Geraint son of Erbin facts for kids
The poem Geraint son of Erbin is an old Welsh poem. It tells the story of a brave hero named Geraint and his amazing actions during a battle called the Battle of Llongborth. This poem is special because it's one of the first times King Arthur is mentioned in old writings!
The poem is written in short, three-line parts called englyn stanzas. Many different versions of the poem exist, all in Middle Welsh, which is an older form of the Welsh language. The oldest copy we have is in a book called the Black Book of Carmarthen, which was finished around the year 1250. However, the poem itself might be even older, perhaps from the 900s or 1000s.
About the Poem and Its Hero
Who Was Geraint?
Geraint was a very popular hero in old Welsh stories. He was known as Geraint mab Erbin, which means "Geraint son of Erbin." Many old family trees connect him to parts of southwestern Britain and South Wales around the late 500s. Another old poem, Y Gododdin, might even talk about him.
Geraint became most famous in a story called Geraint and Enid. This story is a bit like a fantasy tale. It was inspired by a French story called Erec and Enide.
The Battle of Llongborth
The poem Geraint son of Erbin often repeats lines to celebrate Geraint's brave deeds at Llongborth. The place called Llongborth might be Langport in Somerset, England, or Portsmouth in Hampshire. However, llongborth can also just mean "ship harbour" in old Welsh. It's similar to the Old Norse word longphort used in Ireland.
Each short englyn stanza in the poem sounds a bit like the others, with small changes. One of these stanzas mentions King Arthur. It calls him amerauder, which means emperor. This is the first time we know of Arthur being called an emperor. This title was used a lot in later stories about Arthur, but it wasn't common in the very first tales about him.
