Iolo Morganwg | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Drawing of Iolo Morganwg (c. 1800) by an unknown artist, in the National Library of Wales | |
| Born | Edward Williams 10 March 1747 Pen-onn, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales |
| Died | 18 December 1826 (aged 79) |
| Occupation | Stonemason, poet and collector |
| Language | Welsh |
| Nationality | Welsh |
Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg ([ˈjɔlɔ mɔrˈɡanʊɡ]; 10 March 1747 – 18 December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector.[1][2] He was seen as an expert collector of Medieval Welsh literature, but it emerged after his death that he had forged several manuscripts, notably some of the Third Series of Welsh Triads.[3] Even so, he had a lasting impact on Welsh culture, notably in founding the secret society known as the Gorsedd, through which Iolo Morganwg successfully co-opted the 18th-century Eisteddfod revival. The philosophy he spread in his forgeries has had an enormous impact upon neo-Druidism. His bardic name is Welsh for "Iolo of Glamorgan".[4]
- ^ "The National Library of Wales: Dictionary of Welsh Biography". yba.llgc.org.uk.
- ^ Jones, Mary (2004). "Edward Williams/Iolo Morganwg/Iolo Morgannwg". From Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11 June 2009 (only USA, see: WayBackMachine).
- ^ Mary Jones (2003), "Y Myvyrian Archaiology". From Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11 June 2009 (in US only: WayBackMachine).
- ^ The county name is spelt "Morgannwg" in modern Welsh. Iolo is a diminutive of "Iorwerth", a Welsh name often matched with Edward, though neither translates as the other.