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Interpreting The Gododdin: A Lament for the Fallen

Gavin the Medievalist

18,507 views

The Gododdin laments Welsh warriors who died in a battle around the year 600 CE. While most famous for its early mention of Arthur, this video looks at the poetry itself to see how early medieval authors held in tension the honor and sadness of war.

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Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:26 Intro to the Gododdin
05:27 The Singers Prologue
11:03 Owain
23:05 Madog
32:09 Throughlines and my take
35:41 Support the Channel and Outro

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20 Comments

@KyleSletten 4 months ago

"I'm grinning because I like the way literature makes me feel things."
My man.

@logonauten 4 months ago

On the death of Owain. I think what the poet omits in the eulogy is the very natural anger that one can feel, that someone so young has died. The waste, the waste of life, of talent, and in the world of Gododdin, the waste of riding into battle before you have secured the bloodline. Anger at fate, at the gods whomever they are. But above all, anger at the boy himself, for throwing his life away, riding into battle when he could so easily have excused himself, and no one would have thought badly of him, as he was still a mere boy. Anger that above all his parents would have felt; grief is complicated, and a good death is rare.
I think this poet covers it masterfully, noting just in passing, in one stanza, that there was another thing to say, but here just praising this brave boy.
I have no way of comparing this English text with the original, but it seems to me beautifully and lovingly rendered in accordance with the terse economy of expression of the warrior poet. I am looking forward to the continuation of this series, and to the prospect of close reading; and if I wasn't already supporting you on Patreon, I certainly would now.

@EvlinDuBose 4 months ago

Honestly I wish more of my English teachers taught like this! Not talking down to people, but bringing them in and engaging with the subject and making it human. It's so upsettingly beautiful that we can still feel grief from people felt over 1400 years ago.

@ig88ds 4 months ago

The analogy of Owain to his horse reminds me a lot of the song Tennessee Stud. A good portion of that song is about a horse but is also clearly about its rider.

@womcauliff 4 months ago

This reminds me a lot of The Iliad, with its exultation of glorious warriors, horses, and armor, and also its descriptions of the pitiful slain and the sorrow of the survivors.
One of the biggest corrections for me is that the ambivalence toward war and its effects on us is not a modern phenomenon (i.e., post-Vietnam) but in fact a very ancient one. People living a long time ago knew that war was necessary, that war was thrilling and required courage, and that war was horrific; they weren’t unreflective about the realities of war.

@Jepicosity 4 months ago (edited)

Hi Gavin. I really appreciate you uploading this today, intentional or not. It's easy to feel alone with thoughts of the dead as others celebrate today as a holiday or ignore it entirely. You're good company.

@YawiGriffini 4 months ago

Sir, I love both formats, the contextual/historical and the line by line you did in this video. Goodness! Your channel is great!

@bloodspatteredguitar 4 months ago

The opening lines bring me to mind of Byrd's lament for Thomas Tallis from a later age. "Tallis is dead; Tallis is dead: and music dies."

@DiceMonkeyGames 4 months ago

26:37 It's like a brand new member of the military showing off the one medal they earned in Boot Camp to a people back home who don't know any better.

@yumasobkoviak9580 4 months ago

Death, grief, loss, healing, hope. There's a lament in there somewhere. Great work, Gavin. More, please.

@AstheSunDies 4 months ago

It's fascinating how these short poems written centuries ago in a distant place are still relevant nowadays.
On one side they are epic elegies for those who passed away. On the others side they don't shy away from the tragedy of war and the macabre waste of lives that conflict determines.
These poems sound almost like a warning from the past.
Thank you Gavin for this video!

@bndncn 4 months ago

Imagine trying to describe this video to Owain.

"So...14 centuries after your death, a poem commemorating you will be read by an academic into a video camera, and that video will be transmitted over the Internet to thousands of viewers all over the English speaking world. Um..yeah. English. Sorry, man."

@ZackHarold 3 months ago

I love this format — takes me back to my early English lit classes. Wish YouTube had more stuff like this, grateful you’re doing this!

@michaelmendez59 4 months ago

Love the pivot to readings. YOU ARE MY GUY!!!!!

@gabbylovesu2 4 months ago

I just want to say how much I love your channel. Thank you for everything you do a d for making learning accessible. This was a wonderful video 💖

@johnsecunde3321 4 months ago

This is great! Can’t wait for more in this vein

@fitz273 4 months ago

Great video! Your channel is quickly becoming one of my favorites as I'm getting more serious about my love of the medieval period.

Also, the B-roll production value is excellent! Love Herugrim in the background. Would you ever consider a walkthrough of your office paraphernalia? The copy of the Unicorn tapestry always makes me smile.

@VS-kf5qw 3 months ago

I just wanted to say— despite not being a medievalist or an Arthuriana guy— I’ve really been enjoying this channel, and this video is my favorite by far. I can’t thank you enough for introducing me to the Gododdin. It’s a mind-blowing work. Despite being separated from us by time, language, and cultures this is one of those where you can really feel a common humanity with the poet and the subjects. For a second, it makes the early middle ages feel as close to us as Sassoon or Remarque.

@carcrashclub9648 4 months ago

Excellent choice for Memorial Day. When you said that the first poem contrasted those still living in the hall with the slain warrior, it reminded me of the tradition of the final roll call, when that contrast is made explicit during a memorial service. Thanks for the video.