John Matthews, Taliesin: The Last Celtic Shaman (Inner Traditions, 2002)

1 rating since posting on Saturday, June 18, 2005
John Matthews, Taliesin: The Last Celtic Shaman (Inner Traditions, 2002)
in Portland
(submitted by Gypsy )

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Gypsy
Gypsy
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*****
A Enlightening Read
A new translation of the poems of sixth-century Celtic bard and shaman Taliesin that reveals the mysteries of Druidic practices.
* The first collection of Taliesin's major poetry with commentary by John Matthews, author of more than 40 books on the Celts.
* Reveals Druidic prophecy, methods of divination, and the rites, rituals, and beliefs that were essential to Celtic spiritual practice.
* Features Taliesin's works as keys to the Arthurian legends

Taliesin, Chief Bard of Britain and Celtic shaman, was a historical figure who lived in Wales during the latter half of the sixth century. Encoded within his work are the ancestral beliefs of the Celtic and pre-Celtic peoples. In addition, his verse is established as a direct precursor to the Arthurian Legends--and Taliesin himself, shaman and shapeshifter, is said to be the direct forebear to Merlin. Though the bard's work is steeped in the rich traditions of druidic practice, few have explored the revelations of his writings--the secret poetic language of the bards, revelatory information about divination, the ancient mysteries of the Druids, and the cosmological rites that were central to Celtic worship.

John Matthews, one of today's preeminent Celtic scholars, sheds new light on the poems of Taliesin and on the vast body of allusion, story, and myth that grew from his body of work and shamanic practice. With the help of fellow Celtic scholar Caitlin Matthews, the author presents completely new translations of Taliesin's major poems in their entirety, uncovering the meanings behind these great works for the first time.

The second central Taliesin text is the "Ystoria Taliesin," sometimes known as the "chwedl Taliesin," most recently finally properly edited by Patrick Ford as the Ystoria Taliesin. This is a mixed prose and poetry text about the legendary Taliesin. It tells of the boy Gwion bach filching three drops of "inspiration" from the cauldron of Ceridwen, after which he is pursued by her through a series of shape-shifts on both their parts, until she manages to swallow him whilst she is in hen-shape, and he is a grain of wheat. He is then reborn nine months later as Taliesin, the archetypal poet, and eventual apprentice to one Elphin, a hapless master. In the second half of the text Taliesin champions Elphin, defending Elphin against detractors by means of his (Taliesin's) poetry.

The back cover of Matthews' Taliesin: The Last Celtic Shaman says this: "Now in this first collection of Taliesin's major works, John Matthews, a preeminent Celtic scholar, sheds new light on the poems of Taliesin.... With the help of fellow Celtic scholar Caitlin Matthews, the author presents completely new translations of Taliesin's major poems in their entirety." - Gypsy , posted 06/18/05

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