What is "taliesin"

Taliesin ( 6th century) (; ) was an early Brythonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts of at least three Brythonic kings.

Eleven of the preserved poems have been dated to as early as the 6th century, and were ascribed to the historical Taliesin. The bulk of this work praises King Urien of Rheged and his son Owain mab Urien, although several of the poems indicate that he also served as the court bard to King Brochfael Ysgithrog of Powys and his successor Cynan Garwyn, either before or during his time at Urien's court. Some of the events to which the poems refer, such as the Battle of Arfderydd (c. 573), are referred to in other sources.

His name, spelled as Taliessin in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King and in some subsequent works, means "shining brow" in Middle Welsh. In legend and medieval Welsh poetry, he is often referred to as Taliesin Ben Beirdd ("Taliesin, Chief of Bards" or chief of poets). He is mentioned as one of the five British poets of renown, along with Talhaearn Tad Awen ("Talhaearn Father of the Muse"), Aneirin, Blwchfardd, and Cian Gwenith Gwawd ("Cian Wheat of Song"), in the Historia Brittonum, and is also mentioned in the collection of poems known as Y Gododdin. Taliesin was highly regarded in the mid-12th century as the supposed author of a great number of romantic legends.

According to legend Taliesin was adopted as a child by Elffin, the son of Gwyddno Garanhir, and prophesied the death of Maelgwn Gwynedd from the Yellow Plague. In later stories he became a mythic hero, companion of Bran the Blessed and King Arthur. His legendary biography is found in several late renderings (see below), the earliest surviving narrative being found in a manuscript chronicle of world history written by Elis Gruffydd in the 16th century.

Taliesin , sometimes known as Taliesin East or Taliesin Spring Green after 1937, was the home and estate of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Located south of the village of Spring Green in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States, the property was developed on land that originally belonged to Wright's maternal family.

Wright designed the Taliesin structure two years after leaving his first wife and home in Oak Park, Illinois with a mistress, Mamah Borthwick. The design of the original building was consistent with the design principles of the Prairie School, emulating the flatness of the plains and the natural limestone outcroppings of Wisconsin's Driftless Area. The structure (which included an agricultural and studio wing) was completed in 1911.

Wright rebuilt the Taliesin residential wing in 1914 after a disgruntled employee set fire to the living quarters and murdered Borthwick and six others. This second version was used only sparingly by Wright as he worked on projects abroad. He returned to the house in 1922 following completion of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. A fire caused by electrical problems destroyed the living quarters in April 1925. The third version of the living quarters was constructed by Wright by late 1925. In 1927, financial problems caused a foreclosure on the building by the Bank of Wisconsin. Wright was able to reacquire the building with the financial help of friends and was able to reoccupy it as of November, 1928. Taliesin III was Wright's home for the rest of his life, although he began to winter at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona upon its completion in 1937. Many of Wright's acclaimed buildings were designed here, including Fallingwater, "Jacobs I" (the first Wright-designed residence of Herbert and Katherine Jacobs), the Johnson Wax Headquarters, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Wright was also an avid collector of Asian art and used Taliesin as a storehouse and private museum.

Wright left Taliesin and the 600-acre Taliesin Estate to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation (founded by him and his third wife in 1940) upon his death in 1959. This organization oversaw renovations to the estate until late 1992 upon the founding of Taliesin Preservation, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the building and estate in Wisconsin. Taliesin mostly operates as a museum, however it is still occupied by former students of Wright's in addition to students at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture on a seasonal basis. The property was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and is being considered as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Taliesin was a 6th-century Welsh poet.

Taliesin can also refer to:

• Taliesin, a 1987 novel in The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen R. Lawhead
• Taliesin, a Fairlie locomotive owned by the Ffestiniog railway
• Taliesin, a character from Japanese anime and video game Tears to Tiara
• Tre-Taliesin, a village in Ceredigion, Wales, near the reputed grave (Bedd Taliesin) of the poet
• Taliesin (studio), the summer home and studio of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in Spring Green, Wisconsin
• Taliesin West, Wright's winter home and studio in Scottsdale, Arizona
• Book of Taliesin, a medieval Welsh manuscript containing poetry attributed to the bard
• The Book of Taliesyn, a Deep Purple album whose name was based on the Book of Taliesin manuscript
• Taliesin Junior School, a school in Shotton, Flintshire, Wales, which opened in 1972
• Taliesin Orchestra, a band that specializes in remaking famous songs into orchestra melodies
• Taliesin Jaffe, American voice actor and director