[RPG]: Bardic Lore: The Fachan & Bardic Lore: Ogham, reviewed by TheAuldGrump (3/5)

http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/11/11183.phtml

Dennis O'Brien's Summary:

A pair of Irish offerings, with Bardic Knowledge being the theme that ties them together.

Go to the full review for more information.

Post originally by Tim Gray at 2005-03-28 02:57:22
Converted from Phorums BB System

...would be Amergin son of Míl, who was the bard and main man of the Milesians, the ancestors of the modern Irish, who invaded Ireland and took it from the Tuatha De Danaan. He has a famous speech where he identifies with many things: "I am a hawk on a cliff, I am a boar for valour, etc."

Post originally by Fute at 2005-03-28 10:48:18
Converted from Phorums BB System

Although I doubt Taliesein was the only bard to boast of shapeshifting ...

I have been a blue salmon,
a dog, a stag, a roebuck on the mountain
a stock, a spade, an axe in the hand
a buck, a bull, a stallion
upon a hill I was grown as grain
reaped and in the oven thrown
out of that roasting I fell to the ground
pecked up and swallowed by the black hen
in her crop nine nights lain
I have been dead, I have been alive, I am Taliesin.

Post originally by Tim Gray at 2005-03-28 12:32:21
Converted from Phorums BB System

Similarities, yes. But Taliesin's Welsh. And he had indeed been these things, in an attempt to escape a lady who wanted to eat him. (It didn't succeed, but everything worked out in the end.)

Ha, plug opportunity: go to my site at www.silverbranch.co.uk and on the Albion page you can find most of Amergin's version.

You can also find similar stuff in the Hindu Upanishads. Standard mystical fare really.

Post originally by Daniel M. Perez at 2005-03-31 07:57:36
Converted from Phorums BB System

Tim is correct, the Aimergin of Bardic Lore is based on Amergin of the sons of Mil, the bard who sang the Song of Amergin in order to gain entrance to Ireland. I simply used a variant spelling.

For those interested, Morgan Llywelyn's novel, BARD < http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812585151/thecourofallk-20 >, presents a fictionalized account of the journey of the Milesians from Galicia in northern Spain, to the shore of Ireland. A great read!