Taliesin: The Last Celtic Shaman

In my studies with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, I have come across the story of of Gwion and the cauldron many times. In case you have not, let me summarize: the goddess Ceridwen calls upon an old man and a young boy, Morda and Gwion respectively, to tend a simmering cauldron for exactly one year. The old man and the boy are admonished to never taste of the mixture inside the cauldron, for it contains Awen, the mystical essence of inspiration, and Ceridwen intends to give the tincture to her unfortunate looking son Afaggdu, that he might have great wisdom in spite of his great ugliness. Right before the brew is ready, the cauldron bubbles over and three drops splash onto Gwion’s thumb which he promptly puts in his mouth, unconsciously imbibing the Awen. Gwion then flees from Ceridwen’s fury and, with his new wisdom and clarity, is able to shape shift but Ceridwen pursues him relentlessly, changing shape as soon as Gwion is able to manage it. Finally, Gwion turns himself into a grain of wheat and Ceridwen turns herself into a hen, pecking the grain that is Gwion, swallowing him and then incubating him in her womb for nine months before he is finally expelled again into the world. Ceridwen wraps him in a leather sack and casts him into the sea, where he spends another nine months in the metaphorical womb of the planet bouncing around in the sea waves inside the leather bag. Finally, the bag is caught in the salmon weir of Elffin, who upon opening the bag and finding a beautiful baby boy inside with a radiant brow, declared that his name be Taliesin. Thus came to be not only one of the greatest bards in history but also, as John Matthews puts it, the last Celtic shaman.Matthews does a superb job of fully categorizing and explicating the different ways in which Taliesin, in his many manifestations, has touched the world. Drawing upon a dizzying amount of source texts, all relevant known myths and legends surrounding the figure of Taliesin have been consulted by Matthews who weaves together this scholarly text with an easy-to-read narrative.Of particular interest to me was the attention paid to the connection between the archetype of Cernunnos, the Horned God, and the figure of Taliesin. Rather than viewing the Cernunnos archetype through the limited lens of the hunter, Matthews explains that, “…he (Cernunnos) would have been more generally recognised, among the Celts of Britain, Ireland and Gaul, as a shaman, a walker between the worlds, who in varying degrees became the tribe’s remembrancer, their physician, and their poet.” (Matthews, 38) Matthews clearly defines shamansim and really helps the lay reader to get a better sense of Taliesin’s poem and their mythic purpose. To illustrate this point, take a look at this excerpt from the Taliesin poem Defence of the Chair:“…I possess three chairs of harmonious accordanceand I will chant until the judgment.I was at the combat of Goddeu with Lleu and Gwydionwho changed the elementary forms of trees and grasses.I was with Bran in Ireland,I saw the death of Morddwyd Tyllon, [i.e. 'The Pierced Thigh']I assisted in the bardic contestbetween the Irish, those deathly distillers of men!” (Matthews, 295)With the barb at the Irish aside, it’s clear that Taliesin would not be able to be with “Bran in Ireland” and to have witnessed “the combat of Goddeu with Lleu and Gwydion” in the same lifetime, insinuating that Taliesin, as a shaman, has been able to travel to the Otherworld and access these experiences through the shamanic spirit journey, a point that Matthews makes early on in the text. (Matthews, 39-40) A literal reading of any type of mythic poetry, but especially these texts associated with Taliesin, makes for a confusing and muddled experience; however, if one is able to sift through the allusions with a guide like Matthews, the poems take on an effervescent life of their own and offer their deep wisdom to the reader.Part One of the book is the back-story and analysis behind Part Two which is comprised mainly of the poems of Taliesin Pen Beirdd. Instead of just taking his word for it, Matthews invites the reader to look at selections of the raw source material, translated obviously, throughout Part One which I found particularly helpful when trying to keep the various Irish, Welsh and British folk tales and the references and cross-references contained throughout separated mentally.I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Taliesin or Celtic studies in general. It’s a great read!

This is a complete study of all the poems attributed to the bard, Taliesin, and reveals the depth and wisdom of the poetry. It is well researched and meticulously translated and stands next to Fire in the Head by Tom Cowan as being important for modern practitioners of Celtic Shamanism. It is, however, a circuitous and difficult read, as all the Matthews works tend to be, and requires the reader to "stick to it" to work your way through.

A lot of people will tell you that there is no such thing as Celtic shamanism, however, moving beyond the labels this book will give you a good look at what a "Celtic shaman's" practice could be like.Even if you do not buy that theory the translations of Taliesin's poems in this book are well worth the effort of buying and reading this book.

While the author gives many, many, many page references to flip forward or back in the volume while discussing his different points, the organization is so indirect as to make it problematic to read. I have the gut feeling that the author has jumped to his own conclusions (some unsupported or long-reaching) and keeps the reader off-balance with the indirect though lines. I don't recommend this unless you have the time and inclination to wade through the rhetoric.

Praise to John Matthews and his wife! The poems excellently translated, they keep their magic alive. A book written with knowledge, respect and love of Celtic traditions!!!

This books is a great read, although tainted with the stench of xtian thought. You could read it and still savor all the european pagan delights...

The author has an erroneous understanding of classical shamanism. He's very western, linear, and 'academic' in this book. There is no evidence of actual direct experience in the spirit worlds of shamanism.

I've been fascinated with myths and dreams and prophecy for some time, so I found John Matthews book TALIESIN THE LAST SHAMAN quite intriguing. The book has two parts: 1) an exploration of what is known or thought to be known about Taliesin who was probably a real person who lived in the 5th - 6th centuries in Britain as well as an interpretation of what Taliesin's works represent; 2) a collection of Taliesin's poetry translated by Matthews and his wife Caitlin.Taliesin was probably British or Welsh although he might have considered himself something else-perhaps Cymry. The Romans described the inhabitants of what is today the United Kingdom as British, while the English referred to them as Welsh-their word for foreigner. Matthews refers to Taliesin as Celtic (Keltoi), a word the Greeks used to describe the people of northern Europe. Matthews describes the Celtic society that probably produced Taliesin and links his poetry to the Celtic view of the cosmos. He sees Taliesin as a "wise" man who penetrated the secrets of the universe and then attempted to share his vision via words.Since I don't speak or read ancient Welsh or Irish, I can't pretend to know whether or not Matthews' interpretation of the Taliesin poetry is good or bad or even accurate. Although the book is not from a mainstream academic source, Matthews appears to be relatively scholarly, frequently citing from respected works and noting where his perspective differs from that of others. He also uses contextual material to locate Taliesin in time and space as an historical person. This secondary material seems to be consistent with various academic interpretations.

This book says very little about Taliesin's"life", but it is a facsinating assessment of his writings. If, like me, you enjoy poetry and folklore, this book is for you. It places Taliesin in context and draws links between him and other poets who deal with the same or similar material.

Rendering some of the literature of Wales available to the many, in English, without losing integrity. Ardderhog.

Amazing read. A highly detailed work of academic literature on the subject of not only of Taliesin but the bardic tradition in general.Highly recommended!

As with the Mabinogion, Taliesin is brought to life in this book. I recommend it to Pagans and none Pagans alike as a book with fantastic tales on each page.

Being familiar with the original Book of Taliesin text in middle Welsh and Celtic mythology more broadly I find John Matthews has many insights which traditional academics have missed but which are seemingly obvious to those who approach these things from a mystical angle. As a polytheist myself I take the material very seriously.However, Matthews' approach is flawed on several levels. First, by restricting himself to attempts to fit everything into his shamanistic framework he seemingly invents material and translates very, very loosely from middle Welsh. In some cases the translations I believe convey the original intent, but in other cases it veers so widely from the original middle Welsh that it borders on invention. He omits many Christian references, claiming they were added latter with no proof whatever that this is the case, and thus potentially alters the meaning of several important poems. Remember, I am a "pagan" but I believe we should approach this material in an honest way, and I do not believe that Matthews does this. He alters words to suit his conceptions and omits things which are not convenient to his narrative. That isn't to say that I disagree with Matthews' conclusions in most cases, but he tries to get there through subversive means which are not even necessary.The second fatal flaw in this work is that it takes far too much "scholarly" work for granted. Much research into Celtic mythology, especially in relation to the nature and character of deities, is fundamentally flawed and extremely simplistic. Take the idea that Lugh or Lleu is the god of light or the sun as a prime example of this. This erroneous claim is made repeatedly in much older "scholarly" work and has completely inundated the modern conception of the deity with no bases whatever that this is the case. More recent research disputes this idea. While I believe that Lugus is directly related to the proto-celtic Lug-ra (moon) and is thus, like his Germanic, Slavic and Vedic counterparts a male lunar deity, he is also highly synchronous with Hermes and Mercury, which has long been observed. It is certain that in Gaul and Britain that Lugus simply became Mercury, so similar were their attributes. Gwydion is also directly linked to Mercury in a Roman period alter dedication to Mercury-Uiducus. Hermes is most often associated with the night, not the day, with wind and speed, cattle, sleep, dreams, prophetic birds, dogs, the arts, music, combat arts, etc. None of these are traits of a god of light. Mercury or Hermes has never been interpreted as such, and unless we are to say that the people who actually worshipped these figures at a time when they had direct access to their ancestral conceptions of these deities somehow confused a sun god or light god with Mercury is a sure sign of modern arrogance. The Celts themselves, and the Romans, were in a much better place than we are to judge the deities that were worshipped at the time. Yet Matthews repeats these false conclusions, upon which only more false conclusions can be reached.While he has many good insights related to the shamanistic nature of druidic knowledge and practice, as well as the importance of astrology, his own preconceptions and his method lead to a fundamentally flawed work which one serious about reclaiming our ancient ways should look at with a very careful eye. His translations are favourable for a pagan interpretation but are not necessarily accurate. We shouldn't be afraid to engage with Christian material but so many people try to run from it as if it wasn't part of our heritage and Matthews appears to be a perfect example of this negative tendency.