Welsh is part of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages. It is spoken in Wales, a country in the western United Kingdom, known for the invention of the longbow and its coal industry, and in Y Wladfa, Argentina. It is the Welsh language that J.R.R. Tolkien took inspiration for the language Sindarin (particularly its phonology, consonant mutations, and word-order), the common language of the Elves of Middle-earth.
The Welsh language also provided Professor Tolkien with another major inspiration: the 13th Century king of Gwynedd, Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great) had a ring made for his wife-to-be – Joan, Lady of Wales, the illegitimate daughter of King John of England. The ring had an inscription which read:
Un fodrwy i ddangos ein cariad; Un fodrwy i’n clymu.
This inscription translates as:
One ring to show our love; One ring to bind us.
Llywelyn and Joan were married in 1206, the famous inscription has been a popular choice for Welsh wedding rings ever since the discovery of Joan's ring.