The Crowning of the Bard () is one of the most important events in an

eisteddfod In Welsh culture, an ''eisteddfod'' is an institution and festival with several ranked competitions, including in poetry and music. The term ''eisteddfod'', which is formed from the Welsh morphemes: , meaning 'sit', and , meaning 'be', means, a ...

. The most famous such ceremony takes place at the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

, and is normally on the Monday afternoon of Eisteddfod week (it was formerly held on the Tuesday). A new bardic crown is specially designed and made for each eisteddfod and is awarded to the winning entrant in the competition for the Pryddest, poetry written in free verse. There are three judges and these have included past crowned bards, such as

Mererid Hopwood Mererid Hopwood (born February 1964) is a Welsh poet. She became in 2001 the first woman to win the bardic chair at the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Teaching Originally from Cardiff, Hopwood graduated with first-class honours in Spanish and Ge ...

and T. James Jones. The National Eisteddfod crown was first awarded in 1867. The crowning ceremony is presided over by the

Archdruid Archdruid () is the title used by the presiding official of the Gorsedd. The Archdruid presides over the most important ceremonies at the National Eisteddfod of Wales including the Crowning of the Bard, the award of the and the Chairing of the ...

, who invites one of the judges to read the adjudication and judges' comments before announcing the identity of the bard, using only the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

that the winner has used when submitting the work. Up to this point, no one knows the true identity of the bard, who is asked to stand and is then escorted to the stage and crowned. Winning the "double" of

bardic chair The Chairing of the Bard () is one of the most important events in the Welsh eisteddfod tradition. The most famous chairing ceremony takes place at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, and is always on the Friday afternoon of Eisteddfod week. Winne ...

and crown at the same Eisteddfod is a feat that has only been achieved a handful of times in the history of the Eisteddfod.

Alan Llwyd Alan Llwyd (born 1948), original name Alan Lloyd Roberts, is a Welsh poet, literary critic and editor. He is one of the most prolific Welsh-language poets in the last quarter of the 20th century. He is also known under the Bardic name Meilir Emry ...

and

Donald Evans Donald Louis Evans (born July 27, 1946) is an American businessman. He was the 34th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He was appointed by his longtime friend George W. Bush and sworn into office on January 20, 2001. On November 9, 2004, the White House ...

have won the double twice. In August 2018 the winner of the crown was awarded to Cardiff author,

Catrin Dafydd Catrin Dafydd (born c. 1982) is a Welsh author, scriptwriter and poet, who was awarded the Crown at the 2018 National Eisteddfod of Wales. Background Dafydd is of a Welsh language family from Gwaelod y Garth, near Cardiff and attended her loc ...

, though during the ceremony the archdruid, Geraint Llifon, caused controversy by saying she couldn't have achieved this without men. Llifon later apologised.

List of the crown winners

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crowning Of The Bard Eisteddfod Welsh-language literature Welsh poetry

List of the crown winners

See also

References