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I'd forgotten this site initiated some healthy debate back in 2009 which, in retrospect, seems to have helped initiate a few ongoing righteous quests to see what actually remains of the British Isles' prehistoric upland landscape. Long may it continue, I say, ensuring these places don't revert to being out of sight out of mind.

Anyway, came across an upland site near Rhayader (Mid Wales) recently called Carreg Bica, apparently associated with a local giant of lore. Does anyone know whether Pica is a Welsh language mutation of Bica, and/or know anything about the folklore surrounding the big chap. I find all these associations a fascinating insight into the minds of past local inhabitants.... imagine an Iron Age mum telling her little son 'if you don't eat up you greens Bica's gonna come along and lob a stone on your head'.

GLADMAN wrote:
I'd forgotten this site initiated some healthy debate back in 2009 which, in retrospect, seems to have helped initiate a few ongoing righteous quests to see what actually remains of the British Isles' prehistoric upland landscape. Long may it continue, I say, ensuring these places don't revert to being out of sight out of mind.

Anyway, came across an upland site near Rhayader (Mid Wales) recently called Carreg Bica, apparently associated with a local giant of lore. Does anyone know whether Pica is a Welsh language mutation of Bica, and/or know anything about the folklore surrounding the big chap. I find all these associations a fascinating insight into the minds of past local inhabitants.... imagine an Iron Age mum telling her little son 'if you don't eat up you greens Bica's gonna come along and lob a stone on your head'.

P to B in Welsh , and almost certainly in this case is due to lenition , probably because the Bica is grammatically associated with Carreg .The difference between P and Q where P has replaced the Q would be more like Welsh Pen = Gaelic Ceann .

Ongoing quests? Right on! I am still holding you responsible for the fact I have no money any more, as Welsh exploration eats it all up.

Back on topic, Rhiannon recently - quite rightly - scolded me for my lazy translation of Carreg y Big (north of Oswestry) as "The Big Stone". I will partly blame Michael Watson's "Shropshire - An Archaelogical Guide" for this lazy mistake, but Rhiannon corrected me by saying that it should be "Peak" of "Beak" stone, like how Fan-y-Big is "Peak Beacon" or "Beak Beacon". With the P/B mutation, I suppose "pica" and "bica" and variations of the same theme?

Perhaps the Giant Bica had a big nose? :)

Pica/Bica, Old Welsh bwcca giving Shakespeare's Puck