‘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.
Category Archives: Celtic Studies
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:
What is The Book of Taliesin?
The Book of Taliesin is one of the primary medieval sources for the Taliesin myth. But what does it actually contain?
Where did Ceridwen Chase Gwion Bach?
Hope you’re well during these difficult times. If you’re self-isolating, perhaps this video can pass the time a little for you. We can at least imagine the land, even if we can’t necessarily walk on it. The different versions of Taliesin’s folk tale give us clues as to where the animal-transformation chase scene may have takenContinue reading “Where did Ceridwen Chase Gwion Bach?”
The Welsh Bardic Triads
The Welsh Bardic Triads (‘Trioedd Ynys Prydein‘) provide an index to the oral storytelling tradition of medieval Wales. They were used by bards across the centuries not only to help them remember the vast network of traditional myth and lore, but also to present a distinct vision of the ancient past.
The Celtic ‘Otherworld’?
In this video I dive into why ’otherworld’ is probably a misleading term when thinking of the Irish sidh or Welsh Annwfn, and what the subtle difference between the Welsh and Irish concepts could be.
Celtic Magical Elixirs
Outlining the similarities between the Welsh Tale of Taliesin and the Irish story of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, in particular the very ancient concept of a magical elixir.