Celtic Gods: The Brythonic Bard and Hero, Tristfardd (Sad Bard)

Tristfardd
A Brythonic Bard and Hero, also known as Tristvard: Sad Bard

Tristfardd (Tristvard) is a Cymric (Welsh) hero known from the Welsh Triads where he is named as Urien of Rheged's chief bard.



Synonyms: Tristvard
Bryth: Sad Bard

Tristfardd is a rather shadowy figure, know from a single triad in the Trioedd Ynys Prydein and a mention in the late Llanstephan 57 MSS.

Triad 11 of the Trioedd Ynys Prydein names Tristfardd bardd Urien as one of the 'Three Red-speared Bards of the Island of Britain', another being Dygynnelw bardd Owein mab Urien. Generally is is assumed, because of his praise poetry naming Urien Rheged that Taliesin was Urien Rheged's bard. However, this triad (11) strongly suggests that the role was already filled by Tristfardd and that the bard of Owein, Urien's successor was Dygynelw. Of course, this does not preclude the possibility that Taliesin supplanted Tristfardd and poetically covered the peiroid of the Rheged succession with Dygynelw taking over as Owein's bard after Taliesin's death.

Although it is of a late date the Llanstephan 57 MS which contains a fragment of three englynion milwr (stanzas of the warriors) [Note that this is not a title but a description of the nature of the triads which consists of three seven-syllable lines where all three lines rhyme.] These fragments represent the surviving elements a dialogue betweeen Tristfardd, Urien and an un-named woman. Fragmentary as they may be, it does seem as if these stanzas are authentic and represent all that has been left to us of what was onece a chwedl (part legend part tale) of the Old North. The Llanstephan MS also gives the date 540 for the poem, but this is a later ammendment that comes from a manuscirpt by the antiquarian Eduard Lhuyd and may not represent a native tradition.



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