Canu Aneirin, Awdl 1

We discuss the first of the Gododdin’s awdlau in this episode, namely an elegy for Ywain, a warrior described as ‘Marro’s only son’. We note that the style is very sparse yet also extremely powerful; here is a poet who does a lot with a few words. We learn a number of things about Ywain: he was a brave soldier, he died in the battle, and he was very young when he died.