Ein brenin a fu, ein brenin a fydd

Legendary  Landmarks

Proposed Artwork:

The installation of an Arthurian Library for a day at the site of Bedd Taliesin near Tal-y-bont and Tre Taliesin, north of Aberystwyth in order to reflect the nature of the figure of Taliesin the bard.  His role in legend is one of semi-magical poet and prophet as well as associate of Arthur.  In some versions he sings directly to the court of Arthur and also often fulfils the role of chronicler, relaying the story of the Prieddeu Annwn.  From this background of words and stories, tales and interpretation comes the inspiration for the installation.  It will take the form of a specially constructed bookshelf to stand at Bedd Taliesin upon which will be displayed a collection of Arthurian materials in the form of stories, reference books and interpretative texts relating to the legend cycle.  The centrepiece will be a specially produced and illustrated book relating the text of the Prieddeu Annwn from the Book of Taliesin which will then be published and displayed at various libraries around Wales and at selected Arthurian and art websites on the internet.  The installation will stand for one day and be accompanied by the artist on site in order to maintain it and answer public interest whilst promoting the wider project.  The installation will be advertised both locally and in the arts press and be recorded and documented for the project website.

 April 29th (Taliesin’s Birthday) 2007

Chris Collier, Stephanie Lowe

Bedd taliesin

This remnant of a Bronze age kerb cairn sits atop a small round tumulus, just above a minor road that heads north into the hills from the village of Tal-y-bont towards the farm buildings at Pen-y-sarn-ddu.  Located no more that one hundred yards from the farm, the stone lies just off the side of the road as it begins to resemble a farm track.  Follow a footpath up a small incline, keeping the wonderful views of the Dovey estuary to your left, presently you should see the tumlus ahead of you.  It is marked on OS maps at SN 672912.

directions

The visualization to the right depicts an impression of how the installation may look.  The specially constructed bookshelf set up in the immediate vicinity of the monument with the specially made artist’s book presented on top of the piece.

Date:

Legend

This mound and stone is all that remains of a prehistoric burial monument that is claimed by folklore to be the final resting place of the famed bard Taliesin.  Taliesin himself is a semi-mythical figure although it is thought that the stories told of him are based upon a real bard who lived in the sixth century AD.

 An important Welsh folk hero, he is the archetypal bard, the wandering poet and prophet who’s songs and poetry went on to define a major aspect of Welsh identity and culture and still do to this day.  The early Welsh poem Preiddeu Annwn tells that he accompanied King Arthur on a dangerous quest to the underworld to seek a magical cauldron.  The adventurers encounter all manner of perils including glass towers that rise from the sea but it recorded that of the many who departed ‘apart from seven, none came back’.  Taliesin was amongst the survivors.  In that miscellany of early Welsh myths and legends the Mabinogion we learn of his miraculous birth: 

A noble man named Tegid Foel lived at Lake Tegid in north Wales with his wife Ceridwen where they had a daughter named Creirwy and a son called Afagddu.  Now whilst Creirwy was said to be the fairest maiden in all the world, poor Afagddu was the ugliest boy to be born in that time.  Fearing for his acceptance Ceridwen resolved to follow the enchantments of the books of Fferyllt to concoct a magical brew of knowledge from which Afagddu could obtain great intelligence and learn of the future.  She began to boil her cauldron which had to be boiled for a year and a day until three blessed drops of Inspiration could be obtained.  There she sat the boy Gwion Bach, son of Gwreang of Llanfair in Caereinion in Powys, to watch over the cauldron until the brew was ready whilst she herself went far and wide gathering magical herbs for the potion.  One day three droplets of the potion flew out of the cauldron and landed upon the finger of Gwion Bach, absent mindedly the boy put his hand to his mouth and licked his finger as children are want to do at the cooking pot.  Instantly he had a flash of revelation and saw the shape of all the future before him.  Most immediately he saw how angry old Ceridwen would be with him when she returned from her gathering and so in great fear he fled quickly towards his home.  Abandoned, the cauldron cracked and broke into pieces for deprived of the three charmed drops the potion was a terrible poison.  When Ceridwen returned she was furious and set off in pursuit of Gwion at once.  As he saw her close behind him Gwion used his new powers in order to transform himself into a hare so that he might run faster and escape her.  However he had reckoned without her magic and as soon as she saw this she turned herself into a swift greyhound and was soon right on his heels.  In panic Gwion ran down towards the river and quickly turned himself into a salmon but again Ceridwen was too clever for him and she took the form of an otter and chased him swiftly through the water.  In desperation he turned himself into a bird and attempted to fly free of her snapping jaws but she only had to transform into a hawk and again she was right behind poor Gwion. 

In a final desperate bid to escape he swooped down into a barn where a pile of grain lay heaped upon the floor.  Quickly he dived into the centre of the pile and turned himself into one of the grains in order to hide.  It was in vain however, for taking the form of a hen Ceridwen scratched at the grain, discovered him and gobbled him up.

Nine months later Ceridwen gave birth to a baby that was the incarnation of Gwion, however she couldn’t bring herself to kill him this time on account of his beauty and so deciding to leave him in the hands of fate she set him adrift in a small leather bag upon the sea. 

At that time there was in Cardigan bay a low lying kingdom named Cantre’r Gwaelod that now lies beneath the waves.   In those days however there were many farms and villages across the district and at the end of a causeway just north of Aberystwyth was the citadel of Gwyddno Garanhir who was king of that land.  One May eve his only son Elphin who was renowned for his misfortune had been sent to collect the fish from a fish trap set up near to the castle.  When Elphin arrived he cursed his ill luck for there was not a single fish in the trap and he knew that his father would be terribly disappointed in him.  Just as he was turning to go he noticed something out of the corner of his eye, it was a small leather bag and bending down to pick it up he was astounded at what he saw.  There in the bag lay a baby with the most radiant brow he had ever seen and on account of this Elphin named the child Taliesin, which means radiant brow, and hurried back to the castle with his find.  At the castle the king was very disappointed that his son had brought him no fish but then to everyone's amazement the baby Taliesin  began to sing! From that day forth prince Elphin raised him as his own and he went on to become the court poet of Caer Gwyddno whilst still but a child.

Taliesin went on to serve his lord well and saved him from imprisonment by proving himself the greatest bard in all the world when he outwitted the twenty four bards of the court of Maelgwn, king of Gwynedd.   He survived the flooding of his home when the kingdom of Cantre’r Gwaelod was inundated by the sea and wandered the whole of Britain singing his great tales and making prophesies as to the fate of the island.  He became poet to the great northern king Urien who was king of Rheged in what is now Cumbria but he still spent much of his time in the kingdoms that were to become known as Wales.  He is even named in the Welsh Triads (a collection of early poetic material) as one of the three skillful bards of Britain to sing before Arthur and his knights at his noble court in Caerleon in Gwent.  He is also said to have had great discourse with fellow wanderer and prophet, the famed Merlin.  The book of Taliesin, probably assembled from older material in the fourteenth century may contain some original poems by the great bard.  It is not written how Taliesin died for his tale in the manuscript of the mabinogion has its final pages missing but it is natural to assume that he should be buried here on the hills above the Dovey estuary, the closest piece of dry land to the fields of Cantre’r Gwaelod, now flooded and lost forever, that he would have called home.

There is a local folk tale that any traveler brave enough to sleep the night upon Bedd Taliesin will either not survive the night or else awaken in the morning either mad or a poetic genius.

ARTIST:

Bedd Taliesin, looking across the Dovey (Dyfi) Estuary towards North Wales.

To contact chris:

E-mail: legendarylandmarks@hotmail.co.uk

Press/Venues: for publicity material click here

The image to the right shows the first page of the specially created book that will form the centrepiece of the installation and be exhibited in Welsh libraries and at various arts websites. To see more of the book click here.