had a sharp object." This sentence made me laugh more than it should have because it sounds like a sentence you would find in a Terry Pratchett novel. Intriguing video over an obscure historical story- I enjoyed it! There's too many hidden and forgotten cool stories like this out there to resurface, so thanks for making a video about it to share and circulate for many years to come.
No matter what you do in your life, you'll never be as much of a Chad as Griffith Owen who fought a shark he'd likely never seen before with just a sword. Truly one deserving of being called Gwledig.
@@Quincy_Morris "You'll never be half the man, that the half a man Griffith was after the shark bit him in half!" "So you're saying I'll never be a quarter of the man Griffith was?"
Y'all Welsh have such colorful stories, I swear. One of my uncles was born and raised in Wales, he'd just randomly start telling random tales about random things at completely random moments, it was great.
Wales has its own myths an Legends just like England , Scotland and Ireland Pwyll legend is a really fun one actually one of the coolest guys in myth he was such a bro
Well our poor narrator seems to believe that it was mere chance which gave him a desire to keep the species going that allowed him to make this sacrifice.
Team SHARK here. What the Shark did was legendary and deserved a poem. Shark was in its natural habitat and dude invaded. He got what he deserved. Sharks are AWESOME! #GETSOME
I was expecting a story about a mad man, who for whatever reason one day got a sword and boat, then sailed into the ocean on a delusional quest. But the story here, is going to sick much more with me, than just a little bit of historical humor. Overall, this video is the perfect balance between interesting knowledge and amazing storytelling. I look forward to other videos like this one!
With your theory about the shark following the boats, there is a species notorious for doing this, the Oceanic Whitetip Shark, which is known for following boats and has been implicated in many attacks on shipwreck survivors, the USS Indianapolis is a good example of this.
Fun fact. Oceanic White tips are the only species of sharks that see humans as a viable food source. Other big sharks, like Great Whites, surprisingly, are rather picky about what they prefer as food sources and humans are not on the menu.
@@oceanberserker exactly. Although OWT fits the location and behaviour, if the attack happened as described, there's only one possible culprit, and it isn't the OWT.
Shark was a hero. Team SHARK here. What the Shark did was legendary and deserved a poem. Shark was in its natural habitat and dude invaded. He got what he deserved. Sharks are AWESOME! #GETSOME
@@CambrianChronicles In italian, for example, they are called "pesce-cani" which is literally fish dogs (although most of the time we call them "squali" which is sharks)
Okay, I am admittedly a smooth brain with no interest in history whatsoever, but a dude fighting a shark with a sword is the most metal shit I've ever heard. Instant thumbs up.
I'm a big natural history nerd, and I somehow didn't know until seeing your channel that "Cambrian" meant Welsh. So arguably the most formative time in history for plant and animal life as we know it has been called "The Welsh period" this entire time.
A man's loyalty, love and, ultimate sacrifice is a tale as old as time. These men deserve to have their names spoken for as long as people remember them and as they are carried forward through time we can reflect on ourselves and remain humble. I am glad you found and shared with us the story of Griffith Owen.
I haven't heard of Griffith before, but now that I know his story, I find him quite an admirable man: one who was willing to lay down his life, so that others can live. Thanks for making this video!
Your ample account of not merely just the details of the event which unfolded, but also the historical perspectives, and similar occurrences of the period; really transforms this curious footnote into a truly rich narrative with all its details given depth by way of eclectic knowledge and possible explanations.
You could make it a legit a tier horror honestly just depending on how you look at it, even though the visual is funny at first there’s def a degree of brutality to the idea of a man trying to save someone he cares about getting torn in half by an apex predator
Perhaps that sense of "Synhwyroldeb" that the sailors described WAS accurate to the evolutionary terror we feel for this ancient Apex predator, ala the movie "Jaws". GREAT storytelling here! Thank You!!
I mean, I feel like a shark is smart enough to want to bite someone that stabbed it, which is what they were attributing wisdom to; similar to that quote about falling for the same trap twice.
....I doubt a creature of prey needs intelligence to lash out at an aggressor. He's already hungry and *expecting* a meal, because back then we kept throwing the dead overboard. Just look at how uncouth baboons have gotten in places like Madagascar, all because we gave them handouts like they were pigeons or something. It's not going to ask why these bodies are thrashing, or even why one of them just tried to stab him. It recognized aggression, and made Sword Guy his new target. A polar bear isn't gonna motor off and run back to its iceberg just because I pulled a knife on it.
@@mc_zittrer8793 My father was a sailor and he said he witnessed shark behaviour that is a clear indicator of some form of intelligence. Such as working in packs, where one distracts and the other waits for the ambush. I hear the reasoning in your post, though. It's just an unknown as far as current science permits.
This needs to be a Sabaton song or something. "The sea dog had 300 swords, drawn and ready to bite, brave Owen had but one longsword, still he was ready to fight!"
"What shall we call this alien and beastly sea creature? Its beady black eyes, its strange skin, its razor sharp tee-" "Looks like a fuckin dog to me mate"
Greenland sharks are the funniest one to me, why is a small head the most prominent thing about this giant, ancient creature. Reminds me of the extinct "snub nosed bear", famous for having a short nose... and also being 3.4 meters tall
There was a classical and medieval theory that every land creature had a corresponding sea creature, and vice versa. Thus seahorses, sea-urchins (urchin=hedgehog), sea-cats, sea-dogs, mermen, and so on. Obviously the theory did not prove true; but arguably some sea creatures fill similar niches in their environments that similar-ish land creatures fill on land. So it wasn't totally crazy as an idea, just not correct.
@@CambrianChronicles in my country there's this spider which we call "monkey spider" while everyone else calls it what it is, the giant tarantula or the goliath tarantula, and the only reason we call it that is because it has light hairs and there's some regions' slang for calling blond people "monkey" (affectionately). Of all things to note about this 30cm spider that eats rodents, lizards and birds and also builds a shelter from which it ambushes its prey, was that it was blond... well the scientists seem to agree since the species name is Theraphosa blondi.
Well, dog-fish seems more reasonable than what we call them in german, "Hai", which goes back to older germanic words and basically means "pole" or "stake". Probably became the word for sharks because of their form.
That's what's good with the internet. The story of that courageous man, who died battling a shark, 200 years ago, trading is life to save others is now saved forever on the network whereas it was suppose to be forgotten one day. And that makes Griffith kind of immortal. His story will be available for people in 200 years. And maybe even after. Your video is a respect to his memories. Who knows. Maybe he's seeing that from up there, with a smile.
Thank you for sharing this. Vast historiography often has little space for single acts of incredible feats among stories of Gods and Kings. After all “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”.
This is the first time I've seen this channel and the first video I've seen on your channel. I am grateful for historians like you who find the untold stories and bring them to light. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. I shall now subscribe and continue watching. 😊
Best thing I've seen all week Here in the Pacific we have a shark called a dogshark Its small, not aggressive, and wags its tail, so I think the names fitting
We call them dogfish near me but I’ve heard dog shark once or twice before. I’ve found it to be rather aggressive since more than a few have tried to take my fingers as souvenirs or lunch.
@@patrickm4913 no berserk reference. The previous comment refers to guts the protagonist in the berserk manga is after the villain griffith for revenge. Hence the reference
My goodness, what a story! Very moving and human. I just wish the ending had been a little bit happier, but it was certainly epic. Thank you for sharing it. And I also enjoyed the new vocabulary words!
Man, you make amazing content. It is all really about your presentation of the material. You’ve converted a story that can be told in 3-4 sentences into a audionovel which i wouldn’t have hesitated to pay money for. Thank you for your exsistance
Got to have balls of steel to jump into the water, to fight a shark with only a sword!! I'm surprised he made it out of the water. I figured he was done for as soon as he struck a blow.
The cute shark drawing was my favourite part after the insanity of this little nugget of history, please do more little fun bits of peoples history like this if you can. Dont get me wrong, the epics like the flag that never was, Arthur and the kingdom anthologies are fascinating, and I appreciate there may not always be a breadth of stuff like this out there. But as nuts as this story was, its brilliantly interesting. Have to wonder what other tales are waiting to be told or ones that are lost to time.
One of the craziest stories I've ever heard. Bravest sailor I've ever had the pleasure of hearing about. Both Dafydd and Griffith were courageous and heroic.
Love your audible disappointment that today's sanitary cruises no longer have people who die of smallpox onboard 😂 In all seriousness the man sounded like a legend, and then seemingly became one himself. Can't fathom how terrifying encountering something like that in the water is when all you've got is a sword, and he still attacked it! Thank you for publishing this ❤️
@@CambrianChronicles The Dutch and Flemish disagree, for them the sea doggos are seals. And seals look much more like dogs (and are actually related way more closely with them)
That's fair, but sharks fit the vibe of a dog more for me, despite the distant relation. Seals remind me of ferrets for some reason, although in Welsh it's "morlo" (sea-calf)
Man I am so glad I found this channel, lots of the people who say they like Welsh history just spread pseudo-history and lies from Victorian times, so it’s refreshing to finally find a well researched and sourced channel!
i was literally watching old videos on this channel 5 minutes ago and wondering when you would upload a new video, i check my subscriptions and here you are!
Thank you! I like going through the UA-cam audio library and finding some cool ones I haven't used yet, 'Beginnings (Intro)' was my personal favourite from this one
For a channel called CambrianChronicles, I found it a curious choice to use the portrait of William Madocks as a placeholder picture. As if he was any old person and not a figure whose influence on North Wales in particular was enormous. Just seems a little antithetical to the acknowledgement of Welsh history to treat such a regionally significant historical figure as some kind of John Doe.
holy... thank you for sharing this piece of nearly-lost history with us. I saw the title and laughed but this was much more interesting than I thought. Amazing how griffith displayed such impossible bravery in the middle of sea. I love the ocean deeply, but it is a terrifying abyss
Hi, I've only recently found your channel and you remind me so much of my editor/boss whom I write for here on UA-cam. He's a Welshman and a genuinely amazing, kind, bald man. What's interesting is I had pitched a channel on Welsh history some months ago, since we work together on a channel at the moment, but with this channel existing … the niche is filled and goddamn is it glorious! In my time as a Welshman's writer/researcher, I've learned a lot about Wales and Welsh history. It's amazing. Thanks for this channel. I've been working on this channel for the last 5 years and it's not always easy, the funding can be irregular, etc, but personally, I love this channel and hope to see you thrive for years to come mate. Cheers friend.
Thanks for reaching out, thats very cool you were planning a Welsh history channel, if you ever do, I'd love to see it! There's a few of us around, and it's always fun to see more Welsh history! Thanks for the kind words, best of luck with the future!
@@CambrianChronicles [I just saw this!] Thank you for being kind enough to reach back out, friend! Life in the UA-cam writer space is a bit inconsistent, but we are still trying to get this other history channel off the ground. You're a real inspiration, mate. Love the vibe of your videos (i'm 39 and saying vibe, christ!) You and Jack Rackam have the best history channels here on UA-cam!
This was the perfect story for my lunch break! I love this. Griffith is an inspiration for this age when so many people would rather watch and record on their phones. Also, funnily enough, my little nephew untill recently would call our dog, "Gi" haha i love it. Great video!
thank you for the disclaimer about not viewing sharks as monsters at the end! too many people leave that out when talking about historical shark attacks, and combined with all the completely fictional media about monster sharks, it gives a lot of people the wrong idea about them. i’m studying marine biology and really love sharks as well, and although the big apex predator species do deserve a healthy amount of respect and a LOT of caution, at the end of the day they’re all just animals trying to survive, and the ocean belongs much more to them than it does to us. it might seem small, but i’ve lost respect for other channels over not giving them that courtesy, so it means a lot that you did so.
This video had me captivated, I've been in the Irish Sea in North Wales plenty of times, fairly far out on a surfboard. Never seen anything to be fearful of, Griffith would never have known such a beast as a Great White.
6 місяців тому+4
That was horrifying. What a great story! Thanks for unearthing it and bring it to us. It deserves to be told ❤
Hi everyone, thanks for watching, I just wanted to clarify something a couple of people have been confused by.
The intention of disagreeing that the shark possessed the intelligence to be genuinely malicious, rather than just acting as a typical predator, was not to then imply that sharks have no intelligence at all.
Whilst only a few people have asked about this, looking back I don’t think the wording is as clear as it should be, particularly towards the end where it makes very little sense out of context.
In hindsight I think “sapience” might have been a better translation in the context of this story, sorry about that.
yeah my interpretation of the word was more like "awareness", implying the shark was acting purposefully. I loved the story!
The more animal awareness is studied the more we are discovering species previously thought unaware are actually self aware. Even if that's not the case for a shark, it's hard to ignore that evolution might favor getting pissed off at an attacker.
Poor guy, he was probably better off staying in the water and trying to make it even less worth it for the shark to stay. Another stab wound might've done that
You are forgiven.
I think what you meant is pretty clear, people are just fucking stupid.
@@GoofBallGuru Im thinking that a big Tiger shark could have bitten him in hallf, but the jumping from the water with the doomed man in its mouth -that definitely says White Shark. The Tiger would approach the attack much differently. The spectators on deck would have seen the head of the animal at the surface,. with Owens legs and lower torso in its mouth. It would have been tearing him side to side until he was cut in half. It would have swallowed the half in its mouth and swum away with the other half floating on the surface..
that mspaint shark is the kind of quality visual storytelling we come to cambrian chronicles for
Thank you, MS paint sharks are my main motivation!
Also note about that, I like that our instinct with drawing a face like that is make it a happy face
It's retro. And something-wave.
@@CambrianChronicles you forgot to draw a sun in the corner wearing sunglasses however
so b+
E
This man knew that you could beat any boss with a melee build and perfectly timed rolls
you again?
Let-me-solo-her's long lost Welsh Ancestor.
Been ages since I last saw you about
@@benkavin1473 Well Elden Ring is based on Welsh Mythology and language so it makes sense.
@@definitelynotaskinwalkerhim again. Everywhere. Always.
Imagine how good of a dad you have to be for your son to do this
I have a dad, and a sword. If the time ever comes, I hope I have the courage.
@@Phlostonparadise2971 in life or death you will find you have more courage than most
Good point. Obviously he was a great dad and had a giga chad son.
@@Phlostonparadise2971 me too. I also have a couple of crossbows. I think I’d try that first, but a sword could work. Particularly a stabbing style like a gladius
My dad lucky if I chuck him the sword
amongst all the sadness and pain, i like to think he felt pride when he told his sons story. he may have lost him, but it'd be a great feeling to know all of what your son is before loosing him. a real hero.
"He battled a great sea beast and drove it to the depths of the ocean" - his dad probably
Ok fighting a shark with a sword really is Gwledig as fuck.
Finally someone perfectly fitting of the name!
@@CambrianChroniclesAre the other Gwledigs known for fighting sea-doggos?
@@alexandreparot5846 no… damn we’re back at the start again
@@CambrianChronicles Griffith really is worthy of that name. A true hero! Dafydd must have been so proud of the son he raised so well, as Griffith appears to have turned out just like his father. This is a very bittersweet story and you're right, Griffith deserves to be remembered. I wonder if there is a maritime museum, somewhere in Wales, that would love to know of Griffith - providing they don't already know of course. It would be wonderful if a place like that would do something to honor him. Anyway, it's just a thought that crossed my mind. Thank you for sharing his story with us. It's sad that it ended so tragically. Best wishes.
It does seem very on-point for country-like.
I've heard that it was quite common for sharks to follow ships, not only for burials at sea, but also because of the refuse and scraps thrown overboard which acted like chum and attracted smaller fish
I have also read that the slave trade also prompted this behavior, that sharks commonly followed slave ships waiting for dead slaves to be thrown overboard
@@morrisonnolan5687Heartbreaking..
@NickolaiPetrovitch Based
There was a slave captain whose ship sharks recognized and followed…he would do things like throwing a woman in labor overboard because it went for too long,one and she screamed too often. He did it so often it’s actually documented that sharks followed him. Having read first hand accounts from slaves and owner and overseer diaries I know firsthand a fact the idea that because these human beings were worth money the people who sold and owned them treated them well is utter myth.
@@sharonkaczorowski8690 utterly abominable stuff
The absolute balls on this man to go after a man eating shark with any sort of melee weapon
chuck norris' cousin
Man literally grabbed the first blade he saw dived head first into the watery abyss and went 1 on 1 with a great white shark
Now i know GWS are very uncommon in this region but they are the only one from the list of three
To have the ability to shoot itself out of the water to take a bite
It’s better than going after it without one
He was trying to save his dad, gotta be done. No matter the consequences.
Just diving into the ocean like that alone is almost a guaranteed death sentence. Even in modern times man overboard is extremely dangerous. Humans are SO small amongst the immensity of the ocean, and waves can and will block line of sight from the boat. And that's with modern searchlights, floatation devices, knowing how to swim being an extremely common skill especially amongst people who work on or around ships. Really doesn't take long for someone to totally disappear in the water even with all that equipment, especially if its night or storming or both.
Fortunately his enormous balls acted as a floatation device.
"The animal he was facing had 450 million years in evolutionary training- and Griffith had a sharp object."
This sentence made me laugh more than it should have because it sounds like a sentence you would find in a Terry Pratchett novel.
Intriguing video over an obscure historical story- I enjoyed it! There's too many hidden and forgotten cool stories like this out there to resurface, so thanks for making a video about it to share and circulate for many years to come.
No matter what you do in your life, you'll never be as much of a Chad as Griffith Owen who fought a shark he'd likely never seen before with just a sword. Truly one deserving of being called Gwledig.
Petition for a new statue to Griffith Wledig!
@@CambrianChronicles I'd sign that petition in a heartbeat!!!
Don’t you mean “you’ll never be half the man Griffith Owen was”
Sorry
Couldn’t resist
@@CambrianChroniclesme three!
@@Quincy_Morris "You'll never be half the man, that the half a man Griffith was after the shark bit him in half!"
"So you're saying I'll never be a quarter of the man Griffith was?"
Y'all Welsh have such colorful stories, I swear. One of my uncles was born and raised in Wales, he'd just randomly start telling random tales about random things at completely random moments, it was great.
Wales has its own myths an Legends just like England , Scotland and Ireland
Pwyll legend is a really fun one actually one of the coolest guys in myth he was such a bro
The definition of a hero, giving up his life to save someone else's
E
Well our poor narrator seems to believe that it was mere chance which gave him a desire to keep the species going that allowed him to make this sacrifice.
no he doesn't...
For many creators exists a dilemma: art or content? For this man, it is not even a question. Thank you, Cambrian Chronicles, for this beautiful piece.
Thank you, that's very kind!
Man... i wish welsh people were real... so sad.
me too, maybe someday they'll appear
@@CambrianChroniclesDoubtful- their theorized language is far too silly. “ll” as “hhhl” and “dd” as “th”? Nonsense, nonsense. /j
@@CambrianChroniclesI mean, can you imagine? Someone named “Cynddylan” not being “sin-dill-in”, but instead “cun-thull-un”? Impossible.
Dw i’n chwerthin! 😂
Thank god they aren’t real😢
This is worthy of an entire metal album
Team SHARK here. What the Shark did was legendary and deserved a poem. Shark was in its natural habitat and dude invaded. He got what he deserved. Sharks are AWESOME! #GETSOME
I was expecting a story about a mad man, who for whatever reason one day got a sword and boat, then sailed into the ocean on a delusional quest. But the story here, is going to sick much more with me, than just a little bit of historical humor. Overall, this video is the perfect balance between interesting knowledge and amazing storytelling. I look forward to other videos like this one!
E
What we expected: Don Quixote shark edition.
What we got: a tragic story of a son giving up his life to fight for his father's life.
I mean the madman aspect I could see happening in Florida lol
Well said!
For a story like that, I direct you to the song "shark fighter" by the aquabats. Corny as shit, but I love it.
Achievements unlocked :
"Monster hunter"
"Terror from below"
"Still got'em"
With your theory about the shark following the boats, there is a species notorious for doing this, the Oceanic Whitetip Shark, which is known for following boats and has been implicated in many attacks on shipwreck survivors, the USS Indianapolis is a good example of this.
Oh that's really interesting, thank you! Their range seems to overlap where the ship would've travelled also
Fun fact. Oceanic White tips are the only species of sharks that see humans as a viable food source. Other big sharks, like Great Whites, surprisingly, are rather picky about what they prefer as food sources and humans are not on the menu.
Absolutely. Would an OWT be large enough to bite the poor man in half though?
@@catsnads01 In a single bite? No.
@@oceanberserker exactly. Although OWT fits the location and behaviour, if the attack happened as described, there's only one possible culprit, and it isn't the OWT.
This has got to be one of the most heroic stories I've heard. Thank you for sharing it, having this gem be forgotten would have been a tragedy.
Shark was a hero. Team SHARK here. What the Shark did was legendary and deserved a poem. Shark was in its natural habitat and dude invaded. He got what he deserved. Sharks are AWESOME! #GETSOME
Lots of languages call sharks "sea dogs", funnily enough.
Oh that's interesting, I didn't look much to see what other languages called them, I'm glad there's some agreement!
@@CambrianChronicles In italian, for example, they are called "pesce-cani" which is literally fish dogs (although most of the time we call them "squali" which is sharks)
There is a family of sharks still known as dogfish
I also just learned that a certain species of sharks is called sea dog in french
Close to the term in Turkish as well, "Köpek Balığı" translates literally to Dog Fish.
What a badass. Yet another story that proves reality is often stranger than fiction can ever hope to be.
Ok jokes aside this dude is a badass for even trying this and i have nothing but respect for this man
Okay, I am admittedly a smooth brain with no interest in history whatsoever, but a dude fighting a shark with a sword is the most metal shit I've ever heard. Instant thumbs up.
"Paddle me closer! I want to him with my sword!"
- Griffith Owen
I'm a big natural history nerd, and I somehow didn't know until seeing your channel that "Cambrian" meant Welsh.
So arguably the most formative time in history for plant and animal life as we know it has been called "The Welsh period" this entire time.
Also, the Silurian and the Ordovician periods are also named after Welsh tribes.
Regards, a Silurian guy.
New Conspiracy Theory: history and astrology has been dominated by the Welsh the entire time.
I was curious on this, so I looked it up and apparently this is due to the first fossils of the Cambrian age being discovered in wales
@@Whatareyoudoinnhereyou would genuinely be suprised by the amount of welsh culture that has leaked through into English or world culture, it’s great.
There is always a kind of fever dream feel to your videos, but something about the MS Paint drawings of the shark really makes that pop out!
Haha thank you!
Yeah, that's what I love about this videos. I sometimes take a nap after watching this videos and have awesome dreams.
Good evening fellow Welsh history enjoyers
I should start including that in my videos since they're always uploaded late
Good evening! :D
🗿
Good evening! : )
Noswaith dda ffrind😊
A man's loyalty, love and, ultimate sacrifice is a tale as old as time. These men deserve to have their names spoken for as long as people remember them and as they are carried forward through time we can reflect on ourselves and remain humble. I am glad you found and shared with us the story of Griffith Owen.
That Sharks name? Guts Berkman.
The ending we want then
I was so waiting for someone to make a joke like this
i seems that Griffith....did nothing wrong.
Best Combat Ever in history...
Griffith is a true hero saving his father... man RIP Young Warrior.
I haven't heard of Griffith before, but now that I know his story, I find him quite an admirable man: one who was willing to lay down his life, so that others can live.
Thanks for making this video!
Thank you for watching! I did too, it's a shame his story got lost for such a long time
GRIFFIIIIIITH
He was 18, he might not have considered that death was likely.
Griffith!!!!!
E
Your ample account of not merely just the details of the event which unfolded, but also the historical perspectives, and similar occurrences of the period; really transforms this curious footnote into a truly rich narrative with all its details given depth by way of eclectic knowledge and possible explanations.
I like watching these tidbits from history. They're fun, especially with the subtle bits of humor mixed in.
Thank you, I'm glad!
What an absolutely epic way to go. That town definitely needs a bronze statue of the event to commemorate such selflessness and bravery.
What an absolute badass. This man deserves to be known for millennia to come. Live on, brave warrior.
It does, I'm happy I found it and got to introduce it to everyone
Griffith is a true chad, and definitely deserves mad respect for his sacrifice.
This could easily be the plot of a very fun c tier horror movie
Bringing Welsh cinema to the world with the new hit film "Shark vs Sword"
C(ambrian) tier horror movie
Jaws (and swords)
You could make it a legit a tier horror honestly just depending on how you look at it, even though the visual is funny at first there’s def a degree of brutality to the idea of a man trying to save someone he cares about getting torn in half by an apex predator
was literally thinking of making a movie about this
The production quality on this video is genuinely top-tier. My favorite video of yours, to-date. And what a title!
I really appreciate the added humor you've been incorporating lately. Love it.
Thank you!
A good man was lost that day. I agree his story should be remembered.
I love the format of sharing a short story that would have otherwise been untold. wonderful as always!
Thank you!
What a great story, what a selfelss hero. Thanks for resurrecting his tale.
being interested in welsh history/mythos but also being a berserk fan is my curse
will never not think of that griffith hearing the name
Griffith > guts
GRIFFIIIIIIIITH!
There's a loyal Griffith, and there's another Griffith who has a dream...
Guts is coming for you griffithhh!!!
Perhaps that sense of "Synhwyroldeb" that the sailors described WAS accurate to the evolutionary terror we feel for this ancient Apex predator, ala the movie "Jaws". GREAT storytelling here! Thank You!!
I mean, I feel like a shark is smart enough to want to bite someone that stabbed it, which is what they were attributing wisdom to; similar to that quote about falling for the same trap twice.
Indeed. All animals are much smarter than we give them credit for.
@@michaelnemo4593 I dunno about all, pretty sure that flatworms don't have much beyond the basic going on.
Did anyone else picture that scene from Deep Blue Sea or was that just me?
....I doubt a creature of prey needs intelligence to lash out at an aggressor. He's already hungry and *expecting* a meal, because back then we kept throwing the dead overboard. Just look at how uncouth baboons have gotten in places like Madagascar, all because we gave them handouts like they were pigeons or something. It's not going to ask why these bodies are thrashing, or even why one of them just tried to stab him. It recognized aggression, and made Sword Guy his new target. A polar bear isn't gonna motor off and run back to its iceberg just because I pulled a knife on it.
@@mc_zittrer8793 My father was a sailor and he said he witnessed shark behaviour that is a clear indicator of some form of intelligence. Such as working in packs, where one distracts and the other waits for the ambush. I hear the reasoning in your post, though. It's just an unknown as far as current science permits.
This needs to be a Sabaton song or something. "The sea dog had 300 swords, drawn and ready to bite, brave Owen had but one longsword, still he was ready to fight!"
Hahha you captured the lyric style of the band perfectly!
@@julbas2113 Thanks haha! I'm a huge fan of their music.
MF be warned, you don't flaka around with... The Welsh born
That goes hard, you have potential to writing poems maybe, who knows.
@@CoracaoAcidental98 Thank you! You're too kind.
1:54 this drawing of a shark cements your status as the best history channel on UA-cam 😭 I love it I need it on a T-shirt or something
Lol thank you, might sell them as 8x8 meter posters that only come in that size and nothing smaller
I would buy it as a plushie! It looks polite 😊
@@a.t.6535 Way more polite than the shark of the story, which was a bad doggo
@@alexandreparot5846 Who knows, we never got the shark's side of the story....
@@a.t.6535 True
It is stories like this that make internet a worthwhile tool of education and entertainment
"What shall we call this alien and beastly sea creature? Its beady black eyes, its strange skin, its razor sharp tee-"
"Looks like a fuckin dog to me mate"
Greenland sharks are the funniest one to me, why is a small head the most prominent thing about this giant, ancient creature.
Reminds me of the extinct "snub nosed bear", famous for having a short nose... and also being 3.4 meters tall
@@CambrianChronicles i hate their gross eye situation
There was a classical and medieval theory that every land creature had a corresponding sea creature, and vice versa. Thus seahorses, sea-urchins (urchin=hedgehog), sea-cats, sea-dogs, mermen, and so on.
Obviously the theory did not prove true; but arguably some sea creatures fill similar niches in their environments that similar-ish land creatures fill on land. So it wasn't totally crazy as an idea, just not correct.
@@CambrianChronicles in my country there's this spider which we call "monkey spider" while everyone else calls it what it is, the giant tarantula or the goliath tarantula, and the only reason we call it that is because it has light hairs and there's some regions' slang for calling blond people "monkey" (affectionately). Of all things to note about this 30cm spider that eats rodents, lizards and birds and also builds a shelter from which it ambushes its prey, was that it was blond... well the scientists seem to agree since the species name is Theraphosa blondi.
Well, dog-fish seems more reasonable than what we call them in german, "Hai", which goes back to older germanic words and basically means "pole" or "stake". Probably became the word for sharks because of their form.
That's what's good with the internet. The story of that courageous man, who died battling a shark, 200 years ago, trading is life to save others is now saved forever on the network whereas it was suppose to be forgotten one day. And that makes Griffith kind of immortal. His story will be available for people in 200 years. And maybe even after. Your video is a respect to his memories. Who knows. Maybe he's seeing that from up there, with a smile.
Thank you for sharing this. Vast historiography often has little space for single acts of incredible feats among stories of Gods and Kings.
After all “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”.
Well said!
This is the first time I've seen this channel and the first video I've seen on your channel. I am grateful for historians like you who find the untold stories and bring them to light. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. I shall now subscribe and continue watching. 😊
Best thing I've seen all week
Here in the Pacific we have a shark called a dogshark
Its small, not aggressive, and wags its tail, so I think the names fitting
Thank you, and I agree that is a very fitting name!
We call them dogfish near me but I’ve heard dog shark once or twice before. I’ve found it to be rather aggressive since more than a few have tried to take my fingers as souvenirs or lunch.
Best story telling and delivery on UA-cam. Thank you
Thank you very much!
Badass. I'm gonna remember this story, so when the time calls for it I can recount a tale of heroism to those in need of some quality storytelling.
Glad to hear it!
The shark:
" GRIFFIIIIIIIITH ! "
This griffith at least had some guts
'Double-Impact' movie reference?
@@patrickm4913 no berserk reference. The previous comment refers to guts the protagonist in the berserk manga is after the villain griffith for revenge. Hence the reference
200 years later, no doubt some Japanese cartoonist would draw inspiration from this welsh man's story...
@@ayylien3070 Someone should tell Junji Ito about this story and beg him to draw it, this kid deserves his own manga for this cool-ass death. XD
My goodness, what a story! Very moving and human. I just wish the ending had been a little bit happier, but it was certainly epic.
Thank you for sharing it. And I also enjoyed the new vocabulary words!
Man, you make amazing content. It is all really about your presentation of the material. You’ve converted a story that can be told in 3-4 sentences into a audionovel which i wouldn’t have hesitated to pay money for. Thank you for your exsistance
RIP mad lad
I'm surprised it was the shark that got him and not his massive stones dragging him into the deep
Thank you for not letting it stay lost. This deserves to be told.
Got to have balls of steel to jump into the water, to fight a shark with only a sword!! I'm surprised he made it out of the water. I figured he was done for as soon as he struck a blow.
Me too!
Who else was about to go bed but saw this title, what sane human could pass this up.
already know this storys gonna be legendary
Hope you liked it!
@@CambrianChronicles definitely agree that archiving stories like this is necessary, thank you so much for sharing!
3:16 That’s a concise and snappy book title if I’ve ever heard one. It just rolls right off the younger.
The cute shark drawing was my favourite part after the insanity of this little nugget of history, please do more little fun bits of peoples history like this if you can. Dont get me wrong, the epics like the flag that never was, Arthur and the kingdom anthologies are fascinating, and I appreciate there may not always be a breadth of stuff like this out there. But as nuts as this story was, its brilliantly interesting. Have to wonder what other tales are waiting to be told or ones that are lost to time.
Thank you, I'd love to cover more small snippets like this, I got lucky stumbling across this story, but I'm sure there are countless more out there
What a fabulous, yet horrifying story
One of the craziest stories I've ever heard. Bravest sailor I've ever had the pleasure of hearing about. Both Dafydd and Griffith were courageous and heroic.
from the title alone this is just what I needed this weekend, haven't even started the video yet. thank you in advance!
Thank you, I hope you liked it!
@@CambrianChronicles was everything I hoped it was and can't wait for more content similar to it to be honest
Great story. Thanks man
Ok, i was laughing at the Welsh word for shark, then i remembered what we call them in Turkish: DOG-FISH (Köpek - balığı) 🤣🤣
I'm glad the two languages are in agreement!
Lot of fake languages use the same terminology.
"Dogfish" is also a common name for several small species of sharks in English. We really just all saw sharks and collectively thought "mmmm dog"
@@cadunkus I think it the way they wiggle their tails 🦈
Same in italian with the word Pescecane (fish-dog)
Love your audible disappointment that today's sanitary cruises no longer have people who die of smallpox onboard 😂
In all seriousness the man sounded like a legend, and then seemingly became one himself. Can't fathom how terrifying encountering something like that in the water is when all you've got is a sword, and he still attacked it! Thank you for publishing this ❤️
Truly a story that should be remembered!
I agree!
I'm from south america and I have no understanding of welsh. But damn I love your stories and your editing, the music❤
Welsh: They be sea doggos.
welsh word for sea dog:
lynyydskyynygyyythdddyygyythyygydydydg
It's the perfect name for them really
@@CambrianChronicles The Dutch and Flemish disagree, for them the sea doggos are seals. And seals look much more like dogs (and are actually related way more closely with them)
That's fair, but sharks fit the vibe of a dog more for me, despite the distant relation.
Seals remind me of ferrets for some reason, although in Welsh it's "morlo" (sea-calf)
E
I find griffith to be one of the greatest to ever live, i was hoping for him to survive but he went honorably, thank you for telling his story
Babe, wake up, Cambrian Chronicles just posted 😍
Best time to say this is 5 minutes after they've fallen asleep
👍
@@CambrianChronicles this video came awfully close to 5 minutes too late today aha, great timing thank you !
im an inkwell say sorry u just offended us
Awesome story telling
Man I am so glad I found this channel, lots of the people who say they like Welsh history just spread pseudo-history and lies from Victorian times, so it’s refreshing to finally find a well researched and sourced channel!
1:44 How to draw a shark: 1) Draw some triangles. 2) Draw the rest of the f#&%ing shark.
I said consummate V's! Man wouldn't know majesty if it bit him in half.
i was literally watching old videos on this channel 5 minutes ago and wondering when you would upload a new video, i check my subscriptions and here you are!
Same here!!
Hope you enjoyed it! I usually pop up on the community tab giving info on future videos if you're ever curious
Perhaps the funniest part of this is the dope music that revealed the drawing of the shark. I love it!
Sick video as always and really interesting story, but extra shoutout to the music choices. Threw some absolute bangers in there.
Thank you! I like going through the UA-cam audio library and finding some cool ones I haven't used yet, 'Beginnings (Intro)' was my personal favourite from this one
For a channel called CambrianChronicles, I found it a curious choice to use the portrait of William Madocks as a placeholder picture. As if he was any old person and not a figure whose influence on North Wales in particular was enormous. Just seems a little antithetical to the acknowledgement of Welsh history to treat such a regionally significant historical figure as some kind of John Doe.
Thank you for sharing his story!
Thank you for watching!
holy... thank you for sharing this piece of nearly-lost history with us. I saw the title and laughed but this was much more interesting than I thought. Amazing how griffith displayed such impossible bravery in the middle of sea. I love the ocean deeply, but it is a terrifying abyss
Hi, I've only recently found your channel and you remind me so much of my editor/boss whom I write for here on UA-cam. He's a Welshman and a genuinely amazing, kind, bald man. What's interesting is I had pitched a channel on Welsh history some months ago, since we work together on a channel at the moment, but with this channel existing … the niche is filled and goddamn is it glorious!
In my time as a Welshman's writer/researcher, I've learned a lot about Wales and Welsh history. It's amazing. Thanks for this channel. I've been working on this channel for the last 5 years and it's not always easy, the funding can be irregular, etc, but personally, I love this channel and hope to see you thrive for years to come mate.
Cheers friend.
Thanks for reaching out, thats very cool you were planning a Welsh history channel, if you ever do, I'd love to see it! There's a few of us around, and it's always fun to see more Welsh history!
Thanks for the kind words, best of luck with the future!
@@CambrianChronicles [I just saw this!]
Thank you for being kind enough to reach back out, friend! Life in the UA-cam writer space is a bit inconsistent, but we are still trying to get this other history channel off the ground. You're a real inspiration, mate. Love the vibe of your videos (i'm 39 and saying vibe, christ!)
You and Jack Rackam have the best history channels here on UA-cam!
Malice? If someone stabbed me on the way to the fridge I think I'd be feeling malice too😂😂😂
This is one of the most amazing stories I have ever heard. Thank you for not letting it get forgotten completely.
Thank you for listening and helping it be remembered!
A true hero throwing himself in the face of danger to save another. God bless him for his bravery and selflessness.
A true greek tragedy to achieve assured victory and have it torn in twain (literally)
Sharks actually follow ships because they often throw unwanted bycatch into the ocean, so it's like a buffet.
That biologist info coming in clutch 😀
God bless Griffith what a hero.
E
This was the perfect story for my lunch break! I love this. Griffith is an inspiration for this age when so many people would rather watch and record on their phones. Also, funnily enough, my little nephew untill recently would call our dog, "Gi" haha i love it. Great video!
Sea-wolves is such a great description of sharks! Another great video and probably my favourite so far 😎😎😎
It really is, and sea dogs!
Does mermen dream of sharks?
Not really, more appropriate for orcas which hunt in packs and use teamwork like wolves.
@@chrish1657 okay so sea bear
@@davidgeslani48 Sea Leopard perhaps?
I love that this video cites its sources. This is a tale worth telling.
thank you for the disclaimer about not viewing sharks as monsters at the end! too many people leave that out when talking about historical shark attacks, and combined with all the completely fictional media about monster sharks, it gives a lot of people the wrong idea about them. i’m studying marine biology and really love sharks as well, and although the big apex predator species do deserve a healthy amount of respect and a LOT of caution, at the end of the day they’re all just animals trying to survive, and the ocean belongs much more to them than it does to us. it might seem small, but i’ve lost respect for other channels over not giving them that courtesy, so it means a lot that you did so.
Thank you, I'm glad you think so, as a fellow shark lover that means a lot
This video had me captivated, I've been in the Irish Sea in North Wales plenty of times, fairly far out on a surfboard. Never seen anything to be fearful of, Griffith would never have known such a beast as a Great White.
That was horrifying. What a great story! Thanks for unearthing it and bring it to us. It deserves to be told ❤
This is one of my all time favorite stories and videos. I loved the research and everything about it.
Ah, the classical conflict in literature: man vs shark
thank you camrian chronicles i really liked this story and the way you told it !!