Geraint the Blue Bard

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Geraint the Blue Bard (9th century) was a 9th Centrury bard and harpist.

Geraint’s name comes down through history to us as the Bret Glascurion in Chaucer’s 'House of Fame':

Ther herde I pleyen on an harpe

That sowned bothe wel and sharpe,

Orpheus ful craftely,

And on his syde, faste by,

Sat the harper Orion,

And Eacides Chiron,

And other harpers many oon,

And the Bret Glascurion;

Geraint’s name survived further as Glasgerion in the English and Scots folk ballad:

Glasgerion was a kings owne sonne,

And a harper he was good;

He harped in the kings chamber,

Where cuppe and candle stoode,

And soe did hee in the queens chamber,

Till ladies waxed wood.

And then bespake the kings daughter,

Such was his enduring fame and legacy that during the Middle Ages the 10th of January was a scared day for Geraint.

[edit] References

• Chaucer's House of Fame [1]
• Child Ballad 67: Glasgerion [2]
• January Holy Days and Festivals Exploring The Middle Ages