(Nimue)
We don't know a lot about what the ancient bards did, because it was an oral tradition. One of the things we know if that the praise of rulers and war leaders was very probably part of the mix. What we have written down mostly came later, but is indicative. In a warrior culture, it makes sense that bards are going to be praising warriors – we know the Vikings went in for that.
It doesn't sit easily alongside the idea of Druids striding out onto battlefields to stop the fights.
Recently, my partner Keith picked up an anthology of classic Tamil poetry. These poems come from a heroic culture, where being a king meant being a warrior. Bards were very much there to praise the courage, fighting process and success of the kings who fed them. Encountering these poems has got me thinking about our 'Celtic' bards and the possible implications.
The thing about praise it that in praising you also define what is praiseworthy. That's a huge amount of power. The Tamil bards didn't just praise fighting skills. They talk a lot about generosity, feeding the hungry and treating bards well! This makes an interesting comparison with the troubadours who were interacting with mediaeval fighters and kings. The troubadours praised honour, mercy, love and dedication amongst other virtues. They helped foster the idea that being at the top of the feudal pile ought to be about more than just killing people.
We don't know what the ancient bards sang and said to their leaders and warriors. But we do know that a role involving praising them does not neatly equate to a pro-war stance or the glorifying of killing. Or at least not just glorifying killing. There's room to do a lot more alongside this, and to give those who would rule by force some moral guidance, and a sense of responsibility.
Most of us modern folk on the bard path won't have to sing to kings for our supper. But we are stuck in a toxic capitalist system and obliged to work with tools that are problematic – the internet itself is a case in point. So perhaps these ideas are relevant to us, too. We can speak from inside these systems in ways that aim to improve, change or even dismantle the systems.
No comments:
Post a Comment