Welsh legends: The birth of Taliesin
By zteve t evans
Taliesin was one of the most famous and celebrated bards in Wales and holds an important place in Welsh history, mythology and culture to this day. Although evidence is patchy he was thought to have been born around 534 AD and died around 599 AD and was believed to have performed at the courts of three Brythonic kings. Many legends and myths grew up around him and some of his poems are still available today. The legend of Taliesin’s birth begins before he was born. This seems a strange thing to say but this is how the story went.
Ceridwen, Gwion Bach and Morda brewing a potion - Public Domain
Ceridwen’s gift
By Llyn Tegid, (Lake Bala) in Penllyn, lived Tegid Foel who had a wife named Ceridwen. The couple had three children named Ceirwy, Morfran and Afagddu. Now Afagddu was unnaturally ugly and unbelievably stupid. Nevertheless, Ceridwen his mother, who was also a sorceress, loved him greatly and decided that to compensate for these disadvantages she would give to him the gift of knowledge.
Ceridwen brews a potion
To achieve this she set to work creating a magic potion from herbs and plants and all sorts of magical ingredients. She created a potion that would achieve her desired goal, but only the first three drops of the brew would work and the rest would be poison. It had to be continuously simmered and stirred in a great cauldron set on red hot coals for a year and a day. To ensure the fire was kept burning an old man named Morda was given the task of tending the fire and a boy named Gwion Bach was given the task of a stirring the brew. For a year and a day Morda fed the fire and Gwion Bach stirred the brew, but just as the time was coming for the potion to be ready three drops of the brew splashed onto the hand of Gwion Bach as he stirred. Instantly the boy put his hand to his mouth to ease the pain, but swallowed the drops.
The chase
Seeing what had happened Ceridwen immediately realised that her plan had gone awry and that Gwion Bach would now gain the knowledge she wanted to give to her son, Afagddu. In a fit of anger she chased after Gwion Bach, but he now had special knowledge and changed into a hare hoping to outrun her. Ceridwen turned into a greyhound to try and catch him. Gwion Bach, aware of the danger, leapt into a river and turned into a fish. Diving into the river after him Ceridwen changed into an otter.
To escape Ceridwen again Gwion Bach turned into a bird and flew out of the otter's reach, but Ceridwen turned into a hawk and was about to catch him. On the ground in a barn Gwion Bach saw a great pile of wheat. He dived into it and turned himself into a single grain of wheat in the great pile to hide from her. Ceridwen turned herself into a hen and ate up every grain of wheat including Gwion Bach.
By Llyn Tegid, (Lake Bala) in Penllyn, lived Tegid Foel who had a wife named Ceridwen. The couple had three children named Ceirwy, Morfran and Afagddu. Now Afagddu was unnaturally ugly and unbelievably stupid. Nevertheless, Ceridwen his mother, who was also a sorceress, loved him greatly and decided that to compensate for these disadvantages she would give to him the gift of knowledge.
Ceridwen brews a potion
To achieve this she set to work creating a magic potion from herbs and plants and all sorts of magical ingredients. She created a potion that would achieve her desired goal, but only the first three drops of the brew would work and the rest would be poison. It had to be continuously simmered and stirred in a great cauldron set on red hot coals for a year and a day. To ensure the fire was kept burning an old man named Morda was given the task of tending the fire and a boy named Gwion Bach was given the task of a stirring the brew. For a year and a day Morda fed the fire and Gwion Bach stirred the brew, but just as the time was coming for the potion to be ready three drops of the brew splashed onto the hand of Gwion Bach as he stirred. Instantly the boy put his hand to his mouth to ease the pain, but swallowed the drops.
The chase
Seeing what had happened Ceridwen immediately realised that her plan had gone awry and that Gwion Bach would now gain the knowledge she wanted to give to her son, Afagddu. In a fit of anger she chased after Gwion Bach, but he now had special knowledge and changed into a hare hoping to outrun her. Ceridwen turned into a greyhound to try and catch him. Gwion Bach, aware of the danger, leapt into a river and turned into a fish. Diving into the river after him Ceridwen changed into an otter.
To escape Ceridwen again Gwion Bach turned into a bird and flew out of the otter's reach, but Ceridwen turned into a hawk and was about to catch him. On the ground in a barn Gwion Bach saw a great pile of wheat. He dived into it and turned himself into a single grain of wheat in the great pile to hide from her. Ceridwen turned herself into a hen and ate up every grain of wheat including Gwion Bach.
Ceridwen - Public Domain
Ceridwen gives birth
After eating all the wheat as well as Gwion Bach, Ceridwen realised she was pregnant and nine months later gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Ceridwen hated the baby but could not bring herself to kill him outright so she sewed him inside a leather bag and threw it in the sea.
Elffin
Between Aberystwyth and the mouth of the River Dyfi was a beach where a man by the name of Elffin had a weir which caught fish when the tide went out. Elffin was the son of Gwyddno Garanhir who ruled Cantre’r Gwaelod before it was drowned by the sea. Gwyddno had originally given him an estate in that unfortunate land but had lost it when Cantre'r Gwaelod was flooded. To compensate his father gave him a fish weir which provided good income.
Elffin finds a baby
One day while he had been checking the weir. He was disappointed to find no fish were caught in and it was empty except for a leather bag. On hearing a cry he ripped the bag open and found a beautiful baby boy. Elfin picked the child up and looked at him saying in Welsh, "Llyma dal iesin!" which means in English, what a beautiful brow, and named the baby, Taliesin, which means “radiant brow”.
Elffin fell in love with the child and decided to take him home to be brought up as his son. On the way home an extraordinary thing happens. The baby boy begins not only to speak, and speak clearly, but also recites poetry. The poem he recites to Elffin reveals the boy has been sent as a guide and that not only will he grow to be a great poet he will also become a prophet. Elffin was told that if he used the boy's talents to the full he would be able to defeat all his enemies. Elffin and his wife adopted the child and from that day on his luck changed for the better and he became very prosperous.
Taliesin, bard and prophet of Wales
Taliesin grew up to be the most famous and celebrated bard in Wales. His poetry was seen as inspirational by his people in the defence of the land against the invading Saxons. He made many prophecies including the death of King Maelgwn Gwynedd which was said to have been from the Yellow Plague of Rhos. His most famous prophecy foretold the fate of Britain and is highly significant in Wales to this day -
After eating all the wheat as well as Gwion Bach, Ceridwen realised she was pregnant and nine months later gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Ceridwen hated the baby but could not bring herself to kill him outright so she sewed him inside a leather bag and threw it in the sea.
Elffin
Between Aberystwyth and the mouth of the River Dyfi was a beach where a man by the name of Elffin had a weir which caught fish when the tide went out. Elffin was the son of Gwyddno Garanhir who ruled Cantre’r Gwaelod before it was drowned by the sea. Gwyddno had originally given him an estate in that unfortunate land but had lost it when Cantre'r Gwaelod was flooded. To compensate his father gave him a fish weir which provided good income.
Elffin finds a baby
One day while he had been checking the weir. He was disappointed to find no fish were caught in and it was empty except for a leather bag. On hearing a cry he ripped the bag open and found a beautiful baby boy. Elfin picked the child up and looked at him saying in Welsh, "Llyma dal iesin!" which means in English, what a beautiful brow, and named the baby, Taliesin, which means “radiant brow”.
Elffin fell in love with the child and decided to take him home to be brought up as his son. On the way home an extraordinary thing happens. The baby boy begins not only to speak, and speak clearly, but also recites poetry. The poem he recites to Elffin reveals the boy has been sent as a guide and that not only will he grow to be a great poet he will also become a prophet. Elffin was told that if he used the boy's talents to the full he would be able to defeat all his enemies. Elffin and his wife adopted the child and from that day on his luck changed for the better and he became very prosperous.
Taliesin, bard and prophet of Wales
Taliesin grew up to be the most famous and celebrated bard in Wales. His poetry was seen as inspirational by his people in the defence of the land against the invading Saxons. He made many prophecies including the death of King Maelgwn Gwynedd which was said to have been from the Yellow Plague of Rhos. His most famous prophecy foretold the fate of Britain and is highly significant in Wales to this day -
“Their Lord they shall praise,
Their language they shall keep,
Their land they shall lose -
Except wild Wales”
The Four Pillars of Song, Taliesin
© 22/02/2015 zteve t evans
Their language they shall keep,
Their land they shall lose -
Except wild Wales”
The Four Pillars of Song, Taliesin
© 22/02/2015 zteve t evans
References and Attributions
Copyright 22nd February, 2015 zteve t evans
Copyright 22nd February, 2015 zteve t evans
- Taliesin the Bard | Mysterious Britain & Ireland
- Taliesin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- BBC Wales - History - Themes - The life of Taliesin the bard
- Ceridwen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
