KINGDOM OF CANTRE'R GWAELOD

Who knows the myth of the lost Welsh kingdom of Cantre'r Gwaelod? This was an ancient kingdom that was built on the floor of Cardigan Bay and was protected by an enormous wall that would let ships in and out during low tide. The kingdom was ruled peacefully by Gwyddno Garanhir until the drunken gate-keeper Seithenyn (or in some versions the well maiden Mererid) left the gate open during a storm and flooded the whole kingdom. Now the only thing left of the kingdom is the Sarn Badrig and the haunting sounds of the bells from under the sea near Aberystwyth. What I find strange about the tale is that Gwyddno had a son called Elphin who is responsible for finding the legendary bard Taliesin as a baby. He brings him straight to Gwyddno but, in spite of all this, Taliesin doesn't seem to appear in any account of Cantre'r Gwaelod. I try to make sense of this in my book, Taliesin, Chief of Bards, and use Cantre'r Gwaelod as a backdrop setting. The story I tell is the story of Taliesin, but I'm working on incorporatingg the full story of Cantre'r Gwaelod in my future writing. Check out the link below for more details.