Bardic name

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A bardic name is a pseudonym used, in Wales, by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement.

The Welsh term bardd (English bard) originally referred to poets of the Middle Ages, who might be itinerant or attached to a noble household. Some of these medieval poets were known by a pseudonym, for example Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr ("Cynddelw the Master Poet", fl. 155 - 1200) and Iolo Goch ("Iolo the Red", c.1320 - c.1398). The practice seems to have very ancient antecedents, witness the names of the presumably 6th century poets Talhaearn Tad Awen, Blwchfardd and Culfardd, mentioned by the Welsh historian Nennius alongside Taliesin and Aneirin, the latter referred to as Aneurin Gwenithwawd.

However, the use of so-called bardic names became something of a conceit following the re-invention of medieval tradition by Iolo Morganwg in the eighteenth century. Its main purpose nowadays is to conceal the identity of eisteddfod competitors during judging. The usage has also extended to Breton and Cornish poetry.