Pennod 79 - Bardd Rhyddid ac Arch-ffugiwr: Iolo Morganwg

Edrychwn yn y bennod hon ar un o gymeriadau mwyaf enigmatig y traddodiad llenyddol Cymraeg (ac efallai un o gymeriadau mwyaf enigmatig hanes Cymru yn gyffredinol), sef Edward Williams neu Iolo Morganwg (1747-1826).

Ystyriwn ei radicaliaeth wleidyddol gan ei chysylltu â rhai o’i gerddi gwreiddiol. Talwn deyrnged i’w gyfraniadau diwylliannol a’i allu ysgolheigiaidd. Ond, wrth gwrs, mae’n rhaid i ni oedi a thrafod ei ffugiadau hefyd. Mae llu o gwestiynau gwefreiddiol yn codi. Ai siop Iolo oedd siop fasnach deg gyntaf Cymru? Pam aeth ati i ffugio cymaint o bethau? I ba raddau yr oedd yn ffigiwr cwbl unigryw ac i ba raddau y gellir ei gysylltu â mudiad Rhamantaidd ehangach? Trafodwn ei ymwneud â Chymdeithas y Gwyneddigion hefyd a chawn gyfle i sôn ychydig am un o’i gydnabod, Morgan John Rhys.

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Bard of Liberty and Arch-Forger: Iolo Morganwg
In this episode we look at one of the most enigmatic characters of the Welsh literary tradtion (and perhaps one of the most enigmatic characters of all of Welsh history), Edward Williams or Iolo Morganwg (1747-1826).

We consider his political radicalism and connect it to some of his original poems. We pay tribute to his cultural contributions and his scholarly ability. But, of course, we have to linger over his forgeries as well. A host of tantalizing questions emerges. Was Iolo’s shop the first fair trade shop in Wales? Why did he devote himself to forging so many things? To what extent was he a completely unigue figure and to what extent can we connect him to a broader Romantic movement? We also discuss his connection with the Gwyneddigion Society and we take an opportunity to mention one of his associates, Morgan John Rhys.

Cyflwynwyd gan: Yr Athro Jerry Hunter a'r Athro Richard Wyn Jones
Cynhyrchwyd gan: Richard Martin ar gyfer Mimosa Cymru
Cerddoriaeth: 'Might Have Done' gan The Molenes

Darllen Pellach/Further Reading:
G. J. Williams, Iolo Morganwg (1956).
Ceri Lewis, Iolo Morganwg (1995).
Geraint Jenkins, A rattleskull genius: the many faces of Iolo Morganwg (2005).
Mary-Ann Constantine, The truth against the world: Iolo Morganwg and Romantic forgery (2007).
Marin Löffler, The literary and historical legacy of Iolo Morganwg, 1826-1926 (2007).
Geraint Jenkins, Bard of Liberty: the political radicalism of Iolo Morganwg (2012).
Prys Morgan, ‘From a Death to a View: The Hunt for the Welsh Past in the Romantic Period’, yn Eric Hobsbawn a Terence Ranger (goln.), The Invention of Tradition (1983).