Llywarch Hen (, "Llywarch the Old"; c. 534 – c. 608), was a prince and poet of the Brythonic kingdom of

Rheged Rheged () was one of the kingdoms of the ('Old North'), the Brittonic-speaking region of what is now Northern England and southern Scotland, during the post-Roman era and Early Middle Ages. It is recorded in several poetic and bardic sources, ...

, a ruling family in the

Hen Ogledd Hen Ogledd (), meaning the Old North, is the historical region that was inhabited by the Celtic Britons, Brittonic people of sub-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, now Northern England and the southern Scottish Lowlands, alongside the fello ...

or "Old North" of Britain (modern southern

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and

northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...

). Along with

Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Britons (Celtic people), Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the ''Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to ...

Aneirin Aneirin (), also rendered as Aneurin or Neirin and Aneurin Gwawdrydd, was an early Medieval Brythonic war poet who lived during the 6th century. He is believed to have been a bard or court poet in one of the Cumbric kingdoms of the Hen Ogledd ...

, and Myrddin, he is held to be one of the four great bards of early Welsh poetry. Whether he actually wrote the poems attributed to him is unknown, and most of what is known about his life is derived from early medieval poems which may or may not be historically accurate.

Life

Llywarch Hen was the son of Elidurus, chief of Argoed (in the

region, later

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

). In the genealogy known as "

Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd ''Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd'' () is a brief Middle Welsh tract which claims to give the pedigrees of twenty 6th century rulers of the Hen Ogledd, the Brittonic languages, Brittonic-speaking parts of southern Scotland and northern England. It is att ...

(The Descent of the Men of the North)" he is listed as a descendant of

Coel Hen Coel (Old Welsh: ''Coil''), also called ''Coel Hen'' (Coel the Old) and King Cole, is a figure prominent in Welsh literature and legend since the Middle Ages. Early Welsh tradition knew of a Coel Hen, a 4th-century leader in Roman Britain, Ro ...

(King Cole), and is first cousin to King

Urien Rheged Urien ap Cynfarch Oer () or Urien Rheged (, Old Welsh: or , ) was a powerful sixth-century Common Brittonic, Brittonic-speaking figure who was possibly the ruler of the territory or kingdom known as Rheged. He is one of the best-known and b ...

. It is thought that he may have been a monarch himself, with Urien ruling northern Rheged, and Llywarch ruling the south. In his 1953 book ''The Derbyshire Dales'', Norman Price links Llywarch to Carl Wark near

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

. In his youth, he is said to have fought by the side of the brave Gereint at the Battle of Llongborth. After the battle, he attached himself to the court of

Urien Urien ap Cynfarch Oer () or Urien Rheged (, Old Welsh: or , ) was a powerful sixth-century Brittonic-speaking figure who was possibly the ruler of the territory or kingdom known as Rheged. He is one of the best-known and best documented o ...

, where he "lived bravely, clothed himself sumptuously, did not spare the ale and mead, and was blessed with 24 sons." These sons are mentioned in the poem ''Canu Llywarch Hen'', although various sources list as many as thirty-nine, plus a few daughters. After the fall of

, Llywarch was given the task of returning to

with Urien's severed head. The kingdom fell to Urien's son

Owain Owain () is a name of Welsh origin, variously written in Old Welsh as Ougein, Eugein, Euguen, Iguein, Ou(u)ein, Eug(u)ein, Yuein, and in Middle Welsh as Ewein, Owein, and Ywein. Other variants of the name Owain include Ewein, Iguein, Owein, Ouein, Y ...

, who was slain at the

Battle of Catraeth The Battle of Catraeth was fought around AD 600 between a force raised by the Gododdin, a Brythonic people of the ''Hen Ogledd'' or "Old North" of Britain, and the Angles of Bernicia and Deira. It was evidently an assault by the Gododdin ...

, along with almost the entire host of Britons, including all of Llywarch's sons. His friends and family all dead, he is advised to flee to the court of

Cynddylan Cynddylan (Modern Welsh pronunciation: /kən'ðəlan/), or Cynddylan ap Cyndrwyn was a seventh-century Prince of Powys associated with Pengwern. Cynddylan is attested only in literary sources: unlike many kings from Brittonic post-Roman Britain, h ...

in the

Kingdom of Powys The Kingdom of Powys (; ) was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. It very roughly covered the northern two-thirds of the modern county of Pow ...

. When Cynddylan was slain in battle, Llywarch was left friendless and destitute, with nothing but the milk from a single cow to support him. According to legend, he lived in a hut at Aber-Ciog (now called Dol-Giog), alone with his harp, composing his poems (which would have been sung). At this point, a monk associated with

Llanfor Llanfor is a village in Gwynedd, Wales near the town of Bala, in the community of Llandderfel. History There is evidence of an Iron Age Hill Fort in the immediate area and Roman Castrum. In the 6th century an unknown Monk from Llanfor was reput ...

in Meirionydd, near

Bala Lake Bala Lake, or (), is a large freshwater glacial lake in Gwynedd, Wales. The River Dee, which has its source on the slopes of Dduallt in the mountains of Snowdonia, feeds the long by wide lake. It was the largest natural body of water in ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

, is said to have taken pity on him, converted him, and witnessed his happy death. Near this site, there is a mound known as Pabell Llywarch (Llywarch's Tent), and further south lies ''Clawdd Llywarch Hen'' (Llywarch Hen's Dyke). The Bonedd lists his date of birth as c. 534, and his death as c. 608, so he would have been around 80 years old at the time of his death, in keeping with his epithet of Llywarch "the old". However, some sources list different birth and death dates, with claims of his age reaching 105, or even 150 years.

Descendants

Merfyn Frych, who became king of

c. 825, established a new dynasty. He was the first king of Gwynedd not to claim descent from

Cunedda Cunedda ap Edern, also called Cunedda ''Wledig'' (reigned – c. 460), was an important early Welsh people, Welsh leader, and the progenitor of the royal dynasty of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd, one of the very oldest of Western Europe. Nam ...

, instead he claimed to be a direct descendant of Llywarch Hen.Ford, P.K. (1970) ''Llywarch, Ancestor of Welsh Princes'', Speculum, Vol. 45, No. 3, p. 450

Works

His life was the subject of a presumed lost saga of which only the poetry, a series of

englyn (; plural ) is a traditional Welsh short poem form. It uses quantitative metres, involving the counting of syllables, and rigid patterns of rhyme and half rhyme. Each line contains a repeating pattern of consonants and accent known as . Ear ...

ion, survives, known as ''

Canu Llywarch Hen ''Canu Llywarch Hen'' (modern Welsh /'kani 'ɬəwarχ heːn/, the songs of Llywarch Hen) are a collection of early Welsh ''englyn''-poems. They comprise the most famous of the early Welsh cycles of ''englynion'' about heroes of post-Roman Nort ...

''. The words are put into the mouth of Llywarch himself, although they were clearly composed somewhat later, possibly between about 800 and 900. These may have been passed down orally before being written down at a much later date. The ''

Canu Heledd ''Canu Heledd'' (modern Welsh /'kani 'hɛlɛð/, the songs of Heledd) are a collection of early Welsh ''englyn''-poems. They are rare among medieval Welsh poems for being set in the mouth of a female character. One prominent figure in the poems ...

'', concerning the fall of the kings of the Pengwern region, and the elegy ''

Geraint son of Erbin ''Geraint son of Erbin'' (Middle Welsh ''Geraint uab Erbin'') is a medieval Welsh poem celebrating the hero Geraint and his deeds at the Battle of Llongborth. The poem consists of three-line ''englyn'' stanzas and exists in several versions all ...

'', concerning the Battle of Llongborth, are also associated indirectly with Llywarch. Works attributed to him include:
''Let the Cock's Comb Be Red''
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References

Ifor Williams Sir Ifor Williams, (16 April 1881 – 4 November 1965) was a Welsh scholar who laid the foundations for the academic study of Old Welsh, particularly early Welsh poetry. Early life and education Ifor Williams was born at Pendinas, Tregarth nea ...

(ed.), ''Canu Llywarch Hen'' (University of Wales Press, 1935). Original Welsh text, edited with notes. *

External links

Ancient Texts: The Names of the Sons of Llywarch Hen
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Life

Descendants

Works

References

External links

Further reading