Taliesin
Taliesin EuropeThe Welsh wizard bard. He may have lived in the sixth century, the age of the chieftain who became the ‘King Arthur’ of later romance. Taliesin's legend and poems survive in the Mabinogion. The witch Caridwen once prepared in her cauldron a magic brew which, after a year's boiling, was to yield three blessed drops. Whoever swallowed these drops would know all the secrets of the past, the present, and the future. By accident this happened to be Gwion Bach, the boy who helped to tend the fire beneath the cauldron. When boiling drops fell on his finger, he put it in his mouth, and then, realizing his danger, fled. Caridwen pursued him relentlessly. After numerous transformations, the ravenous witch as a hen ate the fugitive boy disguised as a grain of wheat.
Thrown into the sea at last, he was caught in a fish-trap, and called Taliesin by those who saw him, because of his radiant brow. His knowledge dumbfounded king's bards and...
[The entire page is 196 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
