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Book/Printed Material The Book of Taliesin. Llyfr Taliesin

About this Item

Title

  • The Book of Taliesin.

Other Title

  • Llyfr Taliesin

Summary

  • The Book of Taliesin contains a collection of some of the oldest poems in Welsh, many of them attributed to the poet Taliesin, who was active toward the end of the sixth century and sang the praises of Urien Rheged and his son Owain ab Urien. Other poems reflect the kind of learning with which the poet became associated, deriving partly from Latin texts and partly from native Welsh tradition. This manuscript preserves the texts of such famous poems as "Armes Prydein Fawr," "Preiddeu Annwfn" (which refers to Arthur and his warriors sailing across the sea to win a spear and a cauldron), elegies to Cunedda and Dylan eil Ton, as well as the earliest mention in any Western vernacular of the feats of Hercules and Alexander the Great. The manuscript is incomplete, having lost a number of its original leaves, including the first one. The Book of Taliesin was copied by a single scribe, probably in Glamorgan, and is designated Peniarth MS 2 by the National Library of Wales. The Peniarth Manscript collection was established by Robert Vaughan (circa 1592-1667), who acquired many significant Welsh-language manuscripts for his library in Hengwrt, Meirioneth. The collection was transferred to the Peniarth Library, Meirioneth, in 1859, and from there to the new national library in 1909.

Names

  • Taliesin, around 534--599 Contributor.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1350 to 1400]

Headings

  • -  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland--Wales
  • -  550 to 1400
  • -  Mythology
  • -  Poetry
  • -  Welsh literature

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  Original resource at: National Library of Wales.
  • -  Content in Welsh.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Source Collection

  • Peniarth Manuscript Collection

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021667645

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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The Library asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here.

Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For additional information and contact information for many of the partner organizations, see this archived capture of the World Digital Library site from 2021.

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Taliesin, Around 534. The Book of Taliesin. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1400, 1350] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667645/.

APA citation style:

Taliesin, A. 5. (1350) The Book of Taliesin. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1400] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021667645/.

MLA citation style:

Taliesin, Around 534. The Book of Taliesin. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1400, 1350] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021667645/>.