Ancient History Blog

The Four Ancient Books of Wales (13th – 15th C)

By: The Scribe on Thursday, July 12, 2007

The so-called ‘Four Ancient Books of Wales’ were translated and compiled together by William Forbes Skene in 1868, and although by modern standards the compilation is flawed and translation likely rife with errors, Skene’s work is a comprehensive volume of four of the most important surviving texts of medieval literature. The four books were written in Middle Welsh during the 13th to 15th centuries, and contain both poetry and prose.

Some of the writings within the texts appear to be contemporary, however many portions of the documents seem to be centered around traditions that date as far back as the 6th and 7th centuries. Perhaps most important of all, the books also contain the earliest native Bardic Welsh references to the legendary King Arthur. Although the documents were likely written down into document form from traditional Bardic oral poems and stories, probably at the expense of wealthy and noble patrons, the subject matter seems to take on an esoteric quality – ranging from drunken brawls and battles, to words of wisdom, to almost mystic insights into human nature.

1. The Black Book of Carmarthen: This manuscript is one of the earliest surviving works written completely in Welsh, and was composed around 1250 AD. The poetry in this book has some religious themes, though the most intriguing portions are the poems that can be associated with the legends of Arthur and Merlin – one poem discusses the Battle of Llongborth and Arthur’s involvement in it, though the actual location of this historical battle has long been lost.
2. The Book of Taliesin: The most famous of the four Welsh manuscripts, this book is officially dated from the early 14th century – however, most of the contents are thought to be much older. With some of the oldest Welsh poems in this volume, many of the writings have actually been attributed to the poet Taliesin who lived at the end of the 6th century. This book contains some of the most famous Arthurian tales, such as the poem wherein Arthur and his knights sail the sea to win treasures, including a magical cauldron.
3. The Book of Aneirin: This manuscript dates from the 13th century, though most of its Old and Middle Welsh poetry is attributed to Aneirin, a late 6th century Brythonic poet. The most famous piece from this book is a poem called Y Gododdin, commemorating the warriors who fell at the Battle of Catraeth in 600 AD.
4. The Red Book of Hergest: This Welsh manuscript was probably composed somewhere between 1385-1410 AD, and was so named due to its red leather binding and association with the Hergest Court in the Welsh Marshes until the early 17th century. The book contains prose, including the extremely important collection of Welsh tales known as the Mabinogion.

Notably, J.R.R. Tolkien borrowed the title of the Red Book of Hergest for the imagined legendary source of his tales, entitled the Red Book of Westmarch.

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