Medieval Welsh bards

Weird Medieval Guys

Journey across space and time with Olivia and Aran this week as we head to medieval Wales, home of one of history's finest bardic traditions. But what was a bard, what did they do, and why did Wales have so darn many of them? Give the episode a listen to learn all this and more! Also discussed are sand worms, long houses, and why foxes are better than babes.

For more on some of what we discuss, check out:

• English translations of Dafydd ap Gwilym's poetry
  • https://dafyddapgwilym.net/eng/3win.php
• Y Goddodin
  • https://www.jstor.org/stable/48578318
• The Court Poets of the Welsh Princes
  • https://www.jstor.org/stable/459824
• Performance and Literacy in Medieval Welsh Poetry
  • https://www.jstor.org/stable/3737807

Music sources for this episode:

• Intro: https://archive.org/details/78_bugeilior-gwenith-gwyn-idle-days-in-summer-time_gwilym-williams-frances-williams_gbia0015181a
• Breaks: https://archive.org/details/78_evanss-jigg_the-folk-dance-orchestra-w-s-gwynn-williams-p-green-philip-green_gbia0511441b
• Bard rap battle (track 3): https://archive.org/details/lp_spanish-medieval-music_new-york-pro-musica-alfonso-x-el-sabio/disc1/01.03.+Cantigua+XXV%3B+Cantigua+CXXXIX.mp3