Yr Athro Huw Pryce FRHistS FLSW
Athro Emeritws Hanes Cymru, Prifysgol Bangor

Professor Huw Pryce FRHistS FLSW
Professor Emeritus of Welsh History, Bangor University

Awyr iachus Maenor-bŷr, afancod Afon Teifi, mynyddoedd geirwon Meirionnydd: dyna ond ychydig o agweddau ar hinsawdd, natur a thirwedd Cymru a ddisgrifiwyd yn llawnach nag erioed o’r blaen gan yr awdur Lladin toreithiog Gerallt Gymro (c.1146–c.1223). Eto, er mor fyw yw’r disgrifiadau arloesol hyn, prin eu bod yn gyflawn, gan eu bod yn adlewyrchu safbwynt eglwyswr dysgedig a rannai uchelgais drefedigaethol ei berthnasau yn y Mers. Bydd y ddarlith hon yn trafod arwyddocâd gweithiau Gerallt fel ffynhonnell ar gyfer deall yr amgylchedd yng Nghymru’r oesoedd canol.

The healthy air of Manorbier, the beavers of the River Teifi, the rugged mountains of Meirionnydd: those are only a few aspects of Wales’s climate, nature and landscape that were described more fully than ever before by the prolific Latin author Gerald of Wales (c.1146–c.1223). Yet, notwithstanding the liveliness of these pioneering descriptions, they are far from comprehensive, as they reflect the perspective of a learned churchman who shared the colonizing ambitions of his Marcher relatives. This lecture will discuss the significance of Gerald’s writings as a source for understanding the environment in medieval Wales.

Simultaneous translation into English will be provided