Bedd Taliesin is the legendary grave (bedd) of the poet Taliesin[1][2], located in Ceredigion, Wales. The Bronze Age[1][3] round cairn is a listed Historic Monument (map ref: SN671912)[1]. It is a round-kerb cairn with a cist about 2m long. The capstone has fallen[3]; the side stone slabs are more or less in their original positions.

Bedd Taliesin

The cairn has no proven connection with the historical Taliesin[3], a 6th-century poet esteemed by the poets of medieval Wales as the founder of the Welsh poetic tradition. His surviving work includes praise poems to the rulers of the early Welsh kingdom of Powys and Rheged, in the Hen Ogledd (modern northern England and southern Scotland). He became a figure of legend in medieval Wales and his association with Elffin ap Gwyddno, son of the king of the fabled Cantre'r Gwaelod, off the coast of Ceredigion, may account for the monument's name.

The antiquarian Edward Lhuyd recorded the local belief that if one spend a night on Taliesin's stone you would awake a poet or a madman.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "English – Coflein". coflein.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  2. ^ Franklin, Lauren. "Aberdovey, Wales: guide to the best places to stay, eat and local walks". www.countryfile.com. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Bedd Taliesin". Early Tourists in Wales. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Bedd Taliesin - British Folklore". britishfolklore.com. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  5. ^ Gwyneth Lewis and Rowan Williams, The Book of Taliesin London: Penguin Classics, 2019, p. xxx

52°30′07″N 3°57′32″W / 52.502°N 3.959°W / 52.502; -3.959