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The History of The Eisteddfod
The Eisteddfod is an art, music, and literary festival that is held annually around Wales. It has been taking place surprisingly consistently for a festival that was first recorded to have taken place in A.D. 1070, four years after the Battle of Hastings. [1]
It is argued that they have been occurring even longer than that, with some suggesting they date back to the seventh century, when King Cawaladr presided. [2]
The festivities themselves are suggested to be of Druidic origin, with an interesting ritual based in paganism taking place called the Gorsedd. It is surprising therefore to learn that the Gorsedd was not created in Wales, but first took place in London, on Primrose Hill in 1792. The creator of this ritual was a Welsh academic called Iolo Morganwg, who came from Llancarfan, Glamorgan, and he wished to highlight the fact that the Welsh owned the heritage and culture of the Celts, and the Gorsedd was a perfect way to highlight this. [3]
The Eisteddfod and Gorsedd were not initially linked, but after a few years of taking place separately, Iolo attended the Carmarthenshire Eisteddfod in 1819, and held the Gorsedd in a circle of pebbles placed on the floor. This led to the ‘close and valuable link between the Eisteddfod and the Gorsedd’ stone circles which continues to this day and are the focus of this project.
The Gorsedd ceremony is described in few places, but here is a description that can be found in a journal article by John G.E. Astle in The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, 1883.
“The president, or chief, followed by the various grades of the bardic order, will walk in procession (gorymdaith) to the place appointed, where twelve stones are laid in a circle, with one in the centre to form a gorsedd or throne. When the whole order has assembled, the chief of the bards will ascent the gorsedd, and, from his laurel and flower-bedecked chair, will open the sessions by repeating aloud the mottoes of the order- viz., “Y gwir yn erbyn y byd, yn ngwyned haul a llygad goleuni,” or “the truth against the world, in the face of the sun and the eye of light.” Verses laudatory of the president will follow, and the competitions in music and art will subsequently take place, the successful competitors (p. 188) being crowned or decorated by the “fair hands of lady patronesses who distribute the prizes.” [4]
What Historians Have Said About The Eisteddfod Through History
There has been a tendency throughout historiography of the Eisteddfod of English journalists to report on the festivities in such journals as the Musical Times. In fact, the consistent publishings in the Musical Times is a fantastic source, showing the way in which (mostly English) people thought about the Eisteddfod. The layout and content of these articles vary a fair amount, with some authors preferring to describe the events that took place throughout each day, being very specific, whereas some prefer to use the events to prostrate their own opinions on the performances, the way the events were ran, and even their interpretation of the audience’s responses to both. Ironically, some even use the opportunity to describe ways in which the English can in fact learn from the Welsh to become more involved with ‘art and music’.
It is very interesting to see the development of the opinions of the Eisteddfod, particularly in the late 19th century and early 20th century, as it seems to portray such a difference to the experience of the Eisteddfod today as a wholly Welsh festival. It also shows a lot of the cultural interactions between the English and the Welsh, mostly from the English perspective, which of course is problematic. However, the sources must be taken as they are, and they are still important to understand how Welsh heritage has developed, both in the minds of the Welsh, but also those considered ‘Saxon’, rather than ‘Celtic’, a differentiation that I will be discussing in length in a separate section.