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Canu Aneirin, Awdl 24

Literature

Here we discuss an elegy to another of the Gododdin’s dead warriors, Buddfan fab Bleiddfan. We note that ‘arwr’ (‘hero’) is the first word, summarizing effectively the picture we get in the following lines. We also note that the last word, ‘dihafarch’ (‘brave’) encapsulates this elegy’s main message. Like the first awdl, death in battle is described here as ‘feeding crows’. This is poetry which urges us to see the sad scene, including the blood soaking this dead soldier’s armour. We stress that one of these lines – ‘Beirdd byd barnant ŵr [‘wŷr’] o galon’ – focusses attention on the poet’s social function.

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