Aspects of the Welsh prophetic verse tradition in the Middle Ages : incorporating textual studies of poetry from 'Llyfr Coch Hergest' (Oxford, Jesus College, MS cxi) and 'Y Cwta Cyfarwydd' (Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, MS Peniarth 50)

• Main Author: Jenkins, Manon Bonner
• Published: University of Cambridge 1990
• Subjects: 891.6
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.605081

Much of the corpus of medieval Welsh prophetic poetry, comprising as it does diverse and complicated strands of political, mystical, religious, and legendary material, has not previously been systematically studied, or even printed. The introductory chapter of this thesis makes a preliminary exploration of the historical context of the prophecies, the nature of their propagators and audiences, and also the influences prevalent on the authors, be these intellectual and literary influences, or sub-conscious and psychological influences which fall into the realm of anthropology. There follow editions of the Welsh prophetic poetry found in Oxford, Jesus College, MS cxi, and Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, MS Peniarth 50. These two manuscripts, dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries respectively, provide a significant cross-section of the medieval Welsh prophetic poetry extant. Detailed textual analyses of the poems with text, translation, and notes, examine language and metre, investigate references to persons and places, and seek to identify conventional prophetic elements. From a historical point of view, the prophetic texts are compared with contemporary chronicles, as reflections of contemporary historical thinking. Some attention is also paid to the material's wider manuscript context, and its transmission. This sheds light on the prevailing cultural and intellectual climate as well as providing invaluable help in the interpretation of individual prophecies.