The Celtic Literature Collective

The Red Book of Hergest
Llyfr Coch Hergest

Written on vellum, 13 3/8" x 8 1/4", 362 folios. Bicolumnar, numbered 1--1442. Mostly written between 1375-1425, it is the work of on Hywel Fychan fab Hywel Goch of Fuellt, for his employer, Hopcyn ap Tomas ap Einion of Ynys Tawe. So called for the red leather binding, rebound again in moroccan leather added in 1851, and for the house of Hergest, Herfordshire, where it was compiled. Presented in 1701 to Jesus College, Oxford, by a Rev. T. Wilkins, of Llanbleithain, Glamorgan in Wales. It is best known as the source of the Mabinogion, as well as having much of its poetry reproduced in The Four Ancient Books of Wales. Images of the great text can be found here.

In 2007, the entirety of the prose texts from the manuscript were put online by the "Rhyddiaith Gymraeg 1350–1425" (Welsh Prose) project by the University of Wales. The hyperlinks below in the Cymraeg column will redirect to that site. The poetry, however, is hosted on the present site, with translations by Skene.

The majority of the translations I am using here are from The Four Ancient Books of Wales, by W. F. Skene, 1868. Unfortunately, they are probably not the most accurate translations, but they are the only ones which, to my knowledge, are public domain. (Even at that I'm not sure, though the book is well out of print.)

The contents of the book are thus:

Columns Cynhwysion (Cymraeg) Contents (English)
 

Histories:

1.1-30.12 Dares Phrygius On the Fall of Troy
31.1-230.11 Ystorya Brenhined y Brytanyeit The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth
230.20-367.8 Brut y Tywyssogion The Chronicle of the Princes
367.10-377.18 "Gyldas hen broffwyt y brytanyeit" Excerps from "Ruin and Conquest of Britain"
377.19-380 Dechreu Cantreuoed Ae Chymydeu The Counties of Wales
 

Ystoria de Carolo Magno: the History of Charlemagne

381.1-409.22 Cronicl Turpin Pseudo-Turpin's Chronicle
409.23-460.8 Rhamant Otfel The Romance of Otuel
460.9-484.21 Cân Rolant The Song of Roland
484.22-502.16 Cronicl Turpin Pseudo-Turpin's Chronicle resumes
 

Miscellania:

502.19-516 1.26 Delw’r Byd Henry Huntington's The Image of the World
516.28-518.14 Cronicl A Brief Chronicle
520--527.39 Hen Draethawd ar Hwsmonaeth Advice from a Wise Man to his Son
527.40-556.9 Chwedleu seith Doethon Rufein The Seven Sages of Rome
555.10-571.23: Breudwyt Ronabwy The Dream of Rhonabwy
571.1--577.6 Proffwydolyaeth Sibli doeth Prophecies of Sibyll
 

Poetry associated with Myrddin:

577.7--583.38 Kyuoessi myrdin ag6endyd ych6aer Dialogue Between Myrddin and His Sister Gwenddydd
584 Gwasgargerd vyrdin yny bed Lament of Myrddin in his Grave
 

Miscellania:

585 1.24 Sant Awstin am dewder y ddaear That Which St Austen Said Concerning the World's Width
585 1.39-588 Proffwydolyaeth yr Eryr Prophecy of the Eagle
 

Triads:

588.27 Tri Dynyon a Gawssant Gampeu Adaf The Hergest Triads
588.41 Pann aeth llu y lychlyn When a Host Went Up to Llychlyn
590.34 Dechreu y trioedd y rei hynn "Here Begin the Noble Triads"
596 Trioed y meirch Triads of the Horses
598 Trioed heuyt yw y rei hynn These are also triads
600.16-604.25 Enweu Ynys Prydein The Names of the Isle of Britain
 

Romances

605 Pererindod Siarlymaen The Pilgrimage of Charlemagne
627 Chwedyl Iarlles y Ffynawn Owain
655 Peredur fab Efrawc Peredur
697 Breuddwyd Macsen The Dream of Maxen
705.28-710.14 Cyfranc Lludd a Lleuelys The Adventure of Lludd and Llefelys

 

The Four Branches of the Mabinogi

710.15 Pwyll Pendeuc Dyfed Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed
726.42 Branwen uerch Llyr Branwen, Daughter of Llyr
739.34 Manawyddan ap Llyr Manawyddan, Son of Llyr
751.13 Math fab Mathonwy Math, son of Mathonwy

 

Other Romances

769.7 Gereint Gereint
810 Culhwch ac Olwen Culhwch and Olwen
845-928.8 Ystoria Bown de Hamptwn Bevis of Hampton
 

Medical Texts: Meddygion Myddfai

928.11 Meddygion Myddfai The Physicians of Myddfai's Medical Book
939.6 Y Misoedd The Months
941.1 Gollwng Gwaed Bloodletting
941.29 Meddyginiaethau Remedies
945.27 Campau’r Cennin The Achievments of the Leek
947.25 Ansoddau’r Trwnc Urinalysis
950.21 Meddyginiaethau Remedies
956.9 Llythyr Aristotlys at Alecsander: Rheolau Iechyd A Letter from Aristotle to Alexander: Rules for Health
 

Miscellania:

961.1 Diharebeu Welsh Proverbs
975.8 Imago Mundi Image of the World
998.40 O’r Ddaear hyd at y Lloer Distance of the Earth to the Moon
999.19-1019 Brut y Saesson The Chronicle of the Saxons
1020-1022.9 Gwrtheyrn Gwrtheneu to Ieuan Vrehnin Chronicle from Vortigern to King John
1022 1.9--1025: (blank) (blank)
 

Poetry

1026 Ymddiddan Lywelyn a Gwrnerth The Dialogue of Llewellyn and Gwrnerth
1028 Eiru mynyd The Mountain Snow
 

Poems Attributed to Llwyarch Hen:

1030 Bit goch crib keilyawc "Let the cock's comb be red"
1031 Gnawt gwynt or deheu "Usual is the Wind"
  Kalangaeaf kalet grawn "The Calends of Winter"
1032 Baglawc bydin bagwy onn "Entangling Is the Snare"
1033 Gorwyn blaen onn "Bright are the Ash-tops"
1034 Goreiste ar vrynn aeruyn uymbryt "Sitting High Upon a Hill"
1036 Kynn bum kein vaglawc bum "I Was Formerly Fair of Limb"
1039 Dymkywarwydyat unhwchdywal "The Death of Urien"
1041 Maenwynn tra vum yth oet "Maenwynn, When I was Your Age..."
 

Other Poetry

1042 Gereint filius Erbin Gereint Son of Erbin
Katwallawn kynnoedyot Cadwallawn
1043 Canu Heledd The Heledd Cycle
1049 Anrec Vyren (Ymddiddan Taliesin ac Aneirin) I Have Freely Greeted
1050 Mal rot yn troi tramhweileu Like a Wheel
  Mochdaw byd yngryt yngwedyf carant A Shout of War
1051 Llynges von dirion direidi The Fleet of Mona
  Crist iessu llwyr uedu lleuuer cristawn Christ Jesus, Possessor of Light
1053 Mor yw gwael gwelet How Dismal it Is to See
1054 Prif Gyfarch Taliesin The First Address of Taliesin
1055-1057 Gossymdeith Llefoet Wyneb Olawr The Viaticum of Llevoed Wyneglawr
 

Miscellania

1057-1083.30 Diharebeu Proverbs
1085-1115.38 Kymdeithas Amlyn ac Amic The Romance of Amlyn and Amic
1117-1142 Gramadeg y Penceirddiaid The Bardic Grammar of Einion Offeriad
 

Gogynfeirdd Poetry (Untranslated; still working on this)

1143.1 Elidir Sais: Ma6r a6r y dawn a dyuu
1144.8 Er mab kyuarchaf rwydaf vy reen
1145.17 Goreu yw ydyn, diw ynyt peri
1146.5 Goganawl arglwyd goganawl
1146.24 Meilir ap Gwalchmai: Kyuarchaf y du6 dwywa6l weini
1147.4 Ambo y gan du6 ambo trugared
1147.39 Eidaf oed ynn reithaf
1148.28 Duw arglwyd ergly6 dy volyant
1149.15 Reen rieda6c r6ysc kyuerthi rex
1149.30 Divri diwroed dyhed diheu
1150.7 Goreu gwaradret goredwyn ffa6
1150.15 Eidunyant y dyn y d6yn aruoes
1150.33 Einnyoes enryded rac llu annweir
1150.30 Geir gar6ffraeth g6aeth g6eith
1151.4 Yn hyt ynhedwch ha6d b6yf oeglas
1151.20 Madog ap Gwallter: Mab anrodet
1153.6 Gwaret arnaf naf na6d am rodych


NOTES 1. This text is provided via Google Books. As such, you will likely have to set up a free account at Google in order to view the book. I will eventually have time to scan the text myself, and host the translation on my site.


Back to Welsh Texts
Back to CLC

© Mary Jones 2015