yfel

Yfel is a Welsh noun meaning evil, wickedness, or moral wrongdoing. It denotes a negative moral quality rather than mere harm and is used in religious, ethical, and literary contexts to discuss evil as a concept. The term often appears in discussions of morality and forms part of the basic Welsh vocabulary for contrasting good and evil, alongside terms such as da (good) and drwg (bad).

Etymology and historical use: Yfel is native to Welsh and has been part of the Brythonic linguistic tradition since medieval times. It is attested in Middle Welsh and has cognates or parallel developments in related Brythonic languages, reflecting a long-standing cultural and linguistic concept of moral evil within the Celtic-speaking world.

Usage and nuance: In religious texts, sermons, and moral philosophy, yfel refers to evil in a moral or spiritual sense, including supernatural or obstructive forces. In literary and everyday language, it can denote wicked behavior or morally depraved conduct. While yfel remains a standard term for evil, speakers may choose drwg (bad) for less severe or more everyday contexts, depending on nuance and register.

Modern context: Today, yfel continues to be used in Welsh discourse on ethics, law, culture, and media. It appears in poetry, prose, and public speech to articulate the concept of moral wrong, often in opposition to da. As with many terms for moral concepts, its exact associations can shift with context, genre, and speaker intention.

See also: Welsh language, da and drwg, evil in literature.