Guto'r Glyn
Encyclopedia
Guto'r Glyn was a Welsh language
poet and soldier of the era of the Beirdd yr Uchelwyr ("Poets of the Nobility") or Cywyddwyr ("cywydd
-men"), the itinerant professional poets of the later Middle Ages. He is considered one of the greatest exponents, if not the greatest, of the tradition of "praise-poetry", verse addressed to a noble patron.
, in the modern Wrexham county borough of north-east Wales
, and many of his patrons lived in the same region, although he visited houses across Wales in the course of his journeys. His early life is obscure, but Glyn Ceiriog
or Glyndyfrdwy
have been suggested as his places of birth in the years between 1412 and 1420. It is also possible that y Glyn refers to Valle Crucis Abbey
, and various suggestions and references within his poetry infer that he may have been a child adopted by and brought up at the abbey itself, explaining some of his later association with Cistercian institutions: he was certainly not from the noble or gentry class and may have come from a farming family. Guto is a diminutive of the Welsh name Gruffudd, and his father's name was Siancyn, so he was probably christened Gruffudd ap Siancyn using the patronymic
system of the time. His poetic career seems to have blossomed relatively early and he was already a well-known poet by the early 1430s, while in 1441 he is known to have enlisted to fight in the Hundred Years War.
From various of his poems we know that Guto was large and physically strong, recognised for his courage and sporting prowess, wore a beard and had black hair (though he rapidly went bald, leading him to jokingly compare himself to a tonsured monk wandering the countryside). Poets of the time commonly traded humorous insults, and the Hanmer
poet Dafydd ap Edmund wrote that Guto was not good-looking and had a nose like a billhook
, while another poet described him as having the alarming features of a bear.
He was acknowledged as a master of praise poetry forms, an opinion echoed by the poet Tudur Aled
, though he was also skilled at satire and like most bards of the period could exhibit a sharp humour on occasion. Work as a drover
led to an incident in which he lost the parson of Corwen
's sheep, instigating a poetic controversy with his rival Tudur Penllyn
. While Guto chides Penllyn, who worked as a drover and wool-merchant, for not assisting him and vows never to set foot in the Marches again, Penllyn responds by describing a fantastical end for Guto's flock and suggests that Guto has in fact stolen the sheep to give to his wool-combing wife in Oswestry
, in the process including digs at Guto's baldness. His finest and, to modern understanding, most powerful poems were written at the end of his long life and reflect on mortality, while he dismissed his earlier work as "babbling sweet nonsense continually" ("malu son melys ennyd").
As a soldier, Guto fought on the Yorkist side during the Wars of the Roses
, and composed poems in praise of King Edward IV
and prominent Yorkists such as William Herbert
and Sir Roger Kynaston
. He also fought in France
, and was widely travelled by the standards of his time. He spent his last years as a lay guest at the Cistercian abbey of Valle Crucis
, near Llangollen
.
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
poet and soldier of the era of the Beirdd yr Uchelwyr ("Poets of the Nobility") or Cywyddwyr ("cywydd
Cywydd
The cywydd is one of the most important metrical forms in Welsh traditional poetry.There are a variety of forms of the cywydd, but the word on its own is generally used to refer to the cywydd deuair hirion as it is by far the most common type.The first recorded examples of the cywydd date from the...
-men"), the itinerant professional poets of the later Middle Ages. He is considered one of the greatest exponents, if not the greatest, of the tradition of "praise-poetry", verse addressed to a noble patron.
Biography
Guto is associated with the Ceiriog ValleyCeiriog Valley
The Ceiriog Valley or Dyffryn Ceiriog is the valley of the River Ceiriog in north-east Wales. It is also the name of a ward of the County Borough of Wrexham Until 1974 the valley was part of the traditional county of Denbighshire; then it became part of the short-lived county of Clwyd, which was...
, in the modern Wrexham county borough of north-east Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and many of his patrons lived in the same region, although he visited houses across Wales in the course of his journeys. His early life is obscure, but Glyn Ceiriog
Glyn Ceiriog
Llansantffraid Glyn Ceiriog is a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales.Glyn Ceiriog is a former slate mining village in Wrexham County Borough, in Wales...
or Glyndyfrdwy
Glyndyfrdwy
Glyndyfrdwy , or sometimes Glyn Dyfrdwy, is a village in the modern county of Denbighshire, Wales. It is situated on the A5 road half way between Corwen and Llangollen in the Dee Valley .-Owain Glyndwr:...
have been suggested as his places of birth in the years between 1412 and 1420. It is also possible that y Glyn refers to Valle Crucis Abbey
Valle Crucis Abbey
Valle Crucis Abbey is a Cistercian abbey located in Llantysilio in Denbighshire, Wales. More formally the Abbey Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Valle Crucis it is known in Welsh both as Abaty Glyn Egwestl and Abaty Glyn y Groes.The abbey was built in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, Prince of...
, and various suggestions and references within his poetry infer that he may have been a child adopted by and brought up at the abbey itself, explaining some of his later association with Cistercian institutions: he was certainly not from the noble or gentry class and may have come from a farming family. Guto is a diminutive of the Welsh name Gruffudd, and his father's name was Siancyn, so he was probably christened Gruffudd ap Siancyn using the patronymic
Patronymic
A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...
system of the time. His poetic career seems to have blossomed relatively early and he was already a well-known poet by the early 1430s, while in 1441 he is known to have enlisted to fight in the Hundred Years War.
From various of his poems we know that Guto was large and physically strong, recognised for his courage and sporting prowess, wore a beard and had black hair (though he rapidly went bald, leading him to jokingly compare himself to a tonsured monk wandering the countryside). Poets of the time commonly traded humorous insults, and the Hanmer
Hanmer
Hanmer is a village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. At the 2001 Census the population of the Hanmer community area, which includes Hanmer village itself, Horseman's Green and Arowry along with a number of small hamlets,...
poet Dafydd ap Edmund wrote that Guto was not good-looking and had a nose like a billhook
Billhook
The billhook is a traditional cutting tool known and used throughout the world, and very common in the wine-growing countries of Europe, used widely in agriculture and forestry The billhook (also bill hook – although this more usually refers to either a metal or plastic hook used to hold bills,...
, while another poet described him as having the alarming features of a bear.
He was acknowledged as a master of praise poetry forms, an opinion echoed by the poet Tudur Aled
Tudur Aled
Tudur Aled was a late medieval Welsh poet, born in Llansannan, Denbighshire.He is regarded as one of the finest poets of his period and was a master of cynghanedd....
, though he was also skilled at satire and like most bards of the period could exhibit a sharp humour on occasion. Work as a drover
Drover
A drover is a person who drives animals in droving. Depending on dialect, drover may be synonymous with teamster.Occupations in droving include:* Drover , a person who moves animals over long distances in Australia...
led to an incident in which he lost the parson of Corwen
Corwen
Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales; it was previously part of the county of Meirionnydd). Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated west of Llangollen and south of Ruthin...
's sheep, instigating a poetic controversy with his rival Tudur Penllyn
Tudur Penllyn
Tudur Penllyn was a Welsh language poet during the time of the Beirdd yr Uchelwyr, the professional poets of the late Middle Ages....
. While Guto chides Penllyn, who worked as a drover and wool-merchant, for not assisting him and vows never to set foot in the Marches again, Penllyn responds by describing a fantastical end for Guto's flock and suggests that Guto has in fact stolen the sheep to give to his wool-combing wife in Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
, in the process including digs at Guto's baldness. His finest and, to modern understanding, most powerful poems were written at the end of his long life and reflect on mortality, while he dismissed his earlier work as "babbling sweet nonsense continually" ("malu son melys ennyd").
As a soldier, Guto fought on the Yorkist side during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
, and composed poems in praise of King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
and prominent Yorkists such as William Herbert
William ap Thomas
William ap Thomas was a member of the Welsh gentry family that came to be known as the Herbert family through his son William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and is an ancestor of the current Earls of Pembroke....
and Sir Roger Kynaston
Sir Roger Kynaston
Sir Roger Kynaston Kt. of Myddle and Hordleyc.1433 - 1495, was a Knight of the Realm and English nobleman. He was a member of the Kynaston family, of North Shropshire and the Welsh Marches-Early Life:...
. He also fought in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and was widely travelled by the standards of his time. He spent his last years as a lay guest at the Cistercian abbey of Valle Crucis
Valle Crucis Abbey
Valle Crucis Abbey is a Cistercian abbey located in Llantysilio in Denbighshire, Wales. More formally the Abbey Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Valle Crucis it is known in Welsh both as Abaty Glyn Egwestl and Abaty Glyn y Groes.The abbey was built in 1201 by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor, Prince of...
, near Llangollen
Llangollen
Llangollen is a small town and community in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, situated on the River Dee and on the edge of the Berwyn mountains. It has a population of 3,412.-History:...
.
Editions
- Ifor WilliamsIfor WilliamsSir Ifor Williams was a Welsh scholar who laid the foundations for the academic study of Old Welsh, particularly early Welsh poetry....
(ed.), Gwaith Guto'r Glyn (University of Wales Press, 1939). Annotated edition of the poems, in Welsh.