The myth of Taliesin

Here is Taliesin's tale. Once upon a time, and there was not, in the land of Pennlyn, land of the sovereign Tegid Voel Le Chauve, a woman of great beauty, full of talents and great knowledge of secret things. This woman was called Cerridwen and was the very wife of Tegid Le Chauve.

Taliesin

From their union were born three children, Creiwyl a beautifully beautiful child like her mother, Morvran and AfangDu the ugliest child in the world. It is for his ugliness that Cerridwen seems to cherish him more than the others, it is for his ugliness that she seeks the strongest magic, the most secret filters. This ugly child haunts his heart and his love for him desires to save him from his misfortune.

By dint of quest, Cerridwen finally finds a way to compensate for the ugliness of the child by the possibility of acquiring primordial knowledge. For this purpose she prepares the cauldron of knowledge and inspiration which must boil for a year and a day. She knows that three drops of this drink given to the child will be for him the divine inspiration, the one that illuminates the soul, promises all knowledge and all gifts. His son will then no longer have to blush for his ugliness since the beauty of the soul will be given to him.

As time passes to boil the brew, the Queen places a young man named Gwyon Bach under her supervision, as well as an old blind man named Mordra. Together they must ensure that there is always a fire under the cauldron and that the liquid does not overflow. So they do, because Ceridwen, just as beautiful as she can have terrible anger. A year has passed, the round cycle of time has soon closed its loop, and brew time arrives for Afgdu.

That day Cerridwen is on a quest for herbs and magical plants. Gwyon and Mordra discuss and argue until they see the brew swelling, bubbling more and more, like a big soup finally too hot that puffs up vapors. Too late the liquid spurts out, jumps, splashes so much so that, surprised Gwyon not having had time to move away, burned his hand.

The pain is terrible, the fire, the heat is there, the instinct brings its hand to the mouth Three drops of magic touches him whole, penetrates through his mouth. The light, the heat invades him entirely like a new sun, Gwyon is amazed, shocked: did he not drink the three drops reserved for Affgdu there? And Gwyon, his head suddenly filled with knowledge, knows, sees, understands Cerridwen's anger. : he must flee!

Cerridwen's anger was terrible, she screamed, screamed, hit the ground with her heels, hit everyone who passed within her reach, she did not spare Morda. He was heard to the end of the peaks, at the top of the mountains, along the rivers of the kingdom. Her tears mingled with those cries and everyone trembled when they heard her.

Drunk with rage and sorrow, the Queen has gone in search of Gwyon to chastise him. Terrified, the child hid, heard the cries, the threats professed in anger. As he heard her step closer, calling on his newfound wisdom, he transformed into a hare hoping to run so fast that she couldn't catch up with him. Waste of time Cerridwen was also very knowledgeable about magic and she turned into a greyhound.

So she would run as fast, faster and get closer and closer. Gaining momentum Gwyon turns into fish and Cerridwen becomes otter, Gwyon bird Cerridwen hawk. Still armed with his transfiguration power, Gwyon becoming grain hides in a heap of wheat. Cerridwen immediately becomes black hen and swallows the grains and thereby Gwyon.

At the dawn of another day the Queen sees the size of her belly. As her husband Tegid Le Chauve left to fight the Gaels pirates and establish fortifications along the coast, she immediately understands what happened to her. This child that she is expecting can only be young Gwyon, the seed he had become and that she had swallowed, and is preparing for a second birth. Keridwen, when the day comes, will give birth to the child alone

This child is so beautiful that when his eyes meet hers, she cannot bring herself to eliminate him in order to hide him from the eyes of the world, and builds him a sort of basket woven from rushes and moss which she entrusts to the beneficence of the waters of a river which, far from it, will mix its waters with those of the ocean ...

Nine days and nine nights, Gwyon was tossed about in the waves but never cried. He felt neither hunger nor thirst, because the rainwater took care to quench his thirst and tiny fish jumped out of the water to reach his mouth directly. On the evening of the tenth day he came in sight of a land, that of King Gwyddno, known to possess one of the thirteen wonders of the kingdom, a net which, every evening that it is put in the water, brought in sufficient fish to feed all the mouths of the clan, and more.

Gwyddno had a son, Elfin, one of the most unhappy and unfortunate boys ever, and who his father had instructed his father to raise the net that evening in order to bring him luck. not surprised when he lifted the net and found only the woven basket and no fish. In this bassinet he saw Gwyon there, and Elfin was so dazzled by his beauty that he named him Taliesin and regained courage and ardor on returning home.

His father, though he began by lamenting that Elfin had caught nothing to feed the clan, was also charmed when he saw the baby, and even more so when the baby was full and warmed up. began to tell them his story, that of Gwyon Bach and Keridwen, in the form of a song with perfect sounds.

Then Taliesin spoke:
 A big thank you to you, Elfin, for welcoming and welcoming me in this way. Hear now that you will not regret it for I am Taliesin and if soon my name burns among the countless stars of the sky, believe well that I will not be ungrateful and that you will find with me a reward equal to your kindness. " 

Taliesin spent four years in the house of Eflin, four years that saw him pass from a child, to the young man he is today to the great amazement of King Gwyddno's people. All this time, he applied himself to brightening up his benefactor who, from timid and stooped as he was, gradually became a pleasant companion and good conversationalist.

One autumn day came when Elfin left them, having been invited by his uncle Maelgwin Gwynedd to stay on his land at Degawny, while he was there with his uncle's men to receive the drink. and eat it, while listening to the bards sing of the latter's glory. Elfin, who had lost his mind a little bit over the drink, boasted of having more talented bard and more loyal wife than anyone else to Degawny.

His uncle, got into a red rage, had him thrown in prison, then sent Rhun, his illegitimate son, a young man of a beauty that no woman could resist, with the mission of going to seduce Elfin's wife. Informed of all the stratagem, Taliesin, went to find his protector to tell him everything and to offer to replace her with a servant who would don her clothes and her jewelry. Rhun therefore slept with the servant and, in the early morning, cut off her finger that bore Eflin's ring, before fleeing in the direction of Degawny.

There, Elfin was released from prison to show him proof of his wife's infidelity. He replied: “Ah !! This finger is too small, his nail is dirty, and it still bears the traces of the kneading of the rye, it cannot be that of my wife !! An enraged Maelgwin had Elfin returned to prison, in front of Taliesin, for he had followed Rhun in secret when he had fled.

Later that evening, and under the leadership of Heinin their leader, Maelgwin's three bards prepared to sing to appease their king's wrath. But Taliesin had played a trick on them in his own way, and all that came out of their greasy mouths were awkward "bleub bleub" and other grotesque sounds. Then Taliesin stepped forward, made his presence known to all, and, the better to confuse Maelgwin's bards, began to sing with such force that his song unleashed a storm which calmed down as soon as the last notes fell.

Maelgwin, recognizing then that he surpassed all his bards and probably all those in the realm, had Elfin brought, from whom he released the chains.Uncle and nephew now reconciled, Taliesin advised Elfin to claim that in addition to the woman the most loyal and the most talented bard, he also had the fastest horse, which he did.

Three days later, a race was organized and Taliesin went to find Elfin's rider and provided him with 24 burnt holly branches, instructing him to hit each horse he passed before throwing his coat where his own. would take a wrong step.

So was done, and after Elfin had won the race, Taliesin took him to where the mantle had fallen, advising him to dig there, and there he found a cauldron filled with gold, and having done his job. Debt, having established him respect and wealth, Taliesin left Elfin. This is how Taliesin traveled the lands of the world to find there the subject of new songs and to perfect his knowledge in everything.