Celtic Gods: The Cymric bard and hero, Talhaearn (Iron Brow)

Talhaearn
An early Cymric bard and hero: Iron Brow

Talhaearn is a Cymric (Welsh) poet and hero known from Nennius' Historia Brittonum where he is named amongst the greatest of the early Welsh bards. He is also named in the Welsh Triads as the slayer of Aneirin. He is also mentioned in the Book of Taliesin poems as one of the 'greatest of the wise men' though, unfortunately, none of his poems have survived.



Synonyms:
Cym: Iron Brow

Talhaearn is a rather shadowy figure from the sixth century. The first mention we have of him comes form Nennius' Historia Brittonum where the greatest of the cynfeirdd (the early bards) are named as Taliesin, Aneirin Gwawtryd Awenydd Mechdeyrn Beirdd (Aneirin of the Flowing Verse, Prince of Poets), Bluchfardd, Cian Gweinth Gwawd (Cian Servant of Satire) and Talhaearn Tad Awen (Iron-brow, Father of the Muse). Of these only the verse of Taliesin and Aneirin have survived to us. As a result, almost nothing is known of Talhaearn and were he not mentioned in poems of the Trioedd Ynys Prydein and the Llyfr Taliesin he might well be considered an entirely mythic figure.

In the Trioedd Ynys Prydein, the Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch version of Triad 33 which names 'The Three Savage men of the Island of Britain'; they who 'Performed the Three Unfortunate Assassinations'. One of these was Heiden son of Efengad who, according to the triad slew Aneirin of the Flowing Verse, daughter of Teyrnfardd, the man who gave a hundred swine every Saturday in a bathing tub to Talhaearn. The same theme is picked-up in Triad 34 (the Peniarth 51 version) which maes the 'Three Unfortunate Hatchet-blows of the Island of Britain'. Thematically, this is identical in subject matter to Triad 34 and tells us of 'Talhaearn who struck Aneirin in her Head'. It may well be that the variant form of Triad 34 is derived from Triad 33 and the feminization of Aneirin in both verses is striking. However, the Aneirin of the poem must be the same as Aneirin the poet and we do appear to gain a hint here of a lost tale about the enmity between Aneirin and Talhaearn. It would seem that Heiden was in the debt of Talhaearn and that this debt was possibly repaid by the assassination of Aneirin by Heiden.

The name of Talhaearn also occurs in a poem of the Llyfr Taliesin, verse seven, known as Angar Kyfyndawt (The Fog of Constrained Meter) which alludes to Taliesin, Cian and Aneirin and also names the ieith talhayarn (The speech of Talhaearn). This poem is part of the history of Taliesin and corroborates Nennius' assertion that these great poets were contemporaries. The poem also names Talhaearn as 'the greatest of the wise men' indicating the stature he may have posessed during his own time.



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