The Song of Taliesin: Tales from King Arthur's Bard [Paperback]

John Matthews (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Everyone knows of Arthur--the "once and future" legendary warrior who held off the invading Anglo-Saxons and preserved the Celtic identity of sixth-century England for forty years. But few know of Taliesin, who may have been poet to Arthur, and like Merlin, was said to have shamanic powers. Behind Taliesin's story lies a vast legacy of initiatic wisdom, much of it now lost. But enough remains to convey much of the ancient Celts' passionate spirit and religious practice. To create these tales, John Matthews has brilliantly mined medieval and premedieval sources, embellishing them where fragmentary with the rich heritage of Celtic folklore. Part legend, part fiction, part mythology, they are alive with the power of one of the most compelling mystical/literary traditions. "It is my hope," says Matthews, "that they provide a key to the secret lore of Britain, where once the Grail and the Cauldron were sought, and where the Sleeping Lord still awaits the One Who Is to Come, who will blow the Horn three times in the Cave of the Sleepers." Reading these lyrical, mysterious stories, we thrill that it is so.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Told in the voice of King Arthur's mythic bard, The Song of Taliesin, by John Matthews (The Winter Solstice), gathers 20 stories from Arthurian legend. The Sacred Pigs of the Isle of the Mighty, a cauldron with frightening powers, murderous lords and a giant who is responsible for the rising and setting of the sun are among the many fantastical details of these new interpretations of ancient stories. 12 b&w illus.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Those who have encountered the work of the prolific Matthews (The Quest for the Green Man) will know what to expect of this work, previously published in the U.K. in 1991. Those unfamiliar should note that the author of this work is Matthews, not Taliesin, and that on his web page Matthews describes himself as a "Celtic shaman." Although he has studied the surviving texts of Celtic literature, Matthews here stresses the popular and spiritual rather than the scholarly. "Most of the stories [attributed to Taliesin] are fragmentary and difficult to understand. I have taken the liberty of 'completing them.' " Since the link between the Arthur mythos and the possibly mythical Taliesin is tenuous, the Arthurian name here seems just window-dressing. There are better translations and interpretations of these poems, both scholarly and popular, which Matthews cites in his "Sources" and "Notes," and many popular works on Arthur and related subjects, some by Matthews himself. Not a necessary purchase, except for comprehensive collections of Matthews. Shelley Cox, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Quest Books; 1 edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0835608026
• ISBN-13: 978-0835608022
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,950,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wearing its learning lightly, November 22, 2001

By 

Mark Williams (UK, Oxford) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Song of Taliesin: Tales from King Arthur's Bard (Paperback)

This is a book I have bee waiting for for a long time. Both John and Caitlin Mathhews' more (overtly) scholarly books have hinted at the possibility of more primitive, more whole versions of the Celtic stories that we have - and here John fascinatingly reconstructs them. My favorite is 'The Battle of the Trees', which takes hints from the medieval poem 'Cad Goddeu' and fleshes them out into a prose narrative, creating in effect a 'Fifth Branch of the Mabinogi'. The character of Gwydion is as wily as ever. The excitement of reading these stories, as a Celticist in training, was not only in their elegant and evocative narratives, but in seeing where fragments had been stiched together seamlessly. I'm not sure that the Irish stories worked as well as the British/Welsh ones, but the marriage of scholarship and vision is astonishing, from the story born from the poem 'Preiddeu Annwn' 'The Journey to Deganwy' to the wonderful version of the story of Branwen.
Highly recommended to those who are familiar with Celtic literature and those who are just discovering it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excelsior!, February 5, 2003

By 

E. M. Hodge "Cuindless" (Virginia Beach, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Song of Taliesin: Tales from King Arthur's Bard (Paperback)

John Matthews is a poet and a scholar. In this translation, Mr. Matthews successfully invokes the spirit of the bard, taking these ancient Welsh tales and turning them into a readable, intelligable and excellent writing. The Song of Taliesin is so skillfully done, I recommend it to beginners, middlers and experts alike. Seek this book out if you have any interest in Celtic myth or culture.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Taliesin's Tales Teach Well, August 3, 2007

By 

Dale Overman (Salt Lake City, Ut) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Song of Taliesin: Tales from King Arthur's Bard (Paperback)

John Matthews has done a great service by bringing the old welsh pagan tales to print. The stories teach the old religion and celtic folkways through the eyes of a fictional christian monk. I really enjoyed the book though I did find a few mistakes here and there...no big deal. Try reading the Mabingion along with this book. Or reading Evangeline Walton's fine series based on the Mabingion as well...Great stuff!