{"id":81,"date":"2020-01-20T08:58:20","date_gmt":"2020-01-20T08:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/old-north.co.uk\/wordpress\/?page_id=81"},"modified":"2025-02-17T13:50:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T13:50:28","slug":"the-poetry-of-the-old-north","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/old-north.co.uk\/wordpress\/?page_id=81","title":{"rendered":"The Literature of the Old North"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The word Hengerdd <\/em>(literally ‘old song’) is used in Welsh to refer to the surviving works of the cynfeirdd <\/em>(‘early bards’), the early poets who lived between the 6th century, when a common Brythonic tongue was separating into the different languages, and the 11th century, after which Welsh culture became increasingly affected by Norman and Anglo-Norman culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the cynfeirdd <\/em>have entered the realms of Welsh legend. Nennius mentions several who were active in the mid to late 6th century: Talhaiarn Tataguen, Neirin, Taliesin, Bluchbard, Cian ‘Guenith Guaut’. <\/em>Of these ancient poets, the work of two has survived for nearly 1,500 years: Neirin (better known today as Aneirin) and Taliesin. Luckily for anyone interested in Celtic Cumbria, these two most famous of the cynfeirdd <\/em>lived and composed their works within The Old North. Though their works come down to us through Medieval Welsh copies, some of the works contained within the Llyfr Taliesin<\/em> (‘Book of Taliesin’) and Llyfr Aneirin <\/em>(‘Book of Aneirin’) are believed to represent a continuous literary tradition dating back to the sixth century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among Welsh literary scholars, the following works are generally identified as genuinely belonging to the period of the Cynfeirdd<\/em>, whether or not they were composed by the poets to which they were later ascribed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Llyfr Taliesin:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n