Llywarch Hen
Encyclopedia
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 (modern southern Scotland
and northern England
). He was first cousin to King Urien Rheged
and may possibly have been a monarch himself in the same region.
His life was the subject of a presumed lost saga of which only the poetry, a series of englyn
ion, survives. The words are put into the mouth of Llywarch himself, although they were clearly composed somewhat later, possibly in the 9th century. He bemoans the death of Urien and returns to Rheged
with his severed head. Other Brython
s make war on Llywarch and he is soon found living in poverty. He is advised to flee to Powys and this he does. He is also sometimes associated with Llanfor, near Llyn Tegid
in Gwynedd
.
In the poems about Llywarch, known as Canu Llywarch Hen, it is said he had twenty-four sons, but various sources list as many as thirty-nine, plus a few daughters. The Canu Heledd, concerning the fall of the kings of the Pengwern
region, and the elegy Geraint son of Erbin, concerning the Battle of Llongborth, are also associated indirectly with Llywarch.
Britons (historical)
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...
kingdom of Rheged
Rheged
Rheged is described in poetic sources as one of the kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd , the Brythonic-speaking region of what is now northern England and southern Scotland, during the Early Middle Ages...
, a ruling family in the 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...
or 'Old North' of Britain (modern southern 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...
and northern England
Northern England
Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
). He was first cousin to King Urien Rheged
Urien
Urien , often referred to as Urien Rheged, was a late 6th century king of Rheged, an early British kingdom of the Hen Ogledd . His power and his victories, including the battles of Gwen Ystrad and Alt Clut Ford, are celebrated in the praise poems to him by Taliesin, preserved in the Book of Taliesin...
and may possibly have been a monarch himself in the same region.
His life was the subject of a presumed lost saga of which only the poetry, a series of englyn
Englyn
Englyn is a traditional Welsh and Cornish short poem form. It uses quantitative metres, involving the counting of syllables, and rigid patterns of rhyme and half rhyme. Each line contains a repeating pattern of consonants and accent known as cynghanedd.- The Eight Types :There are eight types of...
ion, survives. The words are put into the mouth of Llywarch himself, although they were clearly composed somewhat later, possibly in the 9th century. He bemoans the death of Urien and returns to Rheged
Rheged
Rheged is described in poetic sources as one of the kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd , the Brythonic-speaking region of what is now northern England and southern Scotland, during the Early Middle Ages...
with his severed head. Other Brython
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...
s make war on Llywarch and he is soon found living in poverty. He is advised to flee to Powys and this he does. He is also sometimes associated with Llanfor, near Llyn Tegid
Bala Lake
Bala Lake is a large lake in Gwynedd, Wales. It was the largest natural body of water in Wales prior to the level being raised by Thomas Telford to help support the flow of the Ellesmere Canal. It is long by wide, and is subject to sudden and dangerous floods. The River Dee runs through it and...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
.
In the poems about Llywarch, known as Canu Llywarch Hen, it is said he had twenty-four sons, but various sources list as many as thirty-nine, plus a few daughters. The Canu Heledd, concerning the fall of the kings of the Pengwern
Pengwern
Pengwern was a Brythonic settlement of sub-Roman Britain situated in what is now the English county of Shropshire, adjoining the modern Welsh border. It is generally regarded as being the early seat of the kings of Powys before its establishment at Mathrafal, further west, but the theory that it...
region, and the elegy Geraint son of Erbin, concerning the Battle of Llongborth, are also associated indirectly with Llywarch.
External links
Further reading
- Ford, Patrick K. "Llywarch, Ancestor of Welsh Princes." SpeculumSpeculum (journal)Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies is a quarterly academic journal published by the Medieval Academy of America. It was established in 1926. The journal's primary focus is on the time period from 500-1500 in Western Europe, but also on related subjects such as Byzantine, Hebrew, Arabic, and...
45.3 (1970): pp. 442–50. - Jackson, Kenneth. "The Poems of Llywarch the Aged." Antiquity 9:35 (1935): 323-7.
- Rowland, Jenny. Early Welsh Saga Poetry: A Study and Edition of the Englynion. Cambridge, 1990.
- Sims-Williams, Patrick. "The Provenance of the Llywarch Hen Poems: A Case for Llan-gors, Brycheiniog." Cambrian Medieval Celtic StudiesCambrian Medieval Celtic StudiesCambrian Medieval Celtic Studies is a bi-annual academic journal of Celtic studies, which appears in summer and winter...
26 (1993): 27-63. - Sims-Williams, Patrick. "The Death of Urien." Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies 32 (1996): 25-56.
- Williams, Ifor, Sir. "The poems of Llywarch Hên (Sir John Rhys Memorial Lecture)." Proceedings of the British Academy 18 (1934 for 1932): 209-302.
- Williams, Ifor, Sir. Lectures on Early Welsh Poetry. Dublin, 1944.