A D E L L A
The Maritime Board Game
An old stone set from the pyery crypt
Story
Adella is a traditional game from Penwith, West Cornwall. Cornwall is renouned for it's treacherous coasts which were a once a hotbed for smugglers and pirates alike. The coast is strewn with thousands of shipwrecks, an apt environment for the game's origins. The present form of Adella is believed to have evolved in Portugal where the game is also popular among fish wives. The toy ships are clearly reminiscent of the Portuguese caravelas like the Ezmeralda and the galleys of the Barbary corsairs. The three tides or winds may represent the primordial fates, the weird sisters of Macbeth or simply personify the weather. Their supreme governance is evident by their role in the game, where they influence the destinies of all vessels.
Pictured above is a 3D representation of the old stone set. Adella was played with players sat side by side. This was said to make the fairest game view and allowed friends to keep an eye for intruders coming in the pub door.
Adella is a traditional game from Penwith, West Cornwall. Cornwall is renouned for it's treacherous coasts which were a once a hotbed for smugglers and pirates alike. The coast is strewn with thousands of shipwrecks, an apt environment for the game's origins. The present form of Adella is believed to have evolved in Portugal where the game is also popular among fish wives. The toy ships are clearly reminiscent of the Portuguese caravelas like the Ezmeralda and the galleys of the Barbary corsairs. The three tides or winds may represent the primordial fates, the weird sisters of Macbeth or simply personify the weather. Their supreme governance is evident by their role in the game, where they influence the destinies of all vessels.
Pictured above is a 3D representation of the old stone set. Adella was played with players sat side by side. This was said to make the fairest game view and allowed friends to keep an eye for intruders coming in the pub door.
The three windy sisters from the old book of Trevadlow
Saved in the local pyery in the Cornish village of Trevadlow an old book squashes a singed poem appearing to directly reference adella albeit in a cryptic riddle.
Original Cornish:
'Tri merch a wra henwes dhe'n mor rag bennynow ha ty bennyn.
Mes oll hi re beu rag ma kedhlow ny, kavos an treth mor.
Ytho i a dheuth lesterennow byghan rag devnydh, ha kavos kober wer ganso.
Gwaynys i a dhallathas dell owtys gans aga nowyow nowydh
ha pan otho, hirgh i an kludhydh dhe vosyow
gans aga dyghow owhel ha gelwys.'
English translation:
'Three daughters asked the sea for dolls and a doll house.
But all she had for a shop was a seabed.
So she gathered ships for toys and a sodden cavern to house them.
Delighted they toyed with their new play-things
and when it was bedtime, they locked them away
with their arms all cold and finned.
Saved in the local pyery in the Cornish village of Trevadlow an old book squashes a singed poem appearing to directly reference adella albeit in a cryptic riddle.
Original Cornish:
'Tri merch a wra henwes dhe'n mor rag bennynow ha ty bennyn.
Mes oll hi re beu rag ma kedhlow ny, kavos an treth mor.
Ytho i a dheuth lesterennow byghan rag devnydh, ha kavos kober wer ganso.
Gwaynys i a dhallathas dell owtys gans aga nowyow nowydh
ha pan otho, hirgh i an kludhydh dhe vosyow
gans aga dyghow owhel ha gelwys.'
English translation:
'Three daughters asked the sea for dolls and a doll house.
But all she had for a shop was a seabed.
So she gathered ships for toys and a sodden cavern to house them.
Delighted they toyed with their new play-things
and when it was bedtime, they locked them away
with their arms all cold and finned.
A galleon from the old book of Trevadlow
A game by Ben Reader.
Adella concept and artwork are property of the artist.
ADELLA ©