''Ystorya Adaf'' (Ystorya Addaf, ''The Story of Adam'') is the most commonly accepted title of a medieval Welsh translation of the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

text '' Historia Adam'', a version of the popular " Legend of the Rood" (or ''De ligno sancte crucis''). The ''Ystorya Adaf'' should not be confused with ' (''The Story of Adam and his wife Eve''), a Welsh translation of an Old Testament Midrash text, '' Vita Adae (et Evae)''. The ''Ystorya Adaf'' survives in four manuscripts, Peniarth 5, Peniarth 7, Peniarth 14, and Havod 22, and has been edited three times. The version in Peniarth MS. 5 misleadingly titles the work ''Euengl Nicodemus'' (''Efengyl Nicodemus'', ''

Gospel of Nicodemus Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

''). Although the

Nicodemus Nicodemus (; grc-gre, Νικόδημος, Nikódēmos) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin mentioned in three places in the Gospel of John: * He first visits Jesus one night to discuss Jesus' teachings (). * The second time Nicodemu ...

legend and the

Rood A rood or rood cross, sometimes known as a triumphal cross, is a cross or crucifix, especially the large crucifix set above the entrance to the chancel of a medieval church. Alternatively, it is a large sculpture or painting of the crucifixion ...

legend commonly became attached to each other in many medieval permutations, the Welsh text is not one of them. The sequence in which the ''Ystorya Adaf'' appears in Peniarth MS 5, where it is followed by the Passion story from the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...

and a Welsh translation of the '' Inventio Sancte Crucis'', suggests that the scribe took the ''Ystoria'' to be a prelude to the Crucifixion legend and the ''Inventio'' its follow-up story, with the Gospel account providing a link between them. Though the story is slightly elaborated after the typical manner of

Middle Welsh Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen G ...

narrative prose, by and large it adheres closely to the Latin text as reconstructed by Meyer. Such few connections as there are between the motifs of the story and native Welsh tradition seem coincidental. For example, the motif of the withered footsteps (Seth finds his way back to Paradise by following the footsteps left by

Adam and Eve Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...

years before, on which nothing ever grew again), which finds an analogue, but only that, in Triad 20W:

"But one was more of a red-reaper than the three: Arthur was his name. For a year neither grass nor plants would come up where one of the three walked, but for seven years none would come up where Arthur walked."

The Rood legend is also referred to by the 14th-century Welsh poet Gruffudd ap Maredudd.J.E. Caerwynn Williams, ''Medieval Welsh Religious Prose'', p. 81.

References

Editions and translations

*Jenkins, John (ed.). "Medieval Welsh Scriptures, Religious Legends, and Midrash." ''

Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion ''Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion / Trafodion Anrhydedd Gymdeithas y Cymmrodorion'' is the annual journal of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, published from 1893 (Vol. I). It contains historical and literary essays a ...

'' (1919–20), pp. 121–131. Edition based on Peniarth 5 with variants from Peniarth 14 and Hafod 22. *Jones, Thomas Gwynn (ed.) and G. Hartwell Jones (tr.). ''Ystorya Addaf' a 'Ual a Cauas Elen y Grog': Tarddiad, Cynnwys, ac Arddull y Testunau Cymraeg a'y Lledaeniad'' issertation TYCCh 847. *Williams, Robert (ed.). ''Selections from the Hengwrt Manuscripts'', vol. 2 (London, 1892), 243–50. Based on Peniarth 5
Available from the Internet Archive

General studies

**Williams, J. E. Caerwyn, "Medieval Welsh Religious Prose," ''Proceedings of the Second International Congress of Celtic Studies'', 1963 (Cardiff, 1966), 65–97. **For the source, see main entry '' Legend of the Rood''. {{Adam and Eve Welsh-language literature Medieval Welsh literature