Pennod 30: ‘Gwledd hyd y gogledd o gig’: Y Cywyddau Brud

‘A Feast of Flesh all the way to the North’: Prophetic Poetry from the War(s) of the Roses

Not counting a special episode recorded in the National Eisteddfod which will be broadcast next, this is the last episode in the first series of Yr Hen Iaith.

We finish discussing literature from the Middle Ages and many themes from the series come together as we consider prophetic poems in the cywyddau form connected with the ‘Wars of the Roses’. The word for prophecy used in this context is brud, and we explain that Welsh in previous times had a special way of seeing connections between the history, the present and the future of the Welsh nation. They were wars between the families of York and Lancaster for the crown of England, and the struggles ended in 1485 with the victory that made Harri Tudur yn Henry VII. But, while they supported real contestants in the struggle, these prophetic poets often depicted the wards in a deeply archaic way as a conflict between the Welsh and their old enemies, the English.

We look at some poetry by Dafydd Llwyd of Mathafarn, considering a number of cywyddau which show how he used ancient traditions to treat contemporary politics, lingering for a while over a wondrously bloody poem, his dialogue with the Raven.

Here’s an opportunity to examine some big concepts, including ‘pre-modern proto-nationalism’ and the continuation of tradition.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a’r Athro Richard Wyn Jones
Cynhyrchwyd gan: Richard Martin
Cerddoriaeth: Might Have Done gan The Molenes