Iolo Morganwg (or Morgannwg in modern spelling; pronounced /ˈjo.lo mor.ˈgan.nug/) was the bardic name of Edward Williams (Llancarfan, Glamorgan, Wales 1747-1826), an influential antiquarian, poet, collector and literary forger. The name is Welsh for "Ned of Glamorgan". For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words see here. ... A bardic name is a pseudonym used, in Wales, by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement. ... Glamorgan or Glamorganshire (Welsh: ) is one of thirteen historic counties and former administrative counties of Wales. ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd in... // Events January 31 - The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Dock Hospital April 9 - The Scottish Jacobite Lord Lovat was beheaded by axe on Tower Hill, London, for high treason; he was the last man to be executed in this way in Britain May 14 - First battle of Cape... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... An antiquarian or antiquary is one concerned with antiquities or things of the past. ... Forgery is the process of making or adapting objects or documents (see false document), with the intention to deceive (fraud is the use of objects obtained through forgery). ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

Edward Williams spent his working life as a stonemason. It is as Iolo Morganwg that he is remembered, chiefly for his role in (re)creating modern bardic ritual and philosophy. His bardic teacher was Siôn Bradford of Tir Iarll. Iolo first came to public notice by revealing some previously undiscovered poetry by Dafydd ap Gwilym, generally considered to be the greatest Welsh poet, in 1789. These poems were in fact forgeries, but survived critical attention for over hundred years. His success lead Iolo to move to London. Become a significant figure in the Welsh community there he held the first Gorsedd, Gorsedd Beirdd Ynys Prydain, at a ceremony in 1792 at Primrose Hill, London. He went on to author fairly substantial works (most of which are now considered forgeries) claiming that the ancient druidic tradition had survived intact in Wales, despite the Roman conquest, Christianity, the persecution of the bards under King Edward I, and other adversities. The art and craft of the stonemason has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures and sculpture using stone and other raw materials from the earth. ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Siôn Bradford (1706 - 1785) was a Welsh language poet, from Betws, Tir Iarll, Glamorgan, in south Wales. ... Tir Iarll (meaning Earls Land in English), is the traditional name of an area of Glamorgan, south Wales, which has long had a particular resonance in Welsh culture. ... Dafydd ap Gwilym (ca. ... 1789 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A gorsedd (SAMPA /gO:rsED/), occasionally spelled gorseth, plural gorseddau, is a community of bards. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Primrose Hill. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Two druids, from an 1845 publication, based on a bas-relief found at Autun, France. ... The Roman Empire is the name given to both the imperial domain developed by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ... Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), popularly known as Longshanks because of his 6 foot 2 inch (1. ...

Iolo's philosophy represented a fusion of Christian and Arthurian influences, a proto-romanticism comparable to that of William Blake and the Scottish poet and forger James MacPherson, the revived antiquarian enthusiasm for all things "Celtic", and such elements of bardic heritage as had genuinely survived among Welsh-language poets. Part of his aim was to assert the Welshness of the South, particularly his home region of Glamorgan, against the prevalent idea that North Wales represented the purest survival of Welsh traditions. A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as Christ. ... The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of the British Isles, centering around King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. ... Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in late 18th century Western Europe. ... William Blake in an 1807 portrait by Thomas Phillips William Blake (November 28, 1757–August 12, 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. ... James Macpherson (October 27, 1736–February 17, 1796), was a Scottish poet, known as the translator of the Ossian cycle of poems (also known as the Oisín cycle). ... An antiquarian or antiquary is one concerned with antiquities or things of the past. ... This article concerns those peoples who consider themselves, or have been considered by others, to be Celts in modern times. ... A bard is a poet or singer, in religious or feudal contexts. ... Approximate extent of South Wales South Wales (Welsh: ) is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. ... Approximate extent of North Wales North Wales (known in some archaic texts as Northgalis) is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales. ...

Like many Romantic poets he was addicted to laudanum for most of his life, which may have affected his mental condition. Laudanum is an opium tincture, sometimes sweetened with sugar and also called wine of opium. ...

Iolo was the author of the "Druid's Prayer" or "Gorsedd prayer" (Gweddi'r Derwydd or Gweddi'r Orsedd in Welsh), which is still a staple of the ritual of both gorseddau and Neo-Druidism. His metaphysics outlined a theory of concentric 'rings of existence', proceeding outward from Annwn (the Otherworld) through Abred and Ceugant to Gwynfyd (purity or Heaven). The Druids Prayer (Welsh: Gweddir Derwydd) or Gorsedd Prayer (Gweddir Orsedd) is a prayer composed by Iolo Morganwg which is still a staple in the ritual of both gorseddau and Neo-Druidism. ... A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value, which is prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. ... A group of British druids, congregating to celebrate the summer solstice at stonehenge. ... Plato and Aristotle, by Raphael (Stanza della Segnatura, Rome). ... Annwn or Annwfn, ( under-world or un-world, sometimes inaccurately written Annwyn, Annwyfn or Annwfyn) was the Otherworld, the land of souls that had departed this world in Welsh mythology. ... Heaven is an afterlife concept found in many religions or spiritual philosophies. ...

Among his writings was Cyfrinach Beirdd Ynys Prydain, or "The Mystery of the Bards of the Isle of Britain" (1829), a treatise on Welsh metrics. He also forged an extra set of Welsh Triads. Metrics are a system of parameters or ways of quantitative and periodic assessment of a process that is to be measured, along with the procedures to carry out such measurement and the procedures for the interpretation of the assessment in the light of previous or comparable assessments. ... The Welsh Triads (Welsh, Trioedd Ynys Prydein) is used to describe any of the related Medieval collection of groupings of three that preserve a major portion of Welsh folklore and Welsh literature. ...

A Welsh language school in Cowbridge, Ysgol Iolo Morgannwg, is named after him. Cowbridge (Welsh: Y Bont-faen) is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales. ...

Further reading

Wikisource has original works written by or about:

Iolo Morganwg

• Geraint Jenkins (ed.), A Rattleskull Genius. The Many Faces of Iolo Morganwg, Cardiff: University of Wales Press (2005)
• Prys Morgan, Iolo Morganwg, Writers of Wales series, Cardiff: University of Wales Press (1975)
• G J Williams, Iolo Morganwg. Y Gyfrol Gyntaf, Cardiff: University of Wales Press (1956)
• G J Williams, Iolo Morganwg a Chywyddau'r Ychwanegiad, Cardiff: University of Wales Press (1926)

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External links

• The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg, vol. 1 (English text only) at The Internet Sacred Text Archive
• The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg, vol. 2 (English text only) at The Internet Sacred Text Archive

• Biography and picture