Introduction: Taliesin the Time Traveler
By the Editor
This week marks the 60th
anniversary of the premiere episode of Doctor Who, the landmark
British science fiction TV series that has entertained and enthralled
generations of fans all over the world. One has to wonder if the creators of Doctor
Who had the medieval Keltik bard Taliesin in mind back in 1963, when
they came up with the character of The Doctor – an immortal extraterrestrial
traveler through time and space. The similarities between The Doctor and
Taliesin are quite striking indeed!
The historical Taliesin was a
Welsh bard – probably a Christian Druid – who may have been associated with
Merlin and King Arthur during the 6th century CE. Various tales of
his bardic prowess and Otherworldly adventures began to circulate after his
death (or disappearance), and these were compiled and transmitted by his disciples
and successors. His legendary biography appears as an appendix to the Mabinogion,
a medieval collection of traditional Welsh legends. He also figures prominently
in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s versified Vita Merlini (Life of Merlin)
from the 12th century. In the 20th century, the Oxford
scholar Charles Williams published two collections of Arthurian poetry that
revolve around Taliesin: Taliesin Through Logres and The
Region of the Summer Stars.
Several poems attributed to
Taliesin have come down to us from the Middle Ages, most notably in the Welsh Book
of Taliesin. Three of these poems appear below, all of them excerpted
from The Four Ancient Books of Wales, edited by W. F. Skene
(1858). In addition, we have an excerpt from the Vita Merlini,
describing how Taliesin accompanied King Arthur to the Otherworldly Isle of
Avalon after the collapse of Arthur’s “Kingdom of Summer,” along with a
condensed version of Taliesin’s legendary biography from Bulfinch’s Mythology
to start us off.
Taken as a whole, Taliesin’s
poems are some excellent early specimens of what we might call
“proto-science-fiction,” in which he is portrayed as a traveler through time
and space, who interacted with many famous people throughout the world and
across the centuries (such as being the standard-bearer for Alexander the
Great). Taliesin’s extraterrestrial homeland is said to be somewhere in “the
region of the summer stars.”
Whatever historical or esoteric
truth may lie behind these legends, Taliesin stands forth as a compelling, yet
enigmatic, figure – a shapeshifter, chrononaut, and composer extraordinaire,
whose legacy invites us to reframe and retell his tales from one generation to
the next.
This imaginative illustration of “An
Archdruid in His Judicial Habit” comes from The Costume of the Original
Inhabitants of the British Islands by S. R. Meyrick and C. H. Smith (1815).
Taliesin was probably a Christian Druid who flourished in Wales during the 6th
century CE.
Excerpt from “Taliesin” (Chapter 13 of the Mabinogion) from
The Age of Chivalry
By Thomas Bulfinch (1796-1867)
Gwyddno Garanhir was sovereign
of Gwaelod, a territory bordering on the sea. And he possessed a weir upon the
strand between Dyvi and Aberystwyth, near to his own castle, and the value of
an hundred pounds was taken in that weir every May eve. And Gwyddno had an only
son named Elphin, the most hapless of youths, and the most needy. And it
grieved his father sore, for he thought that he was born in an evil hour. By
the advice of his council, his father had granted him the drawing of the weir
that year, to see if good luck would ever befall him, and to give him something
wherewith to begin the world. And this was on the twenty-ninth of April.
The next day, when Elphin went
to look, there was nothing in the weir but a leather bag upon a pole of the
weir. Then said the weir-ward unto Elphin, "All thy ill-luck aforetime was
nothing to this; and now thou hast destroyed the virtues of the weir, which
always yielded the value of an hundred pounds every May eve; and to-night there
is nothing but this leathern skin within it." "How now," said
Elphin, "there may be therein the value of a hundred pounds." Well!
they took up the leather bag, and he who opened it saw the forehead of an
infant, the fairest that ever was seen; and he said, "Behold a radiant
brow?" (In the Welsh language, Taliesin.) "Taliesin be he
called," said Elphin. And he lifted the bag in his arms, and, lamenting
his bad luck, placed the boy sorrowfully behind him. And he made his horse
amble gently, that before had been trotting, and he carried him as softly as if
he had been sitting in the easiest chair in the world. And presently the boy
made a Consolation, and praise to Elphin; and the Consolation was as you may
here see:
Fair Elphin,
cease to lament!
Never in
Gwyddno's weir
Was there
such good luck as this night.
Being sad
will not avail;
Better to
trust in God than to forbode ill;
Weak and
small as I am,
On the
foaming beach of the ocean,
In the day
of trouble I shall be
Of more
service to thee than three hundred salmon.
This was the first poem that
Taliesin ever sung, being to console Elphin in his grief for that the produce
of the weir was lost, and what was worse, that all the world would consider
that it was through his fault and ill-luck. Then Elphin asked him what he was,
whether man or spirit. And he sung thus:
I have been
formed a comely person;
Although I
am but little, I am highly gifted;
Into a dark
leathern bag I was thrown,
And on a
boundless sea I was sent adrift.
From seas
and from mountains
God brings
wealth to the fortunate man.
Then came Elphin to the house of
Gwyddno, his father, and Taliesin with him. Gwyddno asked him if he had had a
good haul at the weir, and he told him that he had got that which was better
than fish. "What was that?" said Gwyddno. "A bard," said
Elphin. Then said Gwyddno, "Alas! what will he profit thee?" And
Taliesin himself replied and said, "He will profit him more than the weir
ever profited thee." Asked Gwyddno, "Art thou able to speak, and thou
so little?" And Taliesin answered him, "I am better able to speak
than thou to question me." "Let me hear what thou canst say,"
quoth Gwyddno. Then Taliesin sang:
Three times
have I been born, I know by meditation;
All the
sciences of the world are collected in my breast,
For I know
what has been, and what hereafter will occur.
Elphin gave his haul to his
wife, and she nursed him tenderly and lovingly. Thenceforward Elphin increased
in riches more and more, day after day, and in love and favor with the king;
and there abode Taliesin until he was thirteen years old, when Elphin, son of
Gwyddno, went by a Christmas invitation to his uncle, Maelgwn Gwynedd, who held
open court at Christmas-tide in the castle of Dyganwy, for all the number of
his lords of both degrees, both spiritual and temporal, with a vast and
thronged host of knights and squires.
Editor’s
Note: Taliesin
composed and performed the following song at the Christmas festival held by
King Maelgwn.
“Primary Chief Bard”
(Attributed to Taliesin)
Primary
chief bard am I to Elphin,
And my
original country is the region of the Summer Stars.
Idno and
Heinin called me Myrddin;
At length,
every king will call me Taliesin.
I was with
my Lord in the highest sphere
On the fall
of Lucifer into the depth of hell.
I have borne
a banner before Alexander.
I know the
names of the stars from north to south.
I have been
in the Galaxy at the throne of the Distributor.
I was in
Canaan when Absalom was slain.
I conveyed
Awen to the level of the vale of Hebron.
I was in the
court of Don before the birth of Gwydion.
I was
instructor to Elijah and Enoch.
I have been
winged by the genius of the splendid crozier.
I have been
loquacious prior to being gifted with speech.
I was at the
place of the crucifixion of the merciful Son of God.
I have been
three periods in the prison of Arianrhod.
I have been
the chief director of the work of the tower of Nimrod.
I am a
wonder whose origin is not known.
I have been
in Asia with Noah in the Ark.
I have
witnessed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
I have been
in India when Rome was built.
I am now
come here to the remnant of Troy.
I have been
with my Lord in the manger of the ass.
I
strengthened Moses through the water of Jordan.
I have been
in the firmament with Mary Magdalene.
I have
obtained the Muse from the Cauldron of Cerridwen.
I have been bard
of the harp to Leon of Lochlin.
I have been
on the White Hill, in the court of Cymbeline,
For a day
and a year in stocks and fetters,
I have
suffered hunger for the Son of the Virgin.
I have been
fostered in the land of the Deity.
I have been teacher
to all intelligences.
I am able to
instruct the whole Universe.
I shall be
until the day of doom on the face of the Earth,
And it is
not known whether my body is flesh or fish.
Then I was
for nine months
In the womb
of the priestess Cerridwen.
I was
originally little Gwion,
And at
length I am Taliesin.
At the core of our Milky Way
Galaxy lies the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*. This NASA composite
photo shows the galactic core, which is located in the summer constellation of
Sagittarius as seen from Earth. In the poem “Primary Chief Bard,” Taliesin
sang, “I have been in the Galaxy at the throne of the Distributor” and “my
original country is the region of the Summer Stars.” 😊
“The Spoils of Annwn”
(Attributed to Taliesin)
Editor’s
Note: Annwn is
the Keltik Otherworld, the homeland of the Fair Folk and of (at least some)
postmortal humans. The language of this poem is very obscure, but it seems to
portray an expedition into the Otherworld, led by King Arthur and Taliesin, to
seek a cauldron that might be a precursor to the Holy Grail. Prydwen
is the name of Arthur’s royal ship, and Lleminawg is quite possibly an early
version of Sir Lancelot.
I will
praise the sovereign, supreme king of the land,
Who hath
extended his dominion over the shore of the world.
Complete was
the prison of Gweir in Caer Sidi,
Through the
spite of Pwyll and Pryderi.
No one
before him went into it.
The heavy
blue chain held the faithful youth,
And before
the spoils of Annwfyn woefully he sings,
And till
doom shall continue a bard of prayer.
Thrice
enough to fill Prydwen, we went into it;
Except
seven, none returned from Caer Sidi
Am I not a
candidate for fame, if a song is heard?
In Caer
Pedryvan, four its revolutions;
In the first
word from the cauldron when spoken,
From the
breath of nine maidens it was gently warmed.
Is it not
the cauldron of the chief of Annwfn? What is its intention?
A ridge
about its edge and pearls.
It will not
boil the food of a coward, that has not been sworn,
A sword
bright gleaming to him was raised,
And in the
hand of Lleminawg it was left.
And before
the door of the gate of Uffern [hell] the lamp was burning.
And when we
went with Arthur; a splendid labor,
Except
seven, none returned from Caer Vedwyd.
Am I not a
candidate for fame with the listened song
In Caer
Pedryvan, in the isle of the strong door?
The twilight
and pitchy darkness were mixed together.
Bright wine
their liquor before their retinue.
Thrice
enough to fill Prydwen we went on the sea,
Except
seven, none returned from Caer Rigor.
I shall not
deserve much from the ruler of literature,
Beyond Caer
Wydyr they saw not the prowess of Arthur.
Three score
Canhwr stood on the wall,
Difficult
was a conversation with its sentinel.
Thrice
enough to fill Prydwen there went with Arthur,
Except
seven, none returned from Caer Golud.
I shall not
deserve much from those with long shields.
They know
not what day, who the causer,
What hour in
the serene day Cwy was born.
Who caused
that he should not go to the dales of Devwy.
They know
not the brindled ox, thick his head-band.
Seven score
knobs in his collar.
And when we
went with Arthur of anxious memory,
Except
seven, none returned from Caer Vandwy.
I shall not
deserve much from those of loose bias,
They know
not what day the chief was caused.
What hour in
the serene day the owner was born.
What animal
they keep, silver its head.
When we went
with Arthur of anxious contention,
Except
seven, none returned from Caer Ochren.
Monks
congregate like dogs in a kennel,
From contact
with their superiors they acquire knowledge,
Is one the
course of the wind, is one the water of the sea?
Is one the
spark of the fire, of unrestrainable tumult?
Monks
congregate like wolves,
From contact
with their superiors they acquire knowledge.
They know
not when the deep night and dawn divide.
Nor what is
the course of the wind, or who agitates it,
In what
place it dies away, on what land it roars.
The grave of
the saint is vanishing from the altar-tomb.
I will pray
to the Lord, the great supreme,
That I be
not wretched. Christ be my portion.
“Taliesin Accompanies King Arthur on His Final Journey”
Excerpted from the Vita Merlini (Life of Merlin) by
Geoffrey of Monmouth (1095-1155)
Translated by John Jay Parry (1925, Public Domain)
The Island of Apples [Avalon]
which men call “The Fortunate Isle” gets its name from the fact that it
produces all things of itself; the fields there have no need of the ploughs of
the farmers and all cultivation is lacking except what nature provides. Of its own accord it produces grain and
grapes, and apple trees grow in its woods from the close-clipped grass. The ground of its own accord produces
everything instead of merely grass, and people live there a hundred years or
more. There nine sisters rule by a
pleasing set of laws those who come to them from our country. 48 She who is first of them is more skilled in
the healing art, and excels her sisters in the beauty of her person. Morgen is her name, and she has learned what
useful properties all the herbs contain, so that she can cure sick bodies. She also knows an art by which to change her
shape, and to cleave the air on new wings like Daedalus; when she wishes she is
at Brest, Chartres, or Pavia, and when she will she slips down from the air
onto your shores. And men say that she
has taught mathematics to her sisters, Moronoe, Mazoe, Gliten, Glitonea,
Gliton, Tyronoe, Thitis; Thitis best known for her cither. Thither after the battle of Camlann we took
the wounded Arthur, guided by Barinthus to whom the waters and the stars of
heaven were well known. With him
steering the ship we arrived there with the prince, and Morgen received is with
fitting honor, and in her chamber she placed the king on a golden bed and with her
own hand she uncovered his honorable wound and gazed at it for a long
time. At length she said that health
could be restored to him if he stayed with her for a long time and made use of
her healing art. Rejoicing, therefore,
we entrusted the king to her and returning spread our sails to the favoring
winds.
“Alexander the Great”
(Attributed to Taliesin)
Editor’s
Note:
In the poem “Primary Chief Bard,” Taliesin claims to “have borne a banner
before Alexander.” In the following verses, Taliesin gives his assessment of King
Alexander, including his interests in science and his purported explorations of
the Indian Ocean and the Earth’s atmosphere.
I wonder
that there is not proclaimed
An
acknowledgment of heaven to the Earth,
Of the
coming of a giant Ruler,
Alexander
the Great.
Alexander,
possessor of multitudes,
Passionate,
iron-gifted,
Eminent for
sword-strokes.
He went
under the sea,
Under the
sea he went,
To seek for
science.
Whoever
seeks science,
Let him be
clamorous in mind.
He went
above the wind,
Between two
griffins on a journey,
To see a sight.
A sight he
saw,
The present
was not sufficient.
He saw a
wonder,
A
superiority of lineage with fishes.
What he
desired in his mind,
He had from
the world.
And also at
his end
With God,
mercy.
Alexander the Great explores the
Indian Ocean in this illumination from a late medieval British manuscript.
(Image Credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons)
“A Reflection on Alexander the Great’s Submarine Adventure”
By St. Juliana of Norwich (1342-1417)
Excerpted from Chapter 10 of Revelations of Divine Love
Once time mine understanding was
led down into the sea-ground, and there I saw hills and dales green, seeming as
it were moss-be-grown, with wrack and gravel. Then I understood thus: that if a
man or woman were under the broad water, if he might have sight of God so as
God is with a man continually, he should be safe in body and soul, and take no
harm: and overpassing, he should have more solace and comfort than all this
world can tell. For He willeth we should believe that we see Him continually,
though that to us it seemeth but little; and in this belief He maketh us
evermore to gain grace. For He will be seen, and He will be sought: He will be
abided, and he will be trusted.
·
The
Mabinogion by Lady
Charlotte Guest @ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5160/5160-h/5160-h.htm (The final chapter of this book contains an
unabridged version of the story of Taliesin.)
·
The
Book of Taliesin @ https://web.archive.org/web/20080118191527/http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/llyfrtaliesin.html (This is a 19th-century English translation
by W. F. Skene.)
·
Widsith @ https://oldenglishpoetry.camden.rutgers.edu/widsith/ (Here is a modern English version of an Old
English poem, spoken by another legendary time-traveling bard named Widsith.)
