Hail Poetry!

[Mike Baker]

Heather Rose Jones wrote:
> It looks like we're looking at the same material, but with differing
> interpretations. I'm working from sources like the medieval Welsh laws
> (allegedly codified in the 10th century, but 12th century in the earliest
> extant form) that note: "Three arts a villein's son is not entitled to
> learn without his lord's leave (and though he should learn them, the lord
> is entitled to retake them, except for clerkship after he takes orders)
>  -- those are clerkship and smithcraft and bardism."

No doubt similar, although differing, sources.  There may result a certain 
amount
of cross-pollination here (prepare to be quoted, if you have no strenuous 
objection).

> You've got a research paper on historic bards, hmm ... if it has a
> significant amount of specifically Welsh material in it, I'd be
> interested in looking at it for my journal.

Alas for your purposes, it is much more a "general" / non-Welsh-specific 
study.  I have tried to include what references I can to the Welsh system, 
but in general have dealt more with the Irish or pre-Howel Dda broad-brush 
"Celtic" -- and comparisons & contrasts with other entertainers, tribal 
teachers, etc.

For one of my next concentrated efforts in expanding the work I intend to 
address the Welsh forms and history.  In particular, I am very aware of the 
limits of my current effort when I begin to deal with the various titles (or 
descriptives) applied to the _bardd_ among the Cymru (Cymri?) dependent upon 
individual position, degree of training, expressed loyalties, etc.

Kihe Blackeagle (the Dreamsinger Bard)  s.k.a. Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri 
al-Amra
     currently residing in Barony of the Steppes, Kingdom of Ansteorra
Mike C. Baker                      mbaker at rapp.com
Any opinions expressed are obviously my own unless explicitly stated 
otherwise!