BARDS

"The truth will set you free."

Welcome to a history of BARDS.

We have carried various names throughout region, time and culture.

Bard. The word bard is used today to designate any type of poet and is frequently used as a sobriquet for SHAKESPEARE.  In Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, bardic verse was defined by strict metrical patterns and told of communal glory and heroism.  The bardic tradition survives today in the EISTEDDFOD, an annual Welsh poetry contest and festival of the arts.

"Jack of all trades and master of none" had become a calling card of Bards for awhile, as the true Bards were just this. We were the ones who acted as traveling priests, courier (by word of mouth), physician and medicine man, historian and teacher, council to Kings, poets and wordsmiths, musicians and entertainers, judges in dispute of claim, and the ones who keep immortals alive by retelling their tales.

Surf the WEB, visit the library, talk to your friends, neighbors and the Druid down the street about Bards. No two answers will be the same. That's because the Bard has adapted to modern culture, and continues to thrive in our society. Historically, the Bard may have been a teacher, entertainer, lawyer, or even warrior, but in modern times, a Bard is much more.... and less.

After all, many people have dedicated a great amount of time and effort to researching Bards – both men and women. 

Like the Bard’s predecessors, the modern Bard is a jack of all trades. A Bard still teaches, though it may be more subtly, and not necessarily in a classroom. Entertainment skills are often the focus of a Bard’s strength, and if not what one makes a living by, then certainly a trait one is known for. While a Bard may still be known for fairness and strength of character, you will not often find today's Bard mediating disputes in a court of law, but rather for clan issues. And while fighting may still be an integral part of the Bard's character, it is often a trait that is frowned upon by society.

So where do you find today's Bard, if not in a classroom or courtroom, or on the field of battle? Everywhere. Simply put, Bards are among us everywhere. They may not even think of themselves as Bards, but they are Bards nonetheless – perhaps the first TechnoBards. 

Consider, if you will, the example of the Knight who was never Knighted. As he carries himself with the honor, dignity and grace of a Peer, and as others recognize him for what he truly is, he needs no mere accolade to be what he truly is – a Knight. So it is with the TechnoBard. Without formal recognition, the TechnoBard is still that elusive-yet-tangible Bard that many hearts desire, but few can truly comprehend.

Those true Bards, ordained by Druid right  or granted by clan, do exist. Some may have seen themselves alone, but they are not. As a Bardagh myself I have blessed many a hearth with flame and wrought medicines that have healed, but I watch the world and see many others who could walk the path of Bards.

We Bards have gone through several stages from our origins as Druidic Bardagh, and have entered a new beginning as we evolve to TechnoBards.

To have a better understanding of where Bards have come from we must look back in time to see who and what the Bards were. Bards have been categorized in the following ways to make each incarnation more understandable and time specific:

Druidic Bardagh - Bards
The traveling priest, the historian, the philosopher, the advisor, the lawyer of dispute, outside of the law but governed by a higher law, the healer, the newsman, and the hero maker or breaker. They learned mythology, science, herbology, star lore, and other arts. Since so few had the diversity of skills and intellect needed, Bardagh were given a special place in society. Prized by the Clan heads, the Bardagh knew the lineage, history, heroes, and culture of the clan(s) the represented.

On the battlefield the Bardagh would gather to the side and observe the battle noting who died with valor or heroic majesty, thus creating legends and immortals that live on in  word and song. Untouched by either side, they were outside / beyond the conflict and protected by both feuding clans equally - none dare raise a sword to such skilled persons. Still they traveled from town to town and shared information with the other Bardagh and among their Druid counterparts.

As the traveling priests Bards blessed the houses of the people on what we would call Halloween - but unlike those who fear it, the Bards welcomed it. During winter, spring, and summer solstice and days in between the other duties performed by the Bardagh included:
Translator between various regions and even countries when needed
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Skalds - Nordic
Viking Poet / Warrior
These Bards knew of the Runes and their ability to cast them and read the possibilities was well shown.
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Scop
Anglo Saxon Bards
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Jester  
Medieval through Renaissance periods
No these were not Bards. A friend showed me an "Official Manual" of some sorts which defined the court jesters of periods as Bards in disguise. The Bards referenced at TechnoBard are no one's fool.  Although the Bards of yore did entertain and protect their lords as jesters were to have done, I have never found any correlation to this title and that of the true Bards.

Gypsy  
Dark Ages through Modern
Possibly, in another sense of the title the Gypsy could have been considered a Bard.   Although much more of the entertainer class of life, these Gypsy-Bards were more akin to the true Druidic Bardagh than not.

Poet Bard / Thespian
Renaissance
The Poet William Shakespeare received a nickname of "The Bard" for in his day and age the Bards were more akin to poets and songwriters, not Bardagh.
<more to be added>

Modern day Bards
The modern Bards are a unique mix
"Jack of all trades - master of none" is a phrase coined to imply the versatility of the Bard. Most of us carry many different skills, but since our vision is broad we choose not to master one set skill, but hone many skills to round out our lives. Like the Druidic Bardagh we wear many hats and fill many shoes because of our desire to be.

Other groups who may be included...

Aborigines 
Unknown through Modern
These people share a heritage which may mirror Bards in a unique way.
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Shamans - American Indians 
Unknown through Modern
Although chiefly the medicine and "magic" men of their respective tribes, these are the closest akin group to the European Bards. These wise men would assist European immigrants in learning the herb-lore of the new world.
<more to be added>

TechnoBard
Finally in this day and age the TechnoBard shall be the latest incarnation. The sum of all generations, the carriers of knowledge from our world to beyond. We will hold onto the knowledge it will take for humanity to survive both physically and emotionally.
When our knowledge is sought we will pass it on, for no greater mistake than to repeat the mistakes of history.
The TechnoBard is among us. The dreamer staring out the window, imagining themselves among the clouds. The coworker who hums songs all day long, but never the same song twice. The disillusioned musician who continues to write and play, despite themselves. The child dragging a stick across a picket fence for the sheer joy of hearing the sounds. The TechnoBard may be your friend, your neighbor, and your lover.

"All will be completed in the fullness of time."