A oes Heddwch?

The Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod of Wales have a tradition of partly unsheathing a great sword at it’s ceremonies and demanding ‘A oes Heddwch’ (’Is there Peace?’). The gathered druids, and I was amongst them at the National Eisteddfod in Bala in 2009, reply ‘Heddwch!’ (‘Peace!’), and the sword is sheathed. Just after that, as the ceremony of inducting new members continued, an Air Force fighter jet roared over the gathering, coming from the direction of the lake at a low height on a practice run and I knew then, that in this world, proclamations of peace are futile.