Aneirin
Encyclopedia
Aneirin or Neirin was a Dark Age Brython
ic poet. He is believed to have been a bard
or 'court poet' in one of the Cumbric kingdoms of the Old North or Hen Ogledd
, probably that of Gododdin
at Edinburgh
, in modern Scotland
. From the 17th century, his name was often incorrectly spelled Aneurin.
known as the Book of Aneirin
(or Llyfr Aneirin). The language has been partially modernized into Middle Welsh
, but other portions in Old Welsh
indicate that at least some of the poetry dates from around Aneirin's time, and its attribution, therefore, may well be genuine. The work would have survived through oral transmission until first written down, perhaps in the 9th century.
Aneirin's best known work is Y Gododdin
, a series of elegies for the warriors of the northern Brythonic kingdom of Gododdin
who, in circa 600, fell against the Angles
of Deira and Bernicia
at the Battle of Catraeth (probably Catterick
in North Yorkshire
). The poetry abounds in textual difficulties and consequently interpretations vary. One stanza contains what may possibly be the earliest reference to Arthur
, as a paragon of bravery with whom one fallen warrior is compared : the identification is, however, conjectural. The poem tells us that Aneirin was present at this battle and, having been taken prisoner, was one of only four (or two) Brythonic survivors. He remained a captive until his ransom was paid by Ceneu ap Llywarch Hen
.
, are late and erroneous. Aneirin's mother, Dwywei, is, however, mentioned in 'Y Gododdin'. She may be the same lady who, according to Old Welsh pedigrees, married King Dunod, who is generally thought to have ruled in West Yorkshire
. He was also kin to another Brythonic poet, Cian Gwenith Gwawd.
In the late 18th century attempts were made to identify Aneirin with the early 6th century writer, Gildas
, based on the incorrect form of his name. Thomas Stephens later thought the poet was Gildas' son. Both ideas are now discredited.
The Welsh Triads
describe Aneirin as "prince of bards" and "of flowing verse". Nennius
praises him amongst the earliest Welsh poets or Cynfeirdd, a contemporary of Talhaearn
, Taliesin
, Bluchbardd and Cian. References to Aneirin are found in the work of the Poets of the Princes, but his fame declined in the later Middle Ages until the re-assertion of Welsh identity
by antiquarian writers of the Tudor period
. Today, the reputation of his poetry remains high, though the exact identity of the author is more controversial.
Brython
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
ic poet. He is believed to have been a bard
Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture a bard was a professional poet, employed by a patron, such as a monarch or nobleman, to commemorate the patron's ancestors and to praise the patron's own activities.Originally a specific class of poet, contrasting with another class known as fili in Ireland...
or 'court poet' in one of the Cumbric kingdoms of the Old North or Hen Ogledd
Hen Ogledd
Yr Hen Ogledd is a Welsh term used by scholars to refer to those parts of what is now northern England and southern Scotland in the years between 500 and the Viking invasions of c. 800, with particular interest in the Brythonic-speaking peoples who lived there.The term is derived from heroic...
, probably that of Gododdin
Gododdin
The Gododdin were a Brittonic people of north-eastern Britain in the sub-Roman period, the area known as the Hen Ogledd or Old North...
at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, in modern Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. From the 17th century, his name was often incorrectly spelled Aneurin.
Poetry
The works attributed to Aneirin are preserved in a late-13th century manuscriptManuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
known as the Book of Aneirin
Book of Aneirin
The Book of Aneirin is a late 13th century Welsh manuscript containing Old and Middle Welsh poetry attributed to the late 6th century Northern Brythonic poet, Aneirin....
(or Llyfr Aneirin). The language has been partially modernized into Middle Welsh
Middle Welsh language
Middle Welsh is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 14th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed from Old Welsh....
, but other portions in Old Welsh
Old Welsh language
Old Welsh is the label attached to the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from the British language around 550, has been called "Primitive Welsh".Many poems and some prose...
indicate that at least some of the poetry dates from around Aneirin's time, and its attribution, therefore, may well be genuine. The work would have survived through oral transmission until first written down, perhaps in the 9th century.
Aneirin's best known work is Y Gododdin
Y Gododdin
Y Gododdin is a medieval Welsh poem consisting of a series of elegies to the men of the Britonnic kingdom of Gododdin and its allies who, according to the conventional interpretation, died fighting the Angles of Deira and Bernicia at a place named Catraeth...
, a series of elegies for the warriors of the northern Brythonic kingdom of Gododdin
Gododdin
The Gododdin were a Brittonic people of north-eastern Britain in the sub-Roman period, the area known as the Hen Ogledd or Old North...
who, in circa 600, fell against the Angles
Angles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
of Deira and Bernicia
Bernicia
Bernicia was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England....
at the Battle of Catraeth (probably Catterick
Catterick, North Yorkshire
Catterick , sometimes Catterick Village, to distinguish it from the nearby Catterick Garrison, is a village and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire, England...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
). The poetry abounds in textual difficulties and consequently interpretations vary. One stanza contains what may possibly be the earliest reference to Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
, as a paragon of bravery with whom one fallen warrior is compared : the identification is, however, conjectural. The poem tells us that Aneirin was present at this battle and, having been taken prisoner, was one of only four (or two) Brythonic survivors. He remained a captive until his ransom was paid by Ceneu ap Llywarch Hen
Llywarch Hen
Llywarch Hen was a 6th-century prince of the Brythonic kingdom of Rheged, a ruling family in the Hen Ogledd or 'Old North' of Britain...
.
Identity & reputation
Records of Aneirin amongst the sons of Caw, a chieftain from StrathclydeKingdom of Strathclyde
Strathclyde , originally Brythonic Ystrad Clud, was one of the early medieval kingdoms of the celtic people called the Britons in the Hen Ogledd, the Brythonic-speaking parts of what is now southern Scotland and northern England. The kingdom developed during the post-Roman period...
, are late and erroneous. Aneirin's mother, Dwywei, is, however, mentioned in 'Y Gododdin'. She may be the same lady who, according to Old Welsh pedigrees, married King Dunod, who is generally thought to have ruled in West Yorkshire
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries...
. He was also kin to another Brythonic poet, Cian Gwenith Gwawd.
In the late 18th century attempts were made to identify Aneirin with the early 6th century writer, Gildas
Gildas
Gildas was a 6th-century British cleric. He is one of the best-documented figures of the Christian church in the British Isles during this period. His renowned learning and literary style earned him the designation Gildas Sapiens...
, based on the incorrect form of his name. Thomas Stephens later thought the poet was Gildas' son. Both ideas are now discredited.
The Welsh Triads
Welsh Triads
The Welsh Triads are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a rhetorical form whereby objects are grouped together in threes, with a heading indicating the point of likeness...
describe Aneirin as "prince of bards" and "of flowing verse". Nennius
Nennius
Nennius was a Welsh monk of the 9th century.He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the Historia Brittonum, based on the prologue affixed to that work, This attribution is widely considered a secondary tradition....
praises him amongst the earliest Welsh poets or Cynfeirdd, a contemporary of Talhaearn
Talhaearn Tad Awen
Talhaearn Tad Awen , was, according to medieval Welsh sources, a celebrated British poet of the sub-Roman period. He ranks as one of the earliest, if not the earliest, named poets to have composed and performed in Welsh...
, Taliesin
Taliesin
Taliesin was an early British poet of the post-Roman period whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin...
, Bluchbardd and Cian. References to Aneirin are found in the work of the Poets of the Princes, but his fame declined in the later Middle Ages until the re-assertion of Welsh identity
Culture of Wales
Wales has a distinctive culture including its own language, customs, holidays and music.Wales is primarily represented by the symbol of the red Welsh Dragon, but other national emblems include the leek and daffodil. The Welsh words for leeks and daffodils Wales has a distinctive culture including...
by antiquarian writers of the Tudor period
Tudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
. Today, the reputation of his poetry remains high, though the exact identity of the author is more controversial.
External links
- Celtic literature Collective: The Book of Aneurin, text and translations
- Gathering the Jewels: Llyfr Aneirin, includes full colour images of the entire manuscript