Welsh Journals

THE MID-WALES CONTEXT OF HANES TALIESIN LOCAL PLACE-NAMES IN THE MANUSCRIPT TALES According to the version of Hanes Taliesin copied by John Jones in 1609, the baby Taliesin is found by Elphin son of Gwyddno in his father's weir located yn y traeth rrwng Dyfi ag Aberystwyth garllaw ei gastell ei hun'.1 Two other versions of the tale locate the weir, which miraculously produced fish every -May Eve, in the same general area although these versions specify that the weir was located between the Dyfi and the Ystwyth. Although no trace of such a weir remains today, if it ever existed, it is interesting that the poet Taliesin who probably sang his historical eulogies on the exploits of the North British princes in the kingdom of Rheged should be relocated in Mid- Wales. A number of identifiable places are mentioned in the texts of Hanes Taliesin and several other places may have acquired names as a result of the story's popularity. All of these places are associated with northern or mid-Wales and a significant number are located in Cardi- ganshire despite the northern connections of the historical Taliesin. Three other characters in the story Maelgwyn Gwynedd, Gwyddno Garanhir, and his son Elphin, also seem to have been linked to North British tradition. On the basis of such evidence, it seems likely that the Hanes is a relocation of the Taliesin story in the Cardiganshire area, possibly in an attempt to reintegrate the heroes of the past-particularly those asso- ciated with the time before the break-up of the northern British king- doms-into the environment of medieval Wales. The degree of locali- zation varies although there is overall agreement in placing the action of the Gwion Bach tale near Bala Lake and Aberystwyth and the action of most of Elphin's adventures near Deganwy The story of Hanes Taliesins concerns the adventures of Gwion Bach who steals the three drops of knowledge from the cauldron of Ceridwen and is swallowed by her in the form of a grain and reborn as Taliesin. He is rescued by Elphin whom he in turn rescues from prison by defeating Maelgwn's bards, exonerating the chastity of Elphin's wife, and enabling Elphin to defeat Maelgwn's horses in a race which ends with Elphin the possessor of a fortune. All versions of Hanes Taliesin locate the home of Tegid and Ceridwen at Bala Lake, a place which figures prominently in Welsh folklore. One of its frequently noted qualities was the uniqueness and abundance of fish, a fact which links it to another motif of the Hanes the fish producing weir in which the infant Taliesin is found. The exact location of Gwyddno's weir varies slightly in the texts. Llewelyn Sion, Owen John and John Jones locate it in the area near