‘The Discourse of Arthur and the Eagle’ is a 12th century Welsh poem that was very popular in the Welsh oral and written tradition. Even though it’s a poem about Christian learning, it also draws on a far more pagan mythology.
Author Archives: Gwilym Morus-Baird
Iolo Morganwg and Fake Myths
A very frequently asked question amongst modern druids is what (if anything), can be taken from the work of Iolo Morganwg, the founding father of modern druidry and notorious forger of ‘ancient’ texts? The answer may surprise you.
From Celtic Gods to Celtic Spirits
What happened to the Celtic gods of Iron Age Europe? Where are they in later Celtic folklore?
The Witch, the Hare and the Saint
The witch transformed into a hare is an old folk tale found across many parts of Europe. In Wales, the story appears to have a connection to Saint Melangell, the protector of ŵyn Melangell (‘Melangell’s lambs’), the traditional Welsh name for hares. Don’t forget that the next courses, The Taliesin Tradition and The Four BranchesContinue reading “The Witch, the Hare and the Saint”
Are you using myths? Or are myths using you?
Following on from a question about patriarchy and The Three Romances of the Mabinogi, here’s an outline of an old problem that most of us will fall into at some point or another.
Were the Welsh bards shamans?
A question that often arises on courses is whether or not the medieval Welsh bards — those that gave us the Taliesin myth as we understand it today — were shamans in any way? As always, the answer is more complex than a simple yes or no.
Awen
A quick look at how this old Welsh word was used in its earliest contexts.
A Celtic Wisdom Tradition?
Celtic myths are symbolic, so we need to interpret them to draw out their wisdom. As a result, it’s probably worth asking if interpretation was ever a part of the Celtic storytelling tradition?
Who wrote The Book of Taliesin?
The Book of Taliesin is one of the great treasures of Welsh culture, but who wrote it? In truth, it’s an impossible question to answer, but there are some very interesting theories about who composed some of the most famous poems in the manuscript . . .
Was Taliesin a druid?
Most Celtic scholars would rightly point out that the correct answer to this question is an emphatic no. Yet there is a more nuanced story that can be told: