A look at this mysterious poem from the Book of Taliesin. Buy me a cuppa on Ko-fi! ko-fi.com/kris... Support me on Patreon: / krishughes Blog, events, online classes: www.godeeper.info
This material does raise a lot of questions. How would Lleu have a son? Did he marry again after Blodeuwedd? Where would the wife have come from if the curse still applies? Annwfn? Do you think the reference to Gwydion and the "interlace of a chain" point to his battle with Pryderi? Any thought on where Môn is? Do you have any links to the 2 sources you mention at 20:51? Thanks for this content.
@@KrisHughes It looks like his son was the last of his house then, which slightly changes things. Gwydion probably came up with another dodge around the curse. To me this is an important issue as I am convinced a major piece of mythology we are missing is the final days of the legendary houses, destroyed by usurpers (as with Llyr) or by "mercenaries" and Saxons. Such stories would be less likely to be preserved as it is the glory days that were prolifically used as verbal totems by bards. It's like we are missing the Silmarillion and Return of the King, but have the middle stories.
I see I missed part of your question - Môn is the island of Anglesey. I think the "interlace of a chain" seems like the sort of obscure utterance we expect from Book of Taliesin poems. So it may refer to a few things. The poetic device of cynghanedd, which is often described as like links of a chain (it has to do with how consonants and vowels are arranged to produce a musical sound in the poem). The poets often speak in metaphors, so this may then relate to the weaving of magic, especially through the use of words. Remember, Gwydion is a poet as well as a magician! The two examples I mentioned are both referenced in Rachel Bromwich's Trioedd Ynys Prydein, but I'm not sure whether they're online. If you don't have a copy of the Triads, then it might be worth checking on Mary Jones Celtic Encyclopedia website (I think the Huan thing might be there) or in the WCD archive.org/details/a-welsh-classical-dictionary-people-in-history-and-legend-up-to-about-a.-d.-1000/mode/2up
@@KrisHughes Thanks for the link! I liked the idea of a verbal pattern of spell casting, I will have to give it a lot of thought on how it should be portrayed,
Great episode great poem.
This material does raise a lot of questions. How would Lleu have a son? Did he marry again after Blodeuwedd? Where would the wife have come from if the curse still applies? Annwfn? Do you think the reference to Gwydion and the "interlace of a chain" point to his battle with Pryderi? Any thought on where Môn is? Do you have any links to the 2 sources you mention at 20:51? Thanks for this content.
Yes, absolutely. I've always had a picture of Lleu standing quite alone and rather doomed to be the last of his line, at the end of the fourth branch.
@@KrisHughes It looks like his son was the last of his house then, which slightly changes things. Gwydion probably came up with another dodge around the curse.
To me this is an important issue as I am convinced a major piece of mythology we are missing is the final days of the legendary houses, destroyed by usurpers (as with Llyr) or by "mercenaries" and Saxons. Such stories would be less likely to be preserved as it is the glory days that were prolifically used as verbal totems by bards. It's like we are missing the Silmarillion and Return of the King, but have the middle stories.
I see I missed part of your question -
Môn is the island of Anglesey.
I think the "interlace of a chain" seems like the sort of obscure utterance we expect from Book of Taliesin poems. So it may refer to a few things. The poetic device of cynghanedd, which is often described as like links of a chain (it has to do with how consonants and vowels are arranged to produce a musical sound in the poem). The poets often speak in metaphors, so this may then relate to the weaving of magic, especially through the use of words. Remember, Gwydion is a poet as well as a magician!
The two examples I mentioned are both referenced in Rachel Bromwich's Trioedd Ynys Prydein, but I'm not sure whether they're online. If you don't have a copy of the Triads, then it might be worth checking on Mary Jones Celtic Encyclopedia website (I think the Huan thing might be there) or in the WCD archive.org/details/a-welsh-classical-dictionary-people-in-history-and-legend-up-to-about-a.-d.-1000/mode/2up
@@KrisHughes Thanks for the link! I liked the idea of a verbal pattern of spell casting, I will have to give it a lot of thought on how it should be portrayed,