AVALON
The Theosophy
King Arthur Pages
King
Arthur’s
Marriage
to Guinevere
Taliesin
The 6th century Welsh bard
No contemporary writings or accounts of his life
but he is placed 50 to 100 years after the
accepted
King Arthur period. He refers to Arthur in his
inspiring
poems but the earliest written record of these
dates
from over three hundred years after Taliesin’s
death.
There are no
contemporary accounts of the life of Taliesin but He is mentioned by Nennius in
his Historia Brittanum" (History of the Britons) written circa 800 CE. He
is believed to have lived between 534 and 599. This would put him 50 to 100
years later than the accepted King Arthur period. He was chief bard in the
courts of at least three kings of
His poem The
Chair Of The Sovereign makes
reference to
"Arthur the Blessed”
Preiddeu
Annwn, mentions the warrior's (Arthur’s)
valour; and Journey To Deganwy remembers a time "at the battle of Badon
with Arthur, chief giver of feasts, with his tall blades red from the battle
which all men remember."
Unfortunately
as the earliest written records of his works are from over three hundred years
after Taliesin’s death, scholars cannot now be certain of their date or
authenticity.
The life of
Taliesin was mythologised in the mid 16th century by Elis Gruffydd, whose
account drew from Celtic folklore and existing oral tradition.
According to
this mythologised version, the bard begins life as Gwion Bach, a servant boy on
the shores of Bala Lake (North Wales), where the
giant Tegid
Foel and his witch wife Ceridwen live.
Tegid and
Ceridwen also have a beautiful daughter, Crearwy, and a son, Morfran, who is so
ugly and stupid no magic can cure him.
Ceridwen brews
a potion to make him handsome and wise, and Gwion Bach is given the job of
stirring it in a cauldron over a fire for a year and a day. A blind man, Morda,
tends the fire beneath.
According to
the legend, the first three drops of the liquid give wisdom; the rest are
poisonous. As Gwion stirs the concoction, three drops fall onto him. He
instinctively puts his hand to his mouth to
stop the
burning, instantly gaining great knowledge and wisdom.
Frightened of
Ceridwen's reaction, Gwion flees. The potion has given him the ability to
change shape, and he turns himself into a rabbit.
Ceridwen in
turn becomes a dog. Gwion assumes the shape of a fish and jumps into a river;
his mother becomes an otter. Gwion turns into a bird; she becomes a hawk and
continues her chase. Finally Gwion becomes a single grain of corn.
Ceridwen,
assuming the form of a hen, eats him.
After Ceridwen
resumes her old shape she finds she is pregnant. She instinctively knows it is
Gwion. After the birth, although she has
plans to kill
him, the child is so beautiful she is unable to.
Instead she
casts him into the ocean in a large leather bag. The baby is discovered by
Elffin, son of Gwyddno Garanhir and the unluckiest prince in Wales' history. Elffin
(or Elphin) is given a
large estate
in his father's kingdom in Mid
Gwyddno
presents his son with the annual salmon catch of the Dovey River in
compensation. But when the river keeper draws in his nets there is not a single
fish in them - just a large leather bag.
Inside the bag
is the reborn Gwion Fach. When Elffin sets eyes on him he is so shocked by the whiteness
of the boy's brow he cries out 'tal iesin', meaning 'how radiant his brow is'.
As he rides home with the boy on his horse,
the child begins first to speak, then to recite poetry. The poem he recites
tells Elffin that Taliesin has been sent to guide him, that he's not only a
great
poet but also
a prophet, and that by using his gifts all Elffin's enemies will be defeated.
Elffin's luck
changes thereafter and he prospers in all he does. Taliesin becomes the most
famous bard in Britain, foretelling the death of the evil king Maelgwyn Gwynedd
at the hands of a 'yellow
beast'.
Through his poetry he inspires the Celtic warriors of Britain in their struggle
against the Saxon invaders.
Towards the
end of his life Taliesin makes a famous prophecy about the fate of the British,
which has had tremendous significance in
contemporary
Their Lord they shall praise,
Their language they shall keep,
Their land they shall lose -
Except wild
Theosophy
Avalon
King
Arthur &
The
Round Table
Merlin
& The Tree of Life
Merlin the Magician
Born circa 400 CE ; Welsh: Myrddin;
Latin: Merlinus; English: Merlin.
The
Holy Grail
The Theosophy
King
Arthur Pages
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