Goursez Vreizh

Goursez Vreizh is the national gorsedd of Brittany ("Breizh" in Breton). It often has delegates from the Welsh gorsedd and Gorseth Kernow in Cornwall.

History

Théodore Hersart de la Villemarqué (1815-1895) was the first Breton to be made an initiate by the Gorsedd of Wales. He took the bardic name 'Hersart Kervaker'. He created a “Fraternity of the Bards of Brittany” (Breuriez Breiz) but this did not lead to the creation of a Gorsedd.

* 1838: La Villemarqué, Auguste Brizeux and Jean-François Le Gonidec are adopted as honorary members of Cymdeithas Cymreigyddion y Fenny (Abergavenny Celtic union).
* 1843 (or possibly 1857, evidence is unclear): foundation by La Villemarqué of "Breuriez-Breiz" (Breton Brotherhood), whose activity is restricted to the scholarship of arts and linguistics.
* 1867: a small Welsh delegation goes to the international Celtic Congress.

* August 16, 1898: foundation of the Breton Regionalist Union (l’Union régionaliste bretonne or URB).

* 1899: a Breton delegation of twenty people is received at the Gorsedd of Wales in order to constitute the core of a Breton group (presentation of the sword of Arthur). The Breton guests are made ovates, but not fully initiated.

* September 1, 1900: the new constitutive assembly meets in the inn of la Veuve Le Falc’her at Guingamp. Jean Fustec (with the bardic name “Yann ab Gwilherm”; later “Lemenik”) becomes the first archdruid of the “Gorsedd of Lesser Britain”.

*November 23, 1908: Breton bardic association is officially proclaimed under the title of "Gorsedd Barzed Gourenez Breiz Izel" (Gorsedd of the Bards of the Peninsula of Brittany).

* 1936: a split causes the formation of explicitly neo-pagan Kredenn Geltiek Hollvedel. [http://www.angelfire.com/folk/boutios/histoirekg.html] The current official name is "Breudeuriezh Drouized, Barzhed hag Ovizion Breizh" (Fraternity of the druids, bards and ovates of Brittany).

Grand Druids

* Jean Le Fustec from 1900 to 1903.
* Erwen Berthou (aka Kaledvoulc'h) from 1904 to 1932.
* François Taldir-Jaffrennou from 1933 to 1955.
* Pêr Loisel-Eostig Sarzhaw from 1956 to 1980.
* Gwenc'hlan Le Scouëzec from 1981 to 2008.
* Per Vari Kerloc'h from 2008

External links

* [http://www.gorsedd.com/ Goursez Vreizh (French language)]
* [http://www.gorsethkernow.org.uk/english/news/breton02.htm Breton Gorseth 2002]