Celyn

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Celyn (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkɛlɨ̞n]; KELL-in; born June 24 2003), is a Welsh bard.^[1] They are the current Ultimate Bard at Hope's Peak University, and is the 5th holder of the title.^[2][3]

Early Life and Career

Celyn was born in San Francisco, California under an unknown birth name and assigned sex. They were raised in America until 2011, where they moved to Tokyo, Japan.^[1] They spent their early childhood devoted to learning Welsh history and culture, as well as learning how to be a bard.^[1][3]

Celyn is known for keeping their personal life extremely private, but in a 2022 interview, they described a pivotal moment in their life:

Last year, when I was at my lowest, I saw a man. I was at a party of some sort. I forget what it was for. He sat next to me. We had a conversation. I forget what it was about. All I remember is him. I remember exactly what he looks like. His presence soothed me like no Earthy concept ever could. The old me died that day. I had a life before then, but it's gone. Now I'm searching for him. I'll keep looking until I find him again.^[4]

On November 2nd, 2018, Celyn released their first full-length album, The Ballads of Kings.^[1] This album was a mix between faithful covers of traditional Welsh bardic ballads and original works based off of such ballads.^[3] The album was largely unpopular worldwide, but had a cult following in Wales.^[3][5]

Controversies

Alleged Drug Use

Individuals claiming to have known Celyn in high school claimed to have witnessed them partaking in heavy drug use at parties. An anonymous user on Twitter testified:

celyn did every drug under the [...] sun. weed, crack, acid, etc. i remember seeing [them]* trippin balls at a graduation party. and like two months later news hits that [they're]* in hope's peak?? i call bullshit^[6][7]

*The original Tweet referred to Celyn using different pronouns. This has been altered in this article by the request of Celyn's representatives.

Multiple other anonymous sources have made accusations of Celyn engaging in drug use during their high school years.^[7] When asked, representatives of Hope's Peak University stated that Celyn has never been seen or punished for using any non-prescription drugs on campus.^[8] Celyn has never commented on the matter.^[7]

Criticism in Wales

Many citizens of Wales believe Celyn cannot be considered a true bard, mainly due to the fact that Celyn has never actually been to Wales.^[1][9] They've also received criticism for their modern takes on the bardic style, critics calling it a "defacing of Wales' proud traditions."^[1][10] Such criticisms were especially prevalent after the release of The Sands of Time, a series of modernized covers of classic bardic music from Europe.^[1] The album released weeks after Celyn' acceptance to Hope's Peak University became public, causing further outrage from Welsh traditionalists.^[1][11]

Acceptance to Hope's Peak University

On July 28th, 2019, a video of Celyn performing music from Shakespeare's Songbook on the streets of Tokyo went viral. It received a small segment on local news deeming Celyn "The Bard of Tokyo."^[1][12] This performance and its popularity is what gained the attention of Hope's Peak University. Celyn was accepted into Hope's Peak University that year and started their first year in Fall of 2022.^[1] Celyn is now in their 2nd year at Hope's Peak University as of October 1st.^[2]

References

1. Eira Vaughan. "Welsh Without Ever Being To Wales? Interviewing Celyn the Bard"
2. Hope's Peak University. "Hope's Peak University Student Roster"
3. Dina Brewer. "A Comprehensive List of 21st Century Bards"
4. Saburo Uchimura. "Celyn's Drive"
5. MON 102.5 FM Statistics. "Album Request Ranking 2022"
6. Anonymous on Twitter. "celyn cheated"
7. @renewoona on Twitter. "The Alleged Use of Psychedelics in Celyn's Music Process: A Thread"
8. Hope's Peak University. "Addressing the Rumors Surrounding Celyn the Bard"
9. @planetters on Twitter. "Fake Welshmen"
10. Northern Wales Chronicle. "The Corruption of Welsh Culture by the International Community"
11. DAILY POST. "Outrage Sparks as Fake Welshman Is Accepted Into Hope's Peak"
12. Tokyo Today. "The Bard of Tokyo?"