Name profile

BoyPronounced Welsh /tal.ˈjɛ.sɪn/; English /ˌtæl.i.ˈɛs.ɪn/Welsh language family

Taliesin

A name meaning "shining brow".

Quick answer

Taliesin is a boy name meaning "shining brow".

Pronunciation: Welsh /tal.ˈjɛ.sɪn/; English /ˌtæl.i.ˈɛs.ɪn/.

GenderBoy
Meaningshining brow
PronunciationWelsh /tal.ˈjɛ.sɪn/; English /ˌtæl.i.ˈɛs.ɪn/
Language familyWelsh

Meaning and history

The name means "shining brow", derived from Welsh tal "brow, head" and iesin "shining, radiant". This was the name of a semi-legendary 6th-century Welsh poet and bard, supposedly the author of the collection of poems the Book of Taliesin. He appears briefly in the Welsh legend Culhwch and Olwen and the Second Branch of the Mabinogi. He is the central character in the Tale of Taliesin, a medieval legend recorded in the 16th century, which tells how Ceridwen 's servant Gwion Bach was reborn to her as Taliesin; how he becomes the bard for Elffin; and how Taliesin defends Elffin from the machinations of the king Maelgwn Gwynedd.

Notes and context

Usage: welsh, welsh mythology