User:Deidran19/Four Ancient Books of Wales

Four Ancient Books of Wales
The Four Ancient Books of Wales is a term coined by William Forbes Skene to describe four important medieval manuscripts written in Middle Welsh and dating from the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. They contain primarily texts of poetry and prose, some of which are contemporary and others which may have originated from traditions dating back to as early as the sixth and seventh centuries. These also contain some of the earliest native Welsh references to King Arthur.

The four books included by Skene in his list are:


 * The Black Book of Carmarthen
 * The Book of Taliesin
 * The Book of Aneirin
 * The Red Book of Hergest

The principal texts of the Four Ancient Books of Wales were edited and translated in a two volume compilation by William Forbes Skene in 1868. By the standards of modern scholarship the edition is seriously flawed with numerous transcription errors and consequently inaccurate translating. Skene was assisted by Daniel Silvan Evans who was probably responsible for most of the translations.

(Above is copied from Four Ancient Books of Wales and done by another author)

The Black Book of Carmarthen
The Black Book of Carmarthen is named for its appearance and contents. It is a manuscript written entirely in Welsh c. 1250, which scholars now think it is the oldest complete Welsh manuscript. The original purpose of the book is in connection with St John the Evangelist, but it has had many owners since it was written. When it came into Skene's possession during the nineteenth century he designated it to belong to the collection The Four Ancient Books of Wales as all of them are poetry manuscripts of Celtic myths, famous warriors, and religious stories. The Black Book of Carmarthen most notable stories are that of Dark Age Britain, and the legend of Myrddin.

The Book of Taliesin
The Book of Taliesin (Llyfr Taliesin) is a book of poems collected in approximately the early fourteenth century. The poet Taliesin wrote most of the poems in this manuscript in the sixth century, however, they did not get recorded and bound in this particular book until collection. Some of the stories included are 'Armes Prydein Fawr', 'Preiddeu Annwfn', and early western stories of Hercules''. The Book of Taliesin'' was owned by many wealthy collectors of Welsh poems for their private collections before Sir John Williams donated it to the National Library of Wales in 1909.

The Book of Aneirin
The Book of Aneirin (Y Gododdin) is officially credited to be written in the thirteenth century, but like The Book of Taliesin it contains much older stories than when they were put into these manuscripts. The poems within the manuscript contain stories about a battle in Catraeth c. 600 AD. The Book of Aneirin also contains what scholars believe to be some of the earliest depictions of King Arthur.

The Red Book of Hergest
The Red Book of Hergest is the fourth book of The Four Ancient Books of Wales and was written c. 1375-1425. It was named after Hergest Court in Herefordshire and its appearance centuries after it was written, in 1701. The Red Book of Hergest contains a variety of poems, including its best know poem 'tales of the Mabinogion', as well as historical facts and herbal remedies.