The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg: A Collection of Original Documents, Illustrative of the Theology Wisdom, and Usages of the Bardo-Druidic Systems of the Isle of Britain (Hardcover)

~ J. Williams Ab Ithel (Author), (Author), John Williams (Author), (Introduction) "MAY it please your information, my beloved teacher ; pray, tell me who was the first that made a Letter?..." (more)
Key Phrases: wrth fraint, wrth gerdd, pob peth, Alban Arthan, Coelbren of the Bards, Llywelyn Sion (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Serious students of Druidism and Paganism, as well as Celtic historians, are sure to include Barddas in their libraries. Barddas contains the only extant description of Bardo-Druidic Celtic philosophy. It is a metaphysical and spiritual description of beliefs handed down by word of mouth by Druidic initiates from before the Roman occupation of the British Isles.

Culled from 16th-century notes and compiled into book form, Barddas reveals a belief system with a wide range of influences, including Judeo-Christian and ancient Roman. Yet there are beliefs and views expressed within that appear to be unique to Celtic thought and oddly similar to Eastern traditions.

On its publication in the 19th century, Barddas stirred controversy. Some critics claimed that it was completely made up or based on forgeries. Others defended it by pointing out similarities to other surviving Celtic documents with clear provenance.

Photo-offset from the first-printing, this edition of Barddas includes the original Welsh on verso pages with English translation running on the recto pages. John Matthews, popular writer about all things Celtic, provides an introduction outlining the history and contemporary importance of Barddas.

About the Author

J. Williams ab Ithel was a Welsh clergyman and scholar who lived and died in the 19th century. He was dedicated to Welsh and Celtic history. Although somewhat controversial, he was acknowledged as an outspoken supporter of Wales at a time when traditional Welsh and Celtic knowledge was in danger of being submerged by British rule.

John Matthews has been studying Celtic myths and legends for over 30 years and is the very prolific author of The Green Man package and editor of The Bardic Source Book, among many other titles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 425 pages
• Publisher: Weiser Books (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578633079
• ISBN-13: 978-1578633074
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,329,453 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth serious reading, November 15, 2004

By	Hakuyu "Ikeda" (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews

Weiser deserve credit for making this reprint of the 'Barddas' available. A word of warning: unless you can read Welsh (and archaic Welsh, at that), it is unwise to scoff at the Barddas. Iolo Morganwg (Williams)had his foibles - yes, but that is no reason to discredit his work. It has been alleged that 'Iolo' fabricated much of the material found in the Barddas, but the National College Library in Wales(Aberystwyth) is full of such material. I did a preliminary survey of it - back in 1972, and was staggered by the amount available, as rich and mysterious, in its own way, as anything retrieved from far-flung caves in Tun-huang, or the sands of Egypt. Both in style and content, much found in the Barddas will be found stated - all over again, in Welsh sources untouched by Iolo Morganwg. Condescendingly, John Matthews introduction to the Weiser reprint, states that Iolo's ideas were 'clearly a product of laudanum inspired dreams' (p. xviii), even while conceding that it might contain some 'nuggets' of ancient wisdom. etc. So far as the Laudanum habit goes, it might be pointed out that it was then legal and fairly widespread among the gentry. Such matters are rarely invoked to criticise Coleridge, De Quincy, Conan-Doyle etc. W.Y. Evans-Wentz - no less, a Rhodes scholar, renowned for his work on the 'Tibetan Book of the Dead' - also happened to know Britain well. In his Celtic researches (cf. The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries) - W.Y. Evans-Wentz deemed the Barddas to be a genuine and valuable source.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yeah IolO.., October 12, 2005

By	VaneS F "Love You" (I'm Home) - See all my reviews

Go Iolo! Hey this is a work of beautiful prose in beautiful language..Can you say beautiful prose and thoughts of the Druids and noble beautiful beliefs written in a noble language? Hey..Get your heads out, and read this, there arent many Druid texts out there, let's not fight so much about who wrote this, but love the text for it's wisdom and rich traditions, and the beauty of language, and the teaching of language, or the english translation goes side by side with the other(gaelic?..The Druid beliefs is whats so beautiful..) text in places.

9 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pure fiction passed off as fact, September 18, 2004

By	Seirian (AZ) - See all my reviews

It has been well documented that Iolo forged his "authentic manuscripts". He made up rituals and history and took other religious practices and re-worked them and claimed them to be authentically Druidic.

I have no problem with change and the ability to create, but I find it abhorrant to do so and then claim it as historical fact.