Virgil and Taliesin: The Concept of the Magician in Medieval Folklore

Abstract

AT the beginning of the sixteenth century a work appeared describing the marvellous feats of Virgil, which he performed, according to one translation, 'by witchcraft and negromancye thorwgh the helpe of the devils of hell.' Welsh manuscripts of Hanes Taliesin written towards the end of that century included stories and poems about Taliesin describing his ability to prophesy, to call up storms, and to perform other magical feats.2 Both these figures were historical poets. One lived just before the dawn of the Christian era, the other in fifth-century Wales. Nor are these the only historical figures who were credited with magic powers. A substantial number of medieval and Renaissance men could be added to the list. However, although all were believed to possess supernatural power, as a group they are not homogeneous and include, for example, the philosopher Michael Scot and the fictional poet Myrddin. However, the legendary biographies of these figures and the feats traditionally assigned to them have much in common, and the question which presents itself in the light of this phenomenon, and the one which this article will try to answer, is what were the qualities, either inherent or perceived, in certain figures which caused them to acquire a reputation as magicians. The list of magician figures is too long to consider in the space of one article, but Virgil and Taliesin have been chosen as representative of the group because of the similarities between them, particularly striking in that one is a continental and the other a Celtic figure, and because the amount of traditional material relating to the two figures is sufficient to make a reasonably detailed study possible. Other figures will, however, be considered where the tales about them are relevant. In order to examine the process by which certain historical figures become magicians, one must consider, at least briefly, the meaning of magic in medieval Europe and attitudes to it. This is a complex and wide-ranging topic embracing both ritual magic, which was essentially a literary phenomenon, and what might be called folk magic, which included cures and maleficium. Attitudes to it also varied from a degree of tolerance duiing the Middle Ages, so long as demons were not involved, to the witch hunts of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. More work has been done on witchcraft than on ritual magic,' although some studies have examined the connection between the two.4 The concern of this article, however, is limited to the magician as he appears in both literary and folk tales and in the popular concept of his power.

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