Post by mabymeini on Nov 12, 2008 21:48:21 GMT -1
I would like to introduce you to a very interesting and informative book, which much to my dismay is never mentioned in neo-Pagan circles. The book in question is "A Welsh Classical Dictionary". It has the sub title of "People and Legend up to A.D. 1000". The author is Peter C Bartrum and it was published by the National Library of Wales (1993). It is available in what can only be described as a very shabby binding and looks like a technical manual or something similar. The current edition is 649 pages of double sided A4 paper. Anyway, that's the down side of it.
The up side is that this is an incredible work. It was in fact a labour of love by Peter Bartrum, an Englishman who learned to speak Welsh and who dedicated decades of his life to researching early Welsh history. The following is a quote directly from the Introduction to the book.
"This dictionary is effectively a series of notes arranged alphabetically under personal names and a few place-names. They are the result of many years of working in the field of Welsh history, legend and fiction, and are to some extent biassed towards subjects which were of personal interest to the author. For example there is perhaps a leaning towards genealogy and to the development of historical ideas (historiography). Thus old ideas which were current in the middle ages, but now superseded, are referred to in order to explain their occurrence in old manuscripts and books. In particular the fictions of Geoffrey of Monmouth, and those who followed him and added to his stories, are included, but the inventions of Annius of Viterbo (1498) and his imitators, as well as those of Iolo Morganwg (Edward Williams, d. 1826), have only occasionally been mentioned, although each of the last two fabricators were taken seriously for a century or so.
An attempt has been made to give the essential outlines of legends and fictions, generally telling the stories without comment, interpretation or speculation.
The term 'Welsh' in the title might be more accurately replaced by 'Brythonic', because the dictionary strays occasionally to the Brythonic people of all Britain as well as Brittany.
It is aimed to give some kind of authority for every statement.
It is hoped that these notes may be of use to non-professionals in various fields, by giving fundamental information and pointing to further sources."
The ISBN is 0-907158-73-0 and it sells at I think £35, but it is worth every penny to anyone who is a serious student of Brythonic history and legend.
Mab y meini
The up side is that this is an incredible work. It was in fact a labour of love by Peter Bartrum, an Englishman who learned to speak Welsh and who dedicated decades of his life to researching early Welsh history. The following is a quote directly from the Introduction to the book.
"This dictionary is effectively a series of notes arranged alphabetically under personal names and a few place-names. They are the result of many years of working in the field of Welsh history, legend and fiction, and are to some extent biassed towards subjects which were of personal interest to the author. For example there is perhaps a leaning towards genealogy and to the development of historical ideas (historiography). Thus old ideas which were current in the middle ages, but now superseded, are referred to in order to explain their occurrence in old manuscripts and books. In particular the fictions of Geoffrey of Monmouth, and those who followed him and added to his stories, are included, but the inventions of Annius of Viterbo (1498) and his imitators, as well as those of Iolo Morganwg (Edward Williams, d. 1826), have only occasionally been mentioned, although each of the last two fabricators were taken seriously for a century or so.
An attempt has been made to give the essential outlines of legends and fictions, generally telling the stories without comment, interpretation or speculation.
The term 'Welsh' in the title might be more accurately replaced by 'Brythonic', because the dictionary strays occasionally to the Brythonic people of all Britain as well as Brittany.
It is aimed to give some kind of authority for every statement.
It is hoped that these notes may be of use to non-professionals in various fields, by giving fundamental information and pointing to further sources."
The ISBN is 0-907158-73-0 and it sells at I think £35, but it is worth every penny to anyone who is a serious student of Brythonic history and legend.
Mab y meini
