List of Welsh-language poets (6th century to c. 1600)


Much of Welsh language poetry has, until quite recently, been composed in various forms of strict metre, latterly with the encouragement of the eisteddfod movement. The following list is as inclusive as possible for the years prior to 1600. It includes as many minor poets as possible to illustrate the range and content of Welsh poetry throughout the ages. However much early poetry has been lost, and much medieval verse is either anonymous or, usually in the case of mythological poems and prophetic verse, attributed to the 6th-century poet Taliesin or the mythical figure of Myrddin. Early religious and gnomic verse is also usually anonymous. Where possible examples of each poet's surviving work is presented at
Each period of the poets listed below is accompanied by a graphical timeline to illustrate the main events and individuals that influenced the poets and their work. These timelines also depict the development of the Welsh language. Further details of its development may be found at Welsh language.

Pre 6th century

No works by Welsh poets prior to the 6th century have survived. Tradition records:
  • Maelgwyn of Llandaff – said, according to one source, to have written of Joseph of Arimathea's burial at Glastonbury. However, in the mid-5th century he would have spoken Brythonic, not Welsh, and as a monk would probably have written in Latin. His existence is doubtful.
  • St. Meugan – possibly a court poet to Cadwallon of Gwynedd

    6th century to 1100

Extant

The bulk of surviving verse from the period known as "Canu'r Bwlch" is anonymous.
The works of the following poets, belonging to the Hengerdd or Cynfeirdd period, are extant and accepted as probably genuine:
  • Aneirin
  • Taliesin
The following works are probably apocryphal:
  • Meigant – a poet whose surviving work is recorded in the '.
  • Afan Ferddig – accepted as the author of ' a praise poem to Cadwallon ap Cadfan
  • Juvencus Manuscript/ Cambridge Juvencus contains two Welsh englyn-poems, one of nine and one of three englynion. For the text and Sir Ifor William's translation see: '.
  • The englyn-cycles which were previously attributed to Llywarch Hen and Heledd are now seen as works of later poets.
  • St Elaeth – a poet and a monk whose surviving verse is recorded in the '.

    Non-extant or doubtful

Four others are named by Nennius as poets of renown alongside Taliesin and Aneirin:
  • Arofan
  • – referred to in several poems but otherwise unknown. None of his work survives. The earliest reference to him is in a text found in the . However, a later charter of Sir Nicholas FitzMartin, Marcher Lord of Kemes, off-handedly describes someone as his descendant; the charter grants the supposed descendant land in the Preseli Hills.
  • Bleheris – an otherwise unknown poet of doubtful authenticity referred to as "born and bred in Wales" in Gawain and as a source for the story.

    Other

  • Myrddin ab Morfryn – was believed by some to be an historical person who died in AD 570, but is now accepted as a mythical figure.

    Timeline


ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:12
PlotArea = top:10 bottom:30 right:130 left:20
AlignBars = justify
DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:400 till:1200
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:100 start:400
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:25 start:400
Colors =
id:canvas value:rgb
id:PA value:green
id:GP value:red
id:eon value:rgb # light purple
id:BL value:black
Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas
BarData =
barset:Rulers
PlotData=
width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift: anchor:till
barset:Rulers
at:410 text:• Collapse of the Roman Empire in Britain
from: 550 till: 600 color:PA text:"Aneirin"
at:570 text:†St Gildas
from: 575 till: 600 color:PA text:"Taliesin"
at:589 text:†St David
at:594 text:• First occurrence of 'Arthur' in Welsh poetry
at:597 text:• St. Augustine in Britain
at:640 text:• Earliest date 'Marwnad Cynddylan' thought to be composed
at:670 text:• Earliest date 'Canu Heledd' thought to be composed
from: 757 till: 795 color:BL text:"Offa’s Dyke constructed"
from: 800 till: 825 color:PA text:"Llywarch Hen"
at:820 text:• Historia Britonum composed
at:840 text:• Viking raids on the Welsh coast
at:870 text:• Juvencus Manuscript
at:877 text:†Rhodri Mawr
at:909 text:†Asser
at:930 text:• Armes Prydein composed
at:950 text:†Hywel Dda
at:970 text:• Annales Cambriae
at:1060 text:• Mabinogion composed
at:1063 text:†Gruffudd ap Llywelyn
at:1066 text:• Norman Conquest
at:1090 text:• Creation of Welsh March
at:1100 text:• Birth of Geoffrey of Monmouth
barset:skip
BarData=
bar:Welsh
PlotData =
fontsize:S
width:15 shift:
color:blue bar:Welsh from:500 till:800 text:"Early Welsh"
color:yellow bar:Welsh from:800 till:1050 text:"Old Welsh"
shift:
color:white bar:Welsh from:1050 till:1200 text:"Middle Welsh"

1100 to 1290

The following group of court poets used to be called the Gogynfeirdd and are now generally referred to as "Beirdd y Tywysogion", the Poets of the Princes. The list is roughly chronological.
  • Meilyr Brydydd
  • Gwalchmai ap Meilyr
  • Owain Cyfeiliog
  • Llywarch Llaety
  • Llywelyn Fardd I – – named in the Red Book of Hergest as “Llywelyn Fardd, son of Cywryd”.
  • Seisyll Bryffwrch
  • Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr
  • Peryf ap Cedifor
  • Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd
  • Gwynfardd Brycheiniog
  • Llywarch ap Llywelyn
  • Elidir Sais
  • Meilyr ap Gwalchmai
  • Gwilym Rhyfel
  • Cneppyn Gwerthrynion
  • Einion ap Gwalchmai
  • Einion Wan
  • Einion ap Gwgon
  • Y Prydydd Bychan
  • Goronwy Foel
  • Dafydd Benfras
  • Hywel Foel ap Griffri ap Pwyll Wyddel
  • Adda Fras – whose poems haven't survived but whose name is recorded in one of the Peniarth manuscripts and in Tudur Aled's elegy to Dafydd ab Edmwnd.
  • Madog ap Gwallter
  • Bleddyn Fardd
  • Llygad Gŵr
  • Gruffudd ab yr Ynad Coch
  • Cadwgan Ffôl – whose englyn celebrating a victory gained by the Welsh over the English at Degannwy is preserved in one of the Peniarth Manuscripts.

    Timeline of major poets


ImageSize = width:800 height:auto barincrement:12
PlotArea = top:10 bottom:20 right:130 left:20
AlignBars = justify
DateFormat = yyyy
Period = from:1090 till:1350
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:50 start:1100
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:10 start:1100
Colors =
id:canvas value:rgb
id:PA value:green
id:GP value:red
id:eon value:rgb # light purple
Backgroundcolors = canvas:canvas
BarData =
barset:Rulers
PlotData=
width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift: anchor:till
barset:Rulers
from: 1100 till: 1137 color:PA text:"Meilyr Brydydd "
from: 1130 till: 1180 color:PA text:"Gwalchmai ap Meilyr "
from: 1130 till: 1197 color:PA text:"Owain ap Gruffydd "
from: 1155 till: 1200 color:PA text:"Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr"
at:1160 text:†Madog ap Maredudd
at:1170 text:†Hywel ab Owain Gwynedd
at:1176 text:• First known eisteddfod at Cardigan
at:1223 text:†Gerald of Wales
from: 1230 till: 1260 color:PA text:"Dafydd Benfras"
at:1240 text:†Llywelyn ab Iorwerth
from: 1277 till: 1282 color:PA text:"Gruffudd ab Yr Ynad Coch "
at:1282text:†Llywelyn ap Gruffydd
at:1284 text:• Statute of Rhuddlan incorporates Wales into England
barset:skip
BarData=
bar:Welsh
PlotData =
fontsize:S
width:15 shift:
color:white bar:Welsh from:1090 till:1250 text:"Middle Welsh"
color:red bar:Welsh from:1250 till:1350 text:"Early Modern Welsh"

1290 to c.1500

The poets of this period are known as Beirdd yr Uchelwyr. The list is fairly chronological but not exhaustive as the work of some minor poets of the late 15th and 16th centuries remains in manuscript and a large corpus of late medieval Darogan, prophetic verse, is anonymous or attributed to early poets. Traditional patronage dwindled in the late 16th century but a handful of bards still received patronage from the gentry into the 17th century. Free verse by individuals composing "freelance" gradually took over from the mid-16th century onwards.
  • Casnodyn
  • Phylip Brydydd
  • Madog Benfras – best known for his elegy on Dafydd ap Gwilym.
  • Dafydd ap Gwilym
  • Iolo Goch
  • Bleddyn Ddu – whose surviving poems are preserved in the Red Book of Hergest.
  • Rhys Goch Eryri
  • Gruffudd Gryg
  • Gruffudd ab Adda
  • Llywelyn Goch ap Meurig Hen
  • Gruffudd ap Maredudd ap Dafydd – famed for his awdlau to the Chester Rood and the Virgin Mary, and for his elegy to Gwenhwyfar of Pentraeth.
  • Einion Offeiriad
  • Tudur ap Gwyn Hagr
  • Iorwerth Beli
  • Dafydd ap Hywel ap Madoc
  • Dafydd y Coed – whose awdlau and satirical poems are found in the Red Book of Hergest.
  • Mab y Clochyddyn – whose elegy to Gwenhwyfar, "Marwnad Gwenhwyfar ferch Madog", is found in the Red Book of Hergest.
  • Gruffudd Llwyd
  • Dafydd Bach ap Madog Wladaidd
  • Siôn Cent
  • Dafydd Llwyd ap Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
  • Sefnyn
  • Dafydd Gorlech
  • Ieuan ap Rhydderch ab Ieuan Llwyd
  • Lewys Glyn Cothi
  • Tudur Penllyn
  • Hywel Swrdwal
  • Hywel Cilan – who composed poems to the nobility of north Wales.
  • Guto'r Glyn
  • Llywelyn ab y Moel
  • Sefnyn
  • Gwilym ab Ieuan Hen
  • Llawdden
  • Maredudd ap Rhys
  • Ieuan Gethin
  • Maredudd ap Rhys
  • Dafydd ab Edmwnd
  • Rhys Brydydd
  • Ieuan Brydydd Hir
  • Dafydd Nanmor
  • Bedo Brwynllys
  • Dafydd Epynt – who composed poems in praise of Christ, patron saints and the nobility associated with Brecon and Abergavenny. Texts of his poems are found in the Peniarth manuscripts.
  • Deio ab Ieuan Du
  • Ieuan Dyfi
  • Gutun Owain
  • Gwilym Tew
  • Gwerful Mechain
  • Ieuan ap Tudur Penllyn
  • Owain ap Llywelyn ab y Moel
  • Rhys Nanmor
  • Siôn ap Hywel
  • Rhisiart ap Rhys
  • Bedo Aeddren
  • Dafydd ap Ieuan Llwyd