Arthur in Early Welsh Poetry - Nerys Ann Jones

“those who do not know of the Brindled Ox, with its stout collar,
[and] seven score links in its chain.
And when we went with Arthur, wretched journey,
save seven [men], none returned from Mand[d[wy Fort.”
- Preidu Annwn

This is not a book about the historicity of King Arthur, writes Nerys Ann Jones in the introduction. Neither does it scrutinise the rise in Arthurian literature in Medieval Wales, but examines all the references to Arthur in early Welsh poetry and provides the reader with the necessary means to interpret them.

These poetic texts are found throughout four compilations of early Welsh literature produced between 1250 and 1350; The Black Book of Carmarthen, The Book of Aneirin, The Hendregadredd Manuscript, The Book of Taliesin. Many of these texts are thought to be older than their manuscripts sources, yet despite efforts by modern scholars, many of these works are notoriously difficult to date with any certainty.

It is therefore not possible to claim that these poems were composed before Geoffrey of Monmouth’ Historia Regum Britanniae, c.1138, a work that had immense impact on the Arthurian legend. However, these early Welsh poems can be considered largely free of its influence.

These poems portray Arthur in a number of roles; a leader of battles, a warrior with supernatural powers, slayer of giants and witches, rescuer of prisoners from the Otherworld. They bear witness to lost episodes about his father Uthr, his son Llachau, his wife Gwenhwyfar, and his companion Cai. None are narrative texts, yet are are defined by an allusiveness would have been appreciated by their intended audience throughout the Welsh noble courts.

We find here all the classic Arthurian early Welsh poems; The Stanzas of the Graves, Pa Gur, the Gwawrddur poem from the Book of Aneirin, Kat Godeu (The Battle of the Tress), Kadeir Teyrnon, The Elegy for Uthr Pendragon, Preideu Annwn, including poems from other manuscripts, such as The Dialogue of Arthur and the Eagle.

Twenty-six references to Arthur are discussed in this volume. For each poem Jones provides a short discussion, illustration from the manuscript, relevant text in medieval Welsh with English translation and a comprehensive word list.


Table of Contents:

1 The Black Book of Carmarthen 
The Stanzas of the Graves
Mi a wum …
The Stanzas of Geraint son of Erbin
Englynion by Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr for the warband of Madog son of Maredudd
Pa gur …

2 The Book of Aneirin 
The Gwawrddur/Gorddur poem

3 The Hendregadredd Manuscript
The poetry of Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr and his contemporaries
Englynion by Cynddelw for the warband of Madog son of Maredudd
The poetry of Llywarch Brydydd y Moch and his contemporaries
Canu i Dduw attributed to Llywarch Brydydd y Moch
The poetry of Bleddyn Fardd and his contemporaries
Awdl by Bleddyn Fardd for Rhys ap Maredudd

4 The Book of Taliesin
Kat Godeu
Kadeir Teyrnon
Song of the Steeds
‘The Elegy for Uthr Pendragon’
Preideu Annwn

5 Poems in Other Manuscripts
The Dialogue of Arthur and the Eagle
Fragments of a Dialogue Between Melwas and Gwenhwyfar
The Elegy for Cynddylan
Index of Discussions of Arthurian Characters and Places


Arthur in Early Welsh Poetry edited by Nerys Ann Jones
Publisher: Modern Humanities Research Association (12 July 2019)

Other titles in the MHRA Medieval Welsh Literature series include:

A Selection of Early Welsh Saga Poems, edited by Jenny Rowland (2014) and Early Welsh Gnomic and Nature Poetry edited by Nicolas Jacobs (2012).

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