The River Severn

The River Severn, at 220 miles, is the longest river in Britain. It has been of vital importance for trading ships since historic times, was of strategic significance to the Romans, and possibly provided the route the earliest Neolithic farmers took into Britain, from which they spread into the Severn valley, the Cotswolds and the Welsh lowlands.

As well as transport, the river provided drinking water, fish and shellfish, a hunting ground for drinking animals and waterbirds, and it snatched life away through floods and tides surging over the mudflats. Like many rivers, the Severn was said to demand a human life every year. Its ever-changing moods were pivotal to the lives of those who lived around it.

The Severn is tidal as far as Maisemore, just north of Gloucester, and its tidal range of 15 metres is one of the highest in the world. This contributes to the formation of the Severn Bore, a tidal-wave like phenomenon caused by the vast volume of water forced into the river channel. The highest bores, of up to two metres and travelling at up to 13mph, are seen at the equinoxes but the bore occurs to some extent at each full and new moon. Tradition stated incorrectly that it took place each Good Friday, and Gloucestershire miners were traditionally given the day off to go and watch.

The Romans believed the bore was the approaching end of the world. The locals would have been well used to the occurrence, but no doubt would have linked it to a magical phenomenon or the actions of Gods or spirits. This probably links to the folklore surrounding the river.

‘Severn’ derives from Sabrina, a Romanised version of ‘Hafren’, the Celtic name which is still used in the Welsh language. This itself is a later adaptation of ‘Habren’, of unclear etymology but perhaps the oldest known British river name.  

Like many rivers worldwide, the Severn in folklore has a female identity, perhaps deriving from a long-forgotten River Goddess. In one story, a great Welsh landowner called Plynlimon, the geographic source of the Severn, decided to divide his estates between his three daughters, Severn, Wye and Rheidol. Each had to travel to the sea within a day and would then own the land they’d covered. Their travels became the three great rivers which arise in the Welsh hills.

In another story, Sabrina or Hafren was a maiden drowned in the river on the orders of her stepmother. She is sometimes seen swimming fruitlessly towards the bank.

The Severn is also linked to the God Nodens, likely a variation of the Celtic Lludd or Nuada, whose temple overlooked the Severn at Lydney. Unusually for an important river in Britain, there are almost no prehistoric sacred or ritual sites along its course. Perhaps its spirit, epitomised by the destructive bore, demanded otherwise.