Elffin fab Urien: a Cymric Hero (Elffin son of Urien)

Synonyms:
Cym: Elffin son of Urien

Elffin is recorded as a son of Urien Rheged, but only in the later versions of the genealogies. All the earliest sources, as determined from the praise poems in the Llyfr Taliesin and several triads in the Trioedd Ynys Prydein, give the sons of Urien as: Rhiwallon, Rhun, Pascen and Owein. The only other source for the genealogy of Urien's sons can be derived from a later, sixteenth-century manuscript Peniarth 127 which names them as: Ywain ap Urien, Rhun ap Urien, Rhiwallon ap Urien, Elffin ap Urien, Pasgen ap Urien, Cadfael ap Urien ap Cynfarch ap Meirchion ap Gorwst ap Ceneu ap Coel and it is here that we find the name of Elffin.

Were this the only surviving reference to Elffin we might well consider him to be an entirely apocryphal figure, one added to the genealogies at a later date. However, he is also named in a poem from the Llywarch Hen cycle from the Llyfr Coch Hergest; the Dym kywardyat unhwch, also known as 'The Death of Urien'. In this poem, two references are made to Elffin. The first of these tells us of an apparent conflict between Elffin and Gwallawg (Gwallawg Marchog Trin [the Battle Horseman], ruler of Elmet). Though nothing remains of the cause or the outcome of the skirmish. However, it may be that Gwallawg was part of the cabal that led to the assassination of Elffin's father, Urien (which is also described in this poem). Elffin's second mention in this poem is with respect to his brother, Owein fab Urien which states that though Urien is dead, whilst Owein and Elffin live, the cauldron will still boil prey in the hearth (ie Rheged will still live on).

The final mention of Elffin fab Urien comes from a volume of the Iolo MSS. Unfortunately this comes from the work of Iolo Morganwg and it is impossible to know whether it represents a real tradition or is one of Iolo's own fantasies:

Taliesin, Chief of the Bards, the son of Saint Henwg of Caerleon upon Usk, was invited to the court of Urien Rheged, at Aberllychwr. He, with Elffin, the son of Urien, being once fishing at sea in a skin coracle, an Irish pirate ship seized him and his coracle, and bore him away towards Ireland; but while the pirates were at the height of their drunken mirth, Taliesin pushed his coracle to the sea, and got into it himself, with a shield in his hand which he found in the ship, and with which he rowed the coracle until it verged the land; but, the waves breaking then in wild foam, he lost his hold on the shield, so that he had no alternative but to be driven at the mercy of the sea, in which state he continued for a short time, when the coracle stuck to the point of a pole in the weir of Gwyddno, Lord of Ceredigion, in Aberdyfi; and in that position he was found, at the ebb, by Gwyddno's fishermen, by whom he was interrogated; and when it was ascertained that he was a bard, and the tutor of Elffin, the son of Urien Rheged, the son of Cynvarch.
'I, too, have a son named Elffin,' said Gwyddno, 'be thou a bard and teacher to him, also, and I will give thee lands in free tenure.'
The terms were accepted, and for several successive years he spent his time between the courts of Urien Rheged and Gwyddno, called Gwyddno Garanhir, Lord of Cantre'r Gwaelod (the Lowland Cantref); but after the territory of Gwyddno had become overwhelmed by the sea, Taliesin was invited by the Arthur to his court at Caerleon upon Usk, where he became highly celebrated for poetic genius and useful, meritorious sciences. After Arthur's death he retired to the estate given to him by Gwyddno, taking Elffin, the son of that prince, under his protection. It was from this account that Thomas, the son of Einion Offeiriad, descended from Gruffydd Gwyr, formed his romance of Taliesin, the son of Cerridwen; Elffin, the son of Gwyddno; Rhun, the son of Maelgwn Gwynedd, and the operations of the Cauldron of Cerridwen

The historical Taliesin, as is evident from the poems attributed to him in the Llyfr Taliesin was a poet of the court of Urien Rheged. He would therefore be expected to be associated with Urien and his sons. It is possible that the tale related above does represent a fragment of real, extant, folklore. What seems to have happened is that the tales of Taliesin, like many tales of the 'Old North' became re-located to Gwynedd/Ceredigion. When this happened, events which once may have related to Elffin mab Urien became transferred to Elffin mab Gwyddno Garanhir and the Ystoria Taliesin preserves this confabulation.

I have been with artful men
with Math or with Gofannon
With Eunydd, with Elestron
my journey with the furrow-maker
A year in Gofannon's fortress
I am old, I am new, I am Gwion

Which would seem to indicate that Elestron and his brother Eunydd were mage-type deities. Which would fit-in with the abilities and properties of many of Dôn's descendants.

If you would like to try the foods of the time of the ancient Celts, then why not have a look at the ancient recipes section of this site. For the foods of the time when some of these tales were written down, take a look at the Medieval recipes section of the site and, in particular, the recipes from The Forme of Cury.

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