Canu Llywarch Hen facts for kids

The Canu Llywarch Hen (say "Can-oo Lloo-warch Hen") are old Welsh poems. Their name means "The Songs of Llywarch Hen". These poems are a famous collection of short verses called englynion (say "eng-LIN-yon"). They tell stories about heroes from a long time ago in North Britain, after the Roman Empire left.

What Are the Songs About?

The Canu Llywarch Hen poems often focus on the character of Llywarch. He is shown as an old man who has lost many of his sons in battle. The poems explore feelings about war, what happens in life (fate), and getting old.

Here are some of the main parts of the collection:

• Gwên and Llywarch: Llywarch, who is old, encourages his son Gwên to fight.
• Marwnad Gwên: Llywarch is sad about Gwên's death.
• Pyll: Llywarch praises his son Pyll, who has also died.
• Maen: Llywarch encourages another son, Maen.
• Other poems about Llywarch's sons: These poems mention many of his other sons.
• Llywarch's Lament for his Sons: Llywarch feels sad about losing his sons.
• Llywarch Invited to Llanfawr: Llywarch talks about how hard it is to lead without his sons.
• The Old Man's Song: Llywarch expresses sadness about his old age.

These poems make you think about what it was like to live in a time of warriors. They show the difficult parts of war and getting old. We don't know exactly how these poems were performed long ago. People often think they were part of a longer story, adding deep feelings to it.

Where Do We Find These Poems?

These old poems were written down in special handwritten books called manuscripts. The most important manuscript is the Red Book of Hergest, which was made in the late 1300s.

The poems were also in another book called the White Book of Rhydderch. Sadly, parts of that book were damaged, so the poems are no longer there. However, copies of the White Book were made later. These copies help us know what was in the original. For example, Peniarth 111 (from 1607) and London, British Library, Add. MS 31055 (from 1596) are two such copies.

Other copies were made by important Welsh scholars like Dr John Davies of Mallwyd in the early 1600s. These copies, found in the National Library of Wales, also help us understand the original poems. It seems all these copies came from one very old original text.

How Old Are the Poems?

Even though the oldest copies we have are from the 1300s, experts believe most of these poems are much older. They think they were first created in Old Welsh, a very early form of the Welsh language. This would mean they were written between the late 700s and mid-800s. They were likely passed down by word of mouth or in earlier manuscripts. Some poems, especially those about Llywarch's other sons, might be newer, perhaps from the 1100s.

Was Llywarch Hen a Real Person?

Llywarch Hen might have been a real person! His name appears in old Welsh family trees. These records suggest he lived in North Britain in the 500s and was a cousin of Urien Rheged. Urien is another hero who has similar poems written about him (called Canu Urien).

However, the Canu Llywarch Hen poems connect Llywarch to a different area in Wales called Powys. Most experts believe his story was moved to Wales later on. It's possible that the poems grew from just a few mentions of Llywarch in old family records. His character as an old man might have come from his nickname, "Hen," which means "Old."

An Example Poem: 'Gwên and Llywarch'

One famous poem from the collection is called 'Gwên and Llywarch'. In this poem, Llywarch, who is old, talks to his son Gwên before a battle. Llywarch encourages Gwên to fight bravely and reminds him of their family honor. Gwên promises to fight hard. The poem shows the strong bond between father and son, and the tough choices warriors faced.