Hanes Taliesin facts for kids
The Hanes Taliesin (which means The Tale of Taliesin) is an old Welsh story about the legendary poet Taliesin. It was written down in the mid-1500s by a person named Elis Gruffydd. Another version was recorded around 1607 by John Jones of Gellilyfdy. This story is similar to parts of The Book of Taliesin and also reminds us of the childhood story of the Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhail and the salmon of wisdom. This tale was also included in Mabinogion, a famous collection of Welsh myths, by Lady Charlotte Guest.
Contents
Taliesin's Amazing Birth
The story begins with a boy named Gwion Bach. He was a servant to a powerful magician named Ceridwen. She was married to a nobleman, Tegid Foel, during the time of King Arthur. Ceridwen knew three types of magic: enchantment, magic, and telling the future.
Ceridwen had a beautiful daughter and a son named Morfran. Morfran, whose name means "Great Crow," was very ugly. Later, he was called Afagddu, meaning "Utter Darkness." Ceridwen wanted her son to be respected, so she decided to give him the gift of great wisdom and knowledge.
She found special herbs and cooked them in a cauldron for a year and a day. The first three drops from this cauldron would give someone amazing wisdom and the power to see the future. All the other liquid was deadly poison.
Ceridwen asked a blind man named Morda to stir the cauldron. Gwion Bach, the young servant, kept the fire burning underneath it. One day, Ceridwen fell asleep. While she was sleeping, the first three magical drops splashed out. Gwion Bach quickly pushed Morfran aside and caught the drops himself!
Instantly, Gwion became incredibly wise. He knew that Ceridwen would be furious, so he ran away as fast as he could.
The Great Chase
Soon, Gwion heard Ceridwen chasing him, full of anger. To escape, he turned himself into a hare. Ceridwen immediately changed into a fast greyhound and chased him across the land.
Gwion then turned into a fish and leaped into a river. Ceridwen transformed into an otter and followed him through the water. Next, Gwion became a bird and flew into the sky. Ceridwen changed into a hawk and soared after him.
Finally, exhausted, Gwion flew into a barn. He quickly turned into a single grain of corn. Ceridwen, now a black hen, ate him up!
Because of this, Ceridwen became pregnant. She knew the child was Gwion. When the baby was born, he was so beautiful that she couldn't bring herself to kill him. Instead, she put him in a basket covered with animal hide and threw him into the water. Some versions of the story say it was a lake, others a river or the sea.
Elphin Discovers Taliesin
The baby was found by Elphin, the son of Gwyddno Garanhir. Elphin was a lord from Ceredigion and was fishing for salmon when he discovered the basket. He was amazed by the baby's bright, white forehead. He exclaimed, "This is a radiant forehead!" In Welsh, "radiant forehead" is tal iesin. That's how the baby got his name, Taliesin!
Right away, Taliesin began to sing beautiful poems, known as Dehuddiant Elphin. Here is some of what he sang:
|
Elffin deg taw ath wylo |
Fair Elffin, stop your crying! |
Taliesin sang these poems all the way home. Elphin gave Taliesin to his wife, and they raised him with much love. From the day Taliesin joined their family, Elphin's wealth grew every day. Elphin became very proud, which led to trouble with the king. But his amazing son, Taliesin, always saved him.
Taliesin at King Maelgwn's Court
One Christmas, during a big feast, everyone praised King Maelgwn Gwynedd. Elphin, feeling very proud, boasted that his wife was more pure than the King's wife. He also claimed that his bard (poet) was better than all of the king's bards put together! When the king heard this, he was very angry and threw Elphin into prison.
To test Elphin's claims, King Maelgwn sent his son Rhun to Elphin's house. Rhun was known for always getting what he wanted from women. He was sent to try and trick Elphin's wife. But Taliesin was clever! He quickly swapped Elphin's wife with a scullery maid (a kitchen helper).
Rhun had dinner with the disguised maid. When she fell asleep, he cut off her finger, which wore Elphin's special ring. The king then showed the finger to Elphin, trying to prove his wife wasn't so good after all. But Elphin calmly looked at the finger. He told the king that it couldn't be his wife's finger. It was the wrong size, the nails weren't cared for, and there was evidence of kneading rye dough, which his wife never did. This made the king even angrier, and Elphin was put back in prison.
Taliesin's Wisdom
To prove Elphin's boast about his bard, Taliesin went to King Maelgwn's court. In a magical way, Taliesin made the king's bards unable to speak properly. They could only make strange, nonsensical sounds.
When the king asked Taliesin why he did this, Taliesin answered with a series of wise poems. Taliesin's wisdom amazed the king and even made him feel a little scared. So, the king decided to release Elphin.
Once Elphin was free, Taliesin dared him to bet that he also had a faster horse than the king. This led to a horse race. Taliesin told Elphin to hit each of the king's 24 horses on the back with a burnt holly stick. A cap was thrown exactly where Elphin's horse finished the race. Later, gold was found buried under that very spot! This is how Taliesin repaid his master for taking him in and raising him.
The story of Taliesin ends with him telling King Maelgwn prophecies (predictions) about the beginning of humans and what will happen to the world.
Similar Stories
The story of Taliesin's birth is very similar to the childhood story of the Irish hero Fionn mac Cumhail and how he gained wisdom from the salmon of wisdom. Both stories involve a young boy gaining special knowledge through a magical event related to food or drink.
There are also similar tales in other parts of Europe. For example, in an old Danish story, a character gains wisdom by eating a special stew. In an Icelandic story, a hero named Sigurd learns the language of birds after tasting the heart of a dragon. These kinds of stories, where a hero gains special knowledge by eating something magical, are found in many fairy tales across Europe.
See also
- Aneirin
- Mabinogion
