Taliesin

Taliesin is a name that appeared frequently in Welsh myth and legend, as a master bard. Yet Taliesin could also possibly be a historical figure who lived in the sixth century AD, as mentioned by Nennius, a 9th century historian. Here, you will find the mythical Taliesin as well some notes about the historical Taliesin.

The following story about Taliesin does not appear in the early manuscripts that contained the tales of the Mabinogion (the White Book of Rhydderch (c. 1325) and the Red Book of Hergest (c. 1400)).

It was Lady Charlotte Guest who included the Hanes Taliesin (Tale of Taliesin) in her translation of the Mabinogion. The Hanes Taliesin appeared to be a late addition to the Mabinogion; it was probably written by Llywelyn Siôn (c. 1615). Other translations of the Mabinogion often don't contain the story of Taliesin.

For other information about Taliesin, see Taliesin in the Bards page.

• Ceridwen and Gwyon Bach

• Foundling

• Taliesin the Bard

Ceridwen and Gwyon Bach

In Lake Tegid, there was a man named Tegil Voel who lived with his wife Ceridwen, the goddess or great sorceress. They had a beautiful daughter named Creirwy, the fairest woman on earth. Ceridwen was also the mother of a son named Morfran ab Tegil (or Morvran, "great raven"), who would later become one of Arthur's warriors in the story of Culwch and Olwen, and was a companion in Culwch's quest to win Olwen.

Ceridwen also had a third son named Afagddu or Avagddu ("utter darkness"). Afagddu was so hideously ugly that she feared that he would never be admitted among the men of noble birth, unless he became a great bard.

See Genealogy: Family of Ceridwen and Taliesin (genealogy).

Ceridwen decided to use her magic to make Afagddu the greatest bard of all time. From the books of the Fferyllt, she set about to boil a Cauldron of Inspiration known as Amen. Her son would gain the knowledge of poetry and science from only three drops of Inspiration. The rest of the liquid would be poisonous.

However, to make the brew of Inspiration, the cauldron needed to boil and stir for a whole year and a day. While Ceridwen gathered herbs for the necessary ingredients, she charged a blind man named Morda to keep the fire perpetually lit, while another man named Gwyon Bach (or Gwion Bach), the son of Gwerang of Llanfair in Caereinion (Powys), had to stir the cauldron.

On the final day while Ceridwen gathered the last of her herbs, three drops from the cauldron flew out onto Gwyon's finger. His normal reaction to being scalded by the boiling liquid was to place his finger into his mouth. Immediately, Gwyon gained all the knowledge and poetry in the world from the charmed drops. Gwyon Bach also knew that Ceridwen would kill him in anger, so he fled.

The cauldron shattered when Gwyon stopped stirring the brew, poisoning the horses of Gwyddno Garanhir. Ceridwen returned to the cauldron to find that her year-long work was in ruins. The goddess struck Morda on the head with a billet of wood, until one of his eyes fell out. Morda pleaded to Ceridwen that he was innocent. Realising that Morda spoke the truth, Ceridwen immediately set out to hunt Gwyon Bach down and kill him.

When Gwyon Bach saw Ceridwen pursuing him, with his newfound knowledge Gwyon changed into a hare. Ceridwen, who also had the ability of shape-shifting, changed into a greyhound and pursued her prey. Realising that he could not outlast the hound (Ceridwen), Gwyon transformed himself into a fish when he jumped into the river; but Ceridwen swam after him in the form of an otter. When he felt that he was going to faint from exhaustion, Gwyon flew out of the water as a bird, while Ceridwen pursued him as a hawk.

Ceridwen had almost caught him, when he thought he would escape by transforming himself into a grain of wheat, falling among the heaps of wheat in a barn. However, he could not outsmart Ceridwen, who immediately transformed herself into a high-crested back hen.

Once she found the grain (Gwyon), Ceridwen immediately swallowed poor Gwyon Bach. But the great goddess Ceridwen became pregnant as a result of swallowing Gwyon.

Nine months later, Ceridwen gave birth to a son. Before, she was going to kill the newborn infant (probably because he was actually an incarnation of Gwyon Bach), but Ceridwen found that he was so beautiful that she did not have the heart to kill her son. So she put her son in a leather bag and threw him into the sea, on the 29th of April.

Foundling

For nine days and nights, the bag floated until it was caught in the weir of Gwyddno Garanhir, a chieftain or lord. That day, Elffin (Elphin), the unlucky son of Gwyddno Garanhir, hoped to catch some fish, but instead he found the leather bag. It seemed that the bag had damaged the weir.

Hoping that the bag contained gold, Elffin opened the bag, and he marvelled to find a beautiful infant with a radiant brow, so Elffin called the child Taliesin ("radiant brow").

Elffin was upset that he had not caught any fish from the weir, nor found gold in the bag, but the baby comforted him by singing a poem called Consolation, before singing about his ordeals with Ceridwen, in which he revealed that he was really Gwyon Bach (see Ceridwen and Gwyon Bach).

Elffin brought the infant with him back to his father's home. Gwyddno asked his son if he had brought any fish back from the weir, Elffin only replied that he had gotten something better: a bard. When Gwyddno thought that his son was again unlucky, Taliesin told Gwyddno that Elffin would have more to gain from him than the weir. Gwyddno was astonished that the baby could talk, and Taliesin sang for Gwyddno and his court.

After the song, Elffin took Taliesin home.

Taliesin the Bard

Taliesin lived with Elffin (Elphin) and his wife, who became his foster parents. Taliesin's wisdom helped Elffin increase his wealth.

When Taliesin was thirteen, Elffin was invited to his uncle's Christmas celebration at the castle of Dyganwy. Elffin's uncle was Maelgwn Gwynedd, the king of Wales.

At Dyganwy, Maelgwn Gwynedd was lavished with high praises from his people, such as that his wife was more beautiful and virtuous than any woman in the kingdom; that his horses and greyhounds were the swiftest; and that his bards were the wisest and most skillful.

Problems arose when Elffin, who was probably drunk from wine or ale, claimed that if rank or nobility did not matter, then his own wife was more fair and virtuous than the king's wife. Elffin also said that his horses and hounds were swifter than Maelgwn's, and that his bard was wiser and more inspiring than the king's bards.

When Maelgwn Gwynedd heard this boast, the king had his nephew thrown into prison and chained with golden fetters. Maelgwn also sent his son Rhun to investigate Elffin's claim about the beauty and virtues of his nephew's wife.

In Elffin's home, Taliesin knew what had taken place in Dyganwy, and warned Elffin's wife of Rhun arrival to test her virtue. Taliesin advised her to let one of her maids to take her place, pretending to be the lady of the house. Taliesin also cleverly made the maid wear his foster-mother's signet ring.

Rhun unsuspectingly seduced the maid and made her intoxicated with wine. As the maid slept, Rhun cut off her finger, taking the ring as proof to his father. Maelgwn, finding that his son had succeeded in his task, had Elffin brought before him.

Maelgwn proclaimed that Elffin's wife was not so virtuous since he has her finger and ring, as proof. Though Elffin admitted that the ring belonged to his wife, the finger was not his wife's, because the nail was longer than his wife's was. And furthermore, it belonged to someone who was used to working in the kitchen.

Elffin's counter claims angered Maelgwn, so the king had him thrown into prison again.

Meanwhile, back at Elffin's home, Taliesin told his foster mother that he would go to Dyganwy and have the king release Elffin, by proving all of Elffin's claims.

In Maelgwn's court, Taliesin used his power to make the king's twenty-four bards speechless. The bards could only muttered "Blerwm, blerwn", like drunks or dumb imbeciles. Maelgwn thought that all of his bards were drunk. The king became so irritated that he ordered his squire to strike at Heinin Vardd, Maelgwn's chief bard.

The squire struck Heinin in the head with a broom, and the bard immediately regained his senses and his ability to speak. Heinin told his king that he and his colleagues were not drunk, but a spell was cast upon them by a boy standing behind the column.

Taliesin was brought to Maelgwn's presence, and he explained in a song, why he had come – to release his master and foster father Elffin from prison and fetters. Taliesin also introduced himself as Taliesin, the "chief of the bards of the West". Taliesin also told the king he had another name, like Merddin (Myrddin, the Welsh form of Merlin) and Gwyon Bach (this suggested that Taliesin was reincarnation of Gwyon). Taliesin also told them that he had many lives that had existed since the beginning of time (Adam and Eve), and throughout history.

Maelgwn was awe-struck with young boy's ability in poetry. Taliesin challenged Heinin and the other bards in the skills of song and poetry, but the bards were still struck dumb, and only answered with "Blerwm, blerwn".

In a song, Taliesin warned the king that he could call upon the weather to disrupt his kingdom, if Maelgwn refused to free Elffin. This poem ended with the sudden and violent stormy winds outside that shook the entire palace. Maelgwn, fearing that the storm would cause his entire palace to collapse, ordered Elffin's immediate release. So Taliesin stopped the strong winds from blowing.

Taliesin went on with a couple more songs before bringing Elffin's wife to the castle to prove that she had no missing finger, as well as proving that she was the fairest and most virtuous in the entire kingdom.

Taliesin also went on to prove that Elffin had a swifter horse than the king's horses. At the end of the horse race, Elffin's horse had easily won. At Taliesin's advice, the jockey dropped his cap after the race. A hole was dug up where the cap had fallen, and cauldron of gold was found.

Maelgwn was so impressed with Taliesin's wisdom and knowledge that he asked him to sing another song to them, this time about the Creation (Adam and Eve). The story ended with this last song.