Rodney Castleden - The Element Encyclopedia of the Celts

A class of poets, like the minstrels of the Middle Ages, specializing in popular and non-religious subjects. They were distinct from ovates or vates , a class of priestwith a focus on composing and performing prophetic poetry. Bards had a particular and recognized place in society.

Posidoniusdescribes an incident involving a bard:

When at length he fixed a day for the ending of the feast, one of their barbarian poets arrived too late. The poet met Luernius [or Luernios, King of the Arverni] and composed a song magnifying his greatness and deploring his own late arrival. Luernius was delighted and asked for a bag of gold and threw it to the poet who ran beside his chariot. The poet picked it up and sang another song saying that the very tracks made by his chariot on the ground gave gold and blessings to mankind.

The bards also had a public role in disseminating myths and genealogiesamongst the ordinary people. There were different grades of bard, the lowest of which was the novice, or Mabinog.

The Navigator, also known as Barrfind and Barrindus, who guided Merlinand Taliesinon their voyage to the Otherworldwith the wounded Arthur; Barinthus was the ferryman of the dead.

Barinthus also accompanied Ternoc on a voyage to the Land of Promise and reported his experience to Brendan.

See Barinthus .

See Barinthus .

See Art .

An Iron Age Gaulish tribewith its capital at Beauvais. The Bellovaci intended to expand their territory and Julius Caesarsaw this as a threat to his plan to control the whole of Gaul. He confronted the Bellovaci under their leader Correus. They were taken by surprise, but Caesar was intimidated by the size of the enemy force. At first there were only skirmishes and the Bellovaci retreated into their camp. When Correus attempted an ambush of Roman troops, the Bellovaci were defeated and Correus himself was killed. Caesar treated the Bellovaci leniently, as a result of the intercession of Diviciacus.

Pupil and successor of St. Patrickin 468.

Berachus of Kilbarry in Roscommon was a pupil of Dagaeus and lived in the sixth century. He acquired Kilberry from a “minister” by a miracle, and was prosecuted by a royal wizard who claimed inheritance by hereditary law ( See Magicians ). The case was referred to Aedan, King of Dal Riada, who passed it on to Aed Dubh of Brefni and Aedh of Tethba. The wizard was struck dumb and fled; he was later killed. An attempt by the wizard’s heirs to set fire to the monastery was thwarted by a miracle.

Aedan granted Berachus a fort to use as a monastery at Aberfoyle, commanding the northern road from Loch Lomond to the upper Forth: the only route usable by Dal Riada armies to reach the southern Pictswithout violating Alcluithterritory. The site was of enormous strategic value to the kings of Dal Riada, so granting it implies a great favor from Aedan, who must have thought highly of Berachus.

See Brynach .

Welsh saint, son of Bugi, and born in the kingdom of Powys. He studied under Tangusius at Caerwent during the old age of King Ynyr Gwent and was granted Berriew near Welshpool by Mawn, son of Brochmail, King of Powys. He heard Saxons shouting “Ker Gia,” apparently calling to their hunting dogs, but perhaps abusing the Welsh. After this, he withdrew westward, staying with Tyssilio at Meifod. He founded a church, but was later expelled by the sons of Selyf, son of Kynan.

One of his miracles was replacing the headof Teuyth’s daughter Wenefred, after it was severed by a nobleman whose advances she had spurned. Wenefred lived to a great age as an abbess, patroness of Holywell, Flint.

Beuno also brought back to life the daughter of Ynyr Gwent, who had been murdered by her husband, an artisan from Aberffraw who had been employed at the court of Caerwent. Her brother Idon came to Caernarvon to reclaim her dowry. He also decapitated the murderous husband, but Beuno again replaced the head.

See Arverni .

An Iron Age Celtic tribein Gaul, with its main center at Avaricum (Bourges). When the Romans arrived to conquer Gaul, the Bituriges were politically one of the main tribes; their Druidsin particular held great power. As Julius Caesarreduced the power of the Druids, the power of the Bituriges also declined.

Vercingetorixpursued a scorched earth policy, burning Gaulish towns as the Roman legions advanced. But Avaricum was not burned—an indication of the importance of the Bituriges. The Romans destroyed it instead ( See Redones ).

See Ships and Boats ; Symbols: Boat .

Boecius of Monasterboice, a great monastic center which he founded, was Irish by birth, but studied in Italy under Abbot Tilianus. From there he sailed to the land of the Pictswith what are described as 60 “German” saints (presumably Saxons).

Boecius resuscitated King Nectan (ruled 462–86), who gave him a castellum . Then he crossed to Irish Dal Riada and resuscitated the daughter of the king. Boecius died in 521.

See Art .

Queen of the Iceni tribe. Boudicca was born in about AD 25 and lived at Thetfordin Norfolk at the time of the Roman invasion of Britain. She married Prasutagusin AD 48, when she was about 23 and he was perhaps ten years older. He was King of the Iceni, one of three Celtic tribes to have treaty arrangements with Rome; the others were the Regnenses and the Brigantes. Boudicca gave birth to two daughters: one in AD 49 and one in 50. On the death of Prasutagus, in AD 60, she became regent.

Prasutagus bequeathed half his kingdom to Nero, reserving the rest for his widow and daughters. The Roman governor Suetonius Paulinuswas away on campaign in Wales when Prasutagus died, and the procurator, Decianus Catus, decided to swoop in and take the whole of Prasutagus’ estates for Rome. Decianus Catus was ruthless and acquisitive, and his officials were backed by undisciplined troops. The operation was bungled and army discipline broke down. The soldiers raped Boudicca’s daughters, who can only have been 11 or 12 years old, and flogged the queen herself.

The Iceni rose against Rome behind their humiliated queen, joined by their neighbors to the south, the Trinovantes, who had also been roughly handled by greedy legionaries at Camulodunum(Colchester). Together, the Iceni and Trinovantes attacked and burned down the new town. Then Boudicca and her army moved on to sack Verulamium (St. Albans) and London. Paulinus brought 10,000 legionaries back from Wales to confront her somewhere to the north-west of London. At an unidentified location somewhere along Watling Street, Boudicca’s army was slaughtered. The queen herself escaped from the battlefield but died shortly afterward of some illness, perhaps after taking poison; according to Dio Cassius she was given a rich burial. Boudicca’s treasure-laden grave has never been discovered.