Davod Aur Edeyrn, "The Golden-tongued" , was a Welsh

bard In Celtic cultures, a bard is an oral repository and professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's a ...

and

grammarian Grammarian may refer to: * Alexandrine grammarians, philologists and textual scholars in Hellenistic Alexandria in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE * Biblical grammarians, scholars who study the Bible and the Hebrew language * Grammarian (Greco-Roman ...

Works

Davod Aur Edeyrn is said to have written a grammar of the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic languages, Celtic language of the Brittonic languages, Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales by about 18% of the population, by some in England, and in (the Welsh c ...

in the thirteenth century, published in 1856 by the

Welsh Manuscripts Society The Welsh Manuscripts Society, also known as the Society for the Publication of Ancient Welsh Manuscripts, was an organisation formed in Abergavenny, Wales, in 1837. It was led by prominent members of the clergy and other notables including Tali ...

, with an English translation and notes by the Rev. John Williams ab Ithel. The introduction states that Edeyrn "performed it by command and at the desire of these three lords paramount, namely, Llewelyn, son of Gruffydd, prince of

Aberffraw Aberffraw is a village and community (Wales), community on the south west coast of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. The village is 9 miles from the island's county town, Llangefni, and is on the west bank of the Afon Ffraw (Ffraw River). The com ...

, and king of all

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

; Rhys Fychan, lord of Dinefwr and Ystrad Towy; and Morgan Fychan, lord of the territory between Nedd and Afan and Cilfai, and lord paramount of Morganwg." The same introduction, which can hardly in propriety be Edeyrn's work, speaks of Edeyrn's "acute and profound genius, reflection, various acquirements, memory, and retention." He compiled it "from the record which Einiawn the priest had formed". It includes not only "the Cymric letters and parts of speech," but "the metres of vocal

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

." The version published is said to have been "copied from a transcript of Mr. Lewis Richards of Darowen,

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after ...

, dated 1821, by the Rev. W. J. Rees of Cascob,

Radnorshire Radnorshire () was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974, later becoming a Districts of Wales, district of Powys from 1974 to 1996. It covered a sparsely populat ...

, 1832," and that "Mr. Richards appears to have taken his copy from a manuscript of

Iolo Morganwg Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (; 10March 174718December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.Jones, Mary (2004)"Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg" From ''Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia''. R ...

." There has been much academic debate as to the original date of the source of Davod's work, given that

's reputation as a forger has muddied the waters. There was a reference to 'Dull Edern Dafod Aur' in the elegy written by Siôn ap Hywel ap Llywelyn Fychan upon the death of fellow Welsh poet

Tudur Aled Tudur Aled (c. 1465 – 1525) was a late medieval Welsh poet, born in Llansannan, Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych). He is regarded as a master of cynghanedd. Beginnings Tudur Aled was born c. 1465 in Llansannan, in what is now Denbighshire. It is l ...

c. 1526 which indicated that the grammar was widely read and recognised as a definitive source by that date, from which it is inferred that it was originally written in a preceding century.

Editions

* ''Dosparth Edeyrn Davod Aur; or, The ancient Welsh grammar, which was compiled by royal command in the thirteenth century by Edeyrn the golden tongued, to which is added Y Pum Llyfr Kerddwriaeth, or the rules of Welsh poetry, originally compiled by Davydd Ddu Athraw, in the fourteenth, and subsequently enlarged by Simwnt Vychan, in the sixteenth century: with English translations and notes by the rev. John Williams Ab Ithel. Published for The Welsh MSS. Society.'' Llandovery, 1856
archive.org

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edeyrn, Davod Aur Year of birth missing Year of death missing 13th-century Welsh writers Linguists from Wales Welsh-language writers 13th-century linguists