Editing Taliesin (section)

==Biography==
[[Image:Helmbar.jpg|thumb|The [[River Eden, Cumbria|Eden]] Valley between Appleby and Penrith, an area referred to affectionately as the heartland of [[Rheged]] in the praise poems of Taliesin|alt=]]

Details of Taliesin's life are sparse. The first mention of him occurs in the Saxon genealogies appended to four manuscripts of the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]'' from 828AD. The writer names five poets, among them Taliesin, who lived in the time of [[Ida of Bernicia]] (fl. mid-6th century) and a British chieftain, (O)utigirn ([[Welsh language|Modern Welsh]] Eudeyrn).<ref>("At that time Talhaearn the Father of the Muse was famous in poetry, and Neirin, Taliesin, Blwchfardd and Cian who is called Gweinthgwawd, at one and the same time were renowned in British poetry." —''Gildas et Nennius'', ed. Mommsen, p. 205; Mon. Hist. Brit. p. 75), quoted in John Edward Lloyd, ''Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Volume 55''</ref> This information is considered fairly credible,<ref>Phillimore in ''Cymmrodor'', xi. 134–8; Zimmer, ''Nennius Vindicatus'', p. 78, quoted in John Edward Lloyd, ''Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Volume 55''</ref> since he is also mentioned by [[Aneirin]], another of the five mentioned poets, who is famed as the author of ''[[Y Gododdin]]'', a series of elegies to the men of the kingdom of [[Gododdin]] (now [[Lothian]]) who died fighting the Angles at the [[Battle of Catraeth]] around 600.

Taliesin's authorship of several odes to King [[Urien Rheged]] (died c. 550) is commonly accepted,<ref>[http://www.llgc.org.uk/index.php?id=254 National Library of Wales, article ''Taliesin'']</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=f899xH_quaMC&dq=williams+canu+taliesin&pg=PA1652 J. Koch, ''Celtic Culture: Aberdeen breviary-celticism'']</ref> and they mention [[River Eden, Cumbria|The Eden Valley]] and an enemy leader, Fflamddwyn,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/arts/sites/early-welsh-literature/pages/taliesin.shtml|title=BBC Wales – Arts – Early Welsh literature – Taliesin|access-date=21 June 2016}}</ref> identified as Ida<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pBIbAAAAYAAJ|title=The Scots Magazine and Edinburgh Literary Miscellany|date=1 January 1808|publisher=Archibald Constable & Company|access-date=21 June 2016|via=Google Books}}</ref> or his son [[Theodric of Bernicia|Theodric]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=buYQAwAAQBAJ&dq=flamddwyn+theodric&pg=PA243 Charles Oman, ''England Before the Norman Conquest'' -]</ref> The poems refer to victories of Urien at the battles of Argoed Llwyfain, [[Battle of Alclud Ford|The Ford of Clyde]] and [[Gweith Gwen Ystrat|Gwen Ystrad]]. Taliesin also sang in praise of [[Cynan Garwyn]], king of [[Kingdom of Powys|Powys]].<ref>Ifor Williams, ''Canu Taliesin'' (University of Wales Press, 1960), poem I.</ref> Cynan's predecessor, [[Brochwel Ysgithrog]], is also mentioned in later poems.

According to legends that first appear in the ''[[Book of Taliesin]]'', Taliesin's early patron was [[Elffin ap Gwyddno]], son of [[Gwyddno Garanhir]], who was a lord of a lost land in [[Cardigan Bay]] called [[Cantre'r Gwaelod]]. Taliesin defended Elffin and satirised his enemy, the powerful [[Maelgwn Gwynedd]], shortly before the latter died (probably in 547 AD).<ref>Based on Phillimore's (1888) reconstruction of the dating of the ''[[Annales Cambriae]]'' (A Text) – see Phillimore, Egerton (1888), ''The Annales Cambriae and Old Welsh Genealogies, from Harleian MS. 3859'', in Phillimore, Egerton, Y Cymmrodor IX, Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, pp. 141–183</ref> The Latin-Breton ''Life of Iudic-hael'' refers to Taliesin visiting the monastery of [[Gildas]] at [[Rhuys Peninsula|Rhuys]] in [[Brittany]].<ref>Koch, John T. "''De sancto Iudicaelo rege Historia'' and Its Implications for the Welsh Taliesin" in Nagy, Joseph Falaky and Jones, Leslie Ellen (eds.)(2005),''Heroic Poets and Poetic Heroes in Celtic Tradition: A Festschrift for Patrick K. Ford'', Four Courts Press, Dublin, pp. 247 - 262 {{isbn|9781851828494}}</ref>

According to the [[Welsh Triads]], Taliesin had a son, [[Afaon fab Taliesin|Afaon]], who was accounted a great warrior, and who suffered a violent death, probably in Lothian.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/triads2.html|title=The Welsh Triads|access-date=21 June 2016}}</ref> Taliesin's grave is held in folklore to be near the village of Tre Taliesin near Llangynfelyn<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.llangynfelyn.org/dogfennau/bedd_taliesin_mynegiad.html|title=Llangynfelyn – Bedd Taliesin – Taliesin's grave|access-date=21 June 2016}}</ref> called [[Bedd Taliesin]], but this is a [[Bronze Age]] burial chamber, and the village of [[Tre-Taliesin]], at the foot of the hill, was actually named after the burial chamber in the 19th century<ref>Owen & Morgan (2007) "Dictionary of the Place Names of Wales" p.475</ref> though legend was traced by [[Edward Lhuyd]] to the 17th century.