Forward from the author: This book represents ten years of research during the time I lived in my house overlooking Harlech Castle with visits to the actual Arthurian sites, taking photographs, researching in libraries, and even holding the jaw of St. Armel (Arthur)A5 in my hand! I have always been bothered by the Arthur myth that was built on mistakes and elaborated for entertainment. Clearly, Arthur was a real person and I was determined to write this book that would show Arthur's true story. The key to finding him was when I discovered that he lived from 482-562 and that he was age 55 at his defeat at Camlann in 537 but lived to the age of 80 in Brittany as a Saint.
The researchers spend their time digging in Tintagel Castle (built in the 1230s!) and search for clues from Geoffrey of Monmouth's fabricated story. Instead, I found Arthur documented in the Llandaff Charters as the King of Gwent in Wales, studying with the famous Celtic Christian Saints of Wales. Using genealogy I found his descent from Magnus Maximus and Constantine the Blessed, both Emperors of the Western Roman Empire, which made him well-suited to fight against the encroachments of the Saxons and Gewissei. I found many other details in the Anglo-Saxon ChroniclesASC aligned with Annales CambriaeAC, Nennius' (Historia Brittonum)NEN, Lives of the British SaintsLBS, Llandaff ChartersBL, the MabinogionMAB, the TriadsTRI, and joined genealogies of Arthur from Constantine the BlessedA6 including his sister's husbands of Emyr LydawA7.
Although this work will inevitably be classified as 'historical fiction', the goal here is 'narrative nonfiction' as I have made every effort to use only verifiable data which is backed up by footnotes shown in red that are linkable in the corresponding ebook and in the online version.****
(Photos and enhanced illustrations are the author's with more information on web sites:
https://www.kingarthur.justwizard.com & https://www.celticchristianity.infinitesoulutions.com)
When Henry Tudor, having his descent from Welsh Kings, lands in Pembroke on the west coast of South Wales and marches through Central Wales to win the Battle of Bosworth to become King Henry VII of Britain, he would have passed the northern reach of the Severn River where the Battle of Camlann17.6 was fought. The River Severn then flows down the east side of Wales to the sea (which with the River Dee to the north, roughly outlines the country of Wales today) and, upon reaching the Severn Estuary in South Wales, it flows past the hillfort on the western shore that was once King Arthur's Camelot1.8 in Monmouth, next to Glamorgan (named after Morgan Hen, his descendant) with Arthur's birth-place in Pen Ychen2.2.--- Not England; not Tintagel, Cornwall; not Scotland; not France. 'Cymru yw'r Brenin Arthur'!; Wales is the true place of King Arthur!
The footnotes shown in red are essential to support the telling of this most truthful story of Arthur. Although shown in the hardcover book they are neither linked nor included to avoid the high costs of color printing in order to reduce the per-book cost. In this ebook the story and the references are shown. You will find the footnotes that relate to each chapter organized by chapter and number and after that: the fuller background references. The more universal footnotes are shown at the end with letters such as: (ASC) Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, (AC) Annales_Cambriae, (NEN) Nennius - Historia Brittonum, (GIL) Gildas-Ruin and Conquest of Britain, (GM) Geoffrey of Monmouth The History of the Kings of Britain (an imaginary mishmash to be avoided), (MAB) The_Mabinogion: (CO) Culhwch and Olwen, or The Twrch Trwyth, (DR) & The Dream of Rhonabwy & (LL) The Story of Lludd and Llevelys, (SG) Stanzas of the Grave, (TRI) Triads, (LBS) Lives of the British Saints, (BBC) - The Black Book of Carmarthen, and others.
References in published books are clumsy to use and usually remain unread. The big advantage to the references in this ebook is that they are clickable so that you can click directly to the reference and return back to your place. You will find in them the many details of my research that support the accuracy of this story of the true Arthur.
Everyone has an opinion on the true Arthur and the discussions and arguments will be here forever. To reveal the true Arthur is like saying that 'Peter Pan' is just a faun or satyr standing on his hindquarters with legs and horns of a goat, playing a flute. This would be disappointing. However, in this case, Arthur is not mythological, but a real person who was not only a King, but also a Saint, who needs to be judged on his true merits and faults. The footnoted references support this!
Dedicated to my wife (g) Wendy who shared the Arthur adventures with me and encouraged me to complete this book.
There was a cold misty rain coming in from the shore. It was almost a fog, but there was no mistaking the drops of rain that the wind was slamming into your face and slowly but steadily turning your clothes into a shapeless, dripping rag. It is like that almost every day on the Welsh coast, but today was not any ordinary day. It was the day that light would illuminate the Dark Ages of Britannia and unravel the myth of King Arthur.
A shadowy figure, seeming to be dressed as a monk, can be seen through the raindrops standing outside a rocky hillside covered by grass. Suddenly a crystal doorway appears in front of him. This hill is called Bryn Myrddin or as the English say 'Merlin's Hill', located near Carmarthen town in Wales.
His head is shaved, not in the circular fashion of the Benedictine monks, but shaved from ear to ear leaving the front bald, but curly hair in the back. He takes his wooden staff which has a spiral pattern around it and starts banging on the crystal door, while shouting, “Merlyn, wake up!” .... There is no answer.
He shouts again, “I know you are in there, Menw fab Teirgwaedd1.1, one of the three great enchanters of the Prydain TriadsTRI and the shapeshifter who assisted my victory against the Gewissei1.2 swine and Saxons at Badon.” ... Still no answer.
“I am not going to stop knocking until you answer.”
Finally, a voice comes from the other side of the crystal door, saying, “Leave me alone, I am sleeping.” His figure is barely visible on the other side.
The monk shouts, “Is that the proper manner to speak to your king?”
Merlyn grumbles, “What is that you say: king? You do not look much like a king to me! All I see out there is one of those annoying Celtic saints, bringing their Christian magic while building their churches and desecrating the sacred Druid groves. Have you come to gloat at my plight?”
The monk replies, “I am not any ordinary saint. I am known as Saint Arthmael or, to those in Brittany, as Saint Armel, but you would know me as Arthur.”
Merlyn shouts, “That is preposterous, I have never heard of Saints by that name in all of Wales. The King Arthur I knew was mortally wounded at Camlann and that was long ago. Morgana told me that he did not survive.”
The monk replies, “Since when do you believe my grandmother Morgana. She was always jealous of your skills. It was she who persuaded Nimue to trap you in this crystal cave because she felt that you were a bad influence on me. She tricked you because Arthur was not 'Arthur' anymore.”
Merlyn exclaims, “Are you denying the histories that say Arthur died in 537 at Camlaan17.2 at the age of 55?”
The monk replies, “As you can see I did survive my mortal wound, thanks to the Saints of Ynys Enlli1.3, now known as Bardsey. I left there to live out the rest of my life as a Saint in Brittany, living to age 801.4.”
Merlyn retorts, “I find this to be suspicious for I recall that the Saints have claimed that Jesus survived his crucifixion and likewise lived to be 80 years old1.5! Once I could have believed that magic could resurrect one from the dead, but I have lost all faith in magic. I cannot forgive my stupidity to be blinded by love, enticed, and tricked by my apprentice Nimue.”
Merlyn continues his regrets, “In my paralyzed state, trapped by my own magic, I was unable to perceive the evil plans of your cousin Mordred1.6 and to prevent him from seducing Queen Gwenhwyfar1.7. It was almost a relief to hear that Arthur's Court at Gelliwig1.8 was no more, for I would not have to face the truth that I had failed my King.”
The monk commiserates, “I do understand your grief, Merlyn, but no one could have predicted that Mordred and Gwenhwyfar's affair would result in the downfall of the kingdom. Mordred, pretending to give her the affection for which I was remiss in giving, was all that time plotting to be the new King beside her while enlisting the help of our enemies.”
Merlyn grunts in disgust, “Why are we talking about Arthur's kingdom? All kingdoms rise and fall and are forgotten. Since when do you monks care about earthly kingdoms. Aren't you supposed to be praying night and day for God's kingdom? How could an insignificant monk like you have any part in that Camelot myth or shed tears for poor Guinevere's unrequited love for her dearest Lancelot? If you have so much affection for star-crossed lovers, why don't you, just go, Friar Laurence, and collect some mistletoe for Romeo's Juliet to kiss and die.”
The monk smiles, “Becoming literate I see, my dear friend Merlyn. I thought your Druid ancestors mistrusted the written word. Sounds like you have been reading Shakespeare in your copious spare time.”
Merlyn, observing the dragon near his feet, “What is that dragon's head that is attached to your stole? Have you been murdering my dragons like those despicable armor-suited-princess-wooing knights?”
Arthur answers, “This dragon stole is part of my regalia1.9 that has replaced my ship, my mantle, my sword, my lance, my shield, my dagger, and, last but not least, my wife Gwenhwyfar. But I assure you that I am the true Arthur and even before the proof of Camelot was known in the poem, 'Arthur and the Eagle'1.10”
The monk recites from the poem:
'If thou wilt have unveiled discourse
Thou art the universe, by Necessity, by Destiny,
Until the other universe of no illusory luster occurs.'
Merlyn scoffs, “I am not to be fooled by your studied historical babble. The eagle in that poem is Mordred: a cousin, not a nephew. The regalia you claim to have owned sounds like a collection in a museum, not a stole but stolen. I suggest that you continue your prayers and 'Our Father's' and grow fatter with your charity. This eagle does not prove that Arthur existed.”
The monk laughs, “Sorry, I was just having fun with you because you are being so dense! Of course, it is hard for many to see the truth when their heads have been filled with academic lies, yet, you are a witness to the truth about King Arthur. After all, you were part of that famous fiction from the mind of Geoffrey of MonmouthGM that by plying your shapeshifting charm, you made it possible for Uther Pendragon1.11 to pretend to be King Gorlais to bed his wife Igraine and make me his son.”
Merlyn replies indifferently, “Yes, yes, I have heard the echoes of the serpent's breath:
Wherever that Merlin hack in the Boorman film 'Excalibur' found this Old Irish 'Charm of Making', he still mispronounced the word 'making' which does not end in 'vee' but 'ha'!”
The monk speaks excitedly, “Wait, wait, I have something amazing to tell you about this Arthur fabrication! I figured out that Geoffrey lifted this story about this non-existent Uther from the 'Life of St. Cadog'!LBS
I remembered that St. Cadog, my college friend, had told me that his father GwynllywGL, King Glywys' son, had kidnapped Gladys, the daughter of King Brychan and that St. Cadog was conceived from this violent union. Shortly after this, he did marry Gladys which would safeguard his belated sainthood as St. Woolos.”
The monk explains, “Geoffrey, misinterpreting Nennius'NEN words 'mab uther' as a genealogy, was unable to find one with Uther in it, so he used the story of St. Cadoc who is only two years younger than me and St. David's genealogy with no father shown. In an obvious anachronism, the church clerics, being always ready to disparage me, wrote that during this incident, that I, Arthur, stood on a hill with Kai9.2 and Bedwyr9.3 and allowed the chase to continue as Gwynllyw with Gladys on his horse sped by with the warriors of Brycheiniog in the chase.”
There is silence as Merlyn moves closer to the crystal wall, raising his eyebrows and contemplating the monk. Then he says, “Now this Gwynllyw explanation would seem far-fetched to most, but it does sound like Geoffrey's work. I could say that you have just made it up, but ... (he hesitates) ...
I have to admit that there is only one person on earth today who does not believe that Uther is Arthur's father and shapeshifted into Gorlais by Merlin, and that would be me, the real Merlyn, the greatest shapeshifter1.1 of all time! There are two Merlyns in history, is it possible that there are two Arthurs! No, you must be the real Arthur, but how are you still alive?”
With his brain now cleared of cobwebs and finally aware that the real Arthur is talking to him, Merlyn's blurred body behind the ice-like prison becomes animated, as he shouts, “My King, you must, with haste, ask the Lady of the Lake to give back your sword Caledfwlch2.5, and use it to break Ninue's spell to free me!”
Merlyn stops for a moment as he stares at the monk's attire, saying, “But first, you had better take off that absurd attire, as she despises all Christians.”
Merlyn continues loudly, “At last, we can drive those Angles and Saxons with their Hanoverian kings and queens back to Germany, under the true banner of the Welsh dragon with the conscience of Hywel Dda, the energy of Llywelyn the Great, and the force of Henry Tudor!”
Arthur, attempting to calm him down, “Merlyn, Merlyn, my dear friend, those days of swords and shields are long gone. Nowadays, countries use metal drones that rain destruction from the sky while holding a device that communicates to them with invisible waves, all from the safety of their underground cities. But, I have not come to incite the wars again. I have come to rouse you from your dreamtime because I need your help for a different quest. It is already two millennia since the Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ near the Dead Sea.”
“Even Carmarthen town has come tumbling down according to your prophecy, with the oak tree having been displaced by a cement roadway1.12.”
Merlyn exclaims “Great Hermes! Have I been entombed all this time? Are you telling me that even the prophesied apocalyptic end of the world failed to free me from my crystal tomb!”
Arthur, smiling, says, “The Apocalypse is now zero for three, and the fourth is now awaited. With the Christians supporting the Jewish effort to clear the Temple Mount, it might be tomorrow, but enough of religious insanity. True magic is stronger than Revelation prophecies. Even more important than the end of the world or the fables about my predicted return, is the desperate need to end this banter and let me out of this OPPRESSIVE RAIN!”
Merlyn, becoming dejected says, “Alas, by the sound of it, I fear that even the once invincible Caledfwlch is now too rusted to break this spell.”
Arthur says triumphantly, “Ah, but I have come today with something more powerful than this ancient spell of Nimue. It is a dragon's tooth that my cousin, St. Paul Aurelianus5.6 pulled from the great dragon's mouth on the Isle of Batz in Brittany. As he intoned a prayer to the Creator, a sharp tooth had caught on his embroidered priestly stole while he leashed it and forced it into the sea.”
Merlyn, incredulously, replies “I doubt that those ubiquitous Church reenactments of St. Michael fighting the dragon or St. Patrick casting away the snakes can save me. Even the fanatical Christians, who misinterpret St. John's 'Revelation', can plainly see that these dragons are merely metaphors for evil kings. In my day before my entombment, I could command any dragon to breathe down fire upon my enemies with my raised staff and a spell, more powerful than any killer metal bird!”
Arthur replies confidently, “Yes, Merlyn, I have witnessed you doing just that! But I also have been graced by the power of early Christianity; for I, as a lowly monk, was able to expel a real dragon while the townspeople of my Church of St. Armel looked on in awe. In fact, it is at this Church that my coffin can be found, of which only my jawbone remains.”
Merlyn says, “Make haste then, for perhaps the union of ancient magic and Christianity can create a stroke more powerful than Baal's1.15 thunderbolt and break the curse!”
Arthur, still in the persona of St. ArmelA5, crosses himself and says, “May the power of the dragon and the power of Jesus Christ, our Savior, the Lord of Hades having been resurrected, dissolve Ninue's magic.”
With the dragon's tooth, he draws the sign of the cross upon the crystal barrier. The crystal begins to crack outwardly from the mark of the cross. It begins to melt like ice, then turns into mist, and vanishes.
“For a few minutes, Arthur and Merlyn stare at each other in disbelief, then Arthur rushes through the doorway. As he does so, his saint’s clothes become a red tunic; and instead of his shaved tonsure, he becomes that young Arthur at age 19. He had curly brown hair, a gold helmet, and blue boots, and now being completed with a halo for his years as a Saint who aided Geraint, the nephew of my great great grand uncle Ambrosius at the Battle of Longborth7.3.”
He embraces Merlyn, looking, as Arthur remembered him, with a long white beard and a raggedy purple cloak. His head is topped with a floppy, blue-pointed hat with a brim.
“My dear, dear Wizard. I have missed you so much!”
“And who is the shapeshifter now!” Merlyn exclaims. “My dear Arthur, come inside! Perhaps my staff will now have the power to light a fire.” He points his staff at a pile of wood and it bursts into gold and blue flame. “Ah, I have magic again!” he exclaims.
Still in disbelief, they both sit next to the fire staring at each other silently as the dancing flames illuminate their faces. The raindrops dripping from Arthur's hair begin to dissipate as he slowly dries out.
Merlyn is the first to break the silence, “Still, I cannot wrap my mind around your double identity. You must tell me where your doppelganger St. Armel was born?”
Arthur replies, “In Pen Ychen in Glywysing in 482.”
Merlyn, stroking his long white beard, trying to figure it out, “Yes, that Cantref of the Ox Head, that is now known as Cowbridge, Glamorgan. Ah yes, I remember witnessing your baptism by St. Illtyd5.4, your father-in-law's nephew, at the church now known as Llanilltud Fawr2.3; but I do not remember seeing your twin. Did the Tylwyth Teg2.4, who steal newborn babies to replenish their fairy genes, whisk him off to their invisible island?”
Arthur protests, “Did you not see me now change before your eyes? I am not a twin, but the same Arthur with two vocations. It is after all, very common in my time to be a warrior and a Saint. My headmaster Illtyd had this double identity and even my grandfather Tewdrig4.1 was a king, a Saint, a warrior, and then a martyred Saint.”
Merlyn frowns,“Yes, it is a strange loophole in Christian dogma to allow one to be both a warrior and a Saint as it would seem to contradict Jesus' instruction to turn the other cheek.”
Arthur explains, “Yes, but Christ also said, 'Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth, but a sword.' That is to say that it is only the 'pure in heart' who can wield a sword like my Caledfwlch.”
“In fact, the parable of the 'Sword in the Stone'2.5 is that 'A blacksmith pours his molten steel between the two rock molds, yet it takes a strong arm', like my great uncle Caradog Strong-armed7.4, 'to pull it from the stone before it is fused forever inside.' This was the technique by which swords were made. Similarly, with the conflict of good and evil, there is a balance that must be made between the cooling of the molten iron and its fusion to the rock.”
“It is this same symbolism that inspired me to construct my shield with the Virgin Mary2.6 embossed upon it to remind me to fight mercilessly but to be merciful.”
“Your saintly words are already inspiring me! How could all the history books, that set out to prove or disprove your legend, have missed your second life as a Saint!” queries Merlyn in astonishment.
“That, dear Merlyn, is the major reason that I came to find you. It takes great insight to realize that much of what we call history is built upon lies and hearsay. There is a fine line between myth and fact and it is arbitrary belief that decides between the two.”
“I am remembered as a King whose knights in shining armor would win every battle and, yet, oblivious to my queen's infatuation with a trusted knight, would sink into old age to watch knights joust and share stories at the Roundtable of slaying dragons, rescuing princesses, and going on a never-ending Grail quest. Whether myth or fact, I find that my Spirit20.6 is now forever bound to the earth by my Fame.”
Merlyn smiles and says “Yes, I know what you are saying, for I have become a standing joke of all 'wanna-be' magicians.”
“Exactly, dear Wizard,” says Arthur, “having been trapped for one and a half millennia, I have learned that the normal progression of the Spirit after the first death, is to be bound to earth for as long as one is remembered and appreciated. Then usually, after the third generation when one has been forgotten, this Spirit body dissolves.”
Arthur continues, “In my situation, Fame creates an artificial link that binds my Spirit to earth for as long as the Fame lasts. For those few like me who have built a Soul, it cannot ascend to Heaven until the Fame that holds the Spirit is extinguished by the truth.”
Merlyn laughs and quips, “Sounds like Fame is the millstone that Jesus talks about. Yes, as you say, Spirits are around us all the time, but their influence is faint, except for the times when the Spirit world is more accessible, such as All Hallow's Eve at the days before the Druid New Year. Families used to gather at the burial cairns of their immediate ancestors to remember and greet them. However, in this modern age, there is only one day on October 31, when people dress up as pretend ghosts or zombies while letting the energy of their forgotten ancestor's coffins or urns dissipate into nothing.”
Arthur's frustration shows as he says “It is Hallow's Eve every day for me. How lucky those forgotten Spirits are! You, Merlyn, having been born of magic, are eternal; but should I not be allowed to transcend into the realm of Soul?”
Merlyn, strokes his beard in thought, “Ah, I see now why I was able to converse in my cave with Shakespeare about the human psyche and Sir Issac Newton about alchemy. I believed that they were just an illusion of my mind because they lived many years ago. I never thought that they were real Spirits, but now I see that they must be trapped by Fame as you are. In the Earth's magnetic aura, the inflated egos of these forever remembered Spirits must be hard to live with! Yet, one would think that your time on earth as a Saint should have negated your Fame as a warrior, especially since the Church thinks that Celtic sainthood is easily granted and therefore unsanctified.”
Merlyn unintentionally hit a nerve and Arthur's blood boils as he protests, “It is not fair that my fellow Saints are mocked and called merely 'Celtic Saints' with the Vatican denying our status of sainthood, except for the token St. David5.10.”
Arthur, calming down, continues, “In our time, we became Saints once we dedicated ourselves to living the teachings of the New Testament. Often us Saints were led to our solitary habitations by the sighting of a deer or some miracle. Yet, all would pray day and night for the good of all humankind.”
Arthur continues, “I found that this solitary space allowed me to reassess my role to humanity. I realized that my craving for Fame, which drove me to win so many battles, had not advanced my Soul. So I worked tirelessly as a Saint founding many churches and thus obtained a Soul. The irony of my reward is that now my Soul is chained by my Spirit which has not been allowed to dissolve because of Fame.”
“Ah,” says Merlyn, “just in that second of anger I got a glimpse of that Arthur I remember that NenniusNEN called: 'the son of war'1.11; prevailing, even when outnumbered', but there must be a way now for you to prevail against the chains of Fame. I suppose that many enlightened people look forward to this point in time when the Soul is separated from the Spirit to begin its absorption with God. As for me, the thought of this absorption seems almost as boring as my sentence in this cave. I prefer to be forever a Spirit, free to roam about the hidden realm of elves and fairies and magic.”
Merlyn continues, “Besides, even if I wanted a Soul, it is doubtful that St. Peter would let me through the gates of Heaven because magic is considered to be the work of the devil. Now, it is I who should be angry with the double standard of magic and science. Why is it that science which is capable of turning matter into dust or genetically altering human beings is considered good, whereas magic which merely seeks to temporarily bend some physical rules is considered evil?”
“I doubt that you would be excluded for magic”, says Arthur, remembering his saintly history studies. “This is just a Vatican orthodox requirement. For I have read in the 'Acts of Peter' that Peter practiced magic, having brought a fish back to life or made dogs talk in trying to outdo the magician Simon Magus2.7.”
They both pause in thought for a while; then Merlyn's face brightens as he exclaims, “I believe I have a way for you to find the answer to extinguishing your Fame. I know of some heroes who have entered oblivion long ago and are now turned to stone. They will surely know the answer.”
Arthur, encouraged, says, “I would love to talk with them. Where are they?”
Merlyn replies, “They exist on the west coast of Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and are called the Callanish Stones. You will realize that each stone is a unique entity, seemingly living forever in peaceful oblivion. I know that they would love to meet you. Shall we go there tonight?”
Arthur says, “Sounds like a splendid soul-ution!”
“So it shall be,” says Merlyn, as he gets up and beckons Arthur to follow him. “Let us ask the full moon to take us there.”
The sky has cleared and sunset has left in a rosy haze behind the hill. From an apple tree, Merlyn trims off some mistletoe with his silver sickle, saying, “It is fortuitous that this is the day of the full moon for only then does it have the proper potency.”
They climb to the top of the hill to wait for the rising of the full moon. They watch it rise, as if in an instant, above a nearby hill.
Once it rises, Merlyn raises his wand to the moon, intoning these words in a solemn voice, “Moon Goddess Caput Draconis, the dragon’s head of the north node, please accept our gift of mistletoe and take us to the stone circle that is dedicated to you in the north.”
The goddess indicates her acceptance by glowing brightly.
As they travel through space and time, the images of many famous people trapped by Fame such as Bedwyr, Kai, Gwaine, Lancelot, Guinevere, Tristam and Iseult, and St.Armel fighting the dragon are projected upon the ever-changing spiral wall, like the cave with Plato's famous shadowy figures of false reality.
At sunrise, Arthur and Merlyn wake up at the Callanish Stones3.1 to see the moon set below the boggy purple and green pastures.
They hear behind them, a deep voice saying “Who goes there?”
They turn to see a huge center stone in the pathway that leads to a circular ring of stones. The stone is an unmistakable image of a tall man in a robe, wearing a huge battle helmet with a plume.
“It is I, Merlyn. May I enter with my traveling companion?”
“Of course, you can, Timeless Wizard. How is it that you have not visited in a such long, long time?”
Merlyn answers, “That is a story that I am ashamed of, being trapped in a crystal cave by my own magic used against me.”
“And who is it that travels with you?”
Merlyn announces, “It is King Arthur, who is also St. Armel and it is he who rescued me.”
The GateKeeper turns and shouts to the stone villagers. “Come and welcome Merlyn and King Arthur!”
The Shaman rushes forward saying, “Oh Merlyn, I have missed you so much. Just give me a minute to put on my regalia.”
All of the other stones of the village come to life and circle them tightly all wishing to get a look at the great King Arthur. They were lawyers, judges, shopkeepers, farmers, students, bards, and wizards. They, too, had stories to tell of their lives before they vanished from time, but for now, they wished to know the great King Arthur.
“How did you defeat Mordred and why did he steal your kingdom?” asked the larger Stone People.
“Did you ever find the Holy Grail?” asked the next of group of Stone People who were mostly heads.
“Is it true that you did return to fight again?” asked the next group of Stone People who were the gossips.
“Tell us, what was it like to be crowned as the King of Britain at the age of twenty-six?” asked the little stone boy and girl.
“Give Arthur room!”, shouts the GateKeeper. “You need to realize that your stone shapes take up a lot of space and make a lot of noise when banged into each other. Let us all plan on gathering around in the center circle at moonrise. Arthur tells me he was both a king and a saint and he promises to tell us all his exploits. There is plenty of time for that, but first, let our Shaman talk to Arthur and Merlyn. It has been a long time since Merlyn last visited and they have come a long way through the ether. They wish to ask our Shaman's advice on a pressing matter.”
Reluctantly, the Stone People disperse and go back to their assigned spaces and fall asleep. The Shaman gestures to Merlyn and Arthur to come and sit down in the center of the circle. The constantly changing clouds in the sometimes clear blue sky seem to be listening in on their talk also.
Arthur begins, “It is frustrating to me that people have exaggerated my kingship beyond belief by imagining my warriors in anachronistic shining armor fighting battles that were as simple as jousting tournaments. Having no idea of the horror of the war against the brutal Saxons, Picts, and Danes, they have no perception of the blood, sweat, and tears that were required to strengthen my meager kingdom and to keep it intact. Yes, there was a long interval of peace but this also brought internal problems. I was perhaps a better military leader than a ruler. And you all know of Mordred and my downfall at Camlann.”
Arthur continues, “After my near-death experience, I confessed my sins as a warrior and worked on building a Soul within me as a Saint. Then upon my death, I expected that my Soul would rise up to heaven. It was then that I discovered that my Spirit has been bound with invisible threads to the Earth. After examining the reason, I discovered that it was the tall tales about me that were responsible. This elaborate web of lies began to grow and grow with every century that passed, making it harder and harder for my Soul to break free to ascend to the Creator.”
The Shaman nods his head, “Yes, Fame is a double-edged sword which can trap the exalted and the exalter. Who would not be swayed by the fantasy world of King Arthur and the Holy Grail? It allows one to escape the dark realities of existence and thus escape the suffering that is essential for the building of a Spirit and Soul. It is easy to pretend that knights are chivalrous and kind rather than lustful killers like the Vikings or kings and queens that claim to protect all faiths but kill other Christians in the name of Catholicism like Bloody Mary3.2 ... and so it goes. Buddha warns us of this tendency, saying, 'The root of suffering is attachment'. How true that is for you, Arthur!”
Merlyn says, “Yes, Shaman, your words tell me that I was right to bring Arthur to you.”
Arthur remorsefully, “I often wonder if Henry Tudor's son Arthur3.3, Prince of Wales, had not died at the age of fifteen, shattering the House of Tudor into pieces, that I might have been released from the burden of being the only King Arthur.”
The Shaman thinks awhile and then replies, “I believe that your solution would be to tell the story of your life to the townsfolk from beginning to end. Your shattered Spirit like the mirror in Kai's Snow Queen or Arthur's Kai with the riddle of Palug's cat12.4 by reassembly can remove the invisible strings that bind you to Earth. After all, Jesus taught us: 'You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free'.”
The Shaman continues, “Since our stone people have crystal structures like the crystal stone in the stone ring of Boscawen-Un, which is on the St. Michael ley line, they can broadcast your story to the world and throughout time and like us, your Spirit will be freed forever.”
Having thought about this solution, Arthur jumped to his feet almost floating upward, feeling free from the Earth's gravity, says “I am already feeling lighter. Thank you, Shaman. The true Arthur, the warrior and Saint, can replace the fantasies and even the scholarly history. The tenured scholars, who act as peers and lords using their 'peer review' cannot block the truth about me! Truth must triumph over tenure! For, although it may be easy to lose one's way amongst the many versions of me as there are dimensions of space and time, there is only one real dimension and one truth that I have lived and that will set me free.”
Merlyn stands, cheering, and he and the Shaman shout, “Lead us forward great King and Saint!”
Arthur strides off elated and gazes out at the multicolored peat bog as he collects his thoughts for his talk at midnight.
The Shaman turns to Merlyn, saying, “Now that we are alone, Merlyn, tell me what happened to you?”
Merlyn answers, “I am too ashamed to talk about it. It is the same old mistake that everyone makes sooner or later, even a wizard. I mistook the image of myself in the mirror to be someone else and the love that I felt was not love, but my ego. Such love is doomed to failure, especially when one's trust is betrayed. Thank Great Hermes, that Arthur woke me now from my slumber and freed me from my imprisonment in the crystal cave. I see now it was my depression that trapped me. The boon that I now owe Arthur will be fulfilled, thanks to you great Shaman, and he will gain his freedom.”
“You are very welcome,”, says the Shaman, “and what do you intend to do after this with your freedom in a world that now lives beyond the influence of magic?”
Merlyn muses out loud, “Once Arthur's Soul is freed, I hope to be an advisor to a new leader like Arthur. It is said that the new Camelot died in 1963, but I believe that the future Mordreds and Gewissei can still be defeated with an ancient elixir called conscience and that there will come a day when magic will prevail again over science.”
The Shaman answers, “Now that would be a romance, but all the power to you for trying! I fear that the world is heading for destruction so you must visit us again before that day!”
Merlyn nods, “Of course I will visit and I may need your advice.”
The Shaman smiles, then says, “I will instruct the townsfolk to gather some dried peat from the bogs for tonight's fire and I need to take a nap. Even for a stone person to be animated with such weighty matters has been tiring.”
The Shaman hangs up his cape and hat on a fence post and sinks back into stony sleep. Merlyn and Arthur walk out of the stone circle and, seeing a fountain at a nearby cottage, knock at the door to ask for lodging to rest for a while. They are welcomed in by a lady with the kindness typical of the people of Stornoway.
She says, “Have you been enjoying the stone ring? I see you have dressed up to celebrate the moon goddess.”
“Yes, we have.” Arthur and Merlyn reply in unison, “and thank you for not locking it up with barbed wire.”
The lady of the cottage whispers, “The stones like to have the freedom to walk about, you know.”
Merlyn and Arthur look at each other and smile.
In the early evening all the Stone People come to life. Arthur and Merlyn are seated in front of the highest central stone. Those in a semicircle stayed where they were. Those outside filled in the gaps and the smaller Stone People sat in front. Since the sides of the central stone are aligned perfectly south and north, the full moon, in the clear night sky, lights them as it moves east to west.
Merlyn rises to introduce Arthur “Welcome 'forgotten ones who are free'. I give you now Arthur, not the King Arthur that you have heard about, but a man named Arthur who began as a Saint, and then became a King and then, after his near-death at Camlann, became, once more, a Saint in Brittany, where he ended up taming the true dragon within.” .... The Stone people clap.
Arthur rises and says, “Thank you, Merlyn, for your encouragement.”
The Shaman drapes his cape on the altar rock and gestures for Arthur to sit down and Arthur begins to tell them of his life...
“Our southeastern border and the Severn Estuary were always being attacked and it was as if the whole of Cambria depended on our kingdoms of Ergyng and Gwent to defend them.
Arthur paused for a moment in silence and then says, “It was my grandfather who inspired me to choose the path of the Saint, but my father, King Meurig, and my mother, Onbrawst,A6, his queen, fully expected me to be the crown prince and a warrior like my grandfather. It was for this reason that they made sure that I would be trained at St. Illtyd's5.4 College to be both a warrior and a Saint.”
“Yet, at this time, I was a boy, just turning into a young man, and certainly not prepared to be a king or 'Comes Britanniarum'4.2, the Roman title for 'Count of all Britain'. I was happy to just be free from obligations and to enjoy the friendship of my college-mates as we trained to become Saints. I would later rely on these friendships and their family connections when I became King of Britain.”
“Later, I will tell you how I spent most of a year chasing the Saxons and the Gewissei1.2 across South Wales to the Severn to defeat them at Badon, as chronicled in the tales of 'Culhwch and Olwen'CO and 'The Dream of Rhonabwy'DR. These can be found in a collection of tales, called the MabinogionMAB, originally passed down verbally, which would be the inspiration for the later Arthurian literary cycle.”
“First, I must go back in time to give you a brief history of how my ancestors were instrumental in Britain's survival after the decline of Rome. This background is necessary in order to unravel all of the myths about the legendary Arthur. In this telling, I hope to reveal not only the truth about me, but also my humanness. By this, I am hoping to dissolve the Fame which has chained my Spirit to the Earth for sixty generationsA5. Your Shaman believes this will free my Soul at last.”
“Here's to Arthur's freedom!” the Stone People shout.
“I will begin in telling you about my illustrious grandfather, Tewdrig4.1, who in his old age surrendered the rule over Gwent to my father Meurig, retiring to live an eremitical life at Tintern on the River Wye, where the abbey stands today, and there, finding a rock suitable for him to make a cell in it.
Whilst there, the Saxons and Gewissei burst in on Gwent, and the old king was ready to take up arms again to repel them; for it was said of him that he had been ever victorious in all battles. An angel had appeared to him and said, 'Go tomorrow to the aid of your people against the enemies of the Church of Christ. Do thou fully armed stand in the front of the battle, and, when the foe sees thy face, they will fly as usual.' So Tewdrig girded in battle attire, mounted his horse, and stood at the head of his men to defend the ford over the Wye.
The Saxons were put to flight, but one of them hurled a lance across the water and wounded the old King. When it was perceived that the wound was mortal, his men were for removing him, but he forbade them to do so and said that he would die there. He asked that his body would rest in Ynys Echni in the Severn Sea so that his spirit could forever protect the domains of his progeny.”
“On the morrow, there appeared two stags, as the messengers of heaven, already harnessed to a wagon. Tewdrig, recognizing that they were sent by the will of God, allowed himself to be lifted into the conveyance. The wagon carried him to the bank of the Severn and there stayed, and on the spot, a sparkling spring began to flow. Then suddenly the wagon dissolved, and Tewdrig gave up the ghost.”
“Thus the Spirit of my grandfather protected the Severn from our enemies for many years, for as long as he was remembered.” Arthur turns and calls out to the GateKeeper stone who had come forward from the edge of the circle, “Just like you, mighty Gatekeeper!”
“Next, I will talk about my great, great, grand uncle Ambrosius Aurelianus4.3. (I will leave off the greats and just call him my grand uncle from now on.) My grand uncle's Welsh name is Emrys Wledig (Wledig meaning 'venerated chieftain').”
“Your stone circle reminds me of a similar circle, Cor Emrys (Choir of Emrys)4.4, which my grand uncle Ambrosius constructed to venerate Caradog4.5, (the Roman Caractacus), who led the Silures tribe in fending off the Roman forces for many years from their attempt to conquer Wales, until he was betrayed17.5.”
“In the TriadsTRI, Cor Emrys is one of three places where it is boasted that a choir of '240 religious men; and of these 10 in turn continued each hour of the twenty-four hours of the day and night in prayer and service to God, ceaselessly and without rest forever.' Another choir is centered at Island of Afallach (Ynys Enlli)1.3 where I stayed after Camlaan.”
“It was a critical time and most had abandoned hope of rescuing Cambria from the advancing federate soldiers of Saxons, Jutes, and Angles. They had once been our protectors after we were abandoned by Rome, but now they were our enemies. They were advancing on us, but Ambrosius bravely stopped them for many years before passing the leadership to me. When Ambrosius died, it was fitting that he would be buried on the hill near Caradog.”
“Today the Don Quixote windmills located on this wind swept-hill of Mynndd-y-Gaer in Glamorgan, once remembered as Caer Caradog, whirl unknowingly above a tumulus grave and an unmarked one, testifying to the futility of their Fame. The adjacent church of St. Peter remains in ruins, with most of its stones being used as fences for sheep.”
“Merlyn, remember Geoffrey of Monmouth'sGM story of how you built the Giant's Circle of Stonehenge for Ambrosius as a commemoration of the so-called Treachery of the Long Knives4.6 and magically flew the stones from Ireland to Stonehenge that he mistook for Cor Emrys. That megalithic structure is older than you are and, anyway, its blue stones were dragged by glaciers from the Preseli Hills in Wales neither by men nor magic.”
Merlyn laughs saying, “Yes, Geoffrey's fertile imagination has added many false stories to the Arthurian Legend, but on the plus side he has enhanced the fame of my magic skills!” Turning to the Stone People, he says, “If any of you want to visit your cousins in Easter Island, my magic staff is always ready.”
The Stone People join him in laughter, as the eyes of the smaller ones grew wide, imagining that journey through the sky.
Magnus Maximus (Mascen Wledig)4.7
Arthur continues, “To return to my story, I must tell you my lineageA6 which began from the famous Magnus Maximus, (Welsh name Macen Wledig) and his second wife Elen. He became protector of Britain and also the Western Emperor of Rome from the years 384-388, killing the Western Emperor Gratian and almost marching toward Rome; stopping at the Alps. Sadly, he was defeated by Theodosius I, the Eastern Roman Emperor, at the Battle of the Save.
My paternal line is from Magnus Maximus and his first wife CeindrechA6a. Their son was Antonius and further down the line was my grandfather Tewdrig and my father Meurig.”
Merlyn interjects, “Geoffrey, of course, used Magnus Maximus' military expedition to Rome, as part of his myth, claiming that Arthur marched on Rome, conveniently confusing the characters.”
Then Merlyn interjects, “Arthur, since you are discussing your heredity from Maximus, could I tell the story contained in the MabinogionMAB of how the patriarch of your family Magnus Maximus, met his second wife Elen?4.7a”
Arthur smiles, “Of course, you can. I have heard it many times in my childhood and it always inspired me to embrace my destiny to be worthy of such an illustrious ancestry.”
Merlyn begins, “The story is called 'The Dream of Macsen Wledig'DMW. Maximus was the commander of the Roman fort Segontium, the remains of which exist today in Caernarfon. In the story, he is already Emperor of Rome and dreams of a great city with a vast castle (later to be Caernarfon Castle) and there he saw a maiden sitting before him in a chair of gold. By reason of her beauty, she was not easy to gaze upon like the sun. She wore a vest of white silk with clasps of red gold at the breast and a frontlet of red gold with rubies and pearls upon her head. She was the fairest sight that a man could ever behold. Having sent messengers to seek her out, he travels there to a castle, and in the hall, he sees Elen seated on a chair of gold next to her father Eudaf (Octavius) in a chair of ivory just as in his dream. He asks for her hand in marriage. Her beauty was passed on to you.”
“Thank you, Merlyn. The MabinogionMAB has many stories that the bards have remembered about those memorable and amazing times. Although enhanced and romanticized, many can be relied upon to verify the truth of my story as you will see.”
Constantine III (the Blessed)4.7b
“Constantine the Blessed (known as Constantine III) was the son of Magnus Maximus and his second wife Elen4.7. He also was protector of Britain and Western Emperor of Rome in the years 407-409 following the same pattern, but with less success and was also executed in Gaul with his son Constans, who was once a monk.
Ambrosius was Constantine the Blessed's son and it was his sister who married Pepiau, King of Ergyng, who was of my maternal line. Two grandchildren were St. Dubricius and Gwrgant the Great. The latter was married to the famous Morgana (Modron); their daughter being Onbraust, my motherA3a.
Although, some think that Constantine III was not the same as Constantine the BlessedA3b, the Llandaff ChartersBL confirm this by indicating that he was a formidable warrior ('throwing a spear').”
Arthur continues, “In AD 410, Emperor Honorius, being tired of having to defeat these usurpers from Britain, disowned Britain and wrote, 'To the communities of Britain, I bid you to defend yourselves as we can no longer do so.' Actually, Rome itself was in no position to even protect itself as the Visigoths under Alaric sacked Rome in that same year.”
“With Constantine the Blessed4.7b and his son Constans having been executed and his next son Ambrosius just a boy, Vortigern4.8 took over Constantine's title of 'Comes Britanniarum'4.2 by marrying the daughter of Magnus Maximus to act as the guardian of Ambrosius. Geoffrey made up the story that Vortigern murdered Constans to take the throne, but this was just a way to smear his name.”
Arthur continues, “Vortigern appears in the Anglo-Saxon ChroniclesASC and in NenniusNEN. Apparently, he was the one who invited the Saxons under Hengist and Horsa to protect the shores from the Pictish, the Scottish, and the Irish raiders, together with monetary payments. This same strategy was already used by the Romans, but this policy eventually led to Rome's downfall and so it was with Britain. Vortigern seemed to be ineffective against them as they demanded more payments. Some call him a traitor, but perhaps he was just a poor military general.”
Merlyn adds, “St. Gildas4.9 called them 'wolves in the sheepfold'!”
Arthur continues his story, “It did not take long for the Saxons to expand their territory by taking large sections of land on the east and south coast and demanding more payments. Now, having to defend Britain from the defenders turned into enemies, Vortigern had to rely on all of the petty chieftains to mobilize their own local armies. Clearly, these chieftains had more incentive if their own kingdoms were invaded. However, if a leader proved himself to be victorious, many would join him. Such a person was Vortigern's son Vortimer4.10 who is mentioned in Historia Brittonum by NenniusNEN.”
“In 457, the Saxons, complaining that their agreed pay for the protection of Britain was not forthcoming, revolted using their base on the Isle of Thanet. Vortimer defeated them in four different battles, but the last battle in 465, although resulting in a draw, claimed the lives of twelve British leaders including Vortimer.”
Merlyn adds, “It was from this terrible loss that the fable of the Saxons drawing their 'long knives' and slaughtering the chieftains began to be told4.6. Whether it was true or not it was time to panic so Vortigern used the next best strategy: 'if you can't beat them, marry them'. He hoped that by marrying the daughter, Rowena of the Saxon leader Hengist, he would be able to secure a truce for a while.”
Arthur continues, “However, the Saxons were secretly importing more leaders from abroad; in 473 the violence begins again.”
“Having lost faith in Vortigern and believing that he had betrayed them, the chieftains were demanding that a new leader be elected. The obvious choice was Ambrosius Aurelianus4.3, being the grandson of Magnus Maximus. But Vortigern was not going to give up his rulership easily.”
“With Ambrosius still a boy, Vortigern, being fearful that he might be overthrown, had Ambrosius dragged from his home in South Wales to Dinas Emrys near Snowdon mountain in Wales. Using the excuse of a prophecy, he pretended that he needed to sacrifice him as a blood offering to the gods. The supposed crumbling of his fort there was a metaphor for his crumbling alliance. Fortunately, it was Merlyn who intervened ... Merlyn, why don't you tell them the story of the red dragon and the white dragon fighting.”
Merlyn, reveling in his triumph of saving Arthur's grand uncle Ambrosius Aurelianus, starts to tell his story, “This event took place at Vortigern's hillfort, later called Dinas Emrys. The secret hidden in this hill is hinted at in the MabinogionMAB Tale of 'Lludd and Llefelys'LL. It is the Druidic measurement for the solstice line or Dragon line to the center of Britain at Oxford.”
“Rather than revealing this secret, I told him that a red and a white dragon4.11
were buried there.”
“The red dragon was the measurement for the British line and the white was that of the Gauls to be superseded because of the change in longitude, but Vortigern vainly believed that it meant that he would defeat the Saxons, thus sparing Ambrosius' life. Rather than sacrificing him, Vortigern exiled him to Brittany.”
“Merlyn,” says Arthur, “remember how Geoffrey of MonmouthGM in this same event joined the boy's name Ambrosius with yours, making you famous by having him answer that he was 'Merlyn Ambrosius'MA even though NenniusNEN correctly calls him 'Emrys Wledig'!”
“And lo!” says Merlyn, waving his staff in the air, intones, “with the stroke of his pen, master Geoffrey creates me out of thin air.”
Arthur laughing, “Yes, It is lucky that he did or I would never have met you. I have read about your double, that madman Merlyn Wyllt11.4 in Geoffrey's poem the 'Life of Merlin', but he is nothing compared to your psychotic nightmarish three-bodied beast: Merlyn-Ambrosius-St.David!”
Merlyn laughing, “I may have a split personality, but it is not as grotesque as yours as the 'mab uther, id est filius horribilius', the 'three-bodied beast of Uther-St.Cadog-Arcturus' that Geoffrey made you into!”
Merlyn and Arthur continue laughing uncontrollably. The Stone People look at each trying to figure out the joke.
As they both calm down, Arthur says, “Clearly, we should explain the two metaphoric three-bodied beings that Geoffrey of MonmouthGM turned us into because it shows the absurdity of the standard myth of Uther1.11 for my father and Merlyn-Ambrosius4.11 for Merlyn.”
“For the three-bodied being of Arthur, I shall begin with Geoffrey's misinterpretation of 'mab uther'. He used the all important writings of NenniusNEN where he described Arthur as: 'mab uther, id est filius horribilius' which meant 'powerful-marvelous son'. Geoffrey took it to mean 'son of Uther' because 'mab' is used in Welsh genealogies to denote 'son of'. The problem that Geoffrey had was that he could not find any genealogy that contained 'Uther', thus he surmised that an illegitimate birth must be the answer.”
“Looking in his copy of the 'Lives of the Saints', he found the story of the father of my college-mate St. CadogLCB and used it to create the completely false Uther narrative. He substituted Uther for King GwynllywGL and St. Cadog for me! This absurdity was compounded by the fact that in the story I was watching the abduction from a hill above with Kai and Bedwyr..”
. “With 'mab uther' as the head then by means of the story of GwynllywGL, the son of Glywys, kidnapping the daughter of Brychan against her will, he had the illegitimate birth of St. Cadog as the body. It was the perfect solution to have Merlyn shape-shift 'Uther' into Gorlois to bed Igraine. One can almost hear the hoof beats as he rides through the gate.”
“It does not seem to bother anyone that Uther, Gorlais, and Igraine are nowhere found in a genealogy. Arthur, however, is clearly mentioned in the Llandaff ChartersBL as 'King Athruis', the legitimate eldest son of Meurig and Onbrawst1.11a, having descended from Constantine the Blessed and Magnus Maximus.”
“To round out this three-bodied being of Arthur: my name Arthur is derived from the bright star Arcturus known as the 'Guardian of the Bear' which is located in the constellation of Bootes, the ox-driver, matching my birth place of 'Ox Head'2.2. This star forms an arc with the handle of the Big Dipper, the Great Bear, 'Ursura Major', which gives Geoffrey's 'Uther' sounding word. Arcturus is the fourth star in the 'Great Diamond'4.12 made with three other stars: Cor Caroli, the binary star, my dual nature of King and Saint, from the constellation Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs (such as my dog CabalW10 from the tale of Culhwch and OlwenCO), the star Denebola, denoting misfortune at the tail of Leo the lion, whose brightest star Regulus is the star of Kings, and Spica in Virgo, the virgin, (thus the image on my shield of the Virgin Mary2.6).”
“All right, it is your turn, Merlyn.”
Merlyn says, “I have previously told you about the red and white dragons on Dinas Emrys hill. Here there were clearly two persons besides Vortigern: Merlyn (myself) and the young boy Ambrosius (Emrys). Why Geoffrey now named me 'Merlyn Ambrosius' is beyond all logic making the head and the body!”
“He would have known about the real character Merlyn Wyllt11.4 which was actually my shapeshifting identity, but he was of a later time. He even wrote a poem about him. However, Geoffrey needed a magician in Wales so he merged him with Ambrosius' name. Later, he liked me so much that he wrote a whole book called the 'Prophecies of Merlin' which are recipes for complete madness.”
“The 'St. David spirit of our three-bodied Merlyn beast comes from another Saint who was again Arthur's college-mate St. DavidLBS.”
“Geoffrey's story goes like this: Vortigern4.8, knowing full well that the boy was his grandson-in-law Emrys, having married Severa, the daughter of Magnus Maximus, told his men to search for a prophesied boy without a father who would usurp him. Prophecies are always useful to justify sacrificing someone and in this case the crumbling of his fort and kingship. Supposedly, they found such a boy near Carmarthen (the Merlyn connection) with St. David's Pembroke nearby.
The use of St. DavidLBS fitted perfectly to Emrys' lack of a father because there was a gap in his genealogical listing where his father should have been. Normally a Welsh genealogy reads 'name ap name' ('ap' meaning 'son of') and for St. David5.10 his genealogy read 'Dewi Sant' meaning 'Saint', followed by a blank space because he was illegitimate.”
“Later, some bumbling monk copyist decided that 'Sant' was his father so he added the 'ap' preposition and made it Dewi ap Sant! This 'Sant' person was then inflated to be the grandson of Cerdig, who was the grandson of the illustrious Cunneda, who had expelled the Irish Giodels from Wales. Such a substitution was common for illegitimacy.”
Arthur adds, “So you may wonder why we have spent so much time on these two three-bodied-creatures, aside from the humor, because they are the major substance of Geoffrey's fabrications of Arthur and Merlyn that have morphed into the whole Camelot fable which is now forever fixed in everyone's mind. It is a lovely fairytale, but entirely false.”
The Shaman tilting his mouth into an ironic smile, interjects, “I have been imagining these three-bodied creatures in my mind as three stones on top of each other and I must congratulate the imagination of that cleric Geoffrey for his absurd representation of both of you!”
The townspeople imagine it too and their laughter echoes across the stones in the moonlight as Arthur and Merlyn smile at them.
“Actually,” Arthur interjects, “there is a deeper meaning in portraying humans as three-bodied beings which are often called mind, body, and spirit. In fact, there was a 20th-century magician Gurdjieff who described all humans as three-brained beings20.6 capable of creating two other bodies in addition to a physical Body, namely a Spirit and a Soul.”
Merlyn adds, “For example in our analogies, the astrological influence of the Great Bear on Arthur's inner essence would be the foundation of his Spirit. Thus, with his physical Body grounded in the morality of St. Cadog as St. ArmelA5 in his fight against the evil Conomor13.5, he would defeat the 'dragon' within and complete his Soul.”
The Shaman nods his head in thought, “Interesting, perhaps, we also could fashion capstones on our selves to be our Spirits and Souls.”
And the Shaman adds, “And we must also remember the yew tree.”
“Dear Stone People,” says Arthur, “Thus ends the debunking of Geoffrey's imaginary fable and the telling of the history before my time. Next, I will tell the story of my school friends who all became Celtic Saints. The impact of these Saints was to fill the vacuum that was left by the Druids and to inspire the rules of chivalry.”
“Those historians who attempt to tell the truth of Camelot, even when they recognize the obvious anachronism of armored knights, have been woefully remiss when they ignore the Celtic Saints. These Saints were as much a part of the Celtic warrior spirit as the Druids were to the early tribes of the Silures and the Ordovices. In those early days of the Roman conquest, whenever a Celtic tribe met with defeat, its next generation would continue to fight back because stubbornness and strength were engrained in their nature.”
“The horrible massacre of their Druid priests on the Ynys Môn5.1 changed all that because it made them doubt the power of their native gods. The Celtic Saints found that they could easily fill that vacuum and, by building their churches upon these ancient power spots, they would become the heart and soul of these brave warriors. In the fifth and sixth centuries, with the Romans gone, the people had to reach back to their ancient fighting spirit in order to defend their lands from their new enemies: the Saxons in the south, the Danes in the east, the Scots in the north, and Irish pirates on the west.”
“The Christianity that the Romans had brought to Britain was based on subjugation, however, when the Celtic Saints taught the purer form of Jesus' teachings based on 'agapē love', it resonated in their hearts. In the insecurity of those times, it gave the people hope that God would protect the faithful even after their physical death with life eternal.”
“The College of St. Illtyd2.3 exemplified this new Celtic Spirit. Its fame would spread throughout Europe with almost all the important Celtic Saints of Britain and Brittany having attended this college at one time or other. It was a great honor for me at the age of twelve to be enrolled there and, in fact, during my attendance, it was at its height. Seven of the students became my best friends5.2. All were famous in my time.”
“Our headmaster St. Illtyd, the founder of our college, was called Illtyd Farchog meaning 'Illtyd the Knight'. He is mentioned in a TriadTRI as one of 'The Three Continual Knights of Arthur's court who guarded the Grail'4a. The other two mentioned in this Triad were St. Cadog, my college-mate, and St. Brioc, an important saint in Brittany. Although St. Brioc was not at our college, he studied under St. Garmon of Isle of Man7.1, Illtyd's great uncle. Thus, when we graduated and my other school friends went on to be practicing Saints, I followed Illtyd's early path as a warrior to become 'Comes Britanniarum'4.2. The others, although primarily Saints, were always ready to go to battle with us, whether it was in battle gear or with bibles or in prayer.”
“Due to Illtyd's great learning and leadership skills, the revived college, which had been twice razed to the ground by pirates, was again a premier college for physical and mental training. There were sessions in philosophy, science, geometry, rhetoric, grammar, maths, bible study, and defensive weaponry. It was the perfect training ground for us Saints.”
“As it turned out, all of us were of royal blood and most were related by kinship. We were not, as many wrongly believe, outcasts of society; but were part of what might be called the elite intelligentsia. We did not flaunt our superiority but rather practiced humility in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
“This was certainly not the Dark Ages, as historians like to call it, but the dawning of the Age of the Celtic Saints, and thus their stories are valuable.”
“The darkness alluded to was the absence of historical texts, but we had bards that told our stories and detailed genealogical texts that testified to our heritage. We were not the dreary saints who populate the Catholic calendar, having been elected by bureaucracies, but we were dedicated souls willing to endure all sorts of earthly discomfort and pain for the glory of God.”
“The Roman Catholic Church could only envy our accomplishments because their conversions of the masses consisted of merely converting kings like Constantine the Great of Rome and Clovis of the Merovingian Frankish dynasty. These kings would then force their subjects to convert under penalty of death. The Eastern and Western Churches had merely become political structures, squabbling about minor differences in doctrine. It was not until many centuries later that all their well-known saints such as St. Dominic, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony, and St. Thomas Aquinas would thrive.”
“Our Saints were St. Patrick. St. Brigid, St. David, and St. Columba. The Catholic Church now pretends to take credit for them, but during their lives strove to have them excommunicated for such petty things as the day of Easter. All of my school friends, of which St. David is the best known today, were just as important in our time and venerated by thousands and tens of thousands.”
“As Saints, we were dressed in a tunic with a cowl. The tunic was white and the cowl was the natural color of wool. In cold and inclement weather, we wore a mantle or chasuble, often made of goat or fawn skins which were quite rain-proof and genteel. We shaved all the front of the head from ear to ear using the method of tonsure of the Celts, as opposed to the Roman Church style of a bald spot in the center. Our hair style was chosen to resemble that of the Druids, as is clear from the derisive description of the Celts as 'adze-heads'. This was due to their long faces and curved bald crowns that bore a similar resemblance to that hatchet-like tool of the Stone Age. After the Roman Church finally forced upon us their new day of Easter, they changed our images and statues to those silly bald hair rings.”
“In addition to our training to be Saints, we were also trained in military defense, because, in those tumultuous times, we believed that a shepherd must be prepared to protect his flock. In the early days of Christianity, during the reign of Nero, many of the followers of Christ were martyred because Christ preached that one should not be afraid to face death because of the Resurrection. In fact, when the resurrected Christ met Peter as he was escaping from Rome, Peter asked the Lord 'Domine Quo Vadis?'5.3. Christ replied that he was going to Rome to be crucified a second time. Peter turned around towards Rome.”
“My school being located in Glywysing, which would later be named Glamorgan, was nearby to my parent's kingdom of Gwent and thus my father King Meurig and my mother OnbrawstA3a would often visit me to check on my progress. They were excited to see me blossoming into a warrior-king and a Saint like my grandfather, St. Tewdrig.”
“One of my college-mates was St. Cadog, in the upper grade with me,
who would one day become the most popular Saint in Wales. He was renowned for his great learning. He is most famous for founding the monastery at Llancarfan in the Vale of Glamorgan.”
“His father was Gwynllyw and his mother was Gladys and they ruled Gwynllwg. I have already told you how GeoffreyGM used his birth to construct his tale about the fictitious Uther being my father. He was two years younger than me,”
“Since we were both first in line to the throne, we formed a strong bond as we shared similar decisions upon graduation. My father was pressuring me to take over his realm as king of Gwent and Ergyng and Cadog's mother, being one of twenty daughters and eleven sons of Brychan that spawned many generations of Saints, was expecting him to take the eremitical path of a true Saint.
When Cadog decided to renounce his throne, my parents added his kingdom to the west of Gwent to their kingdom in return for large amounts of Church land. This area would later be formally joined as Morgannwg, named after my descendent Morgan Hen (930–974), who took his name from my son MorganA3c. He recognized Athelstan, King of the Anglo-Saxons, as his overlord.”
“My other college-mate in the upper grade was St. Paul Aurelianus, called St. Pol in Brittany. He was also two years younger than me, but having both been born in the same section of Glywysing called Pen Ychen2.2, we were best of friends, calling ourselves the ox twins from the meaning of this town's name being 'ox head'.”
“We were actually cousins because his father was my maternal uncleA6. The family name Aurelianus was added to distinguish him from the famous St. Paul and another earlier Saint Paulinus who was a disciple of Germanus of Auxerre.”
“Later on, when I became a Saint in Brittany as St. Armel, he gladly shared with me his dioceses that extended along the northwest coast of Brittany to Leon, which became the mythical kingdom of Lyonesse in the Arthurian legend.”
“When I visited my parish in Ploërmel which is now in the Morbihan department on the northwest coast of Brittany on the edge of Brocéliande forest, I would visit with St. Paul at his parish of Saint-Pol-de-Léon in the Finistère department. There we would enjoy plotting the overthrow of the evil Conomor13.5.”
Tomb of Merlin, Forest of Brocéliande
“Merlyn is not this one of your stomping grounds with Vivianne?”
“Not exactly stomping”, replied Merlyn, “as it was only with my spirit being since I was still trapped in my lonely crystal cave.”
Arthur says, “So all that time you never knew St. Armel was me!”
Merlyn replies, “Clearly, my heartbreak and guilt prevented me from seeing your true nature.”
“St. Teilo, in the middle grade below me, whose name was derived from Elios, shining like the Sun (Helios) was the favorite of Illtyd, who intended to turn over the college to him one day. St. Teilo was also three years younger than me.”
“He was the son of Ensic and Guenhaff; brother of Queen Anaumed of Cornwall who was married to Budig, the Emperor of Brittany, and thus he also was a cousin from the marriage of my sisters. He was a gentle soul, but also a fierce fighter if he needed to be. He even ousted a pirate that had captured St. David's Church in Pembroke.”
“He was so well-liked that it was fabled that upon his death he turned his soul into three parts so that the Church of Llanilltud Fawr, Penally Abbey, and Llandaff Cathedral, where his skull is kept in the south chapel in a reliquary, could have him with them.”
“St. Teilo is known for his beautiful annotations of the Four Gospels in the 'Book of Chad'5.13. The margins of this book were used to record land charters as was Liber Landavensis (Book of Llandaff)BL. The land charters in this book prove that I was a king by heredity'.”
“St. Teilo become so famous as abbot, bishop, and confessor that his figure was engraved on the Book of the Llandaff BL in 1125 AD.”
Here is a Charter in the Book of Llandaff containing 'King Athruis(f)':
“Also in the middle grade below me was my nephew St. Samson,
born from my older sister Anna. He was sometimes quick to anger and similar to his namesake: strong-willed. He was abbot in the island monastery of Caldy off the coast of Dyfed, Wales, but later he would become the equivalent of an archbishop in Brittany. He founded a monastery in Dol which is now the location of a large cathedral”
“Having strong connections with the Merovingian King Childebert20.1 who ruled Brittany, he was the one who got me an audience with the King that would establish the legality of my dioceses in Brittany.”
“He was also a major advocate for the removal of the evil Conomor, although he relied on my tact to arrange it when his temper got the best of him.”
“He was three years younger than me and when I died, he set up a memorial stone to both of us at the Church of Llanilltud near our collegeA4b to celebrate our victory over Conomor.”
“He is recorded as having attended a council in Paris sometime between 556 and 573.”
“In the lower grade was St. Padarn
who came from Amorica8.1. He was my cousin as his father Pedrwn was a brother-in-law to my three sisters. St. Padarn's grandfather was also Budig, who was Illtyd's uncle and my uncle-in-law from my sisters. He was eight years younger than me.”
“Later when he was ordained, he would wear a red-purple tunic. Since a 'red coat' is one of the 'Thirteen Treasures of Britain'4.17, it was an inside joke among us that he stole it and thus this treasure began to be attributed to him in legend as 'the scarlet robe of Padarn'.”
“Then the monks, to discredit me, claimed this joke was real and, in their attempt to gain credibility with Rome, set up a fake pilgrimage of St. Padarn, St. David, and St. Teilo to Jerusalem. There St. Padarn was awarded a choral cape and a staff. The 'tyrannus' Arthur (being me) stole it and had to apologize.”
“Also, in the lower grade was St. David,
who was seven years younger than me. In modern times, he is considered the patron saint of Wales (like St. Patrick in Ireland) and is even recognized as a Saint in the Catholic Church, canonized in the 12th century. The day of his death is celebrated by all the Welsh on March 1. He made a name for himself with his eloquent speech at the Synod of Brefi in Ceredigion, Wales, around 560.”
“His church at Menevia is in Pembrokeshire (Dyfed); being near the coast was often sacked by the Irish Norse raiders, Saxons, and Gewessei. The Cathedral today is located further away. These raids offer an explanation of St. David's pedigree that does not show a father thus being clearly an Irish raider. David's mother's name was Non (St. NonLBS) and her pedigree is noble with her father: Cynyr, the red-bearded, and mother: Sefin, a daughter of St. Brychan thus St. Cadog's aunt. Cynyr's name indicates that he was an early Irish settler. Non's sister is St. Ween who is married to Selyf, the son of Geraint and thus St. David is my cousin. In the Arthurian myth, he could be Sir Ector, my foster father.”
“St. Gildas was eight years younger than me and in the lower grade. His ancestry was worse than St. David's. His father, who was listed as Caw of Prydein, had supposedly fathered nineteen children. With most of them becoming Saints, it looks suspiciously that these children were the offspring of Pictish raiders who came down to Ynys Môn5.1 since it is customary to 'encourage' children of rape to become Saints, rather than to be a burden on the society. Clearly, all of them felt a kinship to each other.”
“St. Gildas likes to believe that he is descended from some famous kingdom like the 'Men of the North', but he has also been inflated like St. David to be the grandson of Geraint who was the grandson of Constantine, the son of Magnus Maximus. Thus many believe, incorrectly, that I am related to him.”
“Gildas was thought of highly by others and himself. Note how tall his crozier is! Thus many stories were added to him when a Saint was needed like the miraculously restored severed head of the wife of Conomor.”
“In our school years, St. Gildas and St. David would compete with each other and this carried over into their later life when St. Gildas tried unsuccessfully to take over St. David's diocese at Menevia. One of the areas of intense competition as students was in the making of beer, mead, and cider. They would try adding the juice of certain herbs to them, each claiming that their blend was the most healthy. The competitive spirit they showed probably came from the need to be accepted, given their difficult ancestry.”
“Obviously, St. Gildas' claim to fame is his treatise on 'The Ruin and Conquest of Britain', however, even though he was an eye-witness to my career, he included nothing about me except a reference to the win at Badon which he did not even attribute to me! The explanation for this must have to do with my execution of Hueil, his 'older brother'5.12.”
“The animosity between Hueil and me is shown in the story of Culhwch and OlwenCO, where it says that Hueil had stabbed Gwydre, his own sister's son, who was later killed by the Twrch Trwyth14.3. The ridiculous fable of 'Hueil being beheaded for exposing me on the dance floor when I, having disguised myself as a woman, was dancing with a girl-friend is a clue to the truth that Gwydre was my illegitimate son with Hueil's sister Gwenabwy, a courtesan16.2 of mine. Hueil hated me for this. His insubordination led me to behead him in Ruthin.”
“Gildas himself or his supporters were always scheming to increase his status by replacing his brother Hueil with Bedwyr in the TriadTRI of the 'Three Battle-Diademed Men of the Island of Britain'9.3. They were, of course, supposed to be Trystam13.5 who is often placed instead of Lancelot9.4, Bedwyr, and Kai9.2. Clearly, some bard saw the deception of Hueil but rather than just replacing Hueil he added the line at the end: 'the one who was diademed above the three of them was Bedwyr'.”
“St. Gildas had the most trouble overcoming his nightmare about a giant named Caw, erroneously said to be his father. As fellow students, we felt bad for him and devised a way to help him. We buried a big rock in the ground that was in the shape of a head and St. Cadog gave Caw its last rights. It did make his nightmare go away, but he did continue to struggle with the issue of not having a real father or mother. On one occasion, St. Gildas, who was an eloquent speaker, had arisen to speak at a gathering of many visiting Saints. Yet, having previously heard St. David being introduced as the son of St. Non, St. Gildas, reminded that he did not even know his mother's name, became tongue-tied.”
Merlyn adds, “Often it is misfortune that drives a person to excel because it removes the human tendency to be complacent. All three of the patron saints: St. Patrick of Ireland, St. David of Wales, and St. Gildas of Brittany had difficult lives: Patrick had been kidnapped as a child and held as a slave for six years by Irish raiders; St. David and St. Gildas were born from the violent acts of pirates.”
“Dear Stone People, I am glad to have a chance next to tell you now about my early years that, similar to Jesus, would have been called the 'Lost Years'. The story of Jesus as a child making sparrows out of clay come to life for the amazement of his friends6.1 is an example of the power of storytelling to reveal the character of famous people. This is why I have chosen to tell you the stories of my school years to give the background for the decisions that led to the two separate paths for St Cadog and me: two princes of two adjoining kingdoms. How St. Cadog chose to use his saintly training to serve God and I chose to give up sainthood to become not just a king of Gwent and Erging', but 'Comes Britanniarum', the 'Defender of Britain'.”
“In between our studies and prayers, we would all share the tasks of planting and tending the wheat and grinding it into flour and making bread. In the morning we would milk the cows and turn them out to pasture with the oxen, feed the chickens, and make sure that the sheep had not wandered off. Sometimes we would fish for trout. Our diet consisted of bread, milk, eggs, and fish. On Sundays, a dish of beef or mutton was usually added, and often beer or mead.”
“For some reason, Illtyd started us out on Ynys Pyr, now Caldy Island, under the auspices of Abbot Pirrus. Since Dyfrig7.5, our archbishop, would often do a forty-day fast there, it was considered a sacred place to be. Perhaps, he was just getting us used to being trapped on an island to break the childhood trait of wanderlust. On this, he did not succeed, because all of us, in our later
, traveled around Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany.”
“The abbot set us to do all sorts of menial chores, but his priority was taking care of the flowers that the bees relied on to make honey. We soon realized that the honey was used to make mead, upon which he often got drunk. One time he actually fell into the well and, fortunately, the seven of us were able to pull him out. Many years later, he did fall in again and broke his head.”
“Finally, having served our sentence on that island, we were put on the task of repairing dykes that the Romans had made on the Severn Estuary that would reclaim the rich alluvial soil.
A local inhabitant, who was watching us dig, asked, 'Pray, tell me Saint, is manual labor God's work? What then is the purpose of prayer?'”
“St. Gildas replied, 'Using prayer, we expand the earth in all directions and fill it with blossoming flowers.' The local man looked at us skeptically, saying, 'I thought that was the work of elves and fairies.'”
“The Severn Estuary has the highest tidal rise on the Continent. At certain times of the year, we were amazed to see these huge waves traveling upstream in sets of three, sometimes as high as nine feet. It appeared that it was highest on the equinox and just after the full or new moon. We began to be able to predict the days and times when they would occur. It was, of course, important to know because a half-finished dike could be washed away in minutes. This knowledge would be most valuable one day to help me to defeat the combined Gewissei1.2 and Saxon invasion, as told in the tale of 'Culhwch and Olwen' and 'The Dream of Rhonabwy'DR.”
“As we worked, we started to long for a ride on the Severn Bore6.2 especially when we compared our boredom to the Bore.' We joked to ourselves about this triple homonym in English.”
“It was I who suggested that we brave the Bore.”
“'Isn't that dangerous?' says St. David.”
“'Are you afraid that the wild boars will get you!' says St. Gildas, taunting him.”
“'You know that is a different thing!' retorted St. David, angrily.”
“St. Cadog says, 'I have seen some fisherman ride it with those tiny black coracles. Let us figure out how to build them.'”
“St. Padarn says excitedly, 'In Cornwall, my father used to make them for fishing on the River Camel.'”
“St. Samson adds, 'I think they are just made of split willow with an outer layer of tarred animal skin.'”
“St. Teilo says, 'It might capsize in the Severn tidal wave. Shouldn't we get permission from the abbot first?'”
“Neither of us were listening to the dangers as we apprenticed under a fisherman who showed us how to cut the willow wood for the frames to make our coracles. He showed us where to get the skins from a tanner and where to find the tar pits. Even though he warned us of the danger, we decided that God would protect us. Over a period of weeks, we each assembled the coracles sometimes forgetting our vespers. Finally, we were ready to try.”
“Setting out on the day of the full moon in the spring at the time that we expected a big tidal wave, we paddled out to the middle. The waves advanced and we were all thrown into the water. It took forever to retrieve the coracles upstream; fortunately, they had been washed up on the banks. We tried again and again and we were getting the hang of it until the abbot put a stop to it with a caning from those very same willow branches.”
“When we were relocated to the River Wye, I told them about the 'WindpipeW8', in my father's kingdom, mentioned by NenniusNEN as the eighth wonder of BritainWON. It was a pit from whence the wind blows without intermission and even in summer when there is no wind. We imagined that this pit must be connected to the lower world of Hades. It is located two and a half miles south of Tintern. The area is called Wyndcliffe or 'Chwyth-gwynt' in Welsh meaning 'the blowing of the wind'.”
“By then Illtyd suspected that we were having too much fun and pulled us from the outdoor projects, setting us on a stricter regime back at college. We soon settled down to accepting that we had to get up at sunrise to say our prayers out loud and then again at noon and evening. Then there was studying, copying manuscripts, cooking, plowing, and hay-making. Oh, and I forgot cleaning the outhouses.”
“In the wintertime, we would collect coal for the fireplaces. This was St. Cadog's favorite task. This area of Wales was coal mining heaven or you could say hell for the miners of the recent century who would return home with black soot faces and shortness of breath. In our time, there were many places where veins of coal were exposed. Amazingly, we found a pit that contained coal that was constantly smoldering. I do not know why Nennius did not include it as the thirteenth Wonder of the BritainWON, but maybe it had burned out by his time, two centuries later.”
“One of our major tasks was to memorize the Psalms and the Proverbs of David and Solomon in the Bible. One day, St. Cadog, called us together in a huddle saying, 'Listen to this which I found in Proverbs 6:27 (Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?) 'Let us set a challenge to see who can prove his spiritual prowess to accomplish this by carrying the hot coals in the lap of his cloth habit.'”
“At first, we all thought that it could not be done, but we tried to think of possible ways. I proposed putting the ember in between two large oyster shells insulated by a dried cow pie.”
“St. Cadog was the first to do it and carrying it, ran to show the abbot, saying excitingly, 'I have fulfilled the saying in Proverbs!'”
“The abbot looked into the lap of St. Cadog's habit, with a quizzical look, 'I do not know of any Proverb that suggests carrying dried excrement from a cow?'”
“St. Cadog hurls it into the dried wood in the fireplace which lights up, saying proudly, 'Look it is coal that is still glowing!'”
“The abbot was genuinely amazed. Then, of course, all of the college students followed suit and there was suddenly an epidemic of blackened spots on white habits!”
“At the age of sixteen at the end of the summer, St. Paul grew weary of the boring everyday tasks and convinced us other six rebels to run away, and set up life as real Saints, living in wattled cells, and building an oratory on the confines of my father's land of Gwent. There was plenty of fresh water nearby, but all we had to live on were apples and blackberries and too many made us sick.”
“Out of necessity, we decided to do a forty-day fast like Jesus, but it was only St. David and St. Samson who stuck to it. The rest of us did not last a fortnight, which is only two weeks, but we pretended that it was forty days.”
“St. Teilo was sitting in meditation, but hungry, when he noticed a mouse running by with a grain of corn in its mouth. After the fourth time that he passed by, he decided to follow him. It was difficult because the mouse seemed to know that he was being followed. After many days of this 'cat and mouse' game, St. Teilo saw the mouse go into a hole in the ground and then would reappear with a grain of corn. After digging into the hole, we discovered a cache of five bags of corn. We wondered what happened to the farmer, but gave it little thought, deciding that it was a gift from God to save us from our aching hunger.”
“By the end of autumn, we grew restless and decided to find another spot. As all Saints do, we looked for an auspicious sign that would show us the correct location. We were following two stags through a marshy part of the kingdom of St. Cadog's father when we came suddenly upon a herd of swine that immediately scattered in fear. The swineherd was incensed at this and raised his staff and was ready to transfix St. Cadog. We shouted, 'He is the son of the king!', and the swineherd immediately fell to his knees begging for forgiveness. This event discouraged us because it showed us that spiritual power still depended on worldly power. We returned to college, with our white clothes dirty and ripped, begging forgiveness from Illtyd. Surprisingly, he was not angry but commended us on our initiative.”
“We spent many more precious times together, but then St. Cadog, St. Paul, and I graduated in 501 to enter into service to God, caring for others as Saints. St. Paul's goal was always to go to Amorica, but St. Cadog and I were not sure what to do. We both faced similar decisions: to be Saint or King. Cadog chose the former and abdicated his kingship. I had a duty to respect my father's wishes and, at nineteen years old, I became a royal prince under my father King Meurig. The three of us say goodbye to our fellow college-mates: St. Samson and St, Teilo who would be entering our level and St. David, St. Gildas, and St. Padarn who still had two years to go. St. Samson wanted to be a hermit on Ynys Pyr where we had stayed earlier and St. Teilo wanted to continue his apprenticeship to be groomed to take over for Illtyd. St. David, St. Gildas, and St. Padarn all desired to have their own church one day.”
“Since St. David, St. Padarn, and St. Teilo had wonderful voices they later traveled around and sang together in many churches. These three were known in the TriadsTRI as 'the Three Benevolent Guests of the Isle of Britain'13.3. They were so-called this because 'they went as guests into the houses of the nobles, the warriors, the citizens, and the serfs accepting neither gift nor reward, nor food nor drink; demonstrating their faith in Christ. To the poor and the destitute, they gave of their gold or silver, their clothes, and their possessions'.”
“In the days of Lent, St. Cadog would fast on one of the two islands in the Severn Estuary, namely, Barren (Barry) or Echni (Flatholm) where my grandfather St. Tewdrig was buried. It was Palm Sunday and he decided that he would find a place on the mainland to found his monastery. He found an area within the steep-sided wooded valley of the Nant Carfan, bounded to the west by the dense ancient woodland and to the south and north by possible pasture and arable fields. He chose this valley when firstly, he saw a wild boar lying under a tree, secondly, bees coming and entering a hollow tree, and thirdly, the nest of a hawk in the top of a tree. From this, he judged that it would sustain a monastic community to be later called Llancarfan meaning 'church land of stags'.”
“Looking at this point in time, I do remember how the path that St. Cadog took of meditating in nature and feeling the resonance between self and nature and other living creatures seemed to me to be the way that God intended us to live. Yet, my path would soon take me away from this peaceful place into a worldly path where conflicts are the norm and peace is just a time when there is no conflict.”
“An example of this occurred a few years after St. Cadog abdicated his throne with a dispute that involved multicolored cows between St. Cadog and his father and my father. It was my first experience with the legal process which by a favorable happenstance resulted in me obtaining my famous sword: not to be pulled from a stone as in the fable but by arbitration.”
“It began as follows: Hearing that St. Cadog's father, King Gwynllyw, was ill; King Rhain6.3, son of Brychan, the brother of St. Cadog's mother Gladys, took this opportunity to march forth from the borders of his kingdom Brycheiniog and plunder and waste the eastern half of Glywysing as far as the sea as revenge for Gwynllyw's abduction of his sister Gladys.”
“However, the men of Gwynllyw’s land also rose up to meet Rhain's army, and put him to flight, killing some of his men. Rhain sought refuge at St. Cadog's meager beginnings of a monastery at Llancarvan. St. Cadog initially forbid this uncle-in-law of his to enter until he confessed his sins before God and asked for forgiveness. Once he was allowed refuge, there was a standoff. A council had to be convened near the River Usk. St. Cadog's friends: St. David and St. Teilo, were there and also St. Illtyd, to act as judges. My father King Meurig acting for King Gwynllyw made the case for the need for punishment given the unforgivable act of invading another country. St. Cadog made his case for the importance of the sacredness of asylum when repentance is made. There was a heated debate and bitter words were spoken on both sides.”
“St. Cadog, being the most skillful at compromise, spoke to the council, 'Since King Rhain has already suffered a loss of his men, I suggest that King Gwynllyw ought to receive an amount equal to three of my best oxen as a redemption.'”
“King Meurig retorted, 'From ancient times the ministers of kings and chiefs among the Britons had determined that one hundred cows should be given in recompense for an invasion of a sovereign land.'”
“I pleaded with my father to reduce the number of cows. Finally, a compromise was reached of fifty cows. King Gwynllyw, who was now bedridden and becoming delirious, sent a messenger saying, 'I will not accept cows of one color, but only part-colored ones, such as cows having their fore part a red color and hind part white.'”
“The judges were taken aback by this request, not knowing where cattle of this sort of color were to be found, and thus were doubting that it would be possible to comply.”
“With the council thrown again in confusion, St. Cadog says, 'Young men go ahead and deliver fifty heifers, of whatever color they might be. I will pray to God that his divine power will change them at the proper time to be in accordance with Gwynllyw’s perverse desire.'”
“It could be said that God did resolve this problem because King Gwynllyw died before the cows were received.”
“Humorously, again those vicious monks attributed this story to me, saying that it was I that had demanded different colored cows and was too colorblind to know the difference!”
“At the death of his father, Gwynllyw, St. Cadog would have inherited his kingdom, but he gave his kingdom to my father Meurig with the promise of a perpetual deed to his land in Llancarvan to establish his monastery. He was also promised a half share of the fish of the river Usk to sustain his monastery. It was declared that 'no one shall infringe on his refuge unless they want to suffer excommunication, but whoever shall recognize his claim shall abide beloved of God and men.'”
“King Rhain, having expressed his desire to give up his warrior ways and to follow the religious path of his family, received a blessing from St. Cadog and became a Saint. St. Rhain, in gratitude, donated to St. Cadog his own best stallion with all horse accouterments. This horse was so inestimably swift that no animal could be compared with it in speed. He also gave his three chief weapons: a shield, a spear, and a sword.”
“St. Cadog gave the sword to me because of the mystical way that it was found. St. Brychan, King Rhain's father, had many daughters who were Saints. One of the daughters, a younger sister of St. Cadog's mother, while on a pilgrimage to the sacred isle of Ynys Môn met a lady dressed in white lace who showed her a sword that was just below the surface of a lake called Llyn Cerrig Bach6.5. She brought it back for her brother. This became the legend of the Lady of the Lake. I named this sword Caladfwlch2.5. It was to this lake that Bedwyr9.3 went to in order to return my sword after my abdication from my defeat at Camlann.”
“Having concluded the talk on my youth”, Arthur says, “I already feel much lighter as the truth of my school years has dispelled the illusion of the foster child Arthur. Next, I will tell you of a fiery dragon, ...
my first battle, my coronation, and how I became king.”
The Stone People clap and shout, “Long live King Arthur!” and the sound, echoes through the rocks, and as you can imagine, it was deafening.
The Shaman stands up abruptly and puts his finger to his lips to silence them, “No, no, no, we must be careful not to exalt him. Remember that in telling you the truth, Arthur is hoping to release his Spirit.”
Quieting down, the Stone people sit back in rapt attention.
“So school was over and time no longer would stand still. School had offered the stability of knowing that as long as I kept up with my studies, I would be shielded from the outside world. As a child I was protected by my parents and my inner self was allowed to flourish, but in school I had built an outer shell to protect my Self as I tried to fit in, Now, being thrust upon the sea of adult life, I would be pulled by the waves of joy and sadness, sometimes cresting up, but inevitably crashing down towards an equally abrupt ending. For most adults, these waves are small enough not to throw one upon the rocks, but for me it was a tidal wave greater than the Severn Estuary.”
“Illtyd's great uncle, St. Garmon7.1 had persuaded Ambrosius to return from Brittany where he had escaped the ritual sacrifice at Dinas Emrys. Vortigern needed to be deposed because his sloppy leadership was destroying Britain. Being unwilling to give up his kingship, he was on the run through the mid-west of Britain.”
“Ambrosius caught up with him at Carn Fadryn in North Wales. In the battle, the fort caught on fire and he and St. Madryn, the daughter of his deceased son Vortimer, escaped from the flames. Vortigern was thought to have died but secretly escaped to Brittany to become St. Gurthiern7.2, which mirrored my later decision.”
“Although my grand uncle Ambrosius was quite old when I was in college, he still had a strong presence that would cause warriors to follow him. He was often away at war or administering the remnants of the kingdom of Britain, but he still found time to visit my college to coach me in sword fighting. We all loved to hear his heroic tales. I loved him dearly. His fondness for me was probably because I reminded him of himself, having the courage to stand up to arbitrary authority.”
Merlyn adds, “Those who knew Ambrosius such as St. GildasGIL or read about him like St. BedeBE had nothing but praise for him. They called him 'a modest man of unassuming character being the only one of Roman birth who survived the shock of the storm and managed to keep the peace.' Of course, this is not surprising because his father was King Constantine and his grandfather, Magnus MaximusA6.”
“Once I decided to follow my parent's wishes, I could not fight behind the ranks of soldiers because a king is required to lead. The major battles were still in the south, but Gwent and Ergyng would soon be in the front lines of the advancing Saxon and Gewissei1.2 invasions.”
“As it stood now, my grand uncle Ambrosius Aurelianus as 'Comes Britanniarum'4.2 had kept the fighting to the south of Stonehenge near the town of Amesbury named later after him, but that was soon to change.”
“Putting on my warrior armor with the sword and shield that my parents had given me, I trained to be part of the cavalry that had been used so effectively by grand uncle Ambrosius. I had a golden-plated helmet with a crest carved in the shape of a dragon, a circular shield, and my breast armor of thick padding had a thin bronze covering upon it. I did not have my sword Caladfwlch yet, but I had a lance for charging the enemy.”
“Only a few months went by after my graduation before the Saxons, led by Porta with his two sons, Beda and MelaASC:501 attacked our major port in the Severn estuary. I joined with my great, great uncle Geraint to defend it at the Battle of Longborth7.3. We defeated them, but not before Geraint was killed in the battle. I found it hard to hold back my tears when they buried him on the shore. It was my first encounter with the realities of death from war.”
“Geraint is mentioned in the TriadTRI 'The three fleet-owners of the Isle of Britain'3a as having 'one hundred and twenty ships'. His elegy3b written some years later by Llywarch Hen (the Aged) of the Brythonic kingdom of Rheged mentions my bravery. There is also a MabinogionMAB story called 'Geraint the Son of Erbin'GE which tells of my Court at Caerleon upon Usk (which should be Gelliwig), but this would have been his son Cadwy7.3c, who fought at Badon.”
“Impressed by my bravery, my grand uncle Ambrosius brought me to the council at his fort at Woodbury near Stonehenge later that year. He was looking much older than I remembered him, but still a strong presence. To my surprise, he lifted me up onto the Roundtable where the chieftains were sitting, saying, 'I present to you my grand nephew Arthur who has now proved himself worthy by fighting alongside our valiant Geraint, may his spirit continue to protect our Port.'”
“Ambrosius continues, 'Arthur is the son of King Meurig of Gwent and Queen Onbrawst of Ergyng. As the graduate of St. Illtyd's college, he is knowledgeable of both the ways of the warrior and the ways of God.'
'There is no one else who can match Arthur's heredity for he merges the two bloodlines from my grandfather Magnus Maximus.'
The first line is from Magnus Maximus' first wife Ceindrech, through the line of Antonius DonatusA6a to Arthur's father Meurig the son of Tewdrig the Blessed. The second line is from Magnus Maximus' second wife, Elen, daughter of the British hero Octavius the Old, through the line of Constantine the BlessedA6, through his daughter, my sister, who married Pepiau Clavorauc of Ergyng to Arthur's mother Onbrawst, the daughter of Gwrgant the Great.'”
“Ambrosius continues, 'Many years ago, the Council called me as a young man from Brittany to depose Vortigern and be your leader to defend against the Saxon invaders. I believe I have accomplished these tasks faithfully. But, alas, it has come time for me to prepare for my retirement and to choose a worthy replacement. I cannot think of a better choice than Arthur, therefore I ask Council to elect him as the next "Comes Britanniarum"4.2.'”
“The council members cheered calling out 'Arthur, Arthur!' I was overwhelmed as St. Dyfrig, the archbishop of Archenfeld and South Wales, blessed me and placed a prince's crown upon my head.”
“All but one had cheered and that was Caradog Strong-armed7.4, my maternal great uncle, mumbling, 'He is not even a man yet!'”
“You see Caradog would have justifiably been the obvious choice to replace Ambrosius as he was older and had proved himself in battle, but he was passed over because of the high regard for Ambrosius' judgment. Although Caradog was always a worthy ally to me, his statement was significant because he clearly harbored a resentment that his grandson Mordred1.6 could sense.”
“Having read Geoffrey or Tennyson, you might have expected Caerleon to be my Camelot. However, Caerleon upon Usk, the original Roman fort of Isca Augusta was then in ruins; its stones, having been used for nearby houses and sheep pens. The only battles that were fought during recent times were by ghostly gladiators in its amphitheater.”
“My legendary Camelot was nothing like the 'Fantasyland Castle', that all childhood princesses and knights dream about, or even the anachronistic 12th-century castle Tintagel in Cornwall. My royal forefathers, the Kings of Gwent, having disgust for Romans, preferred their palace to be built upon the glory of their past on the Iron Age hillfort, which had been used by the great Caradog4.5 of the Silures in their fight against the Romans.”
“As for Caerwent, the walled Roman town of Venta Silurum, having been built after the surrender of the brave Caradog to entice the conquered Silures to become serfs of Rome, it was also not defensible as a fort.”
“My minimalist palace, Gelliwig1.8, was located just slightly north of Caerwent and north-east of Caerleon, in the area called Llan-y-Gelli, thus its name. Overlooking the Severn estuary, it was a perfect location with an opportunity to surprise an invading army who expected the Roman walled defenses further south. My cavalry would be able to attack them at will. Ironically, in modern times it is considered to be an insignificant Iron Age site, merely called Llanmelin for a mill nearby! Its old name of Caer-Guent eventually became associated with Venta Silurum, being changed to Caerwent.”
Arthur continues, “Six years later in 507, I was with Merlyn in Ynys Môn5.1, being the once sacred place of the Druids. We were there at the Spring Equinox to celebrate the festival of Imbolic. Although there was nothing left of the oak groves of the Druids since their massacre by Suetonius Paulinus, their traditions remained. Merlyn and I made wreaths of holly to place next to the holy wells for the Druids, who died near the shore expecting their gods to save them from the Roman swords, and also for the Christians, who died on crosses for their beliefs at the hands of Nero in Rome in that same year AD 60.”
“It was eight days after the festival on March 29 at an hour past noon that the fields began to darken and Merlyn shouted to me, 'I believe this is the eclipse of the sun that I foretold!' Then at an hour after midday when the sky had darkened, we looked up to see the fiery dragon7.6.”
“For an eclipse to occur, the sun must be in the position of the moon's node (Caput Draconis, the dragon's head) and this type of eclipse does not obscure the sun completely but leaves a thin circle. GeoffreyGM had called it a 'star of wonderful magnitude and brightness, darting forth a ray, at the end of which was a globe of fire in the form of a dragon.'”
Merlyn stands up to reprise his words in a deep prophesizing voice,
Arthur continues, “Merlyn's prophecy came true for in the next year 508 the Saxons: Cerdic and Cynric15.2 slew Ambrosius at Amesbury. The Anglo-Saxon ChroniclesASC:508 said, 'In this year Cerdic and Cynric slew a British king, whose name was Natanleod.'”
“I could not believe it! I was now 'Comes Britanniarum', the King of Britain at the age of twenty-six!”
“As you can see, I presided over a diminished Britain. Geoffrey of MonmouthGM led many to believe that my Kingdom was greater than the Western Empire of Rome because of my great great great Grandfather Magnus Maximus and his son Constantine the Blessed.”
“Even today, scholars often depict my Kingdom as being equivalent to Roman Britain minus some shoreline in the south assigned to the Saxon mercenaries.”
“What no one allows for is that Vortigern's policy of ceding land to the mercenaries and his staggering military losses plus Ambrosius' recent defeat and death which had just lost the lands of Wiltshire had decimated Britain. Also, the lands north of Hadrian's wall and south of the Antonine Wall had been overrun by Picts and the northeastern shore by the Angle mercenaries.”
“However, my kingdom did consist of the western part of Britain made up of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Gloucester, Hereford, Worchester, Shropshire, Stratford, Cheshire, Lancaster, Cumbria, the Isle of Man, and a strong connection to Brittany (Amorica)8.1.”
“My goal was to make sure that they would stay connected. To do this I did not hesitate to attack any of the foreign settlements of Angles, Saxons, Picts, or Irish if they posed a threat. This tactic made them think twice when they looked to expand their territory and it made them fear my wrath.”
“Due to Geoffrey's imagination and all those books and poems that followed, our warriors have been depicted as knights of the 13th century, six centuries later! My warriors were not dressed in bulky plate armor worn by knights in jousting tournaments while vying for the attention of princesses. Our armor resembled Byzantine soldiers of Roman times with metal strips, fastened to internal leather straps. These moveable plates were called 'lorica segmentata' and were made of soft iron inside with mild steel on the outside, making the plates hardened against damage without becoming brittle.”
“Having prepared myself as a warrior, I was firm in my decision to be not merely a king who stands on the sidelines like Vortigern, but to be in the thick of the fighting like my grand uncle Ambrosius. Honor and fame were now my goals. All thoughts of sainthood were behind me. Yet still I had combined these two parts of me: the warrior and the Saint by fashioning my shield and with an image of the Virgin Mary2.6 on it.”
“Others might have used the image of Celtic queens like Bodicea of the Iceni tribe, who almost pushed back the Romans, or Cartimandua of the Brigantes, except that she betrayed our Silure hero Caradog. Clearly, if all the Celtic tribes had joined together under Caradog, their short rebellion could have been a lasting victory. But I digress.”
“I want to thank you, Merlyn, for being my mentor at that time. It was easier to fight by the side of my men, but scarier to imagine myself leading so many men to their possible death. Your shapeshifting skill, that you taught me, prevented the enemy from discovering that I was right in front of them. This skill also allowed me to appear to be in many places at once.”
“Glad to be of service, as always, my king,” Merlyn says. “This magic skill could have changed many outcomes of battles, especially since the elimination of the leader often wins the battle. Britain's whole history was changed when an arrow pierced the eye of the Anglo-Saxon King Harold. He was hated by the Welsh, but they hated the Marcher Lords of the Norman William the Conqueror even more. When the horse of the Plantagenet usurper King Richard III was stuck in the mud of Bosworth Field, the Welsh Henry Tudor obtained the English throne.”
Arthur adds, “It is interesting to note that Richard's emblem was the boar which was reminiscent of my arch-enemies, the Gewissei1.2.”
“To understand the sphere of my influence, it is useful to merge the TriadsTRI, that are titled 'Arthur's Three Principal Courts' and the 'Three Tribal Thrones of the Island of Britain'8.3 being careful to reject later additions. Their precision negates all the misconceptions about my kingdom:
'
Arthur continues, “Shortly after becoming 'Comes Britanniarum' I met with my commanders around the famous 'Roundtable' to discuss and agree on strategy.
The first objective was to thwart the attempt of the Angles from expanding west from their settlements on the eastern middle coast. From our experience with the Saxons, who migrated from upper Germany south of Anglia, to have allowed their almost unlimited migration north from the south coast had already done serious harm. Thus the Angles needed to be opposed before they gained strength. This was my First Campaign which needed to begin as soon as possible.”
“The second objective was defensive: to be prepared against an invasion of the Gewissei who laid claim to Vortigern's lands in Hereford, which were seized by Ambrosius. Given their filial connections from Vortigern's Saxon wife, a Gewissei alliance with the Saxons was always a possible threat. Such an alliance could destroy my fort at Gelliwig, my ancestral land of Ergyng, Gwent, and Glywysing, and separate my south kingdom and my north. My Second Campaign occurred from a surprise attack.”
“My Third Campaign was suggested by Gwrthmwl Wledig with a twofold objective: to crush the rising threat of the Picts just north of Habrian's Wall and to remove the Danes who were looking to establish a foothold in the east just south of Hadrian's Wall.”
“Years later, a major invasion precipitated my Fourth Campaign against the Gewissei and Saxons ended in the Battle of Badon.”
“Before describing the battles, I must show you the Roman roads which were still used for trade and most importantly for the rapid deployment of our warriors, cavalry, and wagons.”
“Of these, there was the road called the Fosse Way that came up from Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) which was on the border between Devon and Cornwall northeast of Kelliwik, the fort of Caradog Strong-armed. It then continued on through Aquae Sulis (Bath) in Somerset to Corinium (Cirencester) in Gloucester where it intersected Ermine Way that connected the road from Isca Silurum in Gwent to Glevum (Gloucester) with Gelliwig to the north.”
Merlyn interjects, “It is interesting to note that Ermine Way was named after St. Ermine8.6, being just another version of Arthur's later name of St. Armel. In the confusion of this saint's name, a certain white-furred weasel, became stylish for kings and in later paintings of Arthur in an ermine stole.”
The Shaman says, “Thank you, Merlyn, for that fashion update. I shall procure some overnight, as they are common here!”
Arthur laughs, “Sounds like it could become as famous as Harris Tweed!” The Stone People laugh knowing that their island of Lewis was famous for this fabric.
Arthur continues after the laughter dies down, “From Ermine Way, Fosse Way heads north to Venonis (High Cross) in Leicestershire where it intersects Watling Street that comes up from London. It then heads northeast to Lindum (Lincoln), connecting to Ermine Street (containing my name again), which comes up from London to Eboracum (York) and north to Hadrian's Wall. Clearly, Lindum was an important crossroads that could not be allowed to be controlled by the enemy.”
“Although NenniusNEN has me listed for twelve battles8.7, they were actually accomplished by four major campaigns that I laid out previously in the objectives at the Roundtable.”
“It is impossible for me to sugar-coat the next part of my story with imaginary knights in shiny armor and princesses who tie ribbons on their wrists for luck and where chivalry protects their honor. These dreams of fantasy would quickly become the nightmares of war. Now, having risen to the highest honor of 'Comes Britanniarum', I am rushing headlong into the realities of death and sorrow where lasting peace is the goal.”
“I summoned my warriors from my three kingdoms. From Kelliwick. My Chief Elder Caradog Strong-armed7.4, having said goodbye to his wife Tegau Eurvron in the TriadsTRI as one of the 'Three Beauteous Dames in the Court of Arthur', to lead his men up the Fosse Way from Cornwall and Devon with instructions to meet me at Corinium (Cirencester). He, being my maternal uncle with an ego that you can imagine matched the strength of his arm, shown in the Triads as one of the 'Three Battle-Horsemen of the Island of Britain' riding upon his famous horse, 'Host-Splitter', from another Triad being one of the 'Three Bestowed Horses of the Island of Britain'.”
“Accompanying him was Hywel9.1, the eldest son of Emyr Lydaw, who was currently here being exiled from Brittany. Also present were three of his brothers, Gwyndaf Hen, Amwn Ddu, and Ambrafel who were married to my sisters Gwenonwy, Anna, and AfrellaA7, and thus my brothers-in-law. Also present was one of their brothers Alan Fyrgan17.10 who later betrayed me at Camlann.”
“I marched from my hillfort of Gelliwig with my Chief Elder, Owain15.14. My maternal uncle Owain is often confused with the later Owain son of Urien of Rheged made famous by the bard Taliesin. Owain's father and my maternal grandfather was known as Urien of Gorre (Gower) or better known as Gwrgant the Great. Owain was born together with his twin sister Morfudd from the womb of Morgan Le Fay. Morgana, who in the Triads was one of the Three Fair Womb-Burdens of the Island of Britain, is, of course, well known in the later fables about me.”
“Being raised with an affinity to magic by his mother, Owain always traveled with his familiars, six black ravens. Owain is mentioned in the Triads as one of the 'The Three Accomplished Princes of the Isle of Britain' and was an important adviser in the Battle of Badon as shown in 'The Dream of Rhonabwy'DR. Owain was riding his horse 'Cloven-Hoof', extolled in another Triad as of one of the 'Three Plundered Horses of the Island of Britain'. We joined the Roman road that came up from Caerleon in South Wales across the barges over the Severn Estuary to Glevum (Gloucester) to Corinium to meet up with Caradog Strong-armed with the forces from the South and Brittany.”
“At the remains of the Roman fort of Deva at Chester, the warriors from North Wales led by Merlyn joined with the forces from my northern kingdom of Penrith in Cumbria led by my Chief Elder Gwrthmwl Wledig8.5. Gwrthmwl being one of the few to be called 'wledig' which was a Welsh title equivalent of Augustus, was known as a huge presence in battle being one of the 'Three Bull-Specters of the Island of Britain' riding his horse 'Heith' recognized in the Triad as one of 'The Three Strongest Horses'.”
“Finally, we joined forces at Letocetum, now known as the town of Wall, avoiding Veronis (High Cross) to the east, which is the juncture of Watling Street and Fosse Way because it was vulnerable from all sides. I planned to rejoin Fosse Way up to Lindum (Lincoln) to engage the Angles in battle.”
“Many were mounted on horses followed by thousands of foot soldiers. Also, a large part of the contingent was made up of Saints armed with shepherd crooks and crosses, who would pray for our success in Battle. Their importance is often overlooked, yet the sight of so many has a subtle demoralizing influence on the pagan adversaries who would begin to question the power of their gods.”
“My Chief Bishop Bedwini, also known as St. Edeyrn, had with him many initiates of St. Cadog and pupils from my school at St. Illtyd's Church, now run by St. Teilo, and from St. David's in Menevia. On his meditation retreats on the sandbar in the Severn Estuary, named after him, he would fancy himself as the son of Nudd16.10, the King of a mythical land of the Tylwyth Teg (elves and fairies) associated with Cantre'r Gwaelod2.4 that disappeared in Cardigan Bay. Residents there would often hear the bells of those lost churches in the sounds of the river meeting the ocean.”
“He instructed his followers to dress in black, not as the Catholics do, but to symbolize their opposition to the Dark Lord Nudd. At my table, he would bless my meat and drink. Since he was small in stature, he would often lead his followers mounted upon his Stag.”
“St. Winwaloe, my Chief Bishop in Kelliwick, led the Saints from Cornwall and Brittany. St. Winwaloe often used his French name Guenole from Brittany as indicated in the names that appear in the Book of Llandaff which is similar to the name Gwarthegyd the son of Caw which is used for him in The Dream of RhonabwyDR where he appears alongside Bedwini. His mother is Teirbron, the three-breasted and his father is again the obscure Caw, the father of Gildas, thus also an illegitimate child like Gildas. Sadly, he died in 532, five years before Camlann.”
“St. Kentigern (Welsh: Cyndeyrn), my Chief Bishop in the North is the son of my uncle Owain who in his adolescence had an incestuous affair with his twin sister Morfudd. This resulted in the newborn Kentigern being cast out and placed in a coracle that floated down the River Loughor to Worm's Head Island in the Gower. He was rescued and raised by St. Serf who lived there and he gave St. Kentigern the name Mungo meaning 'dear one'. Having been assigned as bishop to Cumbria at the age of 25, which was my age at becoming 'Comes Britanniarum', he founded a church in Carlisle. His life span has been exaggerated like Dubricius (Dyfrig) showing his death in Annales CambriaeAC:612.”
“My two most trusted warriors Kai and Bedwyr, who both appear in the Triad of the 'Three Battle-Diademed Men of the Island of Britain', were always by my side; third and fourth were Lancelot and Gwaine.”
“First, Kai was the best sword-fighter in the world. It is said that a wound from Kai's sword, no physician could heal. Kai was tall, hot-tempered, and driven. As the fairest horseman in all Arthur's Court, he rides his horse 'Chestnut Long-Neck', listed in the Triad of the 'Three Bestowed Horses of the Island of Britain'. His presence was so strong that those in front of him at the battle would fall back to be behind him as no enemy could withstand the shock of his horse and his attack.”
“Second, Bedwyr the fine-sinewed, whose sword in the battle was unerring in his hand, was always ready to protect me and most loyal beyond any other. He never shrank from any enterprise upon which Kai was bound. None was equal to him in swiftness throughout this island and his lance would produce a wound equal to those of nine opposing lances.”
“Third was Lancelot who came over from Ireland and, contrary to the Romances did not steal away my Gwenhwyfar's heart, but remained true. In the Triad he is one of 'The Three Kingly Knights of Arthur's court'.”
“Fourth was Gwaine whose skill with an axe was later extolled in 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'. He never returned home without achieving the purpose of the quest. He was the best of footmen and the best of knights. In the Triads he is one of 'The Three Learned Men of the Isle of Britain' and one of 'The Three Well-Endowed Men of the Island of Britain'. His horse 'Slender-Hard' like Kai's is listed in the Triad: 'The Three Bestowed Horses of the Island of Britain'.”
“These four warriors are extolled in legend, but true war is not a glorious thing. There are winners like the victory of Urien of Rheged at Gwen Ystrad, as told by Taliesin, and losers like the defeat of the Gododdin, who marched to their death at Catraeth, as told by Aneurin. These exulted bards are there to remind us of the delicate line between life and death and of success and defeat. Thus, I find myself using many of their poetic images to describe our campaign at Lincoln using Aneurin's 'Y Gododdin'9.6:”
“And so I begin. Many of my warriors were youthful in years, but warriors in mind, hoping to be gallant in the din of war. Professing fealty to their local chieftains, they would say goodbye to their wives and children. Gathering whatever lethal weapon was at hand: a scythe, a blunt sword, or a hammer, they marched towards what could be a glorious victory or to be hacked half to death and left as a pile of bones and flesh in bloody rags, only to be prized and feasted upon by a murder of crows.”
“Before the fight, the entitled thanes, enticed by free-flowing mead at a king's banquet, would tell stories of their future and past exploits. On the battlefield, they would exhort the men to fight. The price of drunkenness in the hall was yet to be exacted. The elite on their fleet, thick-maned chargers would ride with their swords blue and gleaming and their shields, light and broad hanging on the flank of their muscled steeds. The ragtag men to follow behind them.”
“Our bull protector Gwerthmwl Wledig on his horse 'Heath', appearing as a spectre arousing fear in the enemy, charges into the battalioned blades causing many to turn and run. Yet, one enemy warrior on horseback charges forward with his lance extended and only just misses Owain as his horse 'Cloven-hoof' dodges to the side. Another warrior also charges only to be met by the axe of the Battle Horseman Caradog Strong-armed riding on his horse 'Host-Splitter'. The soon-to-be-forgotten enemy falls to the ground, his blood streaming out like red wine.”
“A battle cry, steel upon steel, body upon body, screams of attack and pain. I, mounted on my horse 'Llamrei' in the middle of it, slashing with my sword Caladfwlch with Kai riding 'Chestnut Long-Neck' on my right and Bedwyr on his dappled gray horse on my left; Lancelot on his horse and Gwaine riding his horse 'Slender Hard' were not far behind.”
“Then in the gory field, in one short hour, hundreds perish, then silence ensues. Scattered, broken, and motionless are the men and weapons that attempted to penetrate a wall of flesh and steel. Shields are strewn upon the ground and helmets cleft in two. Bodies are now reduced to lifeless flesh rendering their wives widows.”
“In the silence that proclaims the cold death that is the finality of life, slowly, one hero gets up in pain, having escaped the black crow's feast, and returns to tell his tale of bravery. The fate of all to be celebrated in songs of praise and forgotten deaths lamented.”
Merlyn, caught up in the poetic words recites, “As Aneurin's poem said: 'That hero may boast of his battle, but never the equal of the superhuman Arthur'.”
“Yes, that is my legacy!” Arthur retorts.
“We fought four more battles in four days at different locations around the River Glen. the River Wetland, and the River Douglas at Lincoln. Fortunately, none were as deadly as the first. Our campaign was successful as the beaten foe retreated for good. Still, many of our brave warriors would never return home.”
The Stone Bard shouts, “There is no glory in death; the only true glory is to live to fight again!”
“Exactly my thoughts,”, says Arthur, “thus I hope you will excuse me from going into greater detail about these five battles and to move on to less violent the Second and Third Campaigns with its battles 6, 7, and 8 prior to the Fourth Campaign with the battles leading up to Badon Hill.”
“My sixth battle, as listed by Nennius, lines up well with Anglo-Saxon Chronicles entry of 514ASC:514 of Cerdic's-ore, Charford on the River Severn, being four years before the battle of Badon in 518ASC:518, but its claim that the Jutes: Stuff and Wihtgar 'put us to flight' is a lie.”
Merlyn interjects, “This supposed win is suspicious since the location name: 'Cerdic's-ore' could not have been given until Cerdic won a battle there.”
“You are right”, says Arthur, “even the Jutes are an anomaly. Having been given the Isle of Wihtgar (Isle of Wight) by Vortigern in 449ASC:449 as Federates to protect the Southern Shore, these Jutes were strangely given back this same Isle of Wight by my nemesis Cynric on the death of his father Cerdic of the Gewissei1.2 because suddenly Stuff and Wihtgar are nephewsASC:534!”
“The River Severn is Britain's longest river. It runs for 220 miles from the Welsh mountains out to the sea at the Severn Estuary through the prime agricultural lands: Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire. Clearly, the Jutes intended to conquer all of this land further up the river.”
“However, it was certainly brazen of them to think that their three ships would not have been seen by my lookouts at my fort at Gelliwig on the entrance to the Severn. Of course, I quickly dispatched my warriors up the Roman road towards Viroconium Cornoviorum at Wroxeter and they turned their boats around in flight.”
“This would be a good time to point out the absence of an entry in the Chronicle for my huge win at Badon in 518 against Cerdic and Cynric four years later. Instead, there is an entry in the next year 519ASC:519 which states: 'This year Cerdic and Cynric undertook the government of the West-Saxons; the same year they fought with the Britons at a place now called Charford. From that day have reigned the children of the West-Saxon kings'.There is 'Charford' again! Note that they did not say that they won this fight! Rather, it is more likely that they were reorganizing and licking their wounds, secretly wishing to attack at Charford again'.”
“Next the Chronicles show that in 527 Cerdic and Cynric fought with the Britons in the place that is called Cerdic's-ley. Assuming that this was a win for them, it contradicts Nennius'NEN statement that 'in all my engagements I was successful for no strength can avail against the will of the Almighty'. Perhaps this is a mistake of the second digit whereby 527 should be 537 because after Cerdic's death in 534ASC:534 comes this fateful year of my defeat at Camlann. Thus this would show this battle to be the start of Cynic's collaboration with Mordred against me.”
Merlyn adds, “Another possibility is that King Alfred10.3 of Wessex when he assembled the Chronicle in the late 9th century purposefully moved 537 to 527. Since Cerdic and Cynric of the Gewissei are believed to be the ancestors of Wessex, King Alfred, having just signed a mutual protection agreement with my descendants10.3a, might have wanted to obscure the direct relationship of their treachery in the defeat of the famous Arthur.”
“Yes, it is possible”, says Arthur, “for is important to note that Mercia, which later became a client state of Wessex, claims to have been formed around the date of this battle although this had to be later. The area of Powis, which included not only what is modern Powis in Wales, but also Shropshire and Worcestershire, in other words, all areas associated with the northern section of the River Severn, were still intact at this time. Even the Roman fort of Viroconium Cornoviorum at Wroxeter was still occupied. There must have been many supporters of Vortigern who still resented the confiscation of his lands by Ambrosius, especially the ancestors of the Gewissei.”
“The now mostly obscured Pillar Cross to Eliseg tells of the enmity against Ambrosius, having been erected by the great-grandson of Eliseg, Cyngen ap Cadell, claiming that the ancestry of Powis goes back to 'Pasgen the son of Vortigern, whom St. Germanus blessed and whom Severa bore to him, the daughter of Maximus the king who slew the king of the Romans'.”
“The background to Cerdic's15.2 and his son Cynric's obsession with Charford is that Vortigern4.8, having married Severa10.4a, the daughter of Magnus Maximus and Elen, whose father was Eudaf Hen, is that they stood to inherit vast tracts of land to the east of Gwent and north to Caernarfon. By the defeat of Vortigern, Ambrosius4.3 obtained all these lands by heredity.”
“It appears that Cerdic's father Elesa most likely corresponds to Eliseg of the Pillar of Eliseg, thus being a descendent of Vortigern and, if he is the son of Vortigern by his second wife RowenaNenVor, the daughter of the Saxon leader Hengist, then he would be the half brother to Oesc15.3 who was killed at Battle 9 at Cat's Ash. Thus his son Osla Gyllellvawr (Osla Long Knife) was Cynric's uncle.”
“Vortigern's marriage to Hengist's daughter Rowena as his second wifeNenVor had created a temporary peace, but it also later gave the Saxons under Hengist a claim by heredity to Vortigern's lands.”
“In spite of their impossible-to-pronounce Germanic names, the Saxons began to assimilate with the Britons. What resulted was a race mixture that became the Gewissei. Harboring antagonism to the Britons, they attempted to lay claim to lands that they considered rightfully theirs.”
“Thus, this minor skirmish in 527 with the Gewissei would become the catalyst for my downfall at Camlaan in 537.”
“After my defeat, they would become the powerful Kingdom of Wessex.”
“In our Third Campaign, we marched north past Hadrian's Wall.”
“There we encountered the Picts at the 'forest of Celidon, that is Cat Coit Celidon' which would be the Caledonian Forest west and north of Hadrian's Wall at Coed Celyddon11.1.”
“This Seventh Battle, also called the 'Battle of Trees', was nothing like any other. The Picts had embraced their old method of fighting naked and in so doing were able to activate their ancient secret of shapeshifting into trees. We were in constant danger of being ambushed by the trees that were in reality, armed warriors.”
“Many have wondered at the strange poem called 'Cad Goddeu', 'The Battle of Trees'11.2 and this was the battle that we fought that day.”
“Merlyn would try to use a counterspell, but there were too many trees. These trees were counted as seventy-one hundred according to the Triad of the 'Three Senseless Battles'11.3. Every tree, bush, and vine had come alive as warriors.”
“The alder trees in the first line followed by the willow and the rowan tree appearing slowly. When we advanced the plum tree and quince trees blocked our way. Then the beans and raspberry vines would silently entwine us. As we jumped across the privet hedges, the woodbine and ivy would trip us and gorse cut us.”
“Next it was the cherry tree that blocked our path protected by the strips of birch and poplar that acted as armor. The pine trees were the chiefs who surveyed the battle. They were protected by their elm tree subjects who struck us in the middle of our battle lines. The Druid oaks, decked out with holly and mistletoe, were chanting to the heavens above. Their spells were hitting us like lightning.”
“Merlyn, disguised as moss upon a tree, would counter these spells as Kai used his ability to grow as 'tall as the tallest tree in the forest.'”
“At last we were victorious. The gloomy ash and the chestnut tree retreated. We began to collect and burn these broken bodies on the ground that looked like decaying trees, full of holes. In the flames of the fire, I saw a boar running as if from the Cŵn Annwn, the Hounds of Hell, appearing, then disappearing. This was clearly an omen of a bigger battle to come, but yet there was still the second battle of this Third Campaign to be fought just below Hadrian's Wall.”
The Shaman interrupts, “Merlyn, was it your shapeshifting disguise here that caused you to have a breakdown and subsequently to wander in the woods?”
Merlyn replies, “Not here but as Merlyn Wyllt11.4 in the Annales CambriaeAC:575 at Battle of Arfderydd where Gwenddoleu was killed along with eighty hundred Cymry. Since I was still trapped in the cave trap of Nimue, I had shapeshifted there because its importance is shown in its third position in chronological order recorded the TriadTRI titled 'Three Senseless Battles of the Island of Britain'11.3 the first being 'Battle of Trees' third being: Arthur's defeat at Camlann.
I am ashamed to say that, after shapeshifting there, I suffered a breakdown. Seeing the losses, and realizing that the battle which resulted in the death of Gwendolleu, one of the 'Three Bull-Protectors of the Island of Britain', was also a mirror image of Arthur's betrayal by his cousin Mordred. His betrayers were Gwrgi and Peredur, the sons of Eliffer who would later be known as one of the 'Three Disloyal War-bands of the Isle of Britain'.”
Merlyn continues, “Shapeshifting is a heavy energy drain and the strong emotions of the losing battle overcame me. I ran off in the forest to replenish my energy, but my concentration was broken when St. Kentigern found me and I was drawn back to my prison cave.”
Merlyn continues with sadness, “If I had not suffered a breakdown I would certainly have shapeshifted two years later in 577, to assist Fernmail, the great-grandson of Arthur, at the Battle of Deorham11.5. This replay of the Battle of Badon was just 59 years after the first Battle of Badon in which Arthur was victorious. Unfortunately, Fernmail and his allies were defeated and killed resulting in the Welsh losing connection to their sister counties of Devon and Cornwall. (A later Fernmail10.3a, son of Meurig, son of Arthur II would request help from King Alfred for protection.)
Then came the Battle of Chester11.6 in 607 which would permanently divide Wales from the Old North11.7. There I witnessed some two hundred monks from the monastery at Bangor on Dee who had come to support their comrades with prayer being killed on the orders of Æthelfrith before the battle. He told his warriors to massacre the clerics because, although they were unarmed, they were praying for a Northumbria defeat.
Thus in just 100 years, the three kingdoms of Arthur8.3 would be separated leaving Wales alone.”
Merlyn starts to despair, “If only you, Arthur, could have remained king for a hundred years from 507 to 607, Wales might still encompass half of Britain!”
Arthur, trying to calm him, “Merlyn, It was inevitable that all my battle successes would be for nought. War brings peace, but peace brings war, yet it is peace that is forgotten. St. Gildas knew this when he wrote that the 'Ruin of BritainGIL' was inevitable. So now you can understand the reason that I abandoned my armor for the cloth.”
Merlyn calms a little, then says, “There was one last hope when King Cadwaladr11.8 of Gwynedd joined with the Mercian king Penda and invaded Northumbria in 632 killing the Northumbrian king Edwin.”
“But alas, Cadwaladr died from the plague in 682; too late to unify Wales.”
The Shaman interjects, “Arthur, I hope this does not offend you, but it seems that the Church has not stopped war, but caused it, also.”
Arthur replies, “Yes, but that was the Church of Rome. The Celtic Saints were rejected by Rome because they embraced all of nature. It was understood that my last battle at Camlann and Gwenddoleu's death11.3 that caused Merlyn Wylt's breakdown were called 'frivolous'. War would not be necessary if all people could understand that it is possible to live in peace if we follow our conscience and our morality which is innate in every human being.”
Arthur collects himself, “Dear Stone People, forgive me for allowing us to move forward into a future that spells disaster for my kingdom. We must come back to the present because there is still one more battle in my Third Campaign that was won with guile and the whole Fourth Campaign leading to my glorious victory at Badon Hill. I also want to tell you more about my Saint college-mates that paralleled my battles. Remember we have only the present for there is no substance in past or future; they are only memory and fate. This is the heaven that my Soul strives for when I am freed from Fame.”
“Proceed on great Arthur!” say the Stone People.
“The Second Battle of the Third Campaign, the Eighth Battle was against the Danes near the Roman fort of Vinovium12.1 at Binchester, south of Hadrian's Wall. This area would later be the northernmost portion of Danelaw that would encompass the area of northern and eastern England between the 9th to the 11th century.”
“At this point, it was a preliminary reconnaissance mission of a small group of Danes of no more than one thousand, but considering that this was the way that the Saxon invasion started in the south of Britain, the chieftains of Gododdin and Rheged had asked me to help them to evict them.”
“As the forces began to position themselves, the opposing commander rode out to meet us with a shield embossed with the image of their hero Beowulf and wearing a helmet fashioned by Angle blacksmiths. I rode out with my shield bearing the image of the Virgin Mary2.6 embossed upon it.”
“The two of us briefly engaged in combat before Kai and Bedwyr and the retainers from the opposing side separated us. By then the foot soldiers from both sides had begun to engage each other in sword to sword battle. After an hour of heavy fighting, with neither side gaining an advantage and with some of the fallen blocking any further advance, I called out to my warriors to retreat as it was also getting dark.”
“That night Merlyn and I were in our tent with a lit candle.”
“I spoke concernedly to Merlyn, 'Have you noticed the lack of fighting spirit of our warriors? I think that they are still unnerved from the previous 'Battle of Trees'. I wish there was a way to defeat the Danes without further fighting.'”
“Merlyn just spoke one word, 'Grendal!'”
“'What a strange thing to say!' I exclaimed.”
“Merlyn smiled and says to me, 'Do you remember that Danish saga of Beowulf?12.3'”
“I answered, 'Yes, I vaguely remember that Beowulf was the hero who was the only one strong enough to kill the monster Grendal.'”
Just then Merlyn stands up and begins to reenact his impression of the monster Grendal as he did in the candlelight in our tent that night. He begins gesturing with his arms menacingly, saying “I will shapeshift myself into that monster tracking the mirth of the men drinking in their mead hall. I will wait until the thanes fall asleep and creep up and lay hold of a soldier, suddenly tearing into him, biting his chest and drinking the torrents of blood that will spurt out, then devouring his feet and hands.” Then Merlyn, pretending to be that unfortunate thane, falls to the ground.
The Stone children shake in terror causing a mini-earthquake.
“Children it is just pretend”, Arthur says in a calming voice.
He gestures for Merlyn to sit down and says to him, “That surely is a gruesome image!”
“Having seen the merit of Merlyn's plan, I realized that, although his shapeshifting could not impact the physical world directly, it could like hypnotism provide access to the unconscious. Clearly, Grendal was a subconscious terror in their culture and it might easily scare them to death or cause them to run away.”
“Merlyn also suggested using Kai's dangerous pet Cath Palug12.4, the large scratching cat, that Kai found next to the Sow Henwen in Ynys Môn and still keeps in a cage. It was 'the glossy smooth cat that was deposited as a kitten into the Menai to become the molestation to the Isle of Anglesey'. The cat had almost killed Kai when he tried to pick it up, but he captured it by letting it fight its own image in his shield.”
“While it was still dark, I woke up Kai and Bedwyr and put the plan into place. Kai and Bedwyr slip Cath Palug inside one of the Danish tents and let it do its worst. We knew it was succeeding as we hear a loud scream from the tent. As Merlyn continues to shapeshift through the camp, another screams out, 'Grendal is attacking us'. Merlyn had turned into Grendal and then into Grendal's mother and then a dragon as Lancelot and Gwaine shoot flaming arrows into their tents. Now they were all screaming in panic.”
“We slipped away to wait until dawn, to see if our ruse had succeeded. As the sun rose in the foggy morning light, we saw the Danes hastily packing up and embarking on their ships. They were not to be seen again for many centuries.”
Merlyn says, “I remember how we could not stop laughing!”
Arthur says, “It was one of our treasured memories.”
The Stone People were smiling, too.
Arthur continues, “With my Third Campaign now complete and peace established for a while, I feel it is important to turn away from the discussions of war. Thus, I will now recount the tales of the peaceful activities of three important Saints in Cornwall and Brittany who were my favorite fellow students that I would one day be joining as St. Armel.”
“My fellow students would often write me about their achievements in becoming Saints. Although I must admit, at first, I was envious of their lives that could have been mine, I was grateful to hear their stories. Both St. Padarn5.9 and St. Paul5.6 would write to me in great detail. Their letters would ground me from becoming over-obsessed with war and to foolishly believe that I could retake all of Britain.”
“It was heartwarming to see that so much more could be achieved by reconciliation than by war. I remained determined to pursue a defensive-offensive position against the enemies whenever possible, rather than risk the lives of my warriors for a temporary gain.”
“It was from Padarn that I learned the story of St. Samson5.8 on Ynys Pyr, the first island in which we lived as students. Now, it is called Caldy Island where tourists can sample the special perfumes that the monks invent. He and St. Samson were on spiritual retreats there. One day some messengers arrived at the shore. St. Samson, incognito, accosted them, saying, 'What is your business here? This monastery is for Saints only.'”
“'We have come on behalf of Samson's father, Amwn Ddu (the Black), the son of Budig, He is gravely ill and his mother, Anna fears that he will die without taking confession.'”
“St. Samson replied, 'I have heard of them, but I am sorry, St. Samson is in Egypt right now.'”
“The messengers were confused, saying 'We were told that he was here! When will he return?'”
“St. Samson replied, smiling, 'Yes, perhaps in a few minutes.'”
The messengers, even more confused, asked, 'Shall we wait then?'”
“St. Samson walked away, only to return to the perplexed messengers with a satchel of his belongings, saying, 'I am ready now.'”
“What he meant is that being in Egypt was to follow the precepts of St. Anthony13.1, who lived in a cave in Egypt. He believed in staying apart from the world to fight the forces of evil by fasting and performing other ascetic practices. This is the method of the Celtic Saints.”
“Previous to this, St. Samson and St. Padarn had pondered how to balance the two commandments of Christ 'to honor one's father and mother' and 'to help one's neighbor', especially in the light of St. Antony's teaching. Hearing the talk about going to Cornwall, St. Padarn called out to St. Samson, 'Wait for me, it appears that God has decided our fate.'”
“St. Padarn decided that it was high time to accept the invitation from Caradog Strong-armed in Kelliwick, Cornwall. These relatives in Cornwall were equal cousins from my three sisters' marriagesA7.”
“St. Padarn and St. Samson took a boat from the port at Severn Estuary, sailing to the Padstow Harbor, Cornwall, where they stayed the night. In the morning they arranged to ride on two of the wagons of the monks who were bringing goods from the same ship to St. Docwin's monastery13.2. The monks were enthralled by our presence and would not stop questioning us about our college life when they heard that we had studied under St. Illtyd.”
“Sitting amongst the two wagons, piled high with goods, pulled by two donkeys, with some of the monks preceding, and others following, we traveled around the inlet to connect with the Roman road that leads east over the River Camel. The wagon was jolting along the bumpy road that had not been repaired since the withdrawal of the conquerors of the world. The bumps in many places came from the cement having worn off the paving stones underneath.”
“The road to the monastery proceeded on its long ascent across the windswept downs past the barrows that covered the dead of those ancient inhabitants of the bronze age. St. Samson began to doubt his decision and became dispirited. Was not this trip to see his father interfering with his goal of reaching spiritual perfection before his death? St. Padarn tried to lift his spirits by reminding him that God was guiding him to make the right decision.”
“At last we all arrived at the monastery. It was located in a snug well-wooded glen, with rich pastures around it. We spent the night and left in the morning, having found a driver and a cart to continue toward Camelford.”
“The rugged heights of Roughton and Brown Willy were in the distance above the stretch of the Cornish moors on their right. Since it was spring, they were ablaze with golden gorse. Far away, blue against the sky stood up the range of Dartmoor like a long wave about to roll over and submerge the intervening country. In the oak woodland the choughs and lapwings screamed about them, and ravens croaked from the twisted thorns in the meadows.”
“Upon reaching Camelford, St. Samson continued east to Tremaine and St. Padarn went south to Callington.”
“Caradog Strong-arm had invited St. Padarn to Kelliwik of Cernyw due to the new tradition of each local king needing to have both a bishop and a bard. He had St. Winwaloe as bishop, but he was getting on in years. St. Padarn was eminently qualified to fill both positions because he was also an excellent singer13.3, having received a baton and a silk choral cape from a music competition at our college at Llanillyd.”
“Kelliwik8.3 in Cornwall, as I have told you, is listed in the Triads as the second court to my Gelliwig of Cerwyn in South Wales.”
“In the end, St. Padarn did not stay at the court for long, realizing that a royal bed could not compete with the cold ground in hardening one's will to God. He returned to Wales to found a monastery at Llanbadarn Fawr, named after him.”
“When St. Samson reached Amwn Ddu's house, after embracing my sister Anna, he was immediately brought to see his father who was in bed. His father confessed to his son that he had committed evil deeds too terrible to repeat and that was why he had asked him to come. St. Samson heard his confession and absolved him of his sins and he immediately became well again.”
“St. Samson's family was so impressed with his prowess as a Saint that they asked to return with him to learn the ways of the Saints. You will hear of St. Tydecho, Samson's brother, again at the Battle of Camlann. Having arranged for them to be trained as Saints in Ireland, St. Samson returned to South Wales, bringing his father and some initiates, and founded a monastery in Stackpole, Pembrokeshire.”
“Around this time, St. Paul also traveled to Cornwall to visit King Marcus Conomorus at Castle Dore13.5, requesting to be his resident Saint. This king would later become his arch-rival as 'Conomor' in Brittany. St. Paul (better known in Brittany as St. Pol) and I, as St. Armel, would later fight this despicable king who had moved to Brittany, but not before he ruined Tristam and Iseult's
.”
“In contrast with St. Padarn, St. Paul fancied himself as having the same rights and privileges as a traditional bard at court. However, it did not take long for him to develop a dislike for this King. One particularly grievous act was to refuse to give him one of the seven bells that he used to summon the nobles to dinner. St. Paul argued that the spiritual dinner of Christ was more important than his dinner, but to no avail.”
“Finally, disgusted at his boorish behavior, St. Paul left to stay with his sister St. Wulvella who lived near the shore at Mount's Bay near Penzance.”
“Like St. Samson and St. Padarn, St. Paul was struggling to find himself as a Saint. Now, at his sister's convent, he had to smile at the path that God was setting him upon. His sister was complaining that the tides would erode her farmland each year. St. Paul, recalling his earlier experience as Illtyd's student of building dykes, soon solved the problem. The townspeople we so impressed that they named it 'Paul's Walk'.”
“During his stay in Cornwall using his skills as a shoreline engineer, he would gaze longingly at the island just offshore that could be reached at low tide, thinking of how he should visit its twin whose more famous counterpart was named Mount St. Michael to the east of Brittany. Remembering that St. Illtyd had told him of a western section of Brittany that stretched out into the sea and was mostly uninhabited, he decided to leave Cornwall and go to Brittany.”
“Battle Six at Cerdic's-ore was typical of unsuspected threats from all directions from the Saxons, Irish, and Scots and it is for this reason that many chieftains and Saints from Wales and Cornwall began to migrate to Armorica (Brittany), the sister country of Britain, to find peace. It was well-known that the powerful Merovingian French King Childebert20.1, had laid claim to all of Brittany, but he would cede territory to local rulers or Saints who swore allegiance to him. This very fact of his presence would keep the enemies at bay.”
“Having heard that bishops were needed, St. Samson was one of the first to migrate to Brittany with some of his followers. He gathered some initiates and sailed there to become its first archbishop, having the title of 'Archbishop of Dol'. By the time other Saints arrived, he had been given authority by King Childebert over all the dioceses of Brittany and collected the tribute from them to the King.”
“There is a funny story that is told about St. Padarn who after founding his Church at Llanbadarn Fawr had moved to Brittany to build a monastery at Vannes in Morbihan. St. Samson, hearing that St. Padarn was back, decided to visit him, but as a joke sent his initiate to St. Padarn to say that the archbishop was demanding that he appear before him immediately for non-payment of his tribute. Jumping out of bed, St. Padarn ran out half-clothed, with one boot and stocking on to meet St. Samson.”
“St. Samson could not help laughing at St. Padarn's undressed state, saying to him, 'I have never found any of my bishops to show such obedience to me!' They laughed and embraced, having not seen each other for many years. ”
“Meanwhile, St. Paul, making his dream of Mount St. Michael come to reality, had left from the old port in Cornwall that the Romans used to export tin to sail to Brittany with a large group of followers. He took with him a master, a deacon, a harper, and a nephew with ten others.”
“He decided to land at the far western edge of Brittany and move east along the coast towards Normandy. He choose a site where he found a natural spring of wholesome water, with fertile soil about it. These parishes became known as 'lans' thus the name of this one was Lampaul Ploudalmezou as in 'Lan Pol' after him. He organized the building of a monastery, consisting of a chapel, and thirteen little huts of turf and stone. Since there was no local chieftain over them, these earlier colonists welcomed St. Paul to organize them together ecclesiastically.”
“As his fame grew, a delegation of the Breton people came to ask him for a favor. 'Please, great Saint,' they say, 'these ancient megalithic monuments, dolmens, and menhirs of the primeval inhabitants are causing sickness to many of the children because of their evil vibrations. We petition you to please remove these stones and hurl them into the sea.'”
“He can't do that! They are our cousins!” shout the Stone Children.
“So you can imagine the quandary of St, Paul!”
Merlyn interjects, “Sounds like a job for me!”
“You might say so, Merlyn, but St. Paul was smart and avoided the need for such an impossible miracle.”
“St. Paul says to the delegation, 'Countrymen, I must confer with my Lord Jesus Christ tonight, but in the morning I promise you I will have an answer.'”
“Excellent wizardry”, says Merlyn, “delay the answer because it gives it more power.”
“In the morning, he awoke and called for the delegation, saying, 'It is the wish of Jesus to leave these former monuments unmolested, but to sanctify them by cutting them into crosses.'” The Stone Children gasp.
“The people praised him and kissed him for his great wisdom. And thus today there are many of these strange large stone crosses across the land that clearly are not neolithic.”
“That solution does not appeal to us one bit!”, says the Stone Shaman. “They will regret the day they try to cut us up!”
“Horrible!” shout the townspeople.
“You must excuse St. Paul's oversight,” says Arthur, “I do not think he ever thought that stones themselves could be people, and nor did I until now.” The Stone People nodded their heads, knowingly.
“Having heard from the delegation that there was a local chieftain, who exercised nominal rule over this section of the country, St. Paul decided to accompany them on their way back. He was anxious to obtain official permission; lest, if his monastery should lack sanction, the chieftain might exact punishment from his parishioners.”
“Traveling east, St. Paul proceeded along the north shoreline descending into the valley clefts cut by streams that find their way to the ocean and then mounting the hills in between. Finally entering the outskirts of the commune of Leon, St. Paul reached the crossing at Aber Vrach13.7.”
“It was said to be the work of the devil but was probably just an old ford used by the Romans, to cross over the powerful tidal waves that are similar to the Severn bore, which could easily snatch an unwary person. However, St. Paul wondered how the large cross could be there since he had only just suggested cutting the megaliths.”
“A chill went down his spine, thinking for a moment that it really was the work of Satan to trick unsuspecting folk into believing that the crossing was perfectly safe. In any case, he said a prayer for the protection of future travelers, and right there a fountain of clear water started to flow as if to reassure him.”
“And so, St. Paul soon reached a poor community, occupying a stony district, called Caer Wiorman, now Plouguerneau. Seeing a swine herder, and knowing that this title meant a magician, St. Paul asks, 'Can you tell me where the chief lives who claims the jurisdiction over the district?'”
“'Yes, I could take you to him, tomorrow after you have rested.' His dialect was difficult to follow but was somewhat similar to the Welsh language.”
“The swine herder conducted St. Paul to where there is now the fishing village of Roscoff and, off the coast of it, was the Isle of Batz.”
“'Here is where Count Withur lives', says the swine herder, 'He retired from active warrior status to complete a copy of the Four Gospels, transcribing them with his own hand.'”
“St. Paul is intrigued that such a spiritually inclined chieftain would be living there. He borrowed a boat and rowed across. Seeing Withur hard at work on his saintly copying in a small chapel, St. Paul says 'Greetings'.”
“Withur looks up as his eyes adjust from the close-up work on the fine etchings on the sides of the pages.”
“St Paul says, 'I am honored to meet such a spiritual man.'”
“Withur replies, 'Well, I do strive to be, as opposed to my cousins who want me to return to swordsmanship instead. My people tell me you are St. Pol. What made you decide to live in beautiful Lyonnesse?'.”
“St. Paul answers, 'I have found so many people here that I want to care for and teach'.”
“Withur replies, 'I would support such a noble aim. All I ask is that you give me guidance on what subject matter I should include in the sides of my illuminated manuscript. I have seen the work of St. Teilo and I hope mine to be as good.'”
“St. Paul says, 'I appreciate your generosity. Of course, I can offer suggestions. I must admit that I was concerned you might be like King Mark. He was the most disagreeable host, I have ever met. When I was in his service at Cornwall, I had asked him for one of his dinner bells for my church. He refused to give it to me although he had seven of them'”
“Withur replies, 'Yes, heavens no! I am sure the evil Conomor is the exception. As a matter of fact, I do have a bell that I will gladly give to you. It is bigger than a dinner bell and weighs eight pounds. It would be perfect for your church.'”
“St. Paul says, 'You are more than generous ... I once had a dream that I caught a fish, the size of the one that swallowed Jonah, and when I opened his mouth, there was a bell inside, and ever since I have wished for a bell. You have made my life complete. I promise to build a church that will make your land of Lyonesse famous. But excuse my manners, I have not introduced myself. I am St. Paul Aurelianus.'”
“Withur says, 'Oh, no wonder you feel so familiar! Your father must be Perphirius Aurelianus, and so we have the same grandfather, Gwrgant the Great.'”
“Paul says, 'That would mean that you are Gwythyr13.8, son of Owain. I apologize for not knowing who you are, your name sounded like "Withur"!'”
“'Truly God has blessed us on this day!' exclaims Gwythyr. 'Yes, those common folk speak Breton and it seems that they have as much trouble with Welsh vowels as the English.' Then laughing, 'I hope not to be withering away yet!'”
“Gwythyr adds, 'We are lacking a Saint of your caliber here. You should build a church and be our "St. Pol of Leon"'”
“'That would be my goal', says Paul.”
“Gwythyr asks, 'How is our cousin Arthur doing?'”
“St. Paul answers, 'Kingship has agreed with him. He is now as beloved as Ambrosius.'”
“Gwythyr says, 'Then I suppose next he will be looking for a queen.'”
“Just then a young girl of only twelve years appears, asking, 'Is there anything I can get for you, father, and for your guest?'”
“Gwythyr says, 'Yes, thank you, bring out our finest ale. But wait. Can you believe this man is St. Paul, your second cousin? Let me introduce my daughter Gwenhwyfar1.7.'”
“Gwenhwyfar curtseys, saying. 'Pleased to meet you, cousin.'”
“St. Paul stands, holds her hands raising her up, looking into her eyes, 'It is my honor to meet you. I believe I know the man you will marry.'”
“Gwenhwyfar blushes and answers, 'He would have to be gentle as a Saint and chivalrous as a knight like the great warrior-saint Illtyd for me to consider it.'”
“'Oh, dear daughter, you should not set your sights that high.'”
“St. Paul says, 'Why shouldn't she wish for her "prince charming" as a prince he will be'.”
“Gwythyr. says, 'Do you think so?'”
“She says, 'Do not keep me in the dark, is he a warrior of the Roundtable?'”
“'In a way, I believe so', says St.Paul.”
“Gwythyr and St. Paul wink at each other.”
“During the time that I was fighting my battles, St. Teilo5.7 formally took over the Llandaff School from Archbishop Dyfrig7.5, who had retired. Dyfrig was the nominal head of Llandaff, having expressed his desire to end his days at Ynys Enlli1.3.”
“Having always desired to have his own church, St. Teilo awakened from his sleep where an angel had told him to search for a white sow with her young pigs for that was the place that he should build it. His church at Llandeilo Fawr in Carmarthenshire would bear his name. He was famous for using stags as a replacement for oxen, having tamed two stags that he yoked together. They would offer their necks to be harnessed as he said by the direction of God. He like St. Padarn and St. David was one of 'The Three Most Compassionate Guests' in the Triad13.3.”
“St. Gildas lived a solitary life for a time on Steep Holmes in the Bristol Channel which connects to the Severn estuary. He had built himself a chapel and a cell there, having found a spring. He lived on birds' eggs and fish. Occasionally he visited St. Cadog at Llancarvan, who also returned his visits.”
“It was his routine to go into the water at midnight, where he would remain unmoved until he had said the Lord's Prayer thrice. Having done this, he would repair to his oratory and pray there on his knees unto the Divine Majesty until broad daylight. He would sleep moderately and when he did, he would lie upon a stone, clothed with only a single garment. He used to eat without satisfying his wants, contented with his share of the heavenly reward.”
“St. David5.10 founded a monastic community in Mynyw in Pembroke on the land that was deeded to his mother St.Non by her father Cynyr the Red, King of Mynyw. This original settlement was called 'Tyddewi' meaning 'David's house'. The church is now a cathedral. The misfortune of this church was that it was razed by pirates many times due to its accessibility from the harbor.”
“The monastic principles that St. David followed were very strict, encouraging his proselytes to eat just bread, vegetables, and water. Besides praying and celebrating masses, the monks cultivated the land and carried out many crafts, including beekeeping, to feed themselves and the many pilgrims and travelers who needed lodging.”
“Even after their school years, St. Gildas5.11 and St. David were still vying to be more important. Thus in 519, when St. Cadog decided to transfer the archbishopric of Caerleon in Gwent to Mynyw in Pembroke, St. Gildas attempted to become the bishop of St. David's church.”
“St. Gildas had obtained a bell that had the most beautiful and sweet-sounding ever heard and he tried to use it as leverage by giving it to St. Cadog for his church in Llancarvan. St. Cadog was unable to decide since he was best friends with both and so he suggested that they decide amongst themselves.”
“Since the squabble continued, St, Cadog had to persuade St. Finnian13.9, his friend and colleague, to come over from Ireland to arbitrate. St. Finnian was famous for restoring the mission of St. Patrick in Ireland having as many as 3,000 pupils. He ruled in St. David's favor because after all St. David had built the Church.”
“The story of obtaining the famous bell began when St. Gildas decided to go to Ireland to visit St. Brigid.”
“When one looks at the small boats that the Saints used, it is amazing that any of them made it to their destinations, what with storms and robbers in every port. One auspicious day St. Gildas decided to visit Ireland and found two monks and set sail with them.”
“A fierce wind started to blow and the monks were afraid and started to argue amongst themselves as to whether they should continue or go back.”
“St. Gildas, understanding that God was about to intervene, says 'Let me manage the rudder, and the two of you join with me in singing Prime.'”
“The monks looked confused and it was then that St. Gildas knew that they were not men of the cloth, but robbers.”
“One of them, flying into a rage, exclaimed: 'Confound your Prime!' Just at that moment, a huge gust of wind caught the sail, twisting the boat around and the boom knocked both robbers overboard. Unfortunately, the mast had snapped in two, allowing the sail to blow away.”
“After that, the wind died down leaving St. Gildas alone in the boat. Knowing that he was under God's protection, he spread his cloak upon the half of the mast still standing and attached the other end to his staff, continuing his journey with prayers of thanks to God.”
“Having reached Ireland, St. Gildas was impressed with St. Brigid's charitable and humble nature. Her monastery was located on the clay ridge that rises above the plain of Magh Breagh in Kildare. The church called Cill Dara was surrounded by a huge wide-spreading oak of vast age that grew upon it.
The unique aspect of St. Brigid's monastery was that it was co-ed with the men on one side and the females on the other. To accomplish this St. Brigid had convinced a hermit named Conlaeth to be the abbot. He was a notable artificer in metals and diversified his time between prayer, study, and hammering out bells. This is how St. Gildas obtained the bell.”
“St. Gildas finally left Wales for greener pastures and established a monastery at Rhuys, Brittany. Later on, toward the end of St. Brigid's life, he would meet St. Brigid again because she had established a church nearby.”
“The year was 517 and I was 35A5. It was a year before the Battle of Badon15.1 for for which I am known. Perhaps, it was the mid-point of my life or near the end. In these times to live to be seventy years was a feat; and for a warrior, a miracle. So far, I was mostly a figurehead for my brave warriors to fight behind. If I fought side by side, my guards protected me. We were fighting for our wives and children, but now I was not sure anymore what I was fighting for.
For a few years I had been content with my child bride Gwenhwyfar that St. Paul had found in Brittany. She had given me a son, named Llacheu14.2, but he had died fighting alongside Kai. Since that time Gwenhwyfar has been distant from me and especially since she was not able to conceive again.
I could not help feeling discouraged when I looked at my life so far: Had I really achieved anything since rejecting my path of becoming a Saint which I had done mostly to satisfy my parents' wishes. After my eight battles, there was nothing that I would be remembered for except that my kingdom continues to exists in relative peace. But, as any leader knows that unless there is a great military triumph, a country could be judged as weak. Certainly, I could dream about following in the footsteps of my ancestor Magnus Maximus or his son Constantine to become emperor of Rome4.7b but that would be foolhardy. I wondered if I should have avenged the death of my grand uncle Ambrosius Aurelianus4.3 and pushed the enemy back from Amesbury? Was it caution or fear that stopped me?
The characters of my court at Gelliwig were amusing like Gilla the leaper, Sol who could stand on one foot all day, Gwadyn Ossol who could stomp down the hills, Gwadyn Odyeit, who could start a fire with his hands, Drem, who could shoot a gnat in the morning sun, and even a man who claimed to be the anachronistic William the Conqueror, who ridiculously volunteered to fight the Twrch Trwyth14.3!
Then there were also the hangers-on like Prince Fflewddur Fflam, who preferred to stay at my court rather than to rule his own lands in the North, or Ruawn Pebyr who had the distinction of being ransomed for the highest amount of gold and thus being one of the 'Three Great Golden Corpses' in the TriadsTRI.
However, quite suddenly I was aroused from my morose thoughts when a young man, Culhwch14.4, mounted on a dabbled grey mare with a golden bridle and saddle, demanded that the gatekeeper let him into my court. He was claiming to be a relative of mine, but the gatekeeper was not letting him in.”
“The gatekeeper Glewlwyd Strong Grip14.5 is saying, 'What is your history young man? Only brave knights or those of noble blood are allowed into the court of King Arthur.'”
“'I am Culhwch of noble blood, being related to Arthur's sisters' husbands, the sons of Emyr LydawA7.'”
“'In what palace were you born?', asked the gatekeeper, beginning to open the gate.”
“'My mother gave birth to me in a field surrounded by wild boars.'”
“'What is that you say!' replies the puzzled gatekeeper as he quickly shuts the gate. 'Did you just say you were born in a pigsty? Be gone with you then. Even if we threw you into a bath, you would not be fit to be present even at the servant's table.'”
“'I am proud to be born amongst swine. Has not your King told you of the significance of pigs to the Saints who considered them a good omen, such that they founded whole settlements at the sighting of a wild boar? And have you not heard of the Prodigal Son who slept with pigs?'”
“Glewlwyd Strong Grip replies, 'Our Arthur is no longer a Saint, and such things have little importance to a King. Do you have anything that relates to the King's business?'”
“'But I am sure the King will help me. It is a matter of true love. My stepmother, after my mother's death, wanted me to marry my stepsister, but I have fallen in love with a girl called Olwen, although I have never met her.'”
“'You have never met her! Arthur is in no mood to deal with unrequited love. He has enough of it with Gwenhwyfar and the disrespectful cousin Mordred hanging around. Go solve your own love life.'”
“'But, I cannot succeed without the help of the King. You must understand that the Olwen of my dreams is real and her father the giant Yspathaden14.6 kills all her suitors. He is an ally of the son of Taredd Wledig from Ireland, who was changed by magic into a boar called Twrch Trwyth14.3.'”
“The gatekeeper opens the gate a little, but then, thinking better of it, stops.”
“Culhwch desperately shouts, 'Arthur must see me! It is of grave danger to the kingdom!'”
“Kai9.2 comes out and asks. 'What is the ruckus?'”
“Glewlwyd Strong Grip says to him, 'He claims to be Arthur's cousin, but he comes from a pigsty and claims that a boar from Ireland is the father of his true love.'”
“Merlyn overhears and asks, 'Glewlwyd Strong Grip, what is this banter about a pig? I recently had a dream in which our enemies the Gewissei1.2 turned into pigs. If he is Arthur's cousin, the King will want to see him and also to hear about his pigsty birth.'”
“Kai opens the gate all the way and Culhwch, still frustrated, does not dismount, but rides into the palace.”
“My warriors spring to their feet to protect me, saying, 'Get down from your horse!'”
“Culhwch, having dismounted, embarrassed at his action, says, 'Oh King, please excuse my disgraceful entrance. I was afraid that your gatekeeper would not let me in. Please, Arthur, I am Culhwch, your cousin, I have come to ask you if you will make me your godson. If so I would like to request a boon from you to help me marry my true love, Olwen.'”
“Embracing him, I say, 'Dear cousin, I have heard of you, son of Celyddon Wledig. My heart warms unto thyself as your steadfast determination reminds me of myself. However, why does your name mean "slender pig"!'”
“Culhwch smiles, 'Yes, my name is my fate to have been born in a pigsty, but I am in love with Olwen, although only in my dreams.'”
“I replied, 'To see the love of your life in your dreams is the truest kind of love. My ancestor Magnus Maximus also dreamed of my great, great, great, grandmother named Elen4.7, and traveled all way to Caernarfon the find her. Culhwch, I will grant thee your boon'.”
“And then in the traditional way, I combed his hair with a golden comb with loops of silver, and cut his hair with my silver scissors, saying 'Whatsoever boon thou shall ask or that thy tongue shall name, thou shall receive from me. I pledge this truth to Heaven and the Faith of my kingdom.'”
“Thus my discouragement was over. Little did I know that this was God's wakeup call; for behind the scenes the Saxons and Gewissei were preparing to launch a full-scale attack against my kingdom. A knightly quest was about to begin at the behest of Culhwch and his love for Olwen and for the rescue of Mobon. The battle of Badon would not be fought in open fields with armies but fought and won in the forests and rivers of South Wales. Once the enemy was completely demoralized and weakened I could almost charge up Badon Hill myself.”
“On the next day, I introduce Culhwch to my trusted warriors at my Roundtable and there Merlyn offers us his sage advice, 'I believe that Culhwch's arrival is fortuitous as our enemy the Gewissei, having turned to pigs in my dream, foretells of a grave danger. For Culhwch to have arrived at this time, shows that his quest must be linked to the discovery of their intentions against us'.”
“I ask, 'Who of my warriors will fulfill the promised boon to Culhwch?'”
“Kai says, 'I will gladly accept!'”
“Bedwyr9.3 chimes in, 'Where Kai goes, I go!'”
“Lancelot says, 'I, Llenlleawg9.4 from Ireland, across the raging sea, is at your service!'”
“Gwaine says, 'I, Gwalchmai9.5, hawk of battle, will go, too!'”
“Merlyn says, 'I, Menw1.1 will be glad to watch over these champions. However, I believe that I should first shapeshift to the castle of Olwen's father, Yspaddaden Penkawr. He is known to shoot visitors with poison darts.'”
“Merlyn transports himself astrally to Yspaddaden's castle and searches out his daughter Olwen.”
Arthur stops and looks over to Merlyn, “You must tell us what you found.”
Merlyn stands up to speak, “This is what I said to Olwen, 'There is a prince Culhwch, cousin of King Arthur, who, having seen you in a dream, will not rest until he can have your hand in marriage.'”
“Olwen replied, 'I would really like to meet him, but alas, no previous suitor has succeeded in this because my father requires that forty tasks14.7 must be completed and no man has been able to complete them without dying.'”
Merlyn continues, “Olwen says, 'I can give you the list of these forty tasks, but the most important is to retrieve the scissors and comb together with a razor14.8 that are between the ears of a boar called Twrch Trwyth. These would be used on Yspathaden to make him presentable for his daughter's wedding and thus he will give my hand in marriage. My father insists that all the tasks must be completed, but perhaps the razor is the key because, like Sampson, the giant, in the Bible, he might lose his strength as when Delilah shaved his head. Then he could be easily overpowered. Still, I fear for their lives.'”
“Merlyn answered her, 'Ah, but our questers are the finest from all of Arthur's kingdom, and their success is assured. You should prepare your bridal dress now because your marriage will be consummated within the space of a year!'”
“Olwen kissed me, saying, 'You are the greatest magician in all the world.'”
“She was right.” says Merlyn smiling. “So I returned back and showed the list of forty tasks to Arthur's champions. Reading the list, they grumbled amongst themselves as they divided the tasks between them. They were all discouraged, knowing that it would take forever to complete them.”
“Culhwch, seeing their apprehension, says, 'It will be easy for me to accomplish these' ... The warriors laugh at his naivety.”
Merlyn says, “I attempted to diffuse their growing despondency, saying, 'Olwen indicated to me that the scissors and the comb, and the razor (that I see now has been suspiciously left off the list) is the most important. Therefore, the accomplishment of all of the forty tasks may not be necessary. It is true that to get these three items from between the ears of Trwyth, the son of Taredd Wledig will be hard, especially because its bristles are poisonous. However, having collected these three items, we should be able to defeat her father and fulfill Arthur's boon for Culhwch to marry Olwen and also to help to further our objective to defeat the Twrch Trwyth.'”
Arthur says, “Thank you Merlyn, That was good advice. I will continue now.”
Arthur continues,“In reviewing the tasks, I called attention to task number 26 which reads,:
I explained to the questers that Mabon son Modron, is in the Triad as one of "The Three Exalted Prisoners of the Island of Britain" and his mother Modron is my grandmother Morgana. The fact that he is the most important huntsman and houndsman in the world makes him essential to the capture and defeat of the Twrch Trwyth that Merlyn dreamt about.”
“I ask Culhwch, 'Would it be acceptable to postpone the capture of the scissors, comb, and razor until Mabon is found and freed?'”
“'Of course, that is logical,' answers Culhwch, 'I will gladly defer to your request to help our cause.'”
“I ask the questers, 'Are we agreed?' They say 'Yea!'”
Now, I look over to Merlyn, asking, “Is it all right if I tell the story of this quest? Since my bards have sung its triumphs to me many times, I wish to tell it so that I can pretend that I was there.”
“Of course, Arthur”, Merlyn answers, “I know how much you wished to have been on this quest.”
“Next, Merlyn, proposed a strategy for the beginning of the quest, speaking, thusly, 'If we accept that Mabon is hidden in the underworld, then we must connect to the ancient "Circle of Animals"14.1. This circle is actually a spiral that unites our world with the Otherworld of the fairies and elves, and the world of the dark lord Gwyn ap Nudd16.10. Seven is a sacred number and, like the octave, its completion is at eight.'”
“'Part of this circle is revealed in the "Triad of Three Elders of the World: The Owl of Cwm Cowlwyd, the Eagle of Gwernabwy, and the Blackbird of Celli Gadarn". Although this Triad only mentions three, there would have to be eight to complete the octave. We must ask one of the three elders where to proceed to the next one. Since the Blackbird lies just north of us at the beginning of Gwyn ap Nudd's kingdom, I suggest that this would be a good place to begin.'”
“Culhwch says, 'This adventure sounds as complicated as my quest for Olwen; nay, more like a quest for the Holy Grail! Count me in.'”
“Kai, Bedwyr, Lancelot, Gwaine, and Merlyn cheer, 'Here's to the Holy Grail!'”
“Merlyn says, 'I will collect Cynddylig14.9 to be our guide and Gwrhyr14.10 to be our translator and that makes eight champions for eight animal Elders.'”
“I send them off, saying 'May God speed my brave warriors on this quest.'”
“Having set out, the questers traveled north from Gelliwig to find the Blackbird of Cilgwri. The Blackbird spotted us from a stone ring saying in his sweet-toned voice, 'How are you, travelers? What brings you to my wood?'”
“Speaking to the Blackbird, Merlyn says, 'We were searching for Mabon, the son of Modron. He was stolen from his mother three days after he was born.'”
“The Blackbird answers, 'I have seen Modron, the grandmother of Arthur, collecting bluebells and gilliflowers, not far from here.'”
“The Blackbird continues, 'But I have never seen her son Mabon. Perhaps you should ask the Stag of Rhedynfre who lives north of here in the forest near the red brick castle of Holt.'”
“The questers could have listened to the Blackbird sing all day, but Kai was anxious to go on and stood up abruptly. He gets up on his lively steed 'Chestnut Long-Neck', spurring him off at a gallop.”
“'Thank you, Blackbird for your beautiful song', says Culhwch, and they all try to catch up to Kai.”
“Having reached the red brick castle, Bedwyr spotted the Stag of Rhedynfre who had run from the charging Kai. He rode slowly towards him, saying. 'We do you no harm. We just need to ask you a question.'”
“The Stag came back and Merlyn petted his head, saying, 'Do you know where Mabon son of Modron could be? He was stolen just three days after he was born.'”
“The Stag answers, 'It sounds to me that you will never find him until you talk to Rhiannon14.12
She has been searching for her son Gwri of the Golden Hair, who also was stolen three years after he was born. I saw her only yesterday. I will find her for you.' And off he dashed.”
“Shortly, a beautiful woman arrayed in gold silk brocade riding a shining white horse, appeared in the distance. Before they could blink, she had ridden right up to them.”
“Lancelot, clearly enamored by her beauty was the first to speak. 'Have you found your son yet?'”
“Bursting into tears, Rhiannon answers, 'Alas, I have not found him in all these years and everyone believes that I killed him.'”
“Merlyn says to her, 'I do believe that I know where your child is. There is person Teyrnon, the lord of Gwent-Is-Coed, where we just came from. He told me that he found a lost boy with hair yellow as gold.'”
“Rhiannon's eyes light up, saying, 'Oh, dear Wizard, if that be my son I will be forever grateful! Tell me more about the child that you search for. Does the Stag think that this child's story is similar to mine? People always say that the disappearance of a child is the work of the fairy folk who need them to replenish their race, but I refuse to believe that, as you must. If Mabon is alive, he will most likely be in the world between worlds that I traverse, but the Owl of Cwm Cowlydd knows more than I do'”
“Then turning her horse towards the south, she says, 'Sorry I cannot stay. I am sure you understand.' And disappears.”
“The group travel towards the west to Snowdonia and find a lake called Llyn Cowlyd. There is a rock on the north side of the lake where the Owl is sleeping.”
“The Owl opens one eye and stares at the questers. 'Excuse us Owl', says Gwaine. 'Rhiannon told us that, since you fly at night to the realm of the fairies at Betws-y-Coed, you might have seen Mabon son of Madron.'”
“The Owl opens both eyes and ruffles his feathers, saying, 'Hoot, hoot, I woold if I coold. I have watched the fairies dance in the Fairy Glen to the light of the moon and talked to the Green Man who comes out of the rock wall at night, but I have not seen a child. Perhaps the Eagle of Gwern Abwy can help you. He lives in Aberdaron next to the Island of 1,000 Saints. He can spot a mouse from the highest cloud and perhaps he has seen Mabon son of Modron.'”
“Passing the rock of Dylan Eil TonMAB
“Gwaine, using his hawk essence, seems to glide up to the top. Cynddylig the guide and Gwrhyr the translator clambered up the rocks behind him. The Eagle, turns its head when he sees them and, being very ancient, speaks a dialect that only Gwrhyr could understand.”
“The Eagle words translated say, 'I have been as far as the Severn Sea since the beginning of time, but Mabon of Madron, I have not seen. I did wonder when I flew overhead if I had heard his cries, but it might have been the wind. You are right that he must be a prisoner in that mysterious land below the sea. I suggest that you talk to the Giant Toad of Ynys Fach Llyffan Gawr on Dinas Island in Pembroke, who once lived in Cantrev y Gwaelod before it was submerged under Cardigan Bay. This place is known to be the land of the fairies and elves'.
'Tell the Toad, I said hello. He will remember me as I almost ate him last time I was there, but he jumped away.'”
“Having reached the Toad, Gwrhyr the translator, had to talk to him using sentences of croaking noises as the Toad was not able to speak in words.”
“Gwrhyr's translates what the Toad told him, 'The only way to find Mabon is to enter the Psychic Realm. I would be glad to administer the required psychedelic drug from my tongue; just hold me up next to our mouths.'”
“You can imagine the disgust of the group as we allowed the toad to flick his tongue into our mouths, but we quickly entered dreamtime before we had a chance to get sick to our stomachs.”
“The next thing we found ourselves sitting on end of the peninsula that is called Worm's Head on the south end of the Gower peninsula where the dragon sleeps. He did not sleep long. For when he saw us arrive, he rushed toward us.”
“Seeing Merlyn, the dragon stopped. He was so excited that, when he spoke, he would breathe fire between every sentence and consequently kept his head facing the sea to avoid burning us.”
“'Welcome, dear Dragon', Merlyn says. Bedwyr turns to Merlyn saying, 'Why is he is not red with a larger mouth?'”
“The dragon calms down and says, 'I imagine you are looking for my cousin Ddraig Goch. I am a Babylonian dragon14.13. I used to sleep on the blue tiles of the Ishtar Gate. When those wanna-be Arthurian knights of a later time were killing all the dragons, I swapped places with my cousin. Now he sleeps in the green and white of the Welsh flag.'”
“Lancelot speaks to him, 'I am pleased to meet you, Dragon. I assure you that I have no desire to kill you. I respect all mythical creatures. We are searching for Mabon of Modron. We think that he exists in your realm, Can you tell us where he is?'”
“The Dragon answers, 'Oh, yes. I hear his cry from here. He is a prisoner in the Nodens Temple on the Severn River. Ddraig Goch tells me that you can only reach him by riding upon the back of the Boar who leads the Wild Hunt upon the Severn bore, pursued by the Cŵn Annwn, the Hounds of Hell.'”
“'I would think that to be impossible!' says Gwaine. 'Sounds as perilous as my encounter with the Green Knight.'”
“'Not impossible, but perhaps improbable', the Dragon says. 'There is a solution to this and that would be known by the Salmon of Llancarfan, the familiar spirit of St. Cadog.'”
“'Thank you, great Dragon. Till we meet again,' Merlyn says, as we depart to Llancarfan.”
“Of course, you already know that St. Cadog was Arthur's college friend. We found him supervising the building of his latest Church in this amazing glen filled with daffodils.”
“'Hello, St. Cadog', says Kai. 'We have been sent by Arthur to find his uncle Mabon.'”
“St. Cadog says, 'The fairies tell me that he was born by using the dark magic that his mother Morgan le Fay once practiced. I would be careful not to arouse the ire of Gwyn ab Nudd or he may not allow Mabon to be released.'”
“St. Cadog takes them to his favorite fishing stream and calls to the Salmon, 'Please, great Salmon of Llancarfan14.14, Could you rest a while from your struggle upstream and talk with us?'”
“'Yes, gladly', says the Salmon. 'I overheard your conversation and I would tell you that, once you are on the Boar's back, the journey up the River Severn will be easy with the Severn bore pushing you. Be sure to be blessed by St. Cadog so that the Hounds of Hell can not catch you. The Boar will be too concerned about running from the Cŵn Annwn so Kai and Bedwyr can easily jump on his back.' St. Cadog give us his blessing.”
“Kai and Bedwyr are standing on the Bedwin Sands at the mouth of the Severn River as black clouds cover the sky and the Hounds can be heard in the distance. Suddenly there is a loud swishing sound as the Severn bore approaches, the Boar that was wallowing in the mud unaware14.15 quickly looks up ready to run in panic. Kai and Bedwyr jump on his back.”
“The other questers on high ground start banging their swords on their shields to encourage the Boar to swim fast. They watch as the heads of Kai and Bedwyr disappear in behind the huge wave of the Severn Bore as it takes them up the river clinging to the Boar's ears. On the shore of the Severn at the Temple of Nodens, Kai and Bedwyr are thrown off the Boar's back.”
“Bedwyr struggles to shore and starts to approach the Temple as he calls out to Mabon. A voice is heard from behind the gate of the temple saying, 'I am Mabon. Help me I am being kept here as a prisoner!'”
“Suddenly, Kai appears flying on the back of a huge Black Swan, having been rescued from almost being thrown against a rock. Landing on the other side of the prison gate inside, Kai dismounts and opens the gate for Bedwyr then Mabon14.16 appears.”
“Bedwyr says to him, 'Mabon, at last, we have found you! Arthur sends greetings. He requests your help in his hunt of the Twrch Trwyth14.3 for you are "as quick as Apollo and as skilled as his twin sister Diana, the goddess of the Hunt. You are the only one who could hold the dreaded Drudwyn, the whelp of Greid son of Eri, using the leash of Cors Hundred-claws and the collar of Canhastyr Hundred-hands".'”
“Mabon says, 'It sounds as if I am famous already! I will gladly help my nephew Arthur.'”
“Kai and Bedwyr and Mabon and the other questers travel the short distance south to Gelliwig. Mabon is given a hero's welcome. I hug Mobon and say 'Let us make a feast in his honor and reward the questers with pints of ale.'”
“They all take turns recalling their favorite parts of the adventure at the Roundtable. When it came to Kai's telling of how he had ridden the Black Swan, everyone was enthralled, but mystified.”
“Merlyn says, 'Mabon you must tell us how it is that you have been imprisoned all these years.'”
“Mabon replies, 'Kai, you have been honored to ride the Black Swan. He is Gwyn ap Nudd16.10'.”
“The voices of the revelers immediately are silent as they stare at each other in dread; aware that Gwyn ap Nudd is the king of the Otherworld where the fairies and elves exist.”
“Mabon says, 'Do not be afraid, I am his son, a demigod. You see Arthur's grandmother Modron, in her early days before she married Gwrgant the Great, had dabbled in ancient dark magic. Wishing to have a child, she chanted a spell that caught Gwyn ap Nudd's attention. Finding her quite beautiful and desirable, he, as his brother Zeus had done before, turned himself into a swan, but being of the Otherworld the swan was black, not white. She fell in love with him and later she was found with child.'”
“Mabon continues, 'Upon my birth, Modron was ashamed and prayed to Gwyn ap Nudd to hide Mabon away and three days later a black swan arrived and put him in a basket, like the storks use to bring the newborns, and flew away. No one had heard of him since, but his legend was told by all the bards of how he had been taken away when only three days old.'”
“I say, 'We are glad you are back safe and sound!'”
“Kai says, 'Apparently, Gwyn ap Nudd had taken a great interest in our quest since no one else was able to complete it. Even if other questers made it to the Salmon of Llancarfan, they never went further. It has always been claimed that two men must ride the 'Salmon of Llancarfan', to complete the Circle, but people laughed at this because the Salmon would have been crushed like a filet.'”
“Bedwyr adds, 'No one knew that the solution was to ride the Boar! By not completing the "Circle of Animals", they never rode the Boar up the Severn River as Kai and I did, and thus never reached Gwyn ap Nudd's sacred temple at Nodens. His reward for our valor in completing the Circle was to release Mobon.'”
“I asked all the questers to come forward and gave my congratulations to Kai, Bedwyr, Gawain, Lancelot, Merlyn, Culhwch, Cynddylig, and Gwrhyr for their questing skills.”
“I addressed the court, 'Now we can use this knowledge to our advantage in this impending Campaign. Having unraveled the "Circle of Animals" and restored the Boar to the Circle, we will be able to use the "Boar of the Severn Bore" and Mobon's skill to succeed against the Twrch Trwyth.'”
“The people of the court cheer” and so do the Stone People!
“Dear Stone People, we have come, at last, to the Battle of Badon15.1 that would forever define me as the greatest warrior of the Dark Ages.”
Arthur continues, “First, I must briefly correct some misconceptions of my famous battle for, if one were to read the Annales CambriaeAC or the brief references of GildasGIL and BedeBE, it would seem that this battle just consisted of me charging up Badon Hill and single-handedly defeating the enemy.”
“Even after a careful reading of NenniusNEN it would be clear that it consisted of at least four actual engagements: battles nine through twelve, starting with the battle at the City of Legion (Caerleon), then the battle on the west bank of the River Severn at Llyn Liuan, then across the River Severn at the battle of Catbrain Hill (Bristol), and then ending with the battle at Badon Hill (Solsbury Hill, Bath).”
“What has been left out of history are the preliminary skirmishes between the combined forces of the Gewissei and the Saxons as they marched across South Wales from Pembroke to the Severn estuary. It is the bravery of my warriors in these preliminary skirmishes against the Gewissei led by Cerdic and Cynric15.2 and the Saxons led by Oesc and Octha15.3 that weakened and split up their forces, leading to their inevitable defeat at Badon.”
“So far we have touched upon sections of the Bardic tale: 'Culhwch and Olwen'CO and now we will cover its secondary title 'The Hunt for the Twrch Trwyth'. The second tale: 'The Dream of Rhonabwy'DR fits chronologically after it. These have been remembered since my time, having been written down in the 12th century and collected under the title of the MabinogionMAB. These two metaphoric tales about a 'Hunt for a Wild Boar' and a 'Battle of Ravens' still accurately describe the history of the Battle of Badon.”
“You will see that the encounters with the hounds and the boars of the 'Hunt of the Twrch Trwyth' are real engagements between the enemy warriors and our warriors, rather than what on the surface would seem to be about a 'boar hunt', similar to the fanfare of our modern fox hunt. Many of the names of the places were named after these skirmishes, rather than the reverse as is often believed.'”
“Dig your feet into the ground or as the moderns say 'hold on to your chairs', for you are about to watch the real Battle of Badon before your very eyes in living 3D color!”
Merlyn jokes, “Wait! Should we take a break to pick some blueberries?”
The Stone people shout, “No, our attention is fixed to the ground!”
Arthur continues, “Having found Mabon14.16, the best hunter in the world, I sailed to Ireland with Merlyn and a contingent of warriors. The purpose of this trip was to discover more about the origin and aims of the Gewissei1.2. I have already mentioned their ancestral connection with Vortigern who came from Ireland and they seemed to have an affinity with the Twrch Trwyth14.3 having the wild boar as their coat of arms. A derogatory meaning to the Twrch Trwyth is 'pig piss'.”
This causes a giggle from the younger Stone Children.
“We had come to Ireland on the advice of St. Samson who was there to set up the spiritual training of his father and family to become Saints.
He had written me that he had unraveled the origins of the Gewissei. With Cerdic and Cynric15.2 having ancestral connections with Vortigern4.8, St. Samson suspected they might be gathering distant relatives in Ireland to attack the soft underbelly of Cambria in South Wales.”
“St. Samson was at the dock and we embraced. He says, 'It is wonderful to see you again. I am sorry that I have not found time to visit you at Gelliwig being somewhat of a recluse.'”
“I laugh, saying 'I have heard that! I too, am glad to meet again. I want to know everything about your saintly missions.'”
“Taking me aside with Merlyn, St. Samson says, 'My fellow Saints have heard that the Twrch Trwyth have recruited many princes thirsting for battle and that their departure is imminent! I would advise Merlyn to run reconnaissance immediately.15.4 using his shapeshifting ability'.”
“What he found was worse than Samson suspected.”
Looking over to Merlyn, I say, “Why don't describe in your own words what you did and what you found'.”
Merlyn says, “Yes, I would be glad to do this: First, I put myself in a trance, then I disguised myself as a wren whose two legs, they say, Medyr the son of Methredydd could in a twinkling, shoot an arrow through from Gelliwig to Leinster in Ireland. Flying over the camp, I saw the huge force of the Twrch Trwyth that were assembled there and in my trance state, they looked like pigs with golden helmets!”
“In my trance, I determined that, in addition to the leader Trwyth, there were seven piglet commanders: four were called Gwys, Banw, Benwig, and one, which I did not get the name of, with three others who were the most ferocious: Twrch Llawin, Grugyn Gwallt Ereint (Silver Bristle) and Llwydawg Govynnyad (the Ferocious).”
“Now, Grugyn Silver Bristle had bristles like silver wire so that whether he went through the wood or through the plain, he could be traced by the glittering of his bristles. He stood up to talk to the commanders, 'I blame Arthur for causing us to suffer as swine and I tell you now that if Arthur attempts to take the comb, and the razor, and the scissors which are between the two ears of Twrch Trwyth it will cost him his life.' Next, Llwydawg the Ferocious stood up exhorting the commanders, 'In the morning we will rise up hence, and we will go into Arthur's country, and there will we do all the mischief we can.'”
“Before I left, I searched for the precious comb, razor, or scissors believed to be between the two ears of Twrch Trwyth, but I could not find any of them. In my search, I brushed past the bristles and one bristle stuck to me and its poison began to enter my body. Fortunately, being in the Spirit state, the poison had no effect since I quickly returned back to my physical state, but it did bring a prophecy to my mind:”
I smile and say, “Ah, yes, Merlyn, a homonym of the bore and boars.”
One of the Stone Children asks, “What is the bore?”
“This riddle will be revealed soon enough.”, I answer.
The Stone People talk amongst themselves, each giving their own theory. Some of their expressions showed that they figured out the prophecy. All sat with anxious attention.
“Given Merlyn's assessment, I agreed that we should attack them immediately. It was clear that their possession of scissors, comb, and razor was the key to their psychic strength and that we should obtain them at all cost.”
“Having formed a search party, we found their camp deserted. We quickly returned to our ships to set sail, hoping to catch them. Then, as we approached the Cambrian shore, we sighted St. David in a small boat.”
“Pulling him aboard, we could see that he was agitated. Without even greeting me, he immediately says, 'The Gewissei have landed at Porth Cleistt1 in Pembroke and I fear that they will ransack my Church at Mynyw!'”
“Waving to my uncle Hywel9.1 from Cornwall, I gestured for him to come near so that his son Derfel Gadarn17.12 could board his ship with instructions to sail with Caradog Strong-armed7.4 and the other warriors from Cornwall and Somerset to the Severn Estuary to prevent a sneak attack on my fort at Gelliwig, while I battled the Gewissei in Pembroke. I also instructed them to send word to mobilize my allies15.6 to join me.”
“Sadly, as we approached the coast, we could see that St. David's Church was in flames.”
“Having landed at Porthmawr15.7 we marched quickly to Mynywtt2, but the Twrch Trwyth had already left. We had only to search for survivors.”
“Arriving at the Church, St David could hardly hold back the tears, saying, 'Why must the enemies always attack my Church? Fortunately, even though the Church is in flames they were in such a hurry that, by the grace of God, our monks were able to flee.'”
“'I am so sorry', I say, 'I will avenge this.'”
“St David, collecting himself, replies, 'We are resilient, gold and silver ornaments are nothing compared to our determination to rebuild again. I will ask the monks what direction they went.'”
“A monk points toward Milford Haventt3. And so we began our chase15.8 of the Twrch Trwyth.”
“It was an amazing sight to see my men on horseback and the hunting dogs racing forward with the hunting horns sounding as they would in a fox hunt. In front on the left side were Eli and Trachmyr, my chief huntsmen, with the two dogs bred by Glythmyr Ledewic. On the right side was Mabon ap Modron, whom Kai and Bedwyr had rescued from prison, riding the white horse Mygdwn of Gweddw, holding the leash of the dog Drudwyn, which was bred by Greid the son of Eri.”
“In the center was Bedwyr riding a dappled gray horse holding the leash of my dog Cabal followed by Kai riding his horse Chestnut Long-Neck, Gwaine riding his horse Slender-Hard, and Lancelot riding Beric as they pursued the Gewissei. Garanwyn the son of Kai and Amren the son of Bedwyr were there, too. Not far behind I rode my horse 'Llamrei' with my foot soldiers, who were singing. 'Kill the Gewissei pigs!'”
“The horsemen and dogs set upon some of the Gewissei at Canastontt4, Narberth, as they were rounding up cattle for their evening meal. Surprised and outnumbered, they rushed off before my foot soldiers arrived.”
“This would not be the first time that they would escape as it would soon become clear that trying to catch them would be like trying 'to hold on to a greased pig'. They would avoid pitched battles, but preferred to use guerilla tactics: to surprise, fight, and run.”
“The Gewissei would again escape engagement at two other places that are named after me: Buarth Arthur (Meini Gwyr)tt5 in the mountains of Carmarthenshire and Arthur's Table (Bwrdd Arthur, Gwal Y Filiast)tt6 near Llangynderyrn, Carmarthenshire.”
“At this point, the Gewissei were racing for higher ground. They raced across Foel Cwmcerwyn of the Preseli Mountains. Craig Rhos-y-Felin on the north side of the Preseli Hills is the site of the quarry where the similar blue stones to Stonehenge can be found.”
“My huntsmen, with my dog Cabal held by Bedwyr in the lead, with Kai alongside raced down towards a glen by the River Neverntt7. Below them, they could see that the Gewissei had formed a battle line on the other side of the river. Kai called out for the huntsmen and dogs to stop as Bedwyr held Cabal back. They were waiting for the foot soldiers, who were not far back.”
“Unfortunately, four of my horsemen, unable to rein in their horses and dogs from sheer momentum, rode across the River Nevern to attack the enemy. Berth the son of Kado, Rheidwn the son of Beli, Iscovan Hael, and Iscawin the son of Panon, were swallowed up by the opposing line and their blood turned the river red.”
“My son Gwydre shouted, 'We must revenge their death. Who is with me?' and urging his horse forward attacked with his lance aimed at Trwyth, their leader. His lance only grazed the boar commander and Gwydre was hacked down. Garselit, the Irish huntsman; Glew the son of Ysgawd; and Iscawyn the son of Panon, who had followed behind him, were soon overcome.”
“I reached the Nevern only in time to witness my son's death. As soon as the Gewissei caught sight of my huge group of foot soldiers coming around the bend and needing to attend to the wounds of their leader, they quickly abandoned their position on the Nevern to move to the higher ground of Cwncerwyntt8.”
“I rode to the front of my mounted warriors to prevent any more uncoordinated attacks, but, while my back was turned a group of Gewissei rushed forward across the river to try to kill me. My chief bodyguard Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr protected me and in the melee, his assistants: Huandaw, Gogigwr, and Penpingon were killed and, also, my chief architect Gwlydyn Saer.”
“Feeling frustrated and remorseful and with darkness approaching, I decided not to continue the pursuit until the next day. We collected our dead and buried them. I asked God to save a place in heaven for my son Gwydre and my other brave warriors. The Neolithic site nearby has been called Bedd Arthur, ever since, to commemorate the graves of Gwydre and my other brave warriors.”
“The Gewissei, perhaps fearing a huge reprisal and rejoicing at having feinted north to confuse us about their main objective which was to travel east across South Wales, were heading south towards Chapel Peulintt9. This chapel is located below Llandysilio and is named after the chapel founded by my school friend, St. Paul Aurelianus.”
“When St. Paul saw me dismount he came out of hiding to embrace me, saying, 'You have the Gewissei on the run, they did not stop to loot our chapel, but why do you seem so dejected?'”
“'Yes, that is good news for you, but we have suffered great losses and my son Gwydre was killed.'”
“'I am so sorry. I will have my congregation pray for his soul and for your warriors.'”
“'Those Gewissei swine will pay for this. When I catch them again I will roast them slowly over an open fire!'”
“'Careful, my friend, remember our training, that we are all sons and daughters of God.'”
“'Yes, St. Paul, I have not forgotten, but I will not stop until I have expelled them for good.'”
“St. Paul hugs me and I remount my horse.”
“As I ride off, I shout, 'I will invite you for roast pig dinner at Gelliwig.'”
“'Yes, I will be there. You will be in our prayers.'”
“I overtook the Gewissei between Ty Gwyn (the White House)tt10 on the River Taff, built by St. Paulinus and the place called Twlc y Filiastt11, translated as the pigsty of the greyhound.”
“Four ghostly white pigs stood in our way. At first, I thought they must belong to Gwyn ap Nudd16.10, the ruler of the Otherworld as fear overcame me. Could they be the ghostly hunters part of the 'Wild Hunt', whose passing would foretell some catastrophe?”
“I looked back at Merlyn who was already reciting a counter-spell. Then I called Mabon to my side to ask him what it was.”'
“'He replies, 'Dear uncle, having been imprisoned in the invisible plane of the underworld, I can feel that it is just an illusion that Gewissei were using on us?'”
“As the boars dissolved into bristly white living shapes, my fear changed to hatred and the desire to revenge the slaughter of my men and my son filled by being. I rode forward with my sword ready to cut them to pieces. Clearly, I was no longer wanting to prudently assemble my warriors, but now I was fulfilling Nennius'NEN characterization of me as 'son of war'1.11.”
“Waving my sword Caledfwlch with all my might, I inflicted huge cuts on four huge white 'obstructors of slaughter', whose purpose was not to retreat from battle and conflict except upon their coffins to protect the retreating Gewissei. Gwaine and Kai and Lancelot joined me and we left these Gewissei like slaughtered pigs.”
“Upon reaching Abertywitt12, on the River Towy, south of Carmarthen, two more 'obstructors of slaughter' stood in our way. Kai and Bedwin shouted to Arthur, 'They are ours!' and quickly dispatched them.”
“On reaching Clyn Ystuntt13, on River Gwendraeth Fach, which flows down to Carmarthen Bay at Kidwelly, they were nowhere to be seen, having succeeded in delaying us. The men and the dogs lost them and began to hunt for the swine further south, even as far south as the point where the River Loughortt14 empties into the sea.”
“This place is above the Gower Peninsular, near the border of Carmarthenshire and Glamorgan. We suspected that they might be waiting to be picked up by a ship. There my huntsmen, Eli and Trachmyr were caught by surprise, but eluded capture.”
“Now that we had discovered the Gewissei's location and especially the location of the two most important piglet commanders, Grugyn Silver Bristle and Llwydawg the Ferocious, I rode forward with my warriors straight at the enemy lines, catching them by surprise. For a moment we were almost able to separate these commanders from their warriors, but all of the Gewissei immediately came to their assistance and in the chaos, all the Twrch Trwyth managed to elude capture.”
“The hunting dogs rushed off after them, barking loudly, as they retreated north to Brynammantt15, west of the River Twrch. With both sides brought up against each other, what proceeded was a fierce pitched battle as my warriors fought one on one. In this battle, three piglet commanders: Twrch Llawin, Gwys, and another one, unnamed, were slain.”
“The Gewissei, retreated by looping back to Ammanfordtt16, with our warriors in hot pursuit. There we killed two more piglet commanders: Banw and Bennwig. Thus there were only two piglet commanders left who escaped. They were the most deadly: Grugyn Silver Bristle and Llwydawg the Ferocious.”
“Having retreated north, the Gewissei ambushed two of our warriors who were in the lead at the lake Llwch Ewin (Llyn y Fan Fach)tt17. They were Echel Forddwytwll, and Garwyli the son of Gwyddawg Gwyr, the former is commemorated by a brook called Echel.”
“After this, the Gewissei ran off to the larger lake of Llwch Tawy called Llyn y Fan Fawrtt18 and here a major turning point in the battle occurred. Lancelot and Gwaine charged into the center of the Gewissei. This action separated the Gewissei forces under Grugyn Silver Bristle away from those under Llwydawg the Ferocious.”
“My dog Cabal played a major role in the fighting and began growling and snarling at the commander Llwydawg the Ferocious. He was squealing and trying to gore Cabal. I charged the piglet commander with my lance and he was thrown onto his back. Cabal continued to growl and bite him if he tried to get up and I jumped off my horse and dispatched him with my sword Caledfwlch.”
“Meanwhile, Grugyn Silver Bristle, having left Llwydawg the Ferocious to fend for himself, retreated to Mynydd Bach, near the remains of the Roman fort, 'Y Pigwin'tt19, with Lancelot in pursuit. Cabal, who adored Lancelot, ran off with him.”
“Next, Grugyn Silver Bristle turned north to the place where Cabal's footprinttt20 still exists today. Cabal, feeling invincible, ran ahead of the pigs barking at them to try to turn them back. Silver Bristle had hidden in the thicket and jumped out at Cabal blinding him with his silver bristles and bit his neck. My brave dog Cabal fell to the ground dead. Later I erected a pile of rocks to mark his grave.”
Merlyn interjects, “The magic that I placed on these stones was still marveled at by NenniusNEN for my enchantment was that 'if a stone be removed, it will return back to its place'.”
“Grugyn Silver Bristle then turned west and two days later stood its ground taunting Lancelot and his men at the remains of the Roman fort at Pen-y-castell that would be renamed Garth Grugyntt21. Then he abruptly turned west heading for the Ceredigion shore. In the distance Lancelot could see many ships, which were clearly of Saxon origin, moored in the harbor. He thought of engaging them but realized that they would embark before he got there.”
“He reasoned that this had just been a diversion to split Arthur's forces. He got on his horse and sped down the Roman road that connected back to Y Pigwin and followed the River Usk down to Caerleon to protect Gelliwig. He instructed his warriors to follow behind him with all speed.”
“Meanwhile, the second part of the forces of the Twrch Trwyth that were separated at Llyn y Fan Fawrtt18 after Llwydawg the Ferocious' death, fled towards Ystrad Yw. This cantref is bounded by the river Monnow and the Wye. They were now under the direction of my main adversary Cerdic15.2. With Gwaine, Kai, and Bedwyr in hot pursuit, the Twrch Trwyth plowed into the forces of my ally and relative Budig, the father-in-law of my three sisters Gwenonwy, Anna, and Afrella. He was known as Emyr Lydaw, having once ruled Brittany before he was overthrown by Conomore (of him I will tell you more later). It was at the eastern boundary of the cantref Euias which was my mother Onbraust's childhood home guarding the women and children against the expected major attack.”
“It was at this battle at Wormelow Tumptt22 that tragedy struck: Emyr Lydaw was killed and so was Anna's husband Amwn the Black. Later, I would build a monument to their death here. Nennius listed Wormelow Tump as one of his Wonders of BritainW11. Nennius said tradition calls it Amr's Tomb dedicated to one of my warriors or son. Actually, it was to both: the Emyr, my father-in-law from the marriage of my three sisters, and my sister's husband.”
“We managed to force the Twrch Trwyth across to the east bank of the River Wyett23.”
“Although I was deeply disheartened at my family loss, I was still on track in my strategy of keeping the Gewissei along the east side of the Wye. They complied easily because they assumed it would allow them protection. By following this route south, they would eventually reach the place where the Wye flowed into the Severn. It was at this place that the Severn bore would be the highest for my plan to succeed.”“At this point, I exhorted my warriors with the following speech, 'The Twrch Trwyth has slain many of our warriors and relatives, but, by our valor, we have come this far and still have a force strong enough to win. I promise you that Cerdic and the Gewissei shall not reach my fort at Gelliwig. It is the Severn bore that will decide the victory between two kingsW5a and the victory will be ours. Our Creator will aid us as we are in the right.'”
“With Lancelot's input, we knew for sure that the current plan of Cerdic and Octa II was to attack Gelliwig from the south and the north. Being attacked simultaneously from both directions was extremely dangerous. The Saxons and Gewissei who had escaped to the west after Cabal was killed, having sailed around Pembroke, were disembarking from their ships at the entrance to the River Usk and were heading northeast. The other group, which had headed east after their forces were spit in two, were now heading south and were approaching Linn Liuan on the west side of the Severn Estuary.”
“There was an important timetable to meet before the expected Severn bore would occur which by my calculations would be in two days. There was just enough time for me to lead our warriors to engage the group in the south and then, having defeated them, to stand our guard at Linn Liuan at the Wye protecting Gelliwig while the Severn bore assisted us.”
“Silver Bristle of the Gewissei and Octa II of the Saxons had disembarked from their ship at the mouth of the River Usk at Newport. Their goal was to find my hillfort sparsely guarded while fighting the other half of their force who should be attacking from the north.”
“Having left my cousins and allies with instructions to keep the Gewissei from crossing back over the River Wye in order to be trapped by the River Severn, I went with Gwaine, Kai, Bedwyr, and the majority of our warriors towards Caerleon. Lancelot and his warriors, who had just arrived, joined us just as we were engaging the enemy at a place that was later called Cat's Ashtt24.”
“Gewissei were counting on the element of surprise, but it was they that were surprised by us. A fierce battle began with many wounded and dead. Lancelot fought sword to sword with Oesc, the son of the Saxon leader Hengist, and killed him. Once the enemy saw their leader killed, they retreated to their ships to attack at the River Severn.”
“The reason for the strange name of Cat's Ash was 'cat' meaning 'battle' and Oesc's unpronounceable name being turned into 'ash'. Thus, this was a fitting name for their funeral.”
“Having removed the danger in the south, I returned to Linn Liuantt25.”
“At the Council in the morning, Caradog Strong-armed says. 'Whether thou mayest choose to proceed or not, I will proceed to the other side of the Wye. I promise to be there by mid-day to fight the Saxon Commander Osla Gyllellvawr.'”
“'I will count on it', I say, 'but if all goes well the Severn bore will be the victor!' To assure that my trap would be triggered, I instructed my two best riders15.9 Cystennyn of Cornwall, the son of Cador son of Geraint, called the best of all men, and Mabon riding Fair Dunmane to ride ahead of the Gewissei moving down from Ewyas in the north and to taunt and lure them into my trap.”
“I instructed Merlyn to create a mirage-like illusion of my fort being just ahead and out of reach of their grasp. Even I, watching the Gewissei move south, thought that they were about to reach it.”
Looking towards Merlyn, I say, “Merlyn, your illusion was amazing!”
Merlyn smiling, “It was nothing compared to your skill with determining the timing of the Severn Bore.”
Arthur continues, “Yes my study under Illtyd to be a Saint, when I spent many hours repairing dykes on the River Severn and the Wye, made me an expert on the Severn Bore. My fellow Saints and I had learned the time of day and the season when the greatest wave would charge up the river with the force of a thousand men. Also, that the bore is even more deadly at the point where the Wye enters the Severn, called 'Two Severn Kings'W5a. This name that Nennius gave to it fits perfectly now! It is at this point that the tidal wave of the bore meets the force of the Wye creating a whirlpoolW5b. These twin forces of Nennius' fifth wonder of Britain are more powerful than all the armies of the world15.10. I prayed to God that the timing of these phenomena would be as precise as the closing of the Red Sea upon the Pharaoh's chariots by Moses.”
“Once the Gewissei and the Saxons reached the place where the Wye enters the Severn, they saw Merlyn's mirage of Gelliwig appearing to be just on the other side. As they begin to cross over the Wye towards Gelliwig. Bedwyr and his warriors arrive at the shore to hem them in.”
“Realizing that they were trapped, they decide to cross the Severn as the water appeared lower as it ebbed. As they charged in, just as the first ones were about to reach the other side, a scream went up! Looking to their right there was a mountain of water 30 feet high and it struck terror in their hearts. It was traveling a mere five miles per hour, but its force was strong!. With their whole army in the midst of it, there was no escape.”
“Its force was so great that it threw them from their horses, tore off their armor, and pulled their swords from their sheaths. Even more deadly than this, the River Wye was forcing its waters into the Severn bore and a huge whirlpool was formed. Drowned and spun around, there was little hope for the trapped warriors. Such was the melee that ensued.”
“Thus it is said that they fell by the hundred before Bedwyr the Fine-sinewed on the strand of Tryfrwyd15.11.
The Severn bore was winning the day!!!”
“At this point in the 'Culhwch and Olwen' part of the narrative, Culhwch sees the scissors, comb, and razor fall from the head of the Twrch Trwyth and wash up onto the shore. He picks them up and now it will be possible to subdue Olwen's giant father so that Culhwch could marry Olwen15.12.”
“With the tale of 'Olwen and Culhwch' ended, the next tale of 'The Dream of Rhonabwy'15.13, from the same Red Book, appears to continue from the point where Twrch Trwyth are drowning in the water of the Severn.”
“In this tale, I am shown sitting on a carpet playing chess with Owain15.14, incorrectly shown as a later ruler of Gwynedd and Rhos. This Owain is the son of Morgan Le Fay who is my uncle and the grandfather of Gwenhwyfar. He rides the horse Cloven-Hoof which he won in battle. Owain is the 'Chief Elder'' and defender of my fort at Gelliwig in the Triads.”
“The chess pieces are golden and the board is silver. This is definitely related to the Chessboard of Gwenddoleu. One of the 'Thirteen Treasures of Britain' where the silver pieces play by themselves on a gold board15.15.”
“Clearly, this chess game was symbolic of the fact that all I had to do was sit back, while Nature fought the battle for me.”
“There is concern about the ravens, but these are just a metaphor for these scavengers of the dead corpses, as in the poem Y Gododdin9.6. Here it is used as a metaphor for the inevitable destruction of the Twrch Trwyth by the Severn bore. Owen's doubt in the effectiveness of the Severn bore in bringing death to the enemy is reflected in the chess game where success appears to be mine, but then for a moment the warriors turn their backs to the bore believing they would be unharmed as Owain had feared, but then it is mine again as the enemy are pushed down into the wave, and reduced to corpses for the ravens.”
“As I observed the struggle of the Gewissei and the Saxons in the Severn from my hillfort, St. Edeyrn, the Bishop15.16, and St. Winwaloe15.17 were begging me to help the enemy who were sinking from the weight of their armor, but on the advice of Merlyn, I refused even though my saintly training told me that I should show mercy.”
“I did, however, on the advice of my counselors15.18, allow them to swim to the other side without sending my warriors to kill them as they scrambled onto the shore. It seemed wise to not risk having my warriors drowning in the chaos since the enemy could be easily defeated on the next day.”
“Through the night the waterlogged enemy had retreated up to the hill later named Catbraintt26 where the word 'cat', like before, stood for battle. It is located in the modern town of Bristol.”
“On the next day in the morning, a thunderstorm was threatening in the sky as if the huge waves of the Severn bore had washed up into the heavens.”
“Our warriors had plenty of time to cross over further up the Severn Estuary. Soon, the storm had passed leaving us dry, but the still-soaked enemy, on Catbrain Hill, were still shivering.”
“When they saw us attack, they quickly retreated to Solbury Hill at Badontt27. It would be there that these ragtag warriors from the Severn bore and the other remnants from the battle of Cat's Ash would prepare for their final stand.”
“The historical texts said that I defeated them single-handedly on that day, but as you can see, the enemy was already demoralized and tired, and decimated and easily defeated. Thus ended the Battle of Badon which began as roar and ended in a whimper and for which I will be forever remembered as one of the greatest in history.”
“When Gwenhwyfar reached sixteen years of age, I was married to her, but we did not consummate our marriage until she was eighteen. Tradition allows a marriage to a second cousin. Her age was that of my oldest son MorganA3c.”
“My court at Gelliwig loved her sense of humor and her beauty. I loved her dearly and this should have been a 'happily ever after'; but, in every kingdom, there are courtesans looking to be queen for a day and kings glad to have an excuse to break their marriage vows with the duty to assure a male heir. Three of my mistresses16.2 from the Triads were Indeg, the 'fair legged' Garwen, and the modest Gwyl.”
“Needless to say, this did not please Gwenhwyfar.”
“After the death of Gwenhwyfar's son Llacheu14.2 and sadly being no longer able to conceive, Gwenhwyfar grew more and more despondent. I tried to cheer her, but she just blamed me. When faced by affairs of the heart, I tended to revert to my saintly self and retreat into meditation which did not help.”
“Since Gwenhwyfar and Mordred were the same age, they struck up a friendship that Mordred used to undermine me. Gwenhwyfar was the daughter of Gwythyr who was the son of Owain, my maternal uncle. Mordred was the son of Cawrdaf who was the son of Caradog Brawny-arm, also my maternal uncle. My grandfather Gwrgant the Great was also grandfather to Gwythyr and Cawrdef and thus great grandfather to Gwenhwyfar and MordredA6.”
“So, Gwenhwyfar began to spend most of her time with Mordred, and many believed that they were having an affair. Mordred, being empowered by his association with my queen, was often disrespectful to me16.3. It did not help that he went around telling everyone that I had been a cuckold, like the cuckoo who throws the mother bird's babies out of the nest. This was a stain on my reputation as a leader. Lancelot was ready to confront him, but I ignored the situation, 'turning the other cheek' as Jesus taught.”
Looking over to Merlyn, Arthur says “It was then that I needed the counsel of Merlyn.”
Merlyn nods and says, “Yes, my absence was unforgivable.”
Arthur continues,“Sometimes it appears that fate cannot be prevented. Later, many knowing of Mordred's betrayal of me have blamed Gwenhwyfar as much as Mordred. This hatred is shown in the interpretation of the Triad named either 'Arthur's Three Great Queens' or 'The Three Wives of Arthur'. This Triad is actually stating her heredity in three generations, but now people foolishly believe that there are at least two Gwenhwyfars.”
“Let me show how the following Triads are Gwenhwyfar's genealogy once you know the truth:”
“Most have discarded the unbelievable 'daughter of Gogfran the Giant' although it might seem credible because the father of Culhwch's beloved Olwen was a giant!CO. This still leaves two Gwenhwyfars: one real and the other her fictional sister having been named Gwenhwyfach in 'Culhwch and Olwen'! Perhaps, from my point of view at that time, there were two Gwenhwyfars: one who loved me and the one who despised me, but that is me being sarcastic. Obliviously there is only one Gwenhwyfar!”
“There is a saying 'that families are more likely to murder other family members than strangers', but I was slow to believe its truth. Mordred was my cousin; in fact, we share our descent from Modron (Morgana), my grandmother and the great grandmother of Mordred and Gwenhwyfar. My kinship to all of Emyr Lydaw's progenyA7 was not through blood but through the marriage of my three sisters Gwenonwy, Anna, and Afrella. Yet, I counted on them for their allegiance and their blood and sweat against my enemies even within. My kinship to Gwenhwyfar and Mordred should have bound them to me because even if one falls out of love, kinship should be an unbreakable bond.”
“Mordred was married to Cywyllog, one of the illegitimate daughters of Caw, having this in common with St. Gildas and she became a Saint after Mordred death. There is a town named after her called Cyffylliog which is near Ruthin where I beheaded her traitorous brother Hueil5.12. Perhaps she, too, resented me and made it known to Mordred.”
“What was most hurtful was when Gwenhwyfar sent me a letterDAG from Kelliwik in Cornwall. It was full of innuendo about my sexual prowess being less than Kai's. She knew how to make me angry because I was feuding with Kai at that time. You see I was always writing englyns that made fun of Kai's triumphs out of jealousy. When Kai had to put Dillus Varvawc in a pit alive to pluck his beard to make a leash in the 'Hunt of the Twrch Trwyth', I joked that he did this because he could not defeat him in a battle. Kai was angry at me for that14.4”
“In this letter, Gwenhwyfar implied that I was no longer youthful and that she was with someone who still had the youthfulness that I had lost. I knew she was talking about Mordred and ordered her to return.”
“Instead of returning, Gwenhwyfar ran off with Mordred to Castell Dinas Bran16.5, a hillfort attributed to Bran the Blessed, the son of Llyr, high above Llangollen, in Clwyd, Wales.”
“Now, these monks who lived there were protecting Mordred and Gwenhwyfar from my wrath. Not that they condoned their relationship, but rather, because they enjoyed mocking all temporal kings, as did my friend, St. Gildas, in his written sermonGIL.”
“These monks and descendants of Jesus' second son, Joseph of Arimathea16.6 were forced to move their church from Glastonbury after Ambrosius' defeat and ironically were now under my patronage. They had carefully transplanted the thorn tree, which according to tradition, Joseph had planted from his staff. It was planted right outside the gate.”
“In the 'Life of Gildas' written by Caradoc of Llancarfan, there is a brief mention of Mordred's and Gwenhwyfar's tryst16.7 shown as an abduction.”
“My father-in-law, Gwythyr, had assembled a force from Brittany and sailed down the River Dee to retrieve his daughter. He had camped below Castell Dinas Bran intending to storm the castle.”
“St. CollenLBS, for whom the town of Llangollen is named, hearing of his arrival, rushed to meet him. Although he was the nephew of Mordred, he had stayed out of the situation.”
“St. Collen says to Gwythyr, 'Dear cousin, I am so pleased to finally meet you. I recently had a chance to see the New Testament that you copied. I especially liked the side drawings on the chapter pages.'”
“'Thank you', says Gwythyr as he waves to me.”
“Reaching them I say, 'So here we are: three cousins caught in the thin line between love and hate. Merlyn warned me how this can bring down the greatest of kings and wizards.'”
“Gwythyr says 'Sounds like he did not follow his own advice!'”
“'Yes, unfortunately', I reply, 'And we need him here right now if what St Collen tells me is true.'”
“St. Collen says, 'Not sure it would help as I am convinced that this castle16.9would be impossible to take for it is the home of Gwyn ap Nudd, the King of Annwn and the fairies.'”
“'What?' says Gwythyr, 'Is this not the Glas Castle of the monks?'”
“'By day yes', says St. Collen, 'but at night no. Why don't you come to my modest church where we can have a glass of mead while I tell you the story.'”
“Gwythyr nodding, 'Yes, that is a good idea. I am intrigued to hear it!'”
“St. CollenLBS begins:
"By day the monks say their prayers as they did in Glastonbury abbey. I thought that this was the reason that it is called Glas Castle, but I was about to learn of a deeper meaning.
I had just established my church when a mysterious messenger dressed in red and blue knocked at the door at night, inviting me on behalf of King Gwyn ap Nudd to visit his palace on the top of the hill.
I said to him, 'The castle no longer exists as it is more like a ruin! It was built upon the buried head of the mythological Raven god Bran and there is only a meager monastery there and certainly not a palace for a King.'
The messenger says, 'Then your eyes have not seen the Otherworld. You must come and I will show you.'
Upon reaching the top, I saw a stone palace with a bluish glow, the fairest I had ever beheld, manned by the best-appointed warriors. There were steeds with youths riding them, the handsomest in the world. A courteous man on the rampart, bade me enter, saying that the king was waiting for me to come to dine.
Inside the palace, there were many musicians in every manner of song, vocal and instrumental. There were noble men and maidens, sprightly, light-footed, gay-apparelled, and in the bloom of youth. The palace had and every magnificence becoming the court of a sumptuous king."
"The king bade me to be seated and offered me an ornate vessel filled with a liquid.
'I will not eat those magic tree leaves', I said.
'As you wish', said the King. 'But have you ever seen men better apparelled than these in red and blue?'
'Their apparel is good enough', I said, 'of the kind it is.'
'What kind is that?', inquired the King.
Then I answered, 'The red on the one side betokens burning in hell, and the blue on the other betokens cold death.'
With that, I drew out my sprinkler, which I had cautiously taken, and dashed the holy water over everything, whereupon it vanished out of my sight so that there was neither palace, nor warriors, nor men, nor maidens, nor music, nor song, nor steeds, nor youths, nor banquet, nor the appearance of anything whatsoever but the green tumps and ruined stone."”
“Gwythyr is amazed at the story, 'You mean to tell me that those monks are living in Gwyn Nudd's Castle!'”
“'Yes, that is the deeper meaning of Glas Castle as it is an opening to the Otherworld', replies St. Collen. 'If you attack it you will not win!'”
“The next morning my warriors arrived without Kai who had refused to come. I was ready to attack in spite of St. Collen's warning and to yank Gwenhwyfar from Mordred's arms and pull him in chains.”
“When I reached the top of the hill, I was surprised to find St. Gildas there with his strange ability to appear when needed, saying that he would arbitrate a peaceful solution.”
“I welcomed Gildas to mediate the standoff because the abductor was called Melwas, which can be translated as 'noble pig', thus suspiciously sounding like a Gewissei1.2 that I had previously defeated.”
“There was a contract drawn between Arthur's and Gwenhwyfar declaring that they would agree to be separated but not divorced. And, though Gwenhwyfar might choose to be gone before or after the shortest day of winter light on Saint Lucy's Day, she must return to the court every first day of May for the festivities of Beltane16.11. This was a solution that echoed the Greek Persephone and those before her as the Sumerian goddess Inanna and the Egyptian Isis or later as our Rhiannon from the Circle of Animals.”
“The Glastonbury thorn blooms every Christmas and again in May to mark the time of the agreement.”
“In retrospect, it was clear my school friend St. Gildas influenced me to access my saintly nature. and rather than dragging Mordred to Ruthin and beheading him like Gildas' brother Hueil, I forgave him, believing his tears were of remorse when they were just prompted by cowardice.”
“I had failed to make the connection of Mordred being himself the 'noble pig'. Such a revelation would have revealed his serious involvement with the Gewissei plotting to destroy me and my kingdom.”
“As I looked up at the sky from my hillfort at Gelliwig just after midday on September 536, there was in the sky the 'fiery dragon' of the annular eclipse. Shivers went down my spine. There was no forgetting that sight in 507 which foretold my grand uncle Ambrosius' death.”
“I looked around expecting to see Merlyn beside me like that day in Ynys Môn5.1, but he was not there.”
“'Where are you, Merlyn!' I cried out.' Where are you in my time of need? Together we witnessed the dragon foretell my grand uncle's death. Am I, now, in the twenty-ninth year of my reign as 'Comes Britanniarum' soon also to meet my death?'”
Merlyn, not able to bare his anguish for not being there, stood up from the Stone circle saying, “My King, my friend. How I failed you! Was I so lost in my crystal prison as to not read the signs? Alas, I should have known their meaning! The first fiery dragon that we saw in Ynys Môn twenty-nine years ago, had stealthfully glided month by month on its web-like wings down to Gelliwig and, as its tail swung back, formed an 'X' right across your kingdom in two eclipse paths overlapped.”
Arthur placed his hand on Merlyn's shoulder to calm him, “The blame is not to you, but the heavens. Perhaps, you could have counseled me about Mordred's evil plans, but it might have been too late. Clearly, Fate had a different plan in mind. Perhaps it was that I needed be resurrected on that sacred Island of 1,000 Saints1.3 to lead the people of 'lesser Britain', Armorica, as a Celtic Saint? Could this be similar to the struggle that Jesus faced in the Garden of Gethsemane a millennia previous?”
“For 18 years from the Battle of BadonAC:518 in 518 when I defeated the Gewessei of Cerdic and his son Cynric, I had brought peace to my three kingdoms, but now it is 536 and is that peace soon to be gone?”
“After the death of CerdicASC:534 in 534, I foolishly believed that the Gewissei would never be a threat, but, clearly, Cynric's wounds were still festering.”
“In my Second Campaign: Battle Six at Cerdic's Ore, Charford10.1, I gave the reasons for Cerdic's and Cynric's obsession with obtaining the lands of Vortigern which were Gloucester, Hereford, Worchester, Shropshire, Cheshire, and Stratford by right of descent. These are the lands that would become part of Mercia under King Alfred.”
“I knew that Mordred hated me, but I never suspected that a cousin of mine would form an alliance with our sworn enemy Cynric. I guess his vision was to inherit Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset from his grandfather Caradog Strong-armed and also, with his influence over Gwenhwyfar, to lay claim to the lands of her grandfather Owain15.14 who, as the Chief Elder of my Gelliwig8.3, would most likely inherit my throne.”
“Mordred and and his brother Iddew Corn Brydain17.4 harbored the same jealousy that their grandfather Caradog Strong-armed'A6 had for me. It was Iddew who misled Mordred about me by relaying messages that were bound to enrage him. He also arranged the fateful meeting between Mordred and Cynric15.2 where they hatched their plot against me.”
“The treasonous Iddew is remembered in the Triad of 'The Three Secret Treasons of the Isle of Britain'17.5. The First being Queen Cartimandua of Brigantes who betrayed our hero Caradog in AD 51 and Third being the Bishop of Bangor, who betrayed Llewelyn the Last in 1282, revealing his location where he would be murdered. The Second is Iddew Corn Brydain who betrayed my location and conspired against me. In fact in the Mabinogion tale: 'The Dream of Rhonabwy'DR Iddawg Corn Prydein confesses to his treason and, apparently, after making contrition, even became a Saint.”
“Having colluded with Mordred, Cynric would land some of his men at Cerdic's-ore, named after his father Cerdic, while the others would continue by boat up the Severn River. Both groups would travel up to Rhyd y Groes17.3 at the upper reaches of the Severn River to join with Mordred coming up from South Wales along the coast.”
“That the Gewissei and Saxons were able to slip past Gelliwig up the Severn Estuary is a reflection of the enormity of Mordred's evil plot. I had mobilized my warriors and was searching in North Wales for Mordred, having heard of his attempts to recruit followers there. Consequently, only a small group was present at Gelliwig and I suspect Iddawg Corn Prydein or a co-conspirator were on watch at that time.”
“The mention of a battle at 'Rhyd y Groes'17.3 on the River Severn in 'The Dream of Rhonabwy', prior to the story of Battle of Badon, is not a metaphor or an anachronism as scholars believe. Clearly, the Battle of Badon is at the mouth of the Severn River where Badon Hill is located, but no one understands that the River Severn proceeds north all the way up to 'Rhyd y Groes'! Thus it is correctly naming the actual location of the initial battle of Camlann at Mallwyd which is just thirty hours east of Rhyd y Groes on foot! This implies that 'The Dream of Rhonabwy' must have once included both battles of Camlann and Badon; but, over time, had become blurred by the audiences wanting to hear about my win at Badon rather than my defeat at Camlann in 537.”
“Strangely, many historians still believe that Camlann was in Cornwall or Scotland or even Brittany, but if they would look at the name 'Camlann' in the place names of the three 'Camlann's it would describe the three battles in order: Mallwyd (Maes y Camlan)17.6, Afon Camlan, and Porth Cadlan17.7. Thus there is no doubt that Camlann is in North Wales. Those who dispute which of these three places where Camlaan was fought should be vindicated that it was all three.”
“From two later historical battles at Rhyd y Groes, it can be seen that the Severn was navigable up to this point. Also, to the east of Rhyd y Groes is Offa's Dyke17.8 which meets the River Severn at Welshpool. It had been built by Septimius Severus, who was Roman Emperor between 193 and 211. This large linear earthwork that roughly follows the current border between England and Wales was not built by the mysterious Offa, but 'ofer' merely means border. Thus there were two possible avenues running parallel to each other for boats and foot soldiers coming from the Severn Estuary. This is exactly how Cynric deployed his warriors and boats past my home fort of Gelliwig on the Severn to surprise me in Rhyd y Groes.”
“Mallwyd is located to the west of Rhyd y Groes, situated on the river Dyfi, under the hills of Camlan and Moel Dyfi at the crossroads of three major roads north, south, and east and thus vulnerable to attack from three sides17.9.”
“In the 16th century, this town was famous for the Gwylliaid Cochion Mawddwy, a band of red-haired robbers, who would rob unsuspecting travelers and then hang out at Brigand's Tavern to divvy up their stolen loot.”
“Asking around, I learned that Mordred had raised a sizable army against me and was somewhere in the neighborhood. I thought to ask St. TydechoLBS, the son of my sister Anna and Amwn Ddu, the brother of my school friend St. Samson, if he knew of Mordred's whereabouts.”
“Upon entering St Tydecho's church, I was horrified to see him tied and gagged. As Bedwyr freed him, St Tydecho says franticly, 'Uncle Arthur, you must get away quickly, Mordred is probably hiding in Camlan hill with a large force of men. I rushed out to instruct my warriors to set up defenses in the field of Maes y Camlan expecting to be attacked from the south.”
“And thus our army, having little time to prepare, would soon be set upon by the worst brigand of all, my cousin Mordred. He attacked from the south and the battle began in earnest.”
“Still, Mordred's band of robbers were no match for our battle-tried army and would soon have been overwhelmed, but then Cynric with a force of Saxons and Gewessei, having come up the River Severn, attacked us from the east!”
“As all commanders know there is no better way to lose a battle than to be outflanked. I opted to retreat to the north. I instructed my Cornish cousins and allies to push Mordred back to the South and Kai, Bedwyr, Lancelot, and Gwaine attempted to hold back the Saxons and Gewissei from the east.”
“Then I led my men west to the Roman road towards the Roman fort of Tomen y Mur with Kai, Bedwyr, Lancelot, and Gwaine following so as to defend our retreat. Mordred and Cynric and his men were following close behind.”
“We had made it to the Roman road at Dolgellau, but unfortunately my army had been divided with half of them left behind. We were just four miles north when we halted at the confluence of Afon Camlan and Afon Mawddach. There, Mordred overtook us and there was a brief skirmish, but it was getting dark quickly so both sides retired for the night. By halting there I was hoping that we might escape via the Afon Mawddach that flows into Cardigan Bay.”
“I instructed some of the men under the command of my brother-in-law Alan Fyrgan17.10, the son of Emyr Lydaw, to collect boats from the locals.”
“Come morning there were no boats and the whole war band of 2100 men including Alan had deserted us. They had used the boats for themselves! Thus, they are remembered forever in the Triads as one of the Three Faithless War-Bands of the Islands of Britain.”
“Despite this setback, we reached the Roman fort at Tomen y Mur. At this point I had three choices: the first being to make a stand there, but this would be dangerous as we were outnumbered. The other two choices were equal, which was to go 30 miles north to Segontium, which once was my great, great, great grandfather's stronghold, but now unused, or thirty miles west to Aberdaron where we had disembarked earlier at the harbor of Porth Cadlan. I chose to go west and my angels must have been with me because it was this decision that saved my life when fatally wounded by being close to Ynys Enlli1.3.”
“Having reached Aberdaron, we cut across to Porth Cadlan17.7 and began to embark onto our ships. Again, Kai, Bedwyr, Lancelot, and Gwaine stood guard to protect our men at the entrance to the port, and this time I joined them.”
“Mordred and his warriors arrived and Mordred taunted us saying, 'Look at the kingdom of the tyrant Arthur now between the cliffs and the sea. We will force you over the cliff; your bodies will float away'”
“Kai shouts back, 'Not before we send you to Annwn where the hunting dogs will chase you and rip you to shreds as with all traitors.'”
“Gwaine charges at Mordred, shouting, 'They are especially able to find the scent of cowards and backstabbers.'”
“As the battle proceeded sword to sword, my treasured warriors and I took the brunt of the attack. Kai was especially vulnerable because of his reputation and many ganged up on him. Lancelot saw this and tried to reach him, but before he could get there Gwyddawg the son of Menestyr17.11 came up from behind Kai and struck him dead.”
“Seeing this, I shouted, 'Only cowards fight from the back!' and with the strength of grandfather Tewdrig I charged into them with my sword swinging back and forth decapitating Menestyr and injuring his brothers. In all this effort, I was knocked off my horse”
“Mordred, seeing me standing there unprotected, charged at me with his lance which pierced my torso, pinning me to the ground. But, Mordred had used too much force and fell off his horse.”
“As he stood over me gloating, I summoned all my strength to stab him in the heart with my sword and he collapsed with blood spewing forth. I blacked out.”
”Seeing the mighty King Arthur with a lance sticking out of his body and Mordred lying dead next to me in a pool of blood was a bewildering sight to both sides. Now, leaderless; they stopped fighting and fell back.”
“I woke up lying on the battlefield with the wrenching pain from the lance still impaling me. I looked over with my blurred vision to Mordred's body to see my sword Caledfwlch sticking straight up like a graveyard cross in Mordred's chest.”
“The golden chimeras on its hilt were blinding my eyes. I thought of St. Paul in Acts when he was blinded on the road to Damascus. How could it have happened that I had to kill my own cousin or else be killed? Had my breastplate and shield of the Virgin Mary2.6 saved me from certain death? Would I be found dead or alive by Magdalene?”
“I thought of my true friend Kai and how I regretted making fun of him. I thought with sadness of some ten thousand corpses and wounded who had fought bravely in the three battles. At age 55, I finally had to accept that age had taken its toll on me: no longer the fearless Arthur, who charged up Badon Hill by himself. Why had I chosen to retreat? Having once won 'the Battle of Trees', being the first of the Triad: 'Three Battles Fought for Senseless Reasons11.3, I was now defeated by the third 'Senseless Battle'. I felt the life drain from my body, but then by the grace of God I was given a second chance at life.”
“My cousin Derfel Gadarn17.12, the son of Hywel, ran up to me and with his superior strength pulled the lance out. He bound my wound with his cape. Then he placed me on a wagon pulled by his horse 'Hengroen' as he led me down to dock next to Gwenonwy Rock where a boat was waiting for me.”
“My sister Gwenonwy and her son St. Henwyn from his church nearby in Aberdaron were already there. St. Henwyn and Derfel carefully lifted me into the boat. They were on the boat that was taking me to Ynys Enlli: not to be ferried away by Charon to the gates of Hades, but to the Island of 1,000 Saints1.3 to be saved by Morgana and the healing powers of the Saints.”
“All the Saints had gathered by the shore to carry me to the church where they applied special medicinal herbs to my wound and my grandmother Morgan Le Fay placed her healing hands upon it.”
“The medical skills collected by the 1,000 Saints, together with Morgana's fairy magic, would save me from my mortal wound, but I was still in a coma.”
“Lancelot and Gwaine, having buried Kai and believing that I would not wake up, kissed my forehead and returned to see if they could rally what was left of the warriors. Bedwyr, of course, stayed by my side. The rest of my followers, having given up hope that I would survive returned to their farms, to take refuge under weak opportunist leaders who would be unable to stop the onslaught of our many enemies.”
“There were three survivors listed in the Triad of 'The Three Survivors of Camlann'17.13. Two were Osfran, who later asked to be buried at Camlann, and St. Cynwyl17.14, spared because he had no weapon, but his bible.”
“The third was Derfel, the mighty, son of Hywel who was my counselor at the Battle of Badon and the brother of my three sister's husbands, and would later become a Saint. His church is at Llandderfel, a township in the Bala district in Merioneth, where all that is left of his wooden statue is his horse.”
“In the first half of the 17th century during the Protestant rebellion, Oliver Cromwell had his wooden body burned with a Catholic priest, John Forest, at Smithfield in London.”
Looking over to Merlyn and smiling, Arthur asks, “What pithy prophecy would you give then?” Merlyn speaks in a deep voice:
They all laugh!
“On a more serious note, I must tell you that an uproar occurred in Heaven and Fairie about the unfairness of my death. The result was that Gwyn ap Nudd16.10 offered me the chance to return from the Otherworld and God agreed to resurrect my body and Spirit, especially in light of my future service to Him.”
“I awoke from my death-like coma, calling for Merlyn. As my eyes began to focus, I looked up to see the hazy image of my grandmother Morgan le Fay smiling at me. Although her face was wrinkled in old age, her kind eyes were full of light.”
“'Alas, Merlyn is still locked in Ninue's crystal cave,' says Morgana, 'but, even he would have been powerless to bring you back to life on his own.'”
“I groaned, feeling the pain in my mind and body, 'I do not wish to remain in the fairy realm between life and death or be rescued like your son Mobon. Camelot is finished and so it seems is my life's purpose.'”
“'Do not be too hasty to give up, there are still reasons to go on living. The remainder of your life does not need to be in battle, but rather to serve the "Goddess of Peace"', says Morgana.”
“Bedwyr, who had remained by my side the whole time, overhearing Morgana, says, 'Britain still needs your kind heart and fair justice. You must stay with us for a while longer. Already, your successor Constantine has violated the sanctuary of the Church by beheading the two sons of Mordred inside their sacred grounds.'”
“Dear Bedwyr, I answered, 'Please do not mention my traitorous nephew's name again. There will never be another Arthur. I have nothing left inside me. Just as our Celtic forefathers were subjugated by the Romans because they warred against each other, so will the squabbles within my kingdom end in subjugation by the Saxons and Gewissei. It is out of my hands now!'”
“Bedwyr was disappointed, but he understood.”
“My body slowly recovered, but my mind continued to struggle to understand the reason why Providence had spared my life. Was I duty-bound to return or was there a new destiny ahead of me?”
“When I was well enough to walk, I would take a short stroll every day to build up my strength, walking north from the abbey, to sit under my favorite apple tree by the ocean.”
“The Saints of my college days, having heard of my death, continued to pray for me. Then, one day, to my surprise St. Gildas showed up.”
“He embraced me, saying, 'I told the others that if anyone could defeat death it would be you.'”
“St. Gildas excitedly says, 'I am writing a sermon to be called the 'Ruin of Britain'GIL. I intend to condemn five leaders who have divided your kingdom. There are Constantine in Devon, Vortipore in Dyfed, Cynglas son of Owain Whitetooth in Rhos, Maelgwyn in Gwynedd, and Conomor13.5 in Amorica. Once it is delivered to all the churches, the people will welcome your return with daffodils and leeks.”
“I had expected him to be still angry at me for executing his brother Hueil, but, apparently, he now understood the importance of executing traitors.”
“Replying to him, I say, 'Dear fellow Saint, your sermons have always been powerful and I hope that others can succeed in stopping the stupidities and cruelties of these so-called kings, but I will leave such a triumphant return to others after me.'”
“St Gildas, puzzled by my reply, 'You mean that you are not planning to return? Your grand uncle Ambrosius would have fought on to the end.'”
“I answered him, 'I respect my grand uncle for continuing to battle until his death, but I have fulfilled my duty with my death and resurrection! A return from near death causes one to see the world differently. To walk with angels is to learn the futility of anger and vanity and the importance of love. The 'Ruin of Britain' is out of my hands.'”
“Sadly, even St. Gildas could not understand the reasons for my abdication as he knew that Britain would fall without me. I believe that it was his disappointment in me that led him to leave my name out and only mention my grand uncle as the savior of Britain in his sermon.”
“It was sad seeing him so dejected as he got on the boat to take him to the mainland where a ship was waiting to take him to Rhuys in Amorica. He called out to me, 'You cannot defeat evil, you know. It is everywhere!”
“His visit made me think of my college days when we believed that as Saints we could make the world a better place and then, as if by synchronicity, my dearest friends from Llanilltud College: St. Cadog, St. Paul Aurelianus, St. Samson, St. Teilo, St. Padarn, and St. David showed up.”
“'We have come to rescue you.' says St. David.”
“'From what?' I asked.”
“St. David replies, 'From yourself certainly.'”
“St. Paul says, 'Look at how well you have recovered!'”
“St. Padarn says, 'And you still have many years ahead of you.'”
“St. Teilo adds, 'The Lord works in mysterious ways and now He needs you.'”
“St. Cadog says, 'Exactly, that is why you should be rejoicing rather than to waste the rest of your life in regret. Once you had to choose between King or Saint as I did. Now, given your fate, perhaps you chose unwisely, but now you can choose again to be a Saint.'”
“Bedwyr interjects, 'His kingship is what made Cambria famous and to be remembered forever! He needs to return to us again to make sure that the land of my fathers and mothers, of poets and singers, brave warriors, and famous leaders will be kept dear forever.'”
“St. Padarn says, 'Your words sound like an anthem. I should sing it.”
“St. David says, 'You are right, Bedwyr, but the people must carry on now.'”
“Smiling at me enduringly, St. Cadog says, 'You were a commendable ruler - most of the time. But, alas, kingdoms rise and fall; only God's kingdom is forever.'”
“I nodded knowingly, saying, 'St. Gildas wanted me to return to the mainland and build an army to defeat the pretenders to my throne; but, when I refused, he was angry.'”
“St. Paul says excitedly, 'Yes, it is for that reason you must come to Amorica with me. Where I live is the fabled Lyonesse. The people call me Saint-Pol-de-Léon. It is a place where all the mistakes of one's life can be reconciled!'”
“St. Samson says, 'Yes, the descendants of the seafaring tribe of the Veneti that were decimated by Caesar had to rebuild their lives in simple ways all over again and these people of Brittany are badly in need of spiritual guidance.'”
“St. Cadog says, 'Gildas, himself, has escaped to Brittany! Why does he think you need to stay?'”
“We spent weeks around a fire in a shallow cove by the sea, drinking cider from my favorite apple tree. St. David, St.Padarn, and St.Teilo sang songs as we fondly remembered the exploits of our youthful days as students. All of them told stories of their triumphs in bringing hope and salvation to their congregations and the building of churches in all the important towns.”
“St. Paul told the sad story of Tristam and Iseult that was caused by his uncle Conomor whose kingdom is actually near his own.”
“St. Samson adds 'We need to convince the Merovingian King Childebert to have him removed.'”
“Being with my Saint friends inspired me to become the Saint that I had once trained for, the concept of a new life now so I filled me with energy that I agreed to return with St. Paul and St. Samson to Amorica.”
“As I was preparing to leave, I turned to Bedwyr, who was already in tears, 'My faithful follower to the end, please, take my sword and throw it into the lake called Llyn Cerrig Bach in Ynys Môn that contains Druid offerings to the gods. It is better that my sword be an offering to the ancient gods than to be in the hands of some undeserving tyrant.'”
“Bedwyr replied, 'Yes, my lord; But let me warn you of the need to change your name. If your enemies learn that 'Arthur' lives, they will seek their own glory by being known as the killer of Arthur.'”
“'That is good advice, I will use my more formal name of Arthmael.'”
“Samson says, 'I would suggest it be reduced to 'Armel' as 'St. Armel' is easier to say in the Breton language, which differs somewhat from Cymraeg.'”
Merlyn interjects, “Clearly this name has worked out well because, still to this day, people have no idea that St. Armel is King Arthur, even though both were born in the same place and time!”
Arthur continues, “So in the year 541 at 59 years old, I say goodbye to Bedwyr and to grandmother Morgana, my sister Gwenonwy and her son, Henwyn who blessed the ship that would take St. Paul, St. Samson, and me across the Channel to Amorica in France.”
“Landing at Roscoff in the township that would later be named Saint-Pol-de-Léon in Finistère, St. Paul and I were welcomed by the people of the town. I was dressed in a monkish robe, arriving incognito as Saint Armel.”
“St. Paul addressed them, 'This is my childhood friend, born just two years before me in 482 in the same town of Pen Ychen in the Cantref of the Ox Head in Glywysing, which is now ruled by Morgan, the son of King Arthur. We also went to school together at Illtyd's College.'”
“The townspeople cry out, 'Why did you wait so long to visit us?'”
“St. Armel smiled, 'That is a long story to tell, but briefly, I was in service to the people of Britain while King Arthur still lived.'”
“They ask, 'Is King Arthur really dead! Many believe he will return again.'”
“St. Paul answers, 'Unfortunately, the King Arthur, whose exploits the world has heard so much about and whom we all loved, was mortally wounded at Camlann and thus will never be king again. As to his resurrection that belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ.' He turns to Arthur and smiles.”
“St. Armel adds, 'Yes, my faith in Christ is the instrument of God's Love on Earth as it is in Heaven.'”
“Later in the afternoon at his church after the group meal and a reading from the Bible, St. Paul announces that he is giving me an area of land to build my church in the same municipality of his in Finistère, later to be called Plouarzel after me. Thus, I began my new life as St. Armel.”
“I was so excited to be building my own Church and to live the life of a Saint again that I found it hard, not to overdo my physical efforts while my body was still healing. There was a time when I went to bed for a well-deserved rest, my dreams would often end in nightmares. The dream would begin with the elation of me leading my warriors to battle, but, as my war wounds began to hurt in my subconscious, I would end up being hacked to death. However in time, by working with the congregation and preaching the Gospel, I began to calm the mental stress of my traumatic near-death experience.”
“On Sunday, I would read passages from the Bible of how Moses led his people out of Egypt, how David slew Goliath with a single stone, how Delilah tricked St. Samson and cut off his hair, and how Sennacherib of the Assyrians was defeated while trying to lay siege to Jerusalem. I would always compare these stories with stories of Camelot since the congregation found these to be more exciting being of recent times. I must admit that, by doing so, I was partly responsible for causing many of the legends of King Arthur, Merlin, and Morgana to be associated in the forest of Paimpont in Brittany.”
“In these stories of King Arthur and Merlyn, I used the rules of honor and chivalry as an example of Jesus' teaching: to 'love one another as oneself', which is the principle of agápe love. I explained how, even in battle, the warrior knights would follow these rules as best they could to cause the least harm.”
“The congregation especially liked the story of how King Arthur had constructed his shield with the Virgin Mary on it as a promise that he would hold himself to the higher standard of Jesus to strive for peace for all humankind.”
“The townspeople and the farmers and sheep-herders were content with their lives, and they looked to me as their guardian. To those who were needy, it was a pleasure to offer a few coins or some grain or some assurance. Most of all they were inspired by my confidence in the Last Judgement that would one day bring us all together as equals.”
“Of course, our inner circle of Celtic Saints hid my true identity, just as they did not reveal the secret doctrine known as the 'Pesher of Christ'19.3. St. Illtyd had imparted this doctrine only to his senior students of which I was honored to be. This secret doctrine had been forgotten shortly after the New Testament was composed and, although uncovered by the Templars, was forgotten again. The key to the miracles of Jesus is that they were metaphors, just as my defeat of the dragon of Revelation would stand for the evil regent Conomor.”
“The underlying reason that the Church of Rome maligned the Celtic Saints was because they followed the purer Eastern Christian tradition. After the Nicene Council in 325, it was dictated that Jesus died on the cross, yet two famous pre-Nicene Fathers and the Quran say that Jesus did not die on the cross.19.4”
“Part of the effort to suppress the Celtic Saints was to change the day of Passover and Lent and branding those who did not follow the traditional days as heretics. St. Columba (Colmcille) on the Isle of Iona in Scotland held out against it until his death in 597.”
“In the New Testament the use of the word 'leper' stands for the maligned Simon Magus2.7, associated with '666' in Revelation. His leprosy as Lazarus was merely excommunication rather than a disease.”
“The pesher shows that this is the sacrament in the church of Simon Magus where Mary Magdalene announces to Jesus that she is with child. Her first child was Phoebe who married St. Paul, her first son was Jesus Justus, and her third child was Joseph of Arimathea16.6 whom tradition affirms brought the Holy Grail to Britain, having taken the title of Jesus' older brother James.)”
“One day St. Pol met with me in private, looking concerned, 'I am having problems with the regent Conomor that I have told you about. His reign of terror against my parishioners has grown intolerable. Clearly, his goal is to bring all of Brittany under his control. King Childebert20.1 seems to be under his influence and we cannot depose him without his approval.'”
“'Archbishop Samson, our dear alumnus, is determined to have him overthrown and is working to set up a meeting with the King and asked for you to come along, given your royal experience, which, of course, would be kept secret.'”
“Paul says, 'Let me give you more history on this regent, called the 'Great Dog'. He is Tristam's uncle King Mark of Cornwall, but now he has become Count of Poher, and regent of Domnonia in Brittany ruling from his fort at Porhoet-er-Saleu. As you know, he also was the cause of the tragedy that happened with Tristam and Iseult. He is a despicable character, with complete disregard for his wives, whom he uses as a tool to gain power.'”
“'Exactly', says St. Pol. 'He was thrice married, first to the sister of Jonas, King of Domnonia20.2; then to the sister of Meliau, King of Cornouaille; and currently to Triphine, daughter of Weroch, Count of Vannes.'”
“I replied, 'His notoriety is almost as well known as Mordred's treachery. He has already inspired a folk tale that mirrors his life, called 'Bluebeard'20.3, who marries the daughters of other kings and murders them and their children, out of envy, as soon as he finds that they are pregnant. Even St. Gildas has been added to this tale, having supposedly restored the severed head of his last wife Tryphine. She and her son Trémeur are venerated as Saints.'”
“'I look forward to visiting with King Childebert. In all my time as king, strangely, I never met with this Merovingian King, even though he was contemporary with me.'”
“St. Pol adds, 'Childebert is the son of Clovis, the first Merovingian King, who united all the Frankish kingdoms. His wife Saint Clotilde had converted him to the Christian religion of Rome. Unfortunately, this religion is still at odds with ours over trivialities like the day of Easter, the style of tonsure of our hair, and its emphasis on celibacy. This is unfortunate because our version is the purer one having its roots in Jerusalem and Egypt.'”
“'I agree, I am convinced that this celibacy requirement for monks and nuns has no basis in fact because St. Peter was married20.4. In fact, these Merovingian kings claim to be descended from Jesus and his wife, Mary Magdalene. Surely, sainthood should be proved by good works rather than this arbitrary requirement.'”
“St. Pol adds, 'I believe that the British and the Bretons have been more open to our purer form of Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church is more preoccupied with pushing forward their so-called Holy Roman Empire than excommunicating us and the Merovingian Kings have pretty much left us to rule ourselves as long as we swear allegiance. But this has also led to the rise of the evil Conomor who mistreats his subjects and especially his queens.'”
“I say, 'It does seems to be a perfect time to visit King Childebert as it allows me to introduce myself and get his official approval for my churches. I am also looking forward to working with St. Samson to remove the vile Conomor from the throne and to restore Judual, the rightful heir.'”
“St. Pol adds, 'You will also find Judual at court because he is kept under house arrest at Conomor's request. The way this happened is that Judual's father King Jonas had been ill for some time and then when he died, Conomor seized total power by forcing his widow to marry him and then poisoned her.'”
“As St. Pol gets up to leave, he says, 'I wish I could go, but since my land is adjacent to his, I could be susceptible to attack.'”
“Still, St. Pol was of great help behind the scenes and will be credited with slaying a dragon as I was. The dragon was a symbol for Conomor whom we defeated like St. Michael defeated the dragon, Satan, in Revelation. First, to defeat the dragon, it was first necessary to obtain Childebert's consent and hopefully his aid.”
“I met Saint Samson at his church in Dol and we hugged. We enjoyed talking about old times as we awaited an invitation to court.”
“In a few weeks, the king's messenger took me to Childebert's court.”
“I was astonished at the lavish court in Paris built of stone with tiled floors and carpets hanging on the walls depicting the life of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Behind the throne was a statue of Clovis upon a horse with statues of his sons Childebert, Theuderic, Chlodomer, and Clothar. The other three had been given other areas of the kingdom. It was nothing like my Gelliwig which was primarily just a bare wooden fort that was used for defense where my warriors would sit around a Roundtable to counsel and dine with me. The one similarity of both was the crowds of courtly hangers-on.”
“St. Samson introduced me to Judual and Childebert's queen, Ultrogotha. I sensed that the queen was quite interested in this young Judual and was annoyed by St. Samson's presence, believing that he might take him away.”
“St. Samson whispered to me, 'Watch out for her. She tried to poison me, fortunately, when I blessed it, it shattered in my hand and it merely scalded me.'”
“King Childebert was holding court and some beggars were at the door asking for alms. I gave all the money that I had to them. Surprised by my generosity, they asked, 'Are you a king?'”
I replied, 'No, I am merely a servant of God.'”
They asked for my name and St. Samson told them I was St. Armel. Word soon spread of my generosity.”
“Observing the scene, King Childebert smiles at me, 'I see you are a true Saint to give alms to these hangers-on. They pretend to be poor but are richer than they seem. Hail, gentle Saint!'”
“St. Samson bows and introduces me to King Childebert, 'This is St. Armel who is establishing a parish in St. Pol's domain.'”
“I bow, and say, 'I, St Armel, am pleased to meet you as I have heard wonderful things about you. I would like to request your permission to consolidate my parish next to St. Pol's.'”
“The King says, 'You come well recommended, so I grant you that permission.'”
“St. Samson asks to see the King in private and the King signals to have the court cleared.”
In private, Samson says, 'St. Armel and I would like your permission to restore Judual to his rightful throne that was seized by Conomor. This tyrant needs to be deposed because of his evil deeds in the eyes of the Lord.'”
“'That may well be', says Childebert,' but he is a strong protector of the remote areas of Brittany.'”
“St. Samson replies, 'If you would allow Judual to be freed from his confinement here, he can rally support from the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey and from Britain to depose him.'”
“Childebert replies, 'I am wary of bringing in foreign warriors as they might decide to stay as the Saxons did in Britain.'”
“St. Samson in frustration, 'Your Majesty, as a Christian king, you should be against those who are friends of Satan.'”
“Childebert angrily replies, 'You shall not tell me what to do and not do. You can leave me, now.'”
“Samson storms out.”
“Bowing my head in obedience, I say, 'Your Majesty, I ask your pardon for Samson's bad manners. May I offer assurances concerning a military campaign as I have much experience with these having been an advisor to King Arthur. Firstly, I believe that Conomor can be defeated easily because he has lost local support and secondly, I am sure that you have observed that Judual is honorable and trustworthy and therefore his warriors will be the same.'”
“Childebert is intrigued, 'Are you one of those Saint Knights that I have heard of like St. Illtyd?'”
“'You might say so. I was trained by St. Illtyd with St. Pol and St. Samson and St. Gildas. I would trust any one of them with my life.'”
“Childebert says, 'I once met with St. Illtyd many years ago and he had mentioned these three, but he never mentioned a St. Armel.”'
“I answer, 'It is my fault because when I graduated, I gave up my sainthood and took the path of a warrior. Having sustained a near-fatal injury, I have now returned to the path of a Saint.'”
“Childebert says, 'Sounds like you were more fortunate than King Arthur. Was he not at St. Illtyd's school, once?'”
“'Yes, he was. Of course, almost every saint has attended St. Illtyd's school. A King, such as Arthur, would have had to give up his sainthood because a saint must answer to the greater king, Jesus.'”
“Childebert smiles and says, 'That it what I used to hear from my grandmother Clotilde who is now a Saint.'”
“I reply, 'When St. Samson and I make a vow to God and King, we do not break it.'”
“Childebert says, 'All right then I will hold you to your vow and set Judual free. I will recognize his right to the throne and I will also contribute some of my own knights.'”
“'I promise to be worthy of your trust and lead the soldiers with the vigor of King Arthur even though I am seventy-one years old.'”
“'It is amazing to see such stamina at your advanced age,' says Childebert. 'I hope that I will live long enough to see the completion of my Abbey to St. Vincent, whose stole is hanging next to my throne. If you are successful, I will grant you the land of Boschaux to live out your final years of life.'”
“'Thank you, I will make sure that my congregation knows of your generosity. May God grant you long life.' I bow and leave.”
“In the year 555, the seven founder Saints of Brittany20.5 delivered the sealed proclamation of Childebert to Conomor.”
“The Saints advised him to abdicate immediately as his people were against him. Conomor ignored their request.”
“So Judual20.2 assembled his warrior allies and the King's knights for battle with the forces of Conomor. We assembled on the Menez Bré, a rounded hill only some 700 feet high, standing by itself, the most conspicuous in the district. The Saints banged on their drums and rang their bells during the battle as our warriors fought Conomor.”
“It had been eighteen years since Camlann and thus many of the warriors from Britain who participated were sons and grandsons of my warriors. They had no idea that the old man sitting on a horse dressed for battle was King Arthur. I had reprised my grandfather Tewdrig4.1!”
“The evil Conomor was defeated and killed, but not after much bloodshed. Judual was now the King of Domnonia.”
“The dragon, Satan, had been slain. Each one of the seven founder Saints of Brittany was credited with a defeat of a dragon. In a ceremony to celebrate the defeat of Conomor, these saints each pretended to wrap their stoles around the neck of the dragon from the Book of Revelation as a leash and cast it into a body of water. I coaxed mine into the River Seiche by my Church in Boschaux and St. Pol coaxed his into the sea at Batz.”
“My church at Saint-Armel-des-Bochaux in Ille-et-Vilaine was where I spent my last days.
My sleep of death to the physical plane was in 5621.4 at the age of 80. It came quietly, which was a fitting end to my life.
My body was placed in a stone tomb in the church.”
“After my death St. Samson came back to South Wales and placed a commemorative stone for Judual and me:
“Thus ends my story,” says Arthur. “Thank you for letting me tell it.”
The Stone People cheer!
Merlyn stands and then puts his hand out to Arthur, who also stands. They hug as Arthur says, “Merlyn, thank for your guidance once again. I am so glad we reconnected. You certainly are the greatest wizard in the world and now I will miss you again.”
“And you the greatest King and Saint”, says Merlyn, “ I will miss you, too.”
Outstretching his arms to the sky, Merlyn intones, “I call upon the universe to free Arthur's Spirit from this earthly plane. Let the truth of Arthur now be known to all people so that the chains that hold him here can be dissolved. Let his Soul be allowed to leave his Spirit and to finally prepare for his most deserved place in Heaven.”
Arthur begins to fade and then disappears. Merlyn stands alone and says, “We all will miss him.” The Stone people sigh.
Far above the earth onto the elliptical plane formed by the planets as they draw their circles around the sun, Arthur steps forth. Waiting to greet him are Bedwyr, Kai, Lancelot, Gwaine, and Gwenhwyfar.
Kai runs and hugs Arthur, saying, “At last, you have come.”
Bedwyr does the same and squashes both with a bear hug, saying, “You see: we waited for you in this Elysian Field.”
Lancelot puts his arms around all three, saying, “Thank you, Arthur, my honor has now been restored.”
Gwaine joins in the embrace, saying, “I wish you well on your new adventure.”
Gwenhwyfar observes them in tears, then takes Arthur's arm and pulls him to her, and hugs him, saying, “I always wanted to tell you that I am sorry that I hurt you.”
Arthur's eyes are teary also, saying, “Oh my dear Gwendi, I know. It was my fault, too. Our friendship is still more meaningful than the fulfilled or unrequited dance of love. After all, it is only 'agapē love' that can propel our Spirits to Heaven and Nirvana.”
Turning to the five of them, Arthur says, “Alas dear friends, I must now say goodbye as I am to serve a Higher God that exists in Allness. It means so much that you waited for me.” He slowly fades away leaving a golden glow.
The five of them left behind look out at a sea of stars that surrounds them, not emptiness, but strangely earthy like standing in the dark in a valley with thousands of tiny glow worm lights.
“I still wear the green girdle,9.5” says Gwaine.
Kai says, “So let our Quest begin at the precipice between Heaven and Hell.”
Bedwyr says, “Let us drink from Grail Cup in Purgatory.”
Lancelot says, “Out of the cauldron9.4 and into immortality.”
Gwenhwyfar, “Still I have heard Purgatory is the most beautiful place in the Universe.”
F 1.1 Menw fab Teirgwaedd (pronounced 'Menoo' vab (son of) Ter-gwīth)
The real Merlyn (pronounced Merlin). Not the laughable the Geoffrey of MonmouthGM
Myrddin Emrys (Merlyn + Ambrosius).
Merlyn's name is derived from the Roman stronghold of Maridunum in Wales, which means "sea fortress" which was corrupted into Caer Myrddin (Mirthin) meaning the town of Myrddin. The name was used by the person Myrddin Wyllt in 'The battle of Arfderydd' in the Annales CambriaeAC:575
many years after Arthur and acquired by GeoffreyGM
as the Merlyn of the Arthurian Tales.
Traditional Welsh location is 'Merlin's Grotto ' located near Cothi's bridge, Llanegwad, Carmarthen ('The Rivers of Great Britain'; Castell & Co, 1897 )
Appears in two MabinogionMAB stories:
"The Dream of Rhonabwy"DR and
and a major role in "Culhwch and Olwen"CO
as a shape-shifter : "And Arthur called Menw the son of Teirgwaedd, in order that if they went into a savage country, he might cast a charm and an illusion over them, so that none might see them whilst they could see every one."
TriadTRI: There were three names given to the Isle of Britain from the first:
1. Before it was inhabited it was called the Sea-girt Green Space (Clas Myrddin*);
2. After it was inhabited, it was called the Honey Island (Y Vel Ynys); and
3. After the people were formed into a common-wealth, by Prydain the son of Aedd the Great*, it was denominated the Isle of Britain.
And no one has any right to it but the tribe of the Cymry (Cambrians), for they first took possession;
* Merlyn is of the Green Space, thus tapping into the magic realm before time and existing in the mind ('Menw') of of third world of Aedd the Great ( Teir-gwaedd' ), the father of Prydain.
Triad 27: Three Enchanters of the Island of Britain:
1. Coll son of Collfrewy, and
2. Menw son of Teirgwaedd, and
3. Drych son of Kibddar."
Triad 90: The three illusive and half-apparent men of the Isle of Britain:
1. Math son of Mathonwy, who showed his illusion to Gwydion son of Dôn;
2. Menw the son of Teirgwaedd, who revealed his secret to Uthyr Pendragon;
('Uthyr' embellished by Iolo Morganwg, a known forger, being influenced by the often inaccurate "The History of the Kings of Britain" by Geoffrey of MonmouthGM: the story of Uther and Igraine)
3. and Rhuddlwm the giant, who revealed his secret to Eiddilic the dwarf, and Coll son of Collvrewi.
F 1.2. The Gewissei were a major enemy of Arthur.
These people who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere succeeded in founding Wessex. The root of their name is an ancestor Gewis. This land had been acquired by Vortigern in his marriage to Severa, the daughter of Magnus Maximus4.7 and Elen. From this marriage, he inherits what would become Wessex and the title from the Romans: Dux Gewissei. When Ambrosius, the grandson, of Magnus Maximus, defeated Vortigern due the Britons' dissatisfaction with him for consistently losing Britain to the Saxons, this land became that of Ambrosius.
Vortigern4.8(Gwrtheyrn Gwrtheneu ('of the Repulsive Lips': speaking foreign language) appears to be ancestor of the Goidelic race possibly from Ireland or the Isle of Man. It is believed that he used Picts to assassinate the true King Constans (the grandson of Magnus Maximus). They appear to have joined with the ancestors of the Saxon Federates who were once paid to protect the shores from pirates, but eventually became the enemies of the Britons.
The metaphoric Twrch Trwyth (boars, pigs) of 'Culhwch and Olwen', whom Arthur chased across South Wales and defeated at the Battle of Badon, appear to be Gewissei who were Cerdic and Cynric15.2who had allied themselves with the Saxons as indicated by the presence of Osla Gyllellvawr15.3.
F 1.3. Ynys Enlli Welsh name for Bardsey Island. "Isle of Apples", Bardsey Island, "Ynys Afallach", "Island of 20,000 Saints".
Arthur's maternal grandparents: Gwrgant the Great (Urien of Gorre (Gower)) married Modron (daughter of Afallach, king of Pen Llŷn). (Morgan le Fay.) She gave this island to the Saints.
It must be reached by boat from Porth Cadlan17.7 on the Llyn Peninsula.
(See Ref 4.4 Three Perpetual Choirs of the Island of Britain and how Ynys Enlli was connected to the northern spiritual center at Bangor.)
It was the resting place of Dubricius until his bones were transferred. (See Ref 7.5)
Vita Merlini (The Life of Merlin) (A Latin poem in 1,529 hexameter lines written around the year 1150 )
"The island of apples which men call “The Fortunate Isle” gets its name from the fact that it produces all things of itself; the fields there have no need of the ploughs of the farmers and all cultivation is lacking except what nature provides. Of its own accord it produces grain and grapes, and apple trees Bardsey Island apples are a unique species.) grow in its woods from the close-clipped grass. The ground of its own accord produces everything instead of merely grass, and people live there a hundred years or more.
There nine sisters rule by a pleasing set of laws those who come to them from our country. 48 She who is first of them is more skilled in the healing art, and excels her sisters in the beauty of her person. Morgen is her name, and she has learned what useful properties all the herbs contain, so that she can cure sick bodies. She also knows an art by which to change her shape, and to cleave the air on new wings like Daedalus; when she wishes she is at Brest, Chartres, or Pavia (Paris) and when she will she slips down from the air onto your shores. And men say that she has taught mathematics to her sisters, Moronoe, Mazoe, Gliten, Glitonea, Gliton, Tyronoe, Thitis; Thitis best known for her cither.
Thither after the battle of Camlan we took the wounded Arthur, guided by Barinthus to whom the waters and the stars of heaven were well known. With him steering the ship we arrived there with the prince, and Morgen received is with fitting honor, and in her chamber she placed the king on a golden bed and with her own hand she uncovered his Honourable wound and gazed at it for a long time.
At length she said that health could be restored to him if he stayed with her for a long time and made use of her healing art. Rejoicing, therefore, we entrusted the king to her and returning spread our sails to the favoring winds."
F 1.4. Arthur's age Les vie des_saints, Albert LeGrande: St. Armel is born 482. 537-482 age 55 at Camlaan.
Les vie des_saints St Armel, Albert LeGrande says Arthur's death is 552, but this is before the defeat of Conomor by Judual, Samson and Arthur in 555 according to St. Paulinus AurelianusLBS (See Ref A4b Sampson Stone, so assuming Le Grande mistake of a digit, the death of Arthur would be 562.
(562-482=80 year life span). (2020-562(Arthur's death))/25(avg. generation) =~60 generations.
F 1.5. Jesus lives to 80 Celtic Christianity was inspired by the desert monks of Egypt like St. Anthony13.1 and as demonstrated by the Gnostic Gospels found in Nag Hammadi in Egypt, their beliefs were far different than the orthodoxy of the Roman Church that called them heresy. In particular they believed that Jesus survived the Crucifixion and was married to Mary Magdalene who was pregnant with his child when he was on the cross while talking to Barthomew. (See Pesher of Christ19.3 .)
Irenaeus: "Against Heresies" (c. 180 AD)
Book II: Chap. XXII, — The Thirty Years are not typified by the fact that Christ was baptized in his thirtieth year:
he did not suffer in the twelfth month after his baptism, but was more than fifty years old when he died.
Eusebius, Fragments Of Papias, Church History XXXIX 8-10): Papias of Hierapolis (died c. 100AD) He relates a marvellous tale from the daughters of Philip: "that in his time a man rose from the dead1, and again how Justus who was surnamed Barsabbas (Jesus son of Joseph) drank a deadly poison, and yet, by the grace of the Lord, suffered no serious harm."
F 1.6. Mordred (Medraut), grandson of Arthur's maternal uncle Caradog Strong-armed7.4 and also See Ref 8.3 Arthur's Three Principal Courts. His father was Cawrdaf who was jealous of his brother, Ynyr II who recognized Arthur as Emperor or precisely 'Comes Britannia' (Count of the Britain).
MordredLCB: 599: "35 Dyfnaw sant (St. DyfnogLBS), ap Medrawd ap Cawdaf ap Caradog Strong-armed (Freichfras)"
See Appendix 6 - Genealogy Chart of Arthur
F 1.7. Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere), (pronounced Gwen-however-var) maternal second cousin of Arthur, daughter of Gwythyr (Victor) Count of Leon , Brittany (died in 530), son of Owain. (Thus the legend of Lyonesse.)
See Appendix 6 - Genealogy Chart of Arthur
( Withur (Gwythyr- 2nd Count de Leon, Aquitaine) ap Ywaine (1st Count de Leon d'Acqs)(married to Alienor) ap Urien of Gorre (Gower) (married to Morgan "le Fai") ap Cynfarch (Cynfyn)BC
To decipher Gwenhwyfar is complex and has never been uncovered before:
Arthur's Three Great Queens:
F 1.8. Gelliwig of Cernyw (Camelot)
"Llan-y-Gelli near Caerleon-on-Usk in Wales; Chief Bishop: Bedwini (St. Edeyrn)15.16
Chief Elder: Owain15.14 "
(Cernyw was not Cornwall in Arthur's time as assumed, but part of Glywysing which was merged into Gwent to form Morganwg, which later became Glamorgan - See Book of LlandaffBL)). Note that in Cornwall the town of Callington, having been derived from Caradog Strong-armed, was once called 'Kelliwik'. Many historians now accept that Gelliwig was in South Wales having to accept that Tintagel was constructed in the time of Geoffrey of Monmouth and therefore some 500 years after King Arthur. However, they still choose the Roman structures of Caerwent or Caerleon upon Usk.
Nennius NEN
list of the "Cities of Britain"NenTown , he lists Caer Calemion, and, as noted on JA page 63, that by swapping the 'l' and the 'm', we get Camelion!
GeoffreyGM's confusion of Winchester, which was Venta Belarium comes from thinking that its name Caer Wynt was Caerwent.
Ironically CADW, the organization that manages the castles and ancient monuments thinks that these few mounds of dirt at Llanmelin are unimportant,while money is still poured into digs a Tintagel. Imagine a Laser show at the true location Camelot. It would be bigger than Tintagel in Cornwall which is owned by English Heritage. It should be CADW's duty to restore the Welsh hero Arthur to Wales that the English have stolen.
(See Chapter 8 for more detail)
(Engraving: Kelliwik Church and Cross, Book of Cornwall, Barring-Gould, 1906)
F 1.9. Regalia
Humorous line as wife is listed last. Culhwch and Olwen in the Mabinogion. The only things that he will not allow Culhwch as a boon. MAB
"And Caw, of North Britain, mounted Arthur's mare Llamrei, and was first in the attack." Culhwch and Olwen so I have used this for Arthur's horse.
F 1.10. Poem: Arthur and the Eagle Literary Source AE
therefore the earliest mention of Arthur before GeoffreyGM.
(See Appendix 6 - Genealogy Chart of Arthur) to show that Mordred is a cousin, but also on the nephew line.
F 1.11. Uther Pendragon does not exist Uther and Ygerna are not Arthur's father and mother:
In the 'The History of the Britons' NenniusNEN
says about Arthur 'mab uther, id est filius horribilius'. The first part is Welsh meaning' son of war' and the second part in Latin means the same. GeoffreyGM
mistook this to say that Arthur was the son of Uther and then proceeded to make of the story of Uther and Igraine. Interestly, Gwenhwyfar1.7 was the daughter of Count Gwythyr ('Victor', similar to 'uther') of Leon, Domnonia, Brittany. (d. 530) thus he is Arthur's father-in-law! (See Appendix 6 - Genealogy Chart of Arthur)
The castle visible today is 12th century castle, probably built with Geoffrey'sGM
story in mind. That Hollywood-like castle is still a major archeological waste of time!
(Seascape with Two Figures: Tintagel, Cornwall, England by William Trost Richards, date:1878-1880, Brooklyn Museum)
John Boorman 'Excalibur' (1981) adapted from Thomas Malory's book. Nicol Williamson as Merlin. Merlin's Charm of Making: "Serpent's breath, charm of death and life, thy omen of making". Parsed in Old Irish: "Note that Merlin ends with 'dénmhe, which ought to be 'dénmha'." ( https://www.evertype.com/misc/charm.html Michael Everson, Evertype, 73 Woodgrove, Portlaoise, R32 ENP6, Ireland, 2002-09-09)>
F 1.11a
Arthur is shown in the Llandaff Charter (See Appendix 3a - Llandaff Charter) to be was the eldest son of Meurig and Onbrawst and thus the connecting link of many powerful British lines from Magnus Maximus who was Ambrosius' grandfather.
(See Appendix 6 - Genealogy Chart of Arthur)
Arthur's father (King of Gwent) Meurig ap Tewdrig ap Teithfailt ap Tathal ap Antonius Donatus ap Magnus Maximus & first wife Ceindrech.
Arthur's mother Onbrawst daughter of Gwrgant the Great ap Cynfyn ap Pepiau Clavorauc (king of Erging) married to the sister of Ambrosius and the daughter of Constantine the Blessed ap Magnus Maximus & Elen, daughter of Octavius the Old
In JA page 118 it was suggested that since King Glywys is the king of Cernyw in Wales, Meurig ap Tewdrig , Arthur's father, should be used for Uther Pendragon and Gwawr his wife for Igraine yet this might explain The Geoffrey of Monmouth'sGM imaginary Arthur, but the truth is in the Llandaff ChartersBL show that Onbrawst is his mother (See Appendix 3a - Llandaff Charter).
F 11.1a The Geoffrey of Monmouth fableGM
of Uther and Igraine, it is suspicious that there is a story about Gwynllyw (later a SaintLBS) the son of Glywys and the father of St. Cadog that fits the story almost exactly.
(Pronouncing Gwynllyw in Welsh: w sounds like "ou", y sounds like "ee", and ll is a special "thl' using the tongue so Gou-ee-n-thl-ee-ou)
When Gwynllyw desired to get married, he sent ambassadors to Brychan, King of Brycheiniog, for he had heard of the gentleness and beauty of his daughter, Gladys (Gwladys). She being requested as a bride and promised, was given that he might enjoy legal nuptials. The father of the girl, on reception of the legation, was indignant and filled with fury, and absolutely refused to betroth his daughter to him.
Having heard this, the King, drunk with fury, armed as many as three hundred serfs, so as to carry off the girl by force. They immediately set out and reached the court of the aforesaid king, at Talgarth, and found the damsel outside the gate, sitting with her sisters, and passing the time in modest conversation. Her they immediately carried off by force, and returned at full speed. When Brychan, her father, learned this, he was touched with grief to the heart, and mourning the loss of his most dear daughter, summoned all his friends and neighbors to recover his child. He pursues his enemy and his accomplices.
Now when Gwynllyw saw them, he ordered the girl to be brought to him, and to ride along with him on the same horse. He preceded his soldiers slowly, with the girl behind him, and exhorted his men to fight gallantly. But Brychan and his men, boldly attacking the ungentle King and his followers, slew two hundred of them, and pursued them to the hill (called Fochriw, which is now Caerphilly, Gwynllwg) which bounded their respective territories.
Now it happened that Arthur (not yet born!) and his two knights, Kai and Bedwyr were at the time seated on the top of the hill and were playing dice. When they saw what was going on, Arthur, who was of an amorous complexion, proposed to knock over Gwynllyw and carry off the girl he had behind him. But his comrades dissuaded him from so gross an act and told him that he had best first inquire who the man as who had the damsel on the rump. When Gwynllyw gave his name, and stated that he was on his own lands, then Arthur and his men went to his assistance, and drove back the soldiers of Brychan.
Then Gwynllyw went with the aforesaid virgin Gladys to his palace. In due course of time Gladys conceived, and there were prospects of becoming shortly a mother
Since his child was the famous St. CadogLCB,
he was later made a Saint in spite of his continued "free booting habits."
Gladys (Gwladys)LBS, the wife of Gwynllyw, and mother of St. Cadog was also made a saint. It is said that she was the daughter of Ceredig but that is unlikely as it would appear by the number of children there that Brychan could be accused of incest. Ceredig's father was Cunneda Wledig (wledig meaning 'the Great') whose grandfather was Prince Paterus of the Red Tunic and came from Manau Guotodin in Scotland, having chased the Irish out of the western shore of Wales. and thus is often deceptively linked to add status.
Gwynllyw's kingdom is on the eastern part of Glywysing, next to Gwent so it is possible that Arthur's father, Meurig, could assisted Gwynllyw as both their kingdoms were adjacent and they disliked Brychan's Irish ancestry. (There seems to be the intention in the Saint stories to disparage Arthur even though he was generous with land grants to them.) (See Map at 6.3).
F 1.12. The Old Oak of Carmarthen
The Black Book of Carmarthen (BBC) contains a poems to do Merlyn and Taliesin, the ancient poet: 'The Dialogue of Myrddin and Taliesin' and some verses on apple tree, but not the saying that used to be on the old oak, said to be by Merlyn: "When this oak comes tumbling down, down will fall Carmarthen town". The oak used to be in the middle of the street, then to the side, then n the museum,
F 1.13. Dragon's Tooth
from the statue of Saint-Pol-de-Léon Cathedral, Brittany dedicated to St. Paul (Pol) Aurelianus, Bishop, ConfessorLBS&LSB
In 'The Lives of the British Saints Vol 1-4' (Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), & 'Albert Le Grande's Lives of Saints of Brittany'
F 1.14. Jawbone and coffin of St. Armel (Arthur) in Saint-Armel-des-Bochaux in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany. (the author got to touch it.)
F 1.15. Baal Baal, the god of Thunder, depicted with a thunderbolt, is a son of EL In the Canaanite religion El was a god also known as the Father of humanity and all creatures, and the husband of the goddess Asherah as recorded in the clay tablets of Ugarit. The Jewish God YHWH is derived from him, discarding his consort.
F 2.1. Photo of young Arthruis, grandfather Tewdrig, and Cadwalader
from the stain glass window of Llandaff Cathedral that shows Arthur, his grandfather Tewdrig, and Cadwalader, the last in an ancient line to hold the title King of Britain according to Geoffrey of MonmouthGM
F 2.2. Pen Ychen: meaning 'Ox Head'
"Arthmael born in the medieval Cantref of Penychen (Pen Ychen) in Morgannwg" (St. ArthmaelLBS)
same as Paul Aurelianus: "Pennochen, on the Isle of Britain from the country of St. Paul of Leon."LBS&LSB
It was later called Boverton, near Llanwit Major from Llanilltud Church.
Gets it name from the Roman station, Caput Bovum, now Cowbridge, Glamorgan
Photo from 'Wales illustrated' by Gastineau, Henry, 1791-1876; Jones & Co., London
Glywysing, the kingdom of King Glywys, was between the River Tawe and the River Usk. At his death, it was divided into three parts to his sons with the eastern section belonging to Gwynllyw, the father of Cadog. Later when it was ruled by Morgan Mwynfawr ('the Courteous'), son of Arthur; it became Morgannwg, now called Glamorgan.
F 2.3. Llanilltud Fawr (photo of church beginning of Chapter 5)
St. IlltydLBS was made abbot of Llanilltud Fawr by Dubricius and it became a world renowned school. He was he son of a nobleman of Brittany who was married to Gweryla, the daughter of Arthur's grandfather Tewdrig. Earlier, he was a knight earning the title of 'Golden Chained Knight'
Three Perpetual Choirs of the Island of Britain4.4
Amesbury is not he right connection for Ambrosius and Glastonbury is not Avalon, rather Bangor, Wales connected with Bardsey Island.)
F 2.4. Tylwyth Teg Middle Welsh: Fair Family, (elves and fairies) Gwyn ap Nudd16.9 is their king who would was present in the hunt of the Twrch Trwyth.CO. His kingdom is said to be on Cantre'r Gwaelod, the mythical sunken kingdom in Cardigan Bay from Ynys Enlli1.3 to Cardigan in the poem "Boddi Maes Gwyddno" in the Black Book of CarmarthenBBC. It is said that if you listen closely you can hear the bells of the lost city ringing out from under the sea, especially on quiet Sunday mornings, and particularly if you’re in Aberdyfi, which is famous in Welsh folk legend as being the nearest place on dry land to Cantre'r Gwaelod being told in the well-known song 'The Bells of Aberdyfi'. Being invisible and having sunken into the Earth is is believed to be the home the fairy folk who lost the ability to reproduce, needing replacements from human infants.
F 2.5. Arthur's Sword Caledfwlch (Excalibur)
The name Excalibur ultimately derives from the Welsh Caledfwlch (Caled-vool-ch) (and Breton Kaledvoulc'h, Middle Cornish Calesvol and in Latin, Caliburnus) which is a compound of cabled "hard" and bwlch "breach, clef". Later it developed to become the Caliburn of Geoffrey of MonmouthGM
and finally the Frenchified Excalibur that we know today.
The traditional process of making a sword requires hold molten bronze or carbon with steel to be poured into a rock mold. There is a point when the sword must be pulled out before it fuses with the rock. It requires a strong arm to pull it out.
Arthur's Stone
Arthur would have carried a Romano-British cavalry sword called a spatha. This was a double-edged sword with a straight blade about 1m long. It would have been pattern-welded steel made by forging a blade from bars of different metals, which mixed together during the forging. The technique from the Bronze Age was to pour it into a rock mold and pull it out at just the right moment before it fused in the rock. High-carbon steel is brittle, but holds a sharp edge, and some would be lower carbon steels which are tough and flexible. The very finest Damascus blades, used by the crusader knights in the 11th-13th Century, were made using steel from India, which included minute traces of haematite (an iron oxide mineral) in the metal. Perhaps, Merlyn was able to get hold of a prototype of this metal.
The MabinogionMAB story: Culhwch and OlwenCO
tells us that Excalibur's hilt was decorated with two chimeras carved in gold: "design of two chimeras on the golden hilt; when the sword was unsheathed what was seen from the mouths of the two chimeras was like two flames of fire".
F 2.6. Shield of the Virgin Mary and the Cross of Jesus Christ
It is referred two in two sources in Arthur's battles: Nennius: Battle 8 and Annals Cambriae: Battle of Badon
F 2.7. Simon Magus The much maligned Simon the Magician, a contemporary of Jesus, also one of the 'thieves' on the cross with Jesus who also survived. (See Pesher of Christ19.3 .) His method was to use magic tricks to gain crowds that he would preach to. The 'Clementine Books" and the 'Acts of Peter' tell of Peter's struggle to compete with him. Tradition claims that Peter sabotaged one of his magic tricks in Rome of 'flying through the sky' which ended his life. The plaque is in the Francesca Romana Church near the Colosseum. He was called a leper but it was a way to say that he was excommunicated, thus he was Lazarus, raised from the dead (excommunication) To ridicule the Celtic Saints, who would not accept the Catholic calculation of Easter, they ridiculed the way they trimmed their hair, calling it the 'tonsure of Simon Magus'. (See the drawing of the monk at the cave at the beginning of Chapter 1.)
F 3.1.
The Callanish Stones are located near the village of Callanish on the west coast of Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
The Callanish Stones consist of a stone circle of thirteen stones with a monolith near the middle. Five rows of standing stones connect to this circle. Two long rows of stones running almost parallel to each other from the stone circle to the north-northeast form a kind of avenue. In addition, there are shorter rows of stones to the west-southwest, south and east-northeast. The stones are all of the same rock type, namely the local Lewisian gneiss. Within the stone circle is a chambered tomb to the east of the central stone.
Outfit from museum at Callanish Stones.
F 3.2. Bloody Mary Mary I, Queen of Britain, the granddaughter of Henry Tudor (Henry VII) who came to the throne at the Battle of Bosworth. Her father Henry VIII had broken with the Catholic Church in order to divorce his first wife Catherine of Aragon. When Mary came to the throne she tried to restore Catholicism resulting in many Protestant deaths.
F 3.3. Arthur, son of Henry Tudor As the eldest son and heir apparent of Henry VII of England, he was viewed by contemporaries as the great hope of the newly established House of Tudor. His mother, Elizabeth of York, was the daughter of Edward IV, and his birth would have cemented the union between the House of Tudor and the House of York. Instead it resulted the accession to the throne of in the ridiculed fat Henry VIII and then his daughter 'Bloody Mary'(3.2 ).
F 3.4. Boscawen-Un This stone ring which is a ellipse, perhaps mimicking the elliptical orbits of the planets, containing one stone made of crystal. It is northeast of St. Levan Church, Land's End, Cornwall, which contains a split stone:
caused by the St. Michael's Ley line that runs through it from Land's End, through Mount St. Michael, Glastonbury Tor (Ynys yr Afalon (meaning "The Isle of Avalon")) and Glastonbury Abbey with the traditional graves of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere (a fraud perpetuated by the monks in 1191), continuing to the Avebury stone circle and then on to Bury St. Edmunds out to sea on the eastern side.
F 4.1 TewdrigLBS, grandfather of Arthur
(See middle panel of stain glass Ref 2.1 for his stained glass image), note he is carrying leeks which were used by Henry Tudor to defeat King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field to become Henry VII.)
See Ref PM (See Pool of Merrick as the place where Tewdrig fell is in the Land Charter that King Arthur dedicated)
F 4.2 'Comes Britanniarum' Latin for 'Count of Britain'. Theodosius the Elder, distinguishing him from his son, the Roman emperor Theodosius I, was granted the title of Comes Britanniarum for his work in putting down the Great Conspiracy of forces that would have torn Britain apart in 368. This position was established as a mobile army able to assist where needed, thus it also contained cavalry (the precursor of mounted knights). The power of this position was seen with Magnus Maximus and Constantine III who almost defeated the Rome after bringing these forces across the Channel. It become an honorary position with Vortigern, Ambrosius, and Arthur, sometimes morphed into Dux Britanniarum with another force called 'Comes litoris Saxonici' (Count of the Saxon Shore).
F 4.3. Ambrosius Aurelianus, Welsh name Emrys Wledig (wledig meaning 'venerated chieftain') is a great, great grand uncle of Arthur.
Ambrosius' father was Constantine the Blessed and his grandfather Magnus Maximus. He was extolled by St. Gildas c. 500 – c. 570) in his writings: "Of the Ruin and Conquest of Britain"
GIL(In Appendix LS - Literary Sources), he being the only one that he did not criticize, having strangely ignored Arthur.
He is also mentioned by NenniusNEN
once as a boy and then "the quarrel between Vortigern and Ambrosius"
F 4.4. "Three Perpetual Choirs of the Island of Britain"
Joining:
Triad 84(90) Three Perpetual Harmonies of the Island of Britain:
One was at the Island of Afallach,
and the second at Caer Garadawg,
and the third at Bangor.
With Triad (90) corrected and derived from
'Fabliaux or tales, abridged from French manuscripts of the XIIth and XIIIth centuries' (FAB) (not Salisbury) and
'Catechism of the history of the early Church in England and Wales'(CAT (not Amesbury)
Triad 84 (90): "Three Perpetual Choirs of the Island of Britain:
One was at the Bangor Illtyd Farchog in Caer Worgan (Llanwit Major),
and the second at Cor Emrys (Ambrosius Aurelianus)) at Caer Caradoc,
and the third at Bangor Wyrddin in the the Island of Afallach (Isle of Avalon).
In each of these three places there were 2,400 religious men; and of these 100 in turn continued each hour of the twenty-four hours of the day and night in prayer and service to God, ceaselessly and without rest for ever."
Geoffrey of MonmouthGM assumed that Cor Emrys was Amesbury where Ambrosius was killed and thus associated Stonehenge with the site and, since neither the builders nor the age were known in his time, he used it for his fable. Historians continue to be baffled by how the stones got there and thus he had Merlyn move them from Ireland by magic. Now it is believed that they came from the Preselly Hills in Pembrokeshire, Wales, which still leaves the method of transport a mystery.
He claimed that it was Ambrosius had built it as a monument to the honor the lost chieftains in the F 4.6: Treachery of the Long Knives
F 4.5. Caradog (Caractacus) led the native tribe of Celts called the Silures in the south of Wales against the Roman invasion of Britain. He held out for a long time until betrayed in AD 51 by Queen Cartimandua of Brigantes. He was sent off in chains with his family to Rome. Amazingly, he gave an heroic speech to the Emperor Claudius, who pardoned him.
Caractacus speech to Claudius: (painting:Andrew Birrell (after Henry Fuseli), Caractacus at the Tribunal of Claudius at Rome (1792))
'"Had I been as moderate in prosperity as I was great by birth and station, I should have entered your city as a friend, rather than as a captive ; nor would you, Caesar, have disdained to offer peace and alliance to one sprung from illustrious ancestors, and ruling over many nations. My present fate is as glorious to you as it is degrading to me. Horses and men, arms and wealth, have been mine ; is it a strange thing that I am loth to give them up ? And if you Romans must needs lord it over the world, does it follow that all welcome your yoke Were I being delivered to you after having surrendered at once, where had been my name, and where your glory ? Wreak your will on me, and I shall be forgotten : spare my life, and I shall be, for all time, a memorial of your clemency."' Claudius replied by granting a pardon to Caractacus, his wife and brothers. (Annals of Tacitus)
His daughter was renamed Claudia to honor Claudius and married Aulus Pudens. They are mentioned by St. Paul in his letter to Timothy, which he wrote during his second imprisonment before his death by in AD 62:
2 Timothy 4:21 "Do your best to get here before winter. Eubulus greets you, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia and all the brethren". (Pudens is the wife of Claudia. Linus is acting under Pope St. Clement, he precedes Claudia because female!)
(From The burning of Rome; or,
A story of the days of Nero, Alfred John Church (1891))
The hill of is long forgotten and mostly destroyed. It was once marked on old maps with this name, but is now is just a part of Mynndd-y-Gaer. The hill is shared with wind turbines and the remains of St. Peter's Church.
F 4.6. Treachery of the Long Knives
In the Vortimer's last battle in 465, even though it was again a draw, the Saxons claimed they slew twelve leaders, all Welsh. When the Saxons broke the treaty eight years later in 473, the chieftains lost all faith in Vortigern's leadership and were even suspecting that he was secretly in league with the enemy, having already given up East, South, and Middlesex in return for a peace. Thus it came about that the people made of the well-known fable of a 'treaty massacre'. It was claimed that twelve British chieftains were seated at the table for the peace conference and were all killed by the Saxon's long knives. (This was their preferred sword, being easy to disguise on one's person. Osla Gyllellvawr15.3 has this famous knife.) In fact these twelve had already died in 465 in battle. It was just an excuse for that terrible tragedy. (Painting: Vortigern and Rowena, by William Hamilton) (See Nennius tale on Rowena)
F 4.7. Roman Emperors Magnus Maximus (Mascen Wledig (wledig meaning 'the Great') and his son Constantine the Blessed
Magnus Maximus had served under Count Theodosius at Hadrian's Wall, defeating the Picts and Scots in the great rebellion. He married Ceidrech and then Elen, the daughter of Octavius (Welsh name Eudaf Hen). Eudaf ruled the area around Caernarfon and the area of Wessex which would be inherited by Vortigern and later ruled by Alfred the Great. (These lands acquired by Vortigern and taken by Ambrosius may be the reason for the Gewissei See 1.2 The Gewissei.)
When his troops and British chieftains declared him emperor, he marched across the Channel and defeated and killed the Emperor Gratian and was declared Augustus of the West for four years. When he tried to take Rome, he was defeated and killed along with his son Victor.
F 4.7a. Magnus Maximus and his wife Elen are is mentioned in the MabinogionMAB: The Dream of Macsen WledigDMW. It correctly names Caernarfon as the place that Magnus Maximus met Elen, the daughter of Eudaf (Octavius). Maximus was the commander of the Roman fort Segontium, the remains of which still exist there. (The huge castle that Edward I built there was certainly inspired by this tale.) See 4.7b.
F 4.7b. Constantine the Blessed (Constantine III)
Maximus' supporters settled in Brittany and nineteen years later his son Constantine, who was living in South Wales, gathered them and other chieftains from Britain to become Emperor of the West (as Constantine III) as again for two years before being killed with his son Constans in 409. (The 'New History', book 6 of Count Zosimus.)
(He is mentioned in Charter [1 - 49r] Lann Custenhinngarthbenni in Ergyng. See Book of LlandaffBL in Appendix to Footnotes : "Be it known to us that King Pepiau son of Erb, granted Manor Garth benni, as far as the black marsh between the wood, and field, and water, and the spear-throw of King Constantine, his father-in-law")
See A6 for genealogy.
F 4.8. Vortigern the most hated leader of all time, but the truth is that the Saxons would have invaded anyway. He just brought it about sooner. He was given the nickname 'Repulsive Lips' from his foreign Goidelic speech indicating that he was from Ireland or the Isle of Man.
He gained power by marrying Severa, the daughter of Magnus Maximus and Elen. Thus Ambrosius is his grandson in-law (See genealogy of Arthur). He is mentioned by name in the Anglo-Saxon ChroniclesASC:449 even though as seen in the next footnote that it is his son Vortimer who fights the first four battles. One must keep in mind that this Chronicle is written by the enemy and tries to show that every battle is a victory. If one looks carefully at the locations of the battles, it would appear that Vortimer successful contained the Saxons, but not without great loss of life. After Vortimer's death, Vortigern signed a truce with was firmed up by his marriage to the daughter Rowena of the Saxon leader Hengist. But the Saxons were secretly importing more leaders from abroad. (See Nennius: Rowena.)
F 4.9. St. Gildas
There will be more on him later (See 5.11), but suffice it to say that he was a contemporary of Arthur and even went to school with him. His work called,
'On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain'GIL
is the only contemporary writing other than ASC & AC: The Combined Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and Annales Cambriae in Appendix 2 which still only gives sparse information & NenniusNEN
'Historia_Brittonum' is three centuries later. It is unfortunate that what Gildas has done is write a long boring sermon with many Biblical analogies and consisting mostly on tirades of the British chieftains and the clergy. He does not even mention Arthur, stating that "for it is my present purpose to relate the deeds of an indolent and slothful race, rather than the exploits of those who have been valiant in the field." He does give a few hints about some things and for dates he makes up complicated formulas that require knowledge that are difficult to recreate, but not impossible. He is right in the fact that the Celts since the beginning of time were rarely ever able to join forces against a common enemy and, when they finally did at with Vercingetorix in Gaul against Caesar, it was already too late. They spent most of their time fighting each other. It took Rome to unify them, by conquest.
F 4.10. Vortimer Son of Vortigern
(See selection from Historia Brittonum by Nennius and Anglo-Saxon ChroniclesASC:457-465
He was quite successful, but died too soon. The Triad below shows that his bones here concealed in spite of Nennius comment.
Triad 53 (37)
Three Fortunate Concealments of the Island of Britain:
The Head of Bran the Blessed, son of Llyr, which was concealed in the White Hill in London, with its face towards France. And as long as it was in the position in which it was put there, no Saxon Oppression would ever come to this Island;
The second Fortunate Concealment: the Dragons in Dinas Emrys, which Lludd son of Beli concealed;
And the third: the Bones of Gwerthefyr the Blessed (Vortimer), in the Chief Ports of this Island. And as long as they remained in that concealment, no Saxon Oppression would ever come to this Island.
He also a saint as St. Gwrthefyr the BlessedLBS.
F 4.11. Red and White dragons fighting
In Geoffrey'sGM
story of Ambrosius as a boy being brought to Dinas Emrys nearby his castle of Carn Fadryn is derived from the ancient tale of Lludd and LlefelysLL which is not about red and white dragons fighting, but the transfer of Druidic geo-measurements from France (white dragon) to Britain (red dragon) concerning the mapping the solstice line or dragon line. It required the center of Britain is to be mapped first, which turns out to be Oxford; then drawing the hypotenuse of a 3-4-5 Pythagorean triangle towards Wales which passes through Dinas Emrys, which is the solstice line.
The Discovery of Middle Earth by Graham Robb pg 230, Norton, 2013
Triad 53 (37) "Three Concealments and Three Disclosures of the Island of Britain:
The Head of Bran the Blessed, son of Llyr, which was buried in the White Hill in London. And as long as the Head was there in that position, no Oppression would ever come to this Island;
The second: the Bones of Gwerthefyr the Blessed (Vortimer, son of Vortigern), which were buried in the Chief Ports of this Island;
The third: the Dragons which Lludd son of Beli buried in Dinas Emrys in Eryri (Snowdon). "
Compare Geoffrey's tale to Nennius Dinas Emrys: Nennius tale of this meeting of Vortigern and Ambrosius
(Photo: Vortigern and Ambrose watch the fight between the red and white dragons: an illustration from a 15th-century manuscript of Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain at Lambeth Palace Library MS 6 folio 43v )
F 4.12. Three-bodied beings Humorous visualization caused by the active imaginings and mistakes of Geoffrey of Monmouth
Arthur: 1. "son of Uther", conceived by abduction 2. like St. CadogLBS,
and 3. the derivation of his name from Arcturus, the guardian star of the Great Bear (Big Dipper).
Great Diamond:
F 4.12a. Three-bodied beings: Merlyn: 1. Merlyn is Merlyn, but 2. Emrys is another name for Ambrosius, and 3. St. DavidLBS has no father ( See Ref 5.10).
F 5.1. Ynys Môn Sacred Island of the Druids, known as Angelsey, separated from the rest of Wales, by the Menai Strait
It is looks like a head on the rest of Wales and so it was being the Druid center of Britain. In 60 or 61 the Roman General Suetonius in made an assault on the island described vividly by Tacitus:
"On the shore stood the opposing army with its dense array of armed warriors, while between the ranks dashed women, in black attire like the Furies, with hair disheveled, waving brands. All around, the Druids, lifting up their hands to heaven, and pouring forth dreadful imprecations, scared our soldiers by the unfamiliar sight, so that, as if their limbs were paralyzed, they stood motionless, and exposed to wounds. Then urged by their general's appeals and mutual encouragements not to quail before a troop of frenzied women, they bore the standards onwards, smote down all resistance, and wrapped the foe in the flames of his own brands. A force was next set over the conquered, and their groves, devoted to inhuman superstitions, were destroyed."
F 5.2. Seven of us and our grades
F 5.3. Quo Vadis
In the Acts of Peter, St. Peter was running away from the Nero's attack on Christians in Rome when he meet Jesus outside of the walls of Rome at a place marked by the church Domine Quo Vadis on the Appion Way. Jesus, appears, having been hiding in the catacombs and having survived the crucifixion, Peter sees him and asks, "Lord where are you going?" To which Jesus replies, "I am going to Rome to be crucified a second time." Peter realizes his error and returns to Rome, feeling ashamed, where he is crucified upside down.
F 5.4. St. Illtyd
(photo LBS) See Ref A7: Appendix 7 Genealogy of Emyr Lydaw showing Illtyd as the nephew of his father-in-law Budic due to Arthur's three sisters marrying his sons.
His school was known as Cor Tewdws and now is the site of Llanilltud Church (Photo), located in Llantwit Major, Glamorgan. It was originally founded by the Roman Emperor Theodosius in 395, but was sacked at least two times by pirates made up of the Irish, Scots, and Picts. Illtud studied under the soldier-saint Garmon4.14. Illtud was also a soldier saint and the nephew of Emyr Lydaw (Budic, Emperor of Armorica (Brittany). St. Garmon persuaded him to rebuild the college. This would become the major university in Europe and the timing of its re-establishment was perfect for the training of some of the most renowned saints in Wales and Brittany, being at the beginning of AD 500 to death of the last king of Wales: Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon in 682 (Ref 2.1 stained glass image).
Cadoc was a contemporary of Gildas ; and there is reason for sup- posing that Cadoc died in 577, one hundred and thirty years after the final visit of Germanus of Auxerre.
Illtyd was a master of Saints: Samson, Gildas, and Paul of Leon. Samson died not many years after 557 ; Gildas died in 570 ; Pol of Leon about 573.
Now taking a generation at thirty-three years, this would give the death year of Illtyd as about 537 ; and if he were then aged seventy- seven he was born about 460, thirteen years after the last visit of Germanus of Auxerre.
5.4a Triad 122
"The three continual knights of Arthur's court who guarded the Grael:
Cadog son of Gwynllyw;
Illtyd the knight; and
Bwrt king of Llychlyn. (This is most likely St. BriocLBS of Lydaw (Brittany) who studied with Illtyd under Garmon who fought with Ambrosius
That is, not one of them would commit a carnal sin, nor would they form any matrimonial connection, nor have any connections with women, but chose to live as bachelors and to conduct themselves by the law of God and the Christian faith." St. Garmon is from the the Isle of Man and is often confused with St. Germanus.
Upper Grade
Arthmael born 482
F 5.5 St. Cadog (Cadoc) (born 480 in Gwynllwg, east of Penychen)(photo Lives of British SaintsLBS)
has his birthdate at 497, however Brychan, the father, of Gladys died in 480 and for the story of her abduction (Ref 1.11 thus assuming a date of 480 for his birth.
His mother was a daughter of the Daughters and Sons of Brychan
See 'Brychan Documents' in Y CymmrodorYC vol 19
F 5.6 St. Paul (Pol) AurelianusLBS (St. Pol of Leon: Brittany) (born 480 - Pen Ychen in Glywysing)
The Cathedral Saint-Pol-Aurelian is Saint-Pol-de-Leon, Brittany
(Reliquaire de bronze containing head of St. Pol Aurelian)
Middle Grade
F 5.7 St Teilio (Eliud) (born 485 in Penally, Pembrokeshire) (Photo Llandaff Charters)
(Although his birth is listed at 500, the Liber Landavensis (Llandaff Charters) says he is a contemporary of Samson so I have used his birthdate.)
F 5.8 St. Samson (St. Samson of Dol: Brittany) (born 485 in Gwent)(photo: Lives of British Saints)
His Cathedral in in Dol-de-Bretagne
The Lives of the British Saints, volume 4, by Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), 1834-1924
This text on St. Samson has high historical value having been composed by a writer who took his information from a monk aged eighty, who had heard stories of Samson from his uncle, a cousin of Samson, and who had conversed with the mother of the saint. (All the rest are much posterior, composed, mostly in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and later by writers who piled up miracles, and altered or eliminated such particulars as they considered did not comport with the perfection of the hero, or did not accord with their notions of ecclesiastical order.) His name appears as present in the Council of Churches in 557 convened by the metropolitan of Tours which formally accepted the positions of the Celtic Saints in Brittany that had been given previously to them by Childebert.
Samson's mother was Arthur's older sister Anna, thus Arthur was his uncle. (See A6: Appendix 6 - Genealogy Chart of Arthur & A7: Appendix 7 - Genealogy of Emyr Lydaw & A4b: Saint Sampson Stone)
Lower Grade
F 5.9 St. Padarn (born 490 in Armorica and his grandfather was Emyr Lydaw. (photo Saint Peter cathedral of Vannes , Morbihan, France)
He was the son of Pedrwn, the son of Emyr Lydaw, thus he was cousin to Arthur from his three sisters (See A6: Appendix 6 - Genealogy Chart of Arthur & A7: Appendix 7 - Genealogy of Emyr Lydaw) Pedrwn was a brother-in-law to all three.
F 5.10 St. David (Dewi) (489 born in Glyn Rhosyn, the small hamlet next to St Davids Cathedral) (photo Lives of British Saints)
Reconstructing the Life of St. DavidLBS vol 2 pg 308:
Also if Non's mother is a Sefin, a daughter of St. Brychan, then she would be St. Cadog's aunt. (David Nash: Early Welsh Kingdoms) 
F 5.11 St. Gildas (491 said to be from Renfrewshire. Scotland on the River Clyde, but more likely Angelsey (photo Lives of British Saints)
In 'De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae' (On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain)GIL
section 26 by Gildas, he sets up a conundrum that only works with the rectified Annales CambriaeAC
Gildas' age: "which was (as I am sure) forty-four years and one month after the landing of the Saxons, and also the time of my own nativity".
This statement has been tampered with but the conundrum can be solved using the Annales CambriaeAC
date of 518 for the Battle of Badon and
549 for the death of Maelgwyn (Since Maelgwyn is shown as being alive in Gildas' essayGIL
, this is the last possible date for writing.)
Adventus Saxonum 447 + 44 = 491 Gildas' nativity (At the death of Maelgwyn in 549 Gildas would be 58)
Battle of Badon 518 - 491 = 27 & 518 + 27 = 545 which
makes the Battle of Badon half way between Gildas' time of his birth and the time of writing (545)LBS
Gildas' ancestry:
(See Caw of Prydain unmasked on my site)
Caw is made out to be a son of Geraint, who died at the Battle of Longborth. This comes from the similarity of Cawrdav, the son of Caradog with the Brawny Arm in Triad 41 (13) Three Chief Officers of the Island of Britain:
Caradog, the son of Bran, the son of Llyr Llediath;
Cawrdav, the son of Caradog with the Brawny Arm; and
Owain, the son of Macsen Wledig.
They were so called because all the men of the Isle of Britain, from the prince to the peasant, became their followers at the need of the country, on account of the invasions and tyranny of the foe. And wherever these three marched to war, there was not a man on the Isle of Britain but who would join their armies, and would not stay at home. And these three were the sons of bards.
Clearly, there can then be little or no doubt that Caw of Prydain, the father of St. Gildas, was a Pictish raider, who in the fifth century came from the banks of the Clyde to these coasts of Angelsey, or the purpose of plundering and ravaging the same, as Caw himself is made to confess in the Life of Cadog. Like David's father he has been placed on another esteemed ancestry.
F 5.12. The Hueil stone in Ruthin in Denbighshire in north Wales where Arthur cut off the head of Huail, the eldest son of Caw, a Pictish raider who left behind many illegitimate children, including Gildas.
The animosity between Arthur and Hueil is shown in the story of Culhwch and OlwenMAB
, where it is ascribed to the fact that Hueil had stabbed Gwydre, his own sister's son but later on in Culhwch and OlwenCO Gwydre was the son of Arthur killed by the Twrch Trwyth .
The excuse for Hueil being beheaded by Arthur as a traitor is "for Hueil exposing him on the dance floor when Arthur, having disguised himself as woman, was dancing with a girl friend" is a clue to Gwydre being an illegitimate son of Arthur, I suspect from Hueil's sister Gwenabwy.
F 5.13. Book of Chad
This is an Annotated Gospel Book of the four Gospels now housed in Lichfield Cathedral, however, the property grants in the margins in Old Welsh writing are for properties around Llandeilo and therefore it did not come from Llandaff as originally thought, but from Llandeilo Fawr. It has been placed at 730 and thus precedes the Book of Kells in Dublin. However, the last notation says: "Whoever will keep this decree of the liberty of Bleiddud and his offspring, may he be blessed ; and whoever will not keep it, may he be cursed by God, and by Teilo, in whose Gospel it is written, and may all the people say. So be it, So be it." which suggests it could be the work of Teilo.
F 6.1. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas called by Irenaeus of Lyon in AD 180, 'spurious and apocryphal'.
F 6.2. The Severn Bore is discussed in Ref WON: Wonders of Britain
"The Severn bore is a tidal bore which is formed when the rising tide moves into the funnel-shaped Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary and the surging water forces its way upstream in a series of waves, as far as Gloucester and beyond. Bores are present on about 130 days in the year, concentrated on the days immediately following the new and full moon. The size and precise timing of the bore depend on such things as the time of high tide, the barometric pressure, the wind speed and direction, the amount of water coming down the river and how well scoured the main drainage channels are." (Wikipedia)
Coracle Photo from Carmarthen Museum, Wales
Coal Fire from Wikipedia Sino German Coal Fire Research
All adventures are taken from the Lives of the British Saints Ref LBS
F 6.3. King Rhain from "Life of St. Cadog" (Vita Cadoci) written shortly before 1086 by Lifris of Llancarfan. It is full of anachronistic characters: Maelgwyn Gwynedd his son Rhun and his father Cadwallon Longhand and King Arthur with Kai and Bedwyr; . I have chosen a few of the sections, inserting the more likely names: §18. Of the habitation of saint Cadog in Lent. §21. Of saint Cadog’s manner of life at the river Neath. (Neath is too far west, Usk is the border to Arthur) §25. Of the deliverance of king Rhain from the hands of the men of Gwynllyw’s land. (Meurig, the father of Arthur is there, but the dispute would be with Gwynllyw) §22. Of the a few of the dispute between saint Cadog and king Arthur respecting the reinstatement of a certain person. (Arthur is not yet the great King Arthur, merely at this point King of Gwent.)
King Rhain is son of Brychan from See 'Brychan Documents' in Y CymmrodorYC vol 19 and later St. RhainLBS.
F 6.4. Map of Gwynllŵg, Gwent & Ergyng The kingdom of Brycheiniog was founded by King Rhain's father and St. Cadog's grandfather St. Brychan. The kingdom of Glywysing, which runs from river Tawe to the river Usk, was founded by King Glywys. Gwent is the kingdom of Arthur's father Meurig which was united to Ergyng by his marriage to Arthur's mother Onbrawst. Gwynllŵg, which runs from the river Rhymney to the river Usk, is a sub kingdom of Glywysing, divided by the sons of Glywys, ruled by King Gwynllyw, the father of St. Cadog. St. Woolos was founded for King Gwynllyw who was made a Saint after his death. The map also shows Arthur's birthplane Pen Ychen, his school at St. Illtud Church, and his main fort at Llanmelin (Gelliwig).
Glywysing was the kingdom of King Glywys often described as being in Cernyw taken to mean Cornwall, but it is clearly in South Wales. Gwent was the kingdom of King Meurig and also Erging from his marriage to Onbrawst, daughter of Gwrgant Mawr of Erging.
F 6.5. Llyn Cerrig Bach is a small lake located between Rhosneigr and Valley in the west of Ynys Môn (Angelsey) Wales. its claim to fame is the group of over 150 Iron Age metal objects discovered there in 1942, apparently placed in the lake as votive offerings. These finds are considered to be one of the most important collections of La Tène style metalwork discovered in the British Isles, and the most important in Wales.
F 7.1. St. GarmonLBS (St. Germanus of the Isle of Man to distinguish him from the famous St. Germanus (c. 378 – c. 448) bishop of Auxerre in Gaul.
He was a warrior-saint and the teacher of St. Illtyd and St. Brioc. St. Garmon, the uncle of Emyr Lydaw (Budic, Emperor of Armorica (Brittany) had assisted Ambrosius in the defeat of Vortigern. He would later retire to the Isle of Man, located between Britain and Ireland.
(photo Lives of British Saints; Manx National Heritage, Douglas, Isle of Man)
F 7.2. St. GurthiernLBS There is a statue of St Gurthiern in his chapel on the Ile de Groix, representing him as an aged hermit, in long habit, bareheaded, and holding a staff. Gurthiern is just another way of spelling Vortigern.
(photo: Vortigern in fire: British Library Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts)
F 7.3. Battle of Longborth:
The Anglo-Saxon ChroniclesASC:501 "This year 501 Porta and his two sons, Beda and Mela, came into Britain, with two ships, at a place called Portsmouth [correct place Longborth on the Severn Estuary]. They soon landed, and slew on the spot a young Briton of very high rank [Geraint]." Geraint was in charge of the British navy as indicated in
7.3a Triad 68 (14)
The three fleet-owners of the Isle of Britain:
"Geraint the son of Erbin;
Gwenwynwyn the son of Nav; and
March the son of Meirchion.
Each of these admirals had one hundred and twenty ships, and one hundred and twenty sailors in each ship."
His tomb was called Methyrgerin near Magor on the left bank of the mouth of the Severn, south of the bridge.
In the MabinogionMAB
: "Geraint the Son of Erbin"GE, but this would have to be his son Cadwy7.3c
Poem by Llywarch Hen (the Aged)LH:
Elergy of Geraint ab Erbin:
At Llongborth was Geraint slain,
A strenuous warrior from the woodland of Dyvnaint (Devon)
Slaughtering his foes as he fell.
At Llongborth were slain to Arthur
Valiant men, who hewed down with steel;
He was the emperor, and conductor of the toil of war."
(Jesus College MS 20 text from Y CymmrodorYC Vol 8 (pdf) entry 11: Gereint (Geraint). m. Erbin. (add m. Custennin), thus the nephew of Ambrosius)
Constantine (510-598) of Damnonia. (Constantine of Dumnonia (Devon)
Geraint had four other sons that are documented:
F 7.4. Caradog Strong-armed (Freichfras) in A6: Appendix 6 - Genealogy Chart of Arthur , having blacksmith skills (See Ref 2.5: Sword in the Stone )
Being shown as the leader of the second court of Arthur Kelliwik of Cernyw (Cornwall) (See Ref 8.3: Triad of Arthur's Three Principal Courts, so he clearly was a major general of Arthur, besides being the maternal uncle of Arthur and grandfather of MordredA6: Appendix 6 - Genealogy Chart of Arthur:
And with reference to these, Arthur composed the poem:
These are my three battle knights,
Mael the Tall (Menwaedd* of Arllechwedd (cantref of Gwynedd, west Conwy Valley) and
Llyr the Bellipotent,
And Caradog the pillar of the Cambrians.
That is to say, they were the bravest heroes of all battle-knights, and therefore royalty was granted them, and what they wished of power; and their courtesy was such, that they would do nothing but what was judicious and right, in whatever country they came.
* (Menwaed is possibly the same as Menw son of Teirgwaedd (Merlyn) (see Triad (27)) being a concatenation of Menw and Teir-gwaedd).
***
(In a version of Trioedd Ynys Prydein contained in the Red Book of Hergest.)
Three Favorites of Arthur's Court, and Three Battle-Horsemen: they would never endure a penteulu* over them. And Arthur sang an englyn:
One of Three Battle-Horsemen: the Pillar of the Cymry, Caradawg.
* penteulu , specifically the head of 24 court officials, being the captain of the warband.)
F 7.5. St. DubriciusLBS, the archbishop of Archenfeld and South Wales
St. Dubricius, important archbishop of GeoffreyGM. Eventually, he retired to Bardsey Island where he was eventually buried before his body was transferred to the newly built Llandaff Cathedral in 1120 by Bishop Urban.
Performed the coronation of Arthur. (From Ancient Roll, copied from Dugdale MSS in Bodleian Library, Oxford)
F 7.6. Annular-eclipse NASA photo and calculation.(center red line is the longest eclipse, blue lines on each side define the area of the eclipse) This eclipse crossing Angelsey near Camlann, and the western part of Wales and north England. The assumption has been that it was a comet, but as you see it is much more spectacular.
7.7. Caerleon Map & Amphitheater (folklore: Arthur's Roundtable). CC BY-SA license released historical digital boundary and map data from the Great Britain Historic GIS Project, University of Portsmouth
F 8.1. Amorica (Brittany) in France was called the lesser Britain, having its roots in the remnants of the campaigns of Magnus Maximus and Constantine the Blessed who were briefly Emperors of the Western Empire of Rome in the years 384-388 and 407-409. Emyr Lydaw (Budic, Emperor of Armorica (Brittany) was a deposed sub-king of Amorica (See Ref A7: Appendix 7 - Genealogy of Emyr Lydaw). Many of Arthur's relatives from the marriage of his three sisters; Gwenonwy, Anna, and Afrella were his loyal allies. After Camlaan, many families and Saints migrated to Amorica including Arthur because of the chaos and the yellow plague.
F 8.2. Section of 'Byzantine horseriders (kataphraktoi) are charging'. Chronicle of John Skylitzes, XIVth century; Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid, matritensis graecus, Vitr. 26-2, folio 19r Biblioteca Digital Hispánica
"In Roman times there had been stationed at Housesteads on Hadrian's Wall a Frisian cavalry unit, the Cuneus Frisiorum. They had black horses and these they may well have sold to the Briton on their departure. These may have interbred with the Fell ponies to produce the typical Arthurian steed." (Nightbringer.se)
F 8.3. Triad< 111 (85): Arthur's Three Principal Courts
(rejecting version with (3) "Edinburgh in the North" because Edinburgh is too far north considering the location of Battle 7 "at in the forest of Celidon & and (after Arthur's time) the Battle at Arfderydd in Annales CambriaeAC:575 were just northwest of Hadrian's wall):
(1) Caerleon-on-Usk in Wales (Cambria) (actually Llan-y-Gelli near it) and
(2) Celliwig in Cornwall (Kelliwik, Callington)* and
(3) Penrhyn Rhionydd in the North.
Three Principal Festivals at the Three Principal Courts
Easter, and Christmas, and Whitsun.
(*Photo credit Tony Atkin, Wikipedia)
8.3 continued.
Moving Caradawg Strong-Arm to Kelliwick, Cornwall as the Chief Elder and substituting Owain, son of Gwrgant the Great since he is prominent in Dream of RhonabwyDR noting that Bishop Bedwini as Chief Bishop is part of Arthur's Gelliwig as shown in Culhwch and OlwenCO at the Severn and an ancient crossing over the Severn is called 'Bedwin Sands'.F 8.4. St. Kentigern/Cyndeyrn (Mungo)LBS
became bishop at age 25 so he was Arthur's age. His father was Owain (Ywaine)15.14, son of Gwrgant the GreatA6. Again the Owain's have been confused as he was the son of my uncle Owain. He was actually the son of my uncle Owain. Joscelyn the compiler of the Saint's life admits to tampering of the story because it was 'too shocking' and then give a ridiculous tale about Owain dressing up as a women to make love to the king's step daughter. Because of this illicit affair in his Owain's adolescence the newborn Kentigern was placed in a coracle which floated down the river. He was rescued and raised by St. Serf who gave him the name Mungo meaning 'dear one'. There is a similar story in the life of St. Cenydd that I have used instead that indicates incest and most likely with Owain's twin sister Morfudd: (see Owain15.14 - Note the similarity to Kentigern and Cenydd (Keneth. In fact I believe that St. Kentigern is Keneth of (Henis)"weryn (Worm's Head) and that St. Cenydd are one and the same. Again the similarity with his other name Cyndeyrn and Cenydd.)
Having been assigned to Cumbria. he founded a church in Carlisle and where he rescued Merlyn Wyllt.11.4. St. Kentigern's life was exaggeratedly lengthened like Dubricius showing his death in Annales CambriaeAC:612.
F 8.5. Gwrthmwl Wledig (Gyrthmwl Wledig) Head of third Court of of Arthur Three Principle Courts. A councilor in Dream of RhonabwyDR.
SGSG: 'I Gelli Vriael, bedd Gwrthmwl' (Buried on side of Briael).
Was later displaced from the Northern kingdom of Rheged. Previously Arthur fought to protect this kingdom in Nennius Battles 7 & 8NEN.
(The Mabinogion, tr. by Lady Charlotte Guest, [1877], 313b --Page 313): "Gwrthmwl's history is brief. It maybe inferred that he was slain by Maelwr of Rhiw or Allt Faelwr, in Cardiganshire , since there are notices in the Triads of his sons, Gwair and Clais, and Arthaual, riding against Maelwr, upon Erch their horse, to avenge their father's fate. It was one of Maelwr' s customs never to close his gate against a single horse-load, and thus they gained entrance, and slew him. According to Beddau y Milwyr, his grave
was in the wood of Briavael. (Myv. Arch. i. 81, ii. 8, 10, 16, 17, 20, 71,80.) "
Triad 94 (63) Three Bull-Spectres of the Island of Britain:
Three Spectre of Gwidawl, and
the Spectre of Llyr Marini, and
the Spectre of Gyrthmwl Wledig.
Triad (44) Three Horses who carried the Three Horse-Burdens:
Black Moro, horse of Elidir Mwynfawr,
Corvan, horse of the sons of Eliffer,
Heith, horse of the sons of Gwerthmwl Wledig, bore the third Horse-Burden: he carried Gweir and Gleis and Archanad up the hill of Maelawr in Ceredigion to avenge their father.
(I am imagining that Maelwr had a fortification in Y Rhiw near Porth Cadlan and killed Gwrthmwl as he assisted Arthur's escape to Ynys Enlil and later at was defeated by his sons at Allt Faelwr, in (Snowdonia) riding his horse Heith who one of three horse most powerful horses.)
F 8.6 Ermine Way and Ermine Street
There is a town called St. Erme in Truro, Cornwall. It has a church of St. Erme which attempts to link to St. Hermes, but this saint is not from there. It is more likely to be a variant of St. Armel which is Arthur as a saint. It would also appear that Ermine Way and Ermine St. are also derived also from Arthur, which gives an amazing connection with the roads that Arthur used for his battles. St. Ermine's hotel in London was built on the site of St. Ermine's Church. It is interesting to note that later description of me and later kings dress in an ermine stole that must have been derived from Arthur and have been mixed up with its namesake: the white furred weasel
(Photo map from Wikimedia Commons: Roman Roads in Britain - towns and roads added by me.)
F 8.7. Campaigns 1: (Battles 1-5: Lincoln), Campaign 2: (Battle 6: Charford, Worcestershire), Campaign 3: (7: Caledonia Forest (northwest of Hadrian's Wall), 8: Binchester, Durham 9) Campaign 4: (Caerleon, 10: Severn Estuary, 11: Bristol, and 12: Bath at Badon Hill)
(From Original Source for Nennius Battles)
F 9.1. Hywel, son of Emyr Lydaw (Hoel I, Howell, Rhiwal Mawr), brother-in law of Arthur's three sisters (See Ref A7: Appendix 7 - Genealogy of Emyr Lydaw). (CO: Confused with the fictitious Hueil of Caw) DR: counselor Arthur.
Triad 118
The three kingly knights of Arthur's court:
Morgan the Greatly Courteous son of Adras (Arthur);
Medrawd son of Llew son of Cynvarch (brother of Urien of Rheged son of Cynvarch) (See Urien Genealogy below); and
Howell son of Emyr of Amorica (Emyr Llydaw: Budig I) (thus Howel (Hywel: is brother-in-law to three of Arthur's sisters) (See A7: Appendix 7 Genealogy of Emyr Lydaw)
It was their disposition to be so placid and mild, and pure in their discourse, that it was difficult for any person to refuse what they wanted.
Bonedd Gwyr y Gogledd (Descent of the Men of the North) Genealogy from Henwrt MS 536; Jesus College 20 Gen 34
F 9.2. Kai son of Cynyr Ceinfarfog (Cei, Kay), seneschal of Arthur. First to accept the boon.
CO: " A wound from Kai's sword no physician could heal"; "tall as the highest tree"; "so great was the heat of his nature"; "he could exist nine nights and nine days without sleep"; "the best burnisher of swords in the world". Kai's horse, according to the Welsh authorities, was called Gwineu gwddwf hir, the long-necked bay. (footnote in CO)
His father Cynyr Ceinfarfog was known in Latin as Cunoricus and in English, as Kendrick and sometimes and sometimes as Cynyr the Red), who was a ruler of Dyfed who from Caer Goch, near (Caer Gawch) near Mynyw (St. Davids, Wales). Kai's sister is St. Non and thus St. David is his nephew. Kai's home was at Roman Fort Caer Gai, west of Lake Bala. From the Triads of the Horses Triad (42)
Three Lively Steeds of the Island of Britain: Chestnut Long-Neck, horse of Cai.
In CO there is a falling out between Arthur and Kai when Arthur composed a poem making fun of Kai; thereupon Kai was wroth, so that the warriors of the Island could scarcely make peace between Kai and Arthur. Yet in DR: He appears in battle fighting for Arthur. "The fairest horseman is Kai in all Arthur's Court...."
F 9.3. Bedwyr, son of Bedrawg (Bedivere) second to accept the boon. CO: "never shrank from any enterprise upon which Kai was bound"; "The head of his lance will leave its shaft, and draw blood from the wind, and will descend upon its shaft again".
SGSG: buried in Hil of Tryvan, Snowdonia
TR69: Triad 69 (21)
Three Battle-Diademed Men of the Island of Britain:
Trystam son of Tallwch,*
Hueil son of Caw**, and
Kai son of (Cenyr of the Fine Beard?)
* (Note: Trystam is often substituted for Lancelot so assuming Lancelot)
** from the authority of Edward Llwyd, who derived them from a Welsh MS. in the handwriting of John Jones, of Gelli Lyfdy, dated June the 27th, 1611.
Some hater of Arthur has replaced Hueil for Bedwyr. Thus the need to add:
"And one was diademed above the three of them: that was Bedwyr son of Bedrawg."
F 9.4. Lancelot du Lac LlenLleawc the Irishman son of Llwch llawwynnyawc. Fifth to accept the boon. CO: Llennleawc Wyddel helped Arthur take the Cauldron of Diwrnach (task #14) in Ireland; Englynion y Clyweid.--Hast thou heard what Llenlleawg Gwyddel sang,The noble chief wearing the golden torques? The grave is better than a life of want."--Myv. Arch. I. p. 174.; 'Lluch Lleawg' in Taliesin's poem Spoils of Annwn; BBC:Pa Gur:PaG Llwch Llawynnog From these Lancelot du Lac (Llwch is lake) is derived (not first created in France by Chrétien de Troyes); therefore I have used him in the fight with the boars at the lakes: Llwch Ewintt17 and Llwch Tawytt18.
Arthur clearly trusts him as he used Arthur's sword Caledfwlch to kill Diwrnach and take the cauldron ("And Llenlleawg Wyddel seized Caledfwlch, and brandished it. And they slew Diwrnach Wyddel and his company. Then came the Irish and fought with them"CO) . (The cauldron would later be the inspiration for the search for the Holy Grail. It was derived from the original cauldron that the given by Bran the Blessed of Harlech to the Irish King, Matholuch, who was wedded to his daughter Branwen, who was later mistreated. The amazing magic of this cauldron was its ability to restore the dead to life.)
Lancelot must be one of three kingly knights of Arthur's court in Triad 118 shown as Llew son of Cynvarch along with with Arthur's son Morgan and Arthur's cousin Hywel.
F 9.5. Gwaine (Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar, son of Geraint) (Gwalchmai means"hawk of battle") third to accept the boon. CO: "He never returned home without achieving the adventure of which he went in quest. He was the best of footmen and the best of knights." ("He was nephew to Arthur, the son of his sister, and his cousin.": this would make him son of Anna & Amwn Ddu and brother to Samson which is unlikely and is part of the fictious 'Lot' dynasty created by Geoffrey.)
He is one of the three courteous knights in Triad 119 (75) along with Cadwy7.3c son of Geraint and in
Triad 119 (75)
The three lovely knights of King Arthur's court:
the best towards every guest and stranger: Gwalchmai son of Gwyar;
Garwy son of Geraint son of Erbin; and
Cadeir the adopted son of Seithin Saidai.
And no one could be denied what he sought from their courtesy, and so great was their generosity towards every person, that what they gained was the same as if a friend had obtained it on account of real friendship.
Triad 70 (4)
Three Well-Endowed Men of the Island of Britain
Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar;
Llacheu son of Arthur; and
Rhiwallon of the Broom-brush-hair;
Triad of the Horses: Triad (47) Three Bestowed Horses of the Island of Britain: Slender-Hard, horse of Gwalchmai.
SGSG:"The grave of Gwalchmai is in Peryddon Where the ninth wave flows";
DR: Counselor to Arthur
"Gwyar" may have been a corrupted St. Gwrw whose is suggested by Eglwys Wrw, which is the name of a church in Pembrokeshire, would most naturally suggest St. Gwrw as its patron saint, thus tying with the Malmsbury story below
(William of Malmsbury says, that during the reign of William the Conqueror (A.D. 1086) the tomb of Gwalchmai, or Walwen, as he calls him, was discovered on the sea-shore, in a certain province of Wales called Rhôs, which is understood to be that still known by the same name, in the county of Pembroke, where there is a district called in Welsh Castell Gwalchmai, and in English Walwyn's Castle.)
Stanzas of the Grave: "The grave of Gwalchmai is in Peryddon where the ninth wave flows". (Peryddon may also have been an early name for the stream at Sandyhaven Pill in Rhos, Pembrokeshire which runs down from Castell Gwalchmai (Walwyn's Castle) into the estuary at Milford Haven. William of Malmesbury confirms that his grave was discovered in Ros in the late 11th century.)
'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' is a late 14th-century chivalric romance in Middle English where the green sash is given to trick him, but he wears it as a token of his failure and humility.
F 9.6. Y Gododdin is a poem by Aneurin describing the disastrous defeat of the Gododdin at Cadreith. Another poem by Taliesin describes an earlier time when Urien of Rheged is the winner at Cadreith. Cadreith comes from Catterick in North Yorkshire (Listed by NenniusNEN ) which is named after the Roman fort Cadaractonium. This strategic area was coveted by the Brittonic kingdom of the Gododdin and the Angles kingdoms of Bernicia and Deira.
F 10.1. Historia Brittonum - NenniusNEN
#6"The sixth battle was above the river which is called Bassas". has been associated with Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for the year 514ASC:514
(Photo is Redstone hermitage from 'bowlandclimber'
(https://bowlandclimber.com/2013/07/page/2/)
( Charford is located just east of M5 in Bromsgrove which is 13 miles east of Redstone Rock Hermitage on the west bank of the Severn.)
F 10.2.
Below are are shown all the entries for the year 514-537 in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from the defeat of Ambrosius in 508 when Arthur becomes Comes Britanniarum to Arthur's assumed death at Camlann in 537.
That Stuff & Wihtgar are from the Isle of Wight as is indicated by the name 'Wihtgar' and the fact that the Isle of Wight was given to the Jutes in 449 ASC:449: "Then came the men from three powers of Germany; the Old Saxons, the Angles, and the Jutes. From the Jutes are descended the men of Kent, the Wightwarians (that is, the tribe that now dwelleth in the Isle of Wight), and that kindred in Wessex that men yet call the kindred of the Jutes")
but then in 530 ASC:530 Cerdic and Cynric take the Isle of Wight and slew many men and then in 534 ASC:534 after Cerdic's death, they give the Isle of Wight to Stuff and Wihtgar who are now nephews! Following this in 544 ASC:544 Wihtgar dies.
The assumption is that all of these locations are the same place for Cerdic's-ore, west of Charford with variations also in the versions for the years:
Cerdic's-ore; Cerdiceshora
Annales Cambriae: AC:508
The Battle of Badon
Charford; Cerdicesford ASC:519
Cerdic's-ley; Certicesford
Now this entry is after Badon and before Camlann and at this time when there should be peace. If one adds 10 years to 527 it comes out to Camlann without the Easter adjustment of + two years thus 537 as written:
Annales Cambriae: ASC:537
The battle of Camlann, in which Arthur and Medraut fell
There was also an annular eclipse the year before 537 ASC:536 as there was before the defeat of Ambrosius in 508 ASC:507 although ASC has it incorrectly in the year after in 538 ASC:538 which reinforces the 537 date
Once ASC527 is joined with Camlann AC537 it becomes clear that Mordred joined forces with Cynric (Cerdic having passed away in ASC:534).
Badon is lost: "This year Cuthwin and Ceawlin fought with the Britons, and slew three kings, Commail, and Condida, and Farinmail, on the spot that is called Derham, and took from them three cities: Gloucester, Cirencester, and Bath."
(Also see Ref 17.5 & 15.3 which shows how the Triads join the Saxons with Mordred and Arthur's betrayal at Camlann)
F 10.3. King Alfred (the Great) King of Wessex from 871 to c. 886 and King of the Anglo-Saxons from c. 886 to 899.
His kingdom and the sound of his kingdom Wessex seems to suggest that his kingdom was of the Gewissei1.2, Arthur's enemies.
F 10.3a However, clearly no longer at war, Arthur's descendents sought King Alfred's protection: Below is from Book of LlandaffBL showing its accuracy and that there was a missing page the led to the conclusion by Wendy Davis that it was forged that it was : 10.3a continued It is clear that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle of these early years were estimated or tampered with by Alfred. When you look at Nennius statement that 'in all the engagements the Britons were successful for no strength can avail against the will of the Almighty', the only way that ASC could call their loss at Cerdic's OreAC:514 a win was to pretend that it was a scouting venture for their success at CamlannAC:537. I maintain that the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry of a second battle at Cerdic's Ley(Ore)ASC:527 should be moved up ten years to correspond to the CamlannAC:537 where they again passed through Cerdic's Ore and up to Rhyd-y-Goes17.3."
F 10.4. Pillar of Ellesig
This pillar stands near Valle Crucis Abbey, near Llangollen, Denbighshire, Wales. It's writing has been mostly eroded, however Edward Lhuyd examined the Pillar and copied the inscription in 1696:
F 10.4a. Severa bore to him, the daughter of Maximus the king who slew the king of the Romans."
"could neither of them any longer withstand the harsh measures of Ethelred, the powerful Ealderman of Mercia, who desired to have peace within the borders, and they went
voluntarily to solicit the protection of King Alfred." ('Life of Alfred the Great' by the Welsh monk Asser (885-909) THE LIFE OF KING ALFRED From A.D. 849 to A.D. 887.Part II
(See Rhys, John (1908)"All around the Wrekin". Y Cymmrodor: The magazine of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. Y Cymmrodor. XXI. )
"Concenn son of Cattell, son of Brochmail, son of Eliseg, son of Guoillauc"
"Concenn, therefore being great-grandson of Eliseg, erected this stone to his great-grandfather Eliseg.
"It is Eliseg who annexed the inheritance of Powys throughout nine (years) from the power of the English.
The monarchy of Maximus of Britain passed to Cattegirn (rn misread as nn), Pascent, Maucant (Maun-annan) his son, Guorthemir (Vortimer), Britu, also the son of of Guorthigirn, whom Germanus blessed* and whom
"Whosoever shall read this hand-inscribed stone, let him give a blessing on the soul of Eliseg."
which he made into a sword-land by fire."
* Nennius 35. The following day, the hospitable man who had been converted by the preaching of St. Germanus, was baptized, with his sons, and all the inhabitants of that part of the country; and St Germanus in 429 blessed him, saying, "a king shall not be wanting of thy seed for ever." (The name of this person is Cadell son of Cattegern, son of Vortigern)
Harleian MS 3859 Genealogies 16:
Cassanauth Wledig, the son of Cadell, the son of Cattegern, the son of Vortigern had a wife, the daughter of Brittu. (Misplaced Cadell-Cattegern fixed by Jesus College 20 gen 16,18)
Harleian MS 3859 Genealogies 23 and Bonhed Y Seint Gen 35 - Tyssilio :
:
Ellesig (known as Eliseg), son of Guilauc, son of Beli (Eli), son of Cygen (Cincen) (Gildas Cuneglasse**), son of Cadell Ddyrnllug, son of Cattegern, son of Vortigern. (It is possible to relate Eliseg with Cerdic's father ElesaASC:560 showing his claim to the lands acquired by Vortigern and taken by Ambrosius. See 1.2 The Gewissei.)
** Cuneglassse is one of the five kings mentioned derisively by Gildas in his De Excidio et Conquestu BritanniaeGIL.
F 11.1. Historia Brittonum - NenniusNEN
#7 "The seventh was the battle in the forest of Celidon, that is Cat Coit Celidon."
Although this battle location is fairly certain, Nennius gives no description of the battle, but with its closeness to the Pict territory whose heritage is based only the scan references of the Romans, I have perhaps been guilty of poetic license by assuming that their magical abilities could be used to appear to be trees.
F 11.2. Cad Goddeu (Battle of the Trees ) is a medieval Welsh poem preserved in the 14th-century manuscript known as the Book of Taliesin. (National Library at Aberystwyth, NLW, Peniarth MS 2). The roots of this and its relation to the Three Senseless Battles in Ref 12.4 are in the MabinogionMAB with with the story of the childhood of Lleu Llaw Gyffes when Gwydion makes a forest appear to be an invading force and also a poem in Peniarth MS 98B (16th century) that describes a battle between Arawn and Gwydion, bard and magician (his name means "wood knowledge") in "Math vab Mathonwy" he is father of Lleu, and Arawn, the Lord of Annwn where a fight broke out after the divine plowman Amaethon stole a dog, a lapwing, and a roebuck from Arawn. Gwydion ultimately triumphed by guessing the name of one of Arawn's men, Bran (possibly Bran the Blessed). Blodeuedd, a central figure in Math ab Mathonwy (the fourth Branches of the Mabinogion) was made from the flowers of broom, meadowsweet, and oak by the magicians Math and Gwydion. (see end of Chapter 10 for whole poem)
F 11.3. Three Senseless (Frivolous) Battles
Triad 50 (84) The three senseless causes of battle in the Isle of Britain (thousands reduced to hundreds)
F 11.4. Merlyn Wyllt Merlyn the Wild
According to the year 575 Annales CambriaeAC:575 was the Battle at Arfderydd where Merlyn went mad. He fled into the forest, lived with the animals and received the gift of prophecy. He is Merlyn, but still trapped in Nimue's cave, shapeshifting.
*****
Annals Cambriae 575 The battle of Arfderydd ‡between the sons of Eliffer and Gwenddolau son of Ceidio [Triad 72 (6) bull protector]; in which battle Gwenddolau fell
[Triad 80 (29) his faithful warband continued to fight
Triad 50 (84) one of the 'Senseless Battles of the Island of Britain'12.4
Merlin went mad.Triad 125 (87) Myrddin Wyllt son of St. Madog Morvryn‡
*****
Triad 125 (87)
The three chief Christian bards of the Isle of Britain:
Merddin bard of Ambrosius (Merlyn);
Taliesin chief of the bards; and
Merddin son of Madawg Morvryn (Myrddin Wyllt son of St. Madog Morvryn).
***
Three Skilful Bards were at Arthur's Court:
Myrddin son of Morfryn (Myrddin Wyllt)*,
Myrddin Emrys (Merlyn),
and Taliesin.
*Fragment of Life of St Kentigern, by Herbert bishop of Glasgow (London, British Library, MS Titus A xix)
"It is said that when St. Kentigern saw him he accosted him in this fashion: I adjure you by the father, the son and the holy spirit, whatever kind of being you are, to speak to me if you are in any degree of God and believe in God, and tell me who you are and why you wander alone in this lonely place and keep company with the beasts of the wood.’
The madman at once checked his course and answered, ‘I am a Christian, though unworthy of so great a name. I suffer much in this lonely place, and for my sins it has been ordained that my destiny is to be among wild things, since I am unworthy to meet the punishment for my sins among men. For I was the cause of the slaughter of all the dead who fell in the battle — so well known to all citizens of this land — which took place in the plain lying between Lidel and Carwannok."
(Stained glass Merlyn and St. Kentigern in Stobo Kirk, Scottish Borders, located on the site of a 6th-century church reputedly founded by St Kentigern (St Mungo).
Triad (44) Three Horses who carried the Three Horse-Burdens:Corvan, horse of the sons of Eliffer, bore the second Horse-Burden: he carried on his back Gwrgi and Peredur and Dunawd the Stout and Cynfelyn the Leprous(?), to look upon the battle-fog of (the host of) Gwenddolau (in) Ar(f)derydd. (And no one overtook him but Dinogad son of Cynan Garwyn, (riding) upon Swift Roan, and he won censure (?) and dishonor from then till this day.)
The Dialogue of Myrddin and Taliesin (The Black Book of Carmarthen)
Taliesin: "Swiftly came Maelgwn's men(sons of Eliffer**),
Warriors ready for battle, for slaughter armed.
For this battle, Arderydd, they have made
A lifetime of preparation."
Myrddin: "A host of spears fly high, drawing blood.
From a host of vigorous warriors--
A host, fleeing; a host, wounded--
A host, bloody, retreating."
** Sons of Eliffer: Triad (70) Three Fair Womb-Burdens of the Island of Britain:
The third was Gwrgi and Peredur sons of (E)liffer of the Great Warband,
Triad 81 (30) The three disloyal tribes (war-bands) of the Isle of Britain.
Second, the tribe of Gwrgi and Peredur who deserted their lords in the fortress of Crau, where there was an appointment for battle the next morning with Ida the Great Knee, and they were both slain.
F 11.5. Battle of Deorham (Badon #2) ASC:577 : "In A.D. 577 Cuthwin and Ceawlin fought with the Britons, and slew three kings, Commail, and Condida, and Farinmail, on the spot that is called Derham (Dyrham, near Bath, thus is could be called the Second Battle of Bath) and took from them three cities, Gloucester, Cirencester, and Bath." Fernmail, shown as Farinmail, was the son of Ithel who was the son of Morgan, the son of Arthur, thus the great grandson of Arthur, shown in the Llandaff ChartersBL.)
F 11.6. Battle of Chester ASC:577 'This year Ceolwulf fought with the South-Saxons. And Ethelfrith led his army to Chester; where he slew an innumerable host of the Welsh; and so was fulfilled the prophecy of Augustine, wherein he saith "If the Welsh will not have peace with us, they shall perish at the hands of the Saxons." There were also slain two hundred priests, who came thither to pray for the army of the Welsh. Their leader was called Brocmail, who with some fifty men escaped thence.'
F 11.7. Map after Arthur also shown:
All of Wales west of Offa's Dyke and Cornwall labeled West Wales cut off by 613 AD
(The Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1926)
F 11.8. Stained glass of St. Cadwaladr (died 682) (panel is below Jesus on the Cross) in Llangadwaladr Church, Anglesey, North Wales..'The Dialogue Between Myrddin and His Sister Gwenddydd,' Red Book of Hergest 577 1.7--583 1.38
F 12.1. Historia Brittonum - NenniusNEN
#7 "The eighth was the battle in the fortress of Guinnion."
This has been suggested to be Roman fort of Vinovium at Binchester south of Hadrian's wall (Vinovia. Ordinance Survey Roman Britain) which would later be taken over by the Danes becoming the area of "Danelaw" that would encompass northern and eastern England between the 9th to the 11th century.
In Shackerton near Binchester, there is a building near the center on the top, which was once a windmill, it is said; which was afterwards turned into a gazebo, or summerhouse and now stands a ruin, surrounded by lofty trees and wood, which
render any estimate of a true conception of the ground rather difficult. It is wound round with three distinct terraces, and it is thought to be the remains of a Danish fort; the mount bearing an exact similitude to those of the more northern parts of this island, where the Danes were stationed for many years."
"Memoir Written During a Survey of the Roman Wall: Through the Counties of Northumberland and Cumberland" by Henry Maclauchlan, 1858
Again I have taken poetic license to describe the battle and its outcome, but it is clear that Nennius intended for the Shield of the Virgin Mary to triumph over the heathens.
F 12.2. Sutton Hoo Helmet 625AD from East Anglia at British Museum
F 12.3. Beowulf A fragment of Old English poetry known as the Battle of Finnesburh survives only in George Hickes's Thesaurus of 1705 which attributes the poem to a single leaf found in a manuscript in the Lambeth Palace library, thought to be Lambeth Palace MS 487, now lost . Its importance lies in the fact that this battle is described in lines 1068-1158 of Beowulf, thus indicating that the origins of this poem could have been earlier than believed and could have been composed in the early 6th century of Arthur. The monster Grendel, that terrorized the Danes, and could only be defeated by Beowulf, would have been known to these Danes who attempted to gain a foothold south of Hadrian's Wall. (Beowulf adversaries developed from British library illuminated manuscripts: Yates Thompson 10 f. 20v Demons falling from heaven)
F 12.4.
Palug's cat (Cath Palug) 'scratching cat' from the poem "Pa Gur yv y Porthaur"PaG defeated by Kai found in the Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin (The Black Book of Carmarthen)
"Cai the fair went to Môn, To devastate Llewon. His shield was ready Against Oath Palug when the people welcomed him.
Who pierced the Cath Palug? Nine score before dawn Would fall for its food. Nine score chieftains..." (The poem breaks off abruptly.)
Triad 101 (26) The three powerful swineherds of the Isle of Britain:
"The second was Coll son of Collvrewic who guarded Henwen*, the sow of Dallwyr Dallben. And from thence she went to the Black Stone in Llanfair in Arfon, and there she brought forth a kitten; and Coll son of Collfrewy threw that kitten into the Menai. and this was the glossy smooth cat (Palug’s Cat) that became a molestation to the Isle of Anglesea."
*Henwen is the animal form of Ceridwen, keeper of the cauldron, mother of Taliesin, the late 6th century poet.
A later English story of the 15th-century English tells how Arthur vanquished some wildcats by tricking them into attacking their own reflections in his glass shield.
F 13.1 St. Anthony of Egypt
Saint Anthony (251-356), was a Christian monk in Egypt. For his importance among the Desert Fathers, being the first to retire to the wilderness, he is also known as the Father of All Monks. He clearly was the model of the Celtic Saints. The biography of Anthony's life by Athanasius of Alexandria described his temptations by the Devil by afflicting him with boredom, laziness, and the phantoms of women, which he overcame by the power of prayer. (painting: section of The Visitation with Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony Abbot, c. 1489/1490 by Piero di Cosimo; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC)
F 13.2. St. Docwin's monastery Founder is Docwin also Cyngar, the son of Geraint and the brother of Cado, the Duke of Cornwall. His sister is St Kew (Ciwa). Story inspired by "Lives of the British Saints" vol 4 on St. Samson (Baring-Gould).
F 13.3. Padarn: as a singer
Triad 19 (82) There were Three Benevolent Guests of the Isle of Britain:
St. David,
(St.) Padarn,
St. Teilaw (St.Teilio) .
They were so called because they went as guests into the houses of the nobles, the yeomen, the native and the bondman, without accepting either gift or reward, food or drink; but they taught the faith in Christ to everyone without pay, or thanks, and to the poor and the destitute, they gave of their gold and their silver, their clothes and their provisions.
F 13.4. Llanbadarn Fawr
is named after the church of Padarn (the great church of Padarn), and dates from the sixth century. It predates Aberystwyth, whose castle was originally named after Llanbadarn. (Photo: "Llanbadarn Churchyard", A W Gilbey and Penglais School History Society)
F 13.5. Conomor (See Gildas Gildas 'Ruin and Conquest of Britain"; Aurelius Conanus);
Castle Dore; Tristam
(Photo:Historic Cornwall, Local attractions)
In spite of the current opinion that it was not used in the 6th Century, the Tristam stone is clear proof that it was used my King Mark, whose full name according to Wrmonoc's biography of St. Paul Aurelian was Marcus called Quonomorius (Conomor).
(See Ref F 20.3 "Bluebeard" below)
The Tristam Stone reads" Here lies Drustanus son of Cunomori" and according to John Leland 16th cent antiquarian: 'Cum Domina Clusilla' (with Lady Clusilla, equivalent to Cornish Iseult).
Triad 102 (71)
Three Lovers of the Island of Britain:
Cynon son of Clydno (for Morfudd daughter of Urien);
and Caswallawn son of Beli (for Fflur daughter of Ugnach(?) the Dwarf);
and Drystan (son of Tallwch, for Essyllt, the wife of his uncle March).
F 13.6. St. Samson sailing to Brittany Photo from Stain glass window from Saint-Samson Cathedral in Dol de Bretagne.
F 13.7. Aber Vrach (photo) It being the Devil's crossing has already been explained. It the goes on to say, "Immediately after crossing, the people, who had begun to follow him complained of thirst. St. Pol marked out a spot and bade them dig. They did so, and three springs gushed forth. This is commemorated at Prat Paul beyond the ford." Clearly, this was a monkish addition meant as an example of Moses finding water for the Israelites after exiting the land of the Pharaoh, but it was probably a remembered lesson of sharing an already existing fountain with three rather than selfishly as one.
F 13.8 Gwythyr (See A6: Genealogy Chart of Arthur) Son of Owain, son of Gwrgant the Great
The "w'' which is pronounced "oo" and "y" is a shortened "ee" or "uh", thus mispronounced as"Withur".
(See 5.6: St. Paul Aurelianus)
F 13.9. St. Finnian The contention which he refereed between St. David and St. Gildas was in 527 according St. FinnianLBS
F 14.1. Circle of Ancient Animals
Triad (92)
Three Elders of the World:
The Owl of Cwm Cowlwyd,
the Eagle of Gwernabwy,
and the Blackbird of Celli Gadarn.
F 14.2. Llacheu
An obscure son of Arthur mentioned in a few ancient sources in the Black Book of CarmarthenBBC
:
Mi a Wum
"I have been where Llacheu was slain, son of Arthur, marvelous in songs, when ravens croaked over blood."
Pa Gur yv y PorthaurPaG
" Worthy Cei and Llachau
Used to fight battles,
Before the pain of livid spears [ended the conflict]."
Triad 70 (4): Three Well-Endowed Men of the Island of Britain:
Gwalchmai son of Gwyar,
and Llachau son of Arthur,
and Rhiwallawn Broom-Hair.
It would seem that Arthur holds Llachau dear to him as he does Kai, so I am surmising that it was because he was the son of Gwenhwyfar, though there is no proof.
F 14.3. Twrch Trwyth the second title to the Mabinogion Tale: Culhwch and Olwen CO (Twrch meaning "hog", and trwyth, or triath, "chief)
(The Mammoth Book of King Arthur: Reality and Legend by Mike Ashley: "I suspect there was a deliberate pun here, as Trwyth can also mean "urine", so that the boar was known colloquially as "pig's piss.") It is certainly meant as a derogatory term as their coat of arms was a boar.
The task 21 of of forty tasks of Yspathaden 14.7 is the most important: to obtain "the comb and scissors that are between the two ears of Twrch Trwyth son of Taredd Wledig". (later a razor is also found). Twrch is the the son of Prince Taredd Wledig, cursed into the form of a wild creature with poisonous bristles. He is associated with the Gewissei 1.2 whose leaders were Cerdic and Cynric 15.2, the protagonists in the Battle of Badon allied with the Saxons.
The hunt for the boar Twrch Trwyth is referenced in Nennius' Historia BrittonumNEN in the story of Arthur's dog Cabal's footprint.
This concept of a long hunt with dogs is similar the Irish story of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. The rescue of Mabon ap Modron from his watery prison has numerous parallels in Celtic legend, and the quest for the cauldron of Diwrnach the Irishman is related to the tales of Bran the Blessed in the second branch of the Mabinogion and the poem 'The Spoils of Annwn' in the Book of Taliesin, possibly linking it to the Grail Quest.
Compare to the forty tasks of Yspathaden 14.7) the Thirteen Treasures of Britain 14.17) (Tapestry: prior to chapter 15a: Atlas Obscura: Mirabilia Brittonum, or the Wonders of Britain, a guide to the history hidden in the British landscape. Garry Walton )
F 14.4. Culhwch is the major person in 'Culhwch and Olwen; The Hunt of the Twrch Trwyth'CO
who sets of the events that lead to its secondary title of this tale: 'The Hunt of the Twrch Trwyth'. His request for Arthur's help in finding his true love Olwen leads to the 'The Hunt of the Twrch Trwyth', which will be told in Chapter15. This part tells of Arthur's squirmishes prior to the Battles of Badon and also fulfills the tasks that are needed for Culhwch and Olwen are married. He is not involved in this, but in the last part he and Olwen are married.
The two bardic stories 'Culhwch and Olwen'CO and 'The Dream of Rhonabwy'DR
(in that chronological order), that have remained from earlier times and finally written down in the 12th century and then collected under the title of the MabinogionMAB. They contain the most detail information of the quests and preliminary skirmishes that led to the Battle of Badon. It is only from these that the lies and exaggerations of Geoffrey of MonmouthGM
can be unraveled.
F 14.5. Glewlwyd Strong Grip The porter and in the early Welsh poem Pa GurPaG
F 14.6. Yspathaden the Giant who first tried to kill Culhwch's champions. He was the father of Olwen, and he owned a fortress in Cornwall. His eyelids were so heavy that they had to be propped up with spears or forks. He laid out a list of about forty seemingly impossible tasks for Culhwch to perform as a condition of the marriage of his daughter Olwen.
F 14.7. forty tasks of Yspathaden
1. The great thicket yonder. I must have it uprooted out of the earth and burnt on the face of the ground so that the cinders and ashes thereof be its manure; and that it be ploughed and sown so that it be ripe in the morning against the drying of the dew, in order that it may be made into meat and drink for thy wedding.
2. A husbandman to till and prepare that land, other than Amaethon son of Don.
3. Gofannon son of Don to come to the headland to set the irons.
4. The two oxen of Gwlwlydd Wineu, both yoked together to plough well the rough ground
yonder.
5. The Melyn Gwanwyn (Yellow-palewhite) and the Ych Brych (the Speckled Ox), both yoked together,
6. The two horned oxen, one of which is beyond Mynydd Bannawg [A mountain In Scotland, possibly the Grampians], and the other this side-and to fetch them together in the one plough. Nyniaw and Peibiaw are they, whom God transformed into oxen for their sins.
7. Dost see the hoed tilth yonder? When first I met the mother of that maiden, nine hectors of flax seed were sown therein; neither black nor white has come out of it yet, and I have that measure still. I must have that in the new-broken ground yonder, so that it may be a white veil for my daughter's head on the day of thy wedding-feast.
8. Honey that will be nine times sweeter than the honey of a virgin swarm, without drones and without bees, to make bragget for the feast.
9. The cup of Llwyr son of Llwyrion, in which is the best of all drink; for there is no vessel in the world which can hold that strong drink, save it.
10. The hamper of Gwyddneu Long-shank (Similar to the second in the list of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain19)
11. The horn of Gwlgawd Gododdin
12. The harp of Teirtu to entertain me that night.
13. The birds of Rhiannon
14. The cauldron of Diwrnach the Irishman, the overseer of Odgar son of Aedd king of Ireland, to boil meat for thy wedding guests.'
15. The tusk of Ysgithyrwyn Chief Boar I must have, where with to shave myself. I shall be none the better for that unless it be plucked from his head while alive.
16. There is no one in the world can pluck it from his head save Odgar son of Aedd king of Ireland.
17. I will not entrust the keeping of the tusk to any save Cadw of Prydein (Pictland)
18. I must needs dress my beard for me to be shaved. It will never settle unless the blood of the Black Witch be obtained, daughter of the White Witch, from the head of the Valley of Grief in the uplands of Hell.
19. The blood will be of no use unless it be obtained while warm. There is no vessel in the world will keep heat in the liquid that is put therein save the bottles of Gwyddolwyn the Dwarf, which keep their heat from the time when the liquid is put into them in the east till one reaches the west.
20. Some will wish for milk, but there will be no way to get milk for every one until the bottles of Rhynnon Stiff-beard are obtained. In them no liquid ever turns sour.
21. The comb and scissors that are between the two ears of Twrch Trwyth son of Taredd Wledig, the only comb and scissors in the world wherewith my hair may be dressed, so exceeding stiff it is.
22. Twrch Trwyth will not be hunted till Drudwyn be obtained, the whelp of Greid son of Eri.
23. There is no leash in the world may hold on him, save the leash of Cwrs Cant Ewin (Cors Hundred-claws).
24. There is no collar in the world can hold the leash, save the collar of Canhastyr Hundred-hands.
25. The chain of Cilydd Hundred-holds to hold the collar along with the leash.
Ref 14.7 continued 26. There is no huntsman in the world can act as houndsman to that hound, save Mabon son of Modron, who was taken away when three nights old from his mother. Where he is is unknown, or what his state is, whether alive or dead.
27. Gwyn Dun-mane, the steed of Gweddw (as swift as the wave is he!), under Mabon to hunt Twrch Trwyth.
28. Mabon will never be obtained, where he is is unknown, till his kinsman Eidoel son of Aer be first obtained; for he will be untiring in quest of him. He is his first cousin.
29. Garselit the Irishman, chief huntsman of Ireland is he. Twrch Trwyth will never be hunted without him.
30. The two whelps of the bitch Rhymhi. [omitted from the list in Culhwch]
31. A leash from the beard of Dillus the Bearded, for save that there is nothing will hold those two whelps. And no use can be made of it unless it be twitched out of his beard while he is alive, and he be plucked with wooden tweezers. He will not allow any one to do that to him while he lives, but it will be useless if dead, for it will be brittle.
32. There is no huntsman in the world will hold those two whelps, save Cynedyr the Wild son of Hetwn the Leper. Nine times wilder is he than the wildest wild beast on the mountain.
33. Thou wilt not hunt Twrch Trwyth until Gwyn son of Nudd be obtained, in whom God has set the spirit of the demons of Annwn,
34. There is no horse in the world that will avail Gwyn to hunt Twrch Trwyth, save Du (black) the horse of Moro Oerfeddawg.
35. Until Gwilenhin king of France come, Twrch Trwyth will never be hunted without him.
36. Twrch Trwyth will never be hunted without the son of Alun Dyfed
37. Twrch Trwyth will never be hunted until Aned and Aethlem be obtained. Swift as a gust of wind would they be; never were they unleashed on a beast they did not kill.
38. Arthur and his huntsmen to hunt Twrch Trwyth.
39. Twrch Trwyth can never be hunted until Bwlch and Cyfwlch and Syfwlch be obtained, sons of Cilydd Cyfwlch, grandsons of Cleddyf Difwlch. Three gleaming glitterers their three shields; three pointed piercers their three spears; three keen carvers their three swords; Glas, Glesig, Gleisad, their three dogs; Call, Cuall, Cafall, their three horses; Hwyrddyddwg and Drwgddyddwg and Llwyrddyddwg, their three wives; Och and Garym and Diasbad, their three witches; Lluched and Neued and Eisywed, their three daughters; Drwg and Gwaeth and Gwaethaf Oll, their three maid-servants. The three men shall wind their horns, and all the others will come to make outcry, till none would care though the sky should fall to earth.
40. The sword of Wrnach the Giant; never can he [Twrch Trwyth] be slain save with that.
These forty tasks are all concerned with the prime objective of obtaining the scissors, the comb, and the razor which are lodged between the boar's ears. The final part of the tale details the attainment of ten of the tasks by Arthur and his retinue with the completion of four others stated without further detail, which have of their goal the wedding feast and the grooming of the giant on the night of his daughter's wedding.
F 14.8. scissors, the comb, and the razor
These are symbolic of the custom of people to have their children's hair cut the first time by persons for whom they had a particular honor and esteem, who in virtue of this ceremony could become spiritual parents, or godfathers to them. This practice was used by Constantine when he sent the Pope the hair of his son Heraclius, as a token that he desired him to be his adoptive father. Culhwch used this concept to request that Arthur become his godfather. As used on the giant called Yspathaden, it would cause his death, which apparently the only way for Culhwch to marry Olwen.
F 14.9. Cynddylig, the Guide seventh to accept the boon. CO: "For as good a guide was he in a land which he had never seen as he was in his own."
F 14.10. Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, the Translater eighth to accept the boon. CO: "knowest all languages, and art familiar with those of the birds and the beasts." Talks to the ancient animals (See 14.1: Circle of Animals) Spoke to Grugyn Silver Bristle in Ireland (I replaced him with Merlyn as it required shape-shifting). Also appears in "Geraint son of Erbin"
F 14.11. Vivianne's House Photo is of the stones called the House of Vivianne, Foret de Broceliande, Commune de Paimpont. Intended to be located in a mirror location south of the Wirral (Cilgwri) where the River Teme enters the Severn. Vivianne is French name for Modron who is Morgan Le Fay.
Triad 70-PEN. 50 NLW, Peniarth MS. Three Fair Womb-Burdens of the Island of Britain:
Urien and Efrddyl, children of Cynfarch the Old, who were carried together in the womb of Nefyn daughter of Brychan their mother;
The second, Owain15.14 son of Urien* and Mor(fudd) his sister who were carried together in the womb of Modron daughter of Afallach; (See A6 Genealogy)
* Urien is Gwrgant the Great not Urien of the North
The third, Gwrgi and Peredur and Ceindrech Pen Asgell ('Wing Head')
F 14.12. Rhiannon is a major figure in the MabinogionMAB . The story referred to is from the First Branch of the Mabinogion, and again in the Third Branch. In that Mythology she is an excellent rider having a white horse. She married to Pwyll, prince of Dyfed. Her son Gwri Wallt Euryn (golden hair) is factiously present in Arthur's Court.
F 14.13. Dragon of Babylon Many images of him and a unicorn and a dragon are tiled on the Ischar Gate of Babylon reconstructed in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum. It has not been called that by the experts, but its presence with an original unicorn is the clue.
F 14.14. Salmon of Llancarfan in CO", it is he that takes Kai and Bedwyr on his back, which is absurd. It make more sense to be the Salmon that would swim up the River Ely next to St. Cadog's Church of Llancarfan. I could not resist including one the murals from the 15th century that was recently uncovered. This wall painting was of "Avarice", but I took out the devil and pretended it was a boat.
F 14.15. Wild boar wallows in mud Photo Richard Bartz, Munich Makro Freak, Wiki; collage by me.
F 14.16. Mobon son of Modron14.11 The clue to his identity where he is found: at Lydney Park in Gloucestershire which contains the remains of the Temple to Nodens, a Celtic deity associated with healing, the sea, hunting and dogs. The name Nodens is cognate with Old Irish Nuada, an important figure from the Irish Mythological Cycle. Nuada was the first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, who was disqualified from kingship after losing his hand (or arm) in battle, but restored after he was given a working silver one. In Welsh mythology he becomes Lludd Llaw Eraint (Lludd of the Silver Hand). The Celtic deity Maponos, 'Great Son' whom the Romans equated with the god Apollo has twin sister god, the huntress Artemis (Diana), both born from Zeus and Leto. Thus 'Mobon son of Modron' may equate to Apollo son of Leto. Zeus, but in this case Hades as 'Gwyn ap Nudd'16.9), has turned himself into a swan to seduce Leto, who in human form was the Spartan queen Leda. This parallels Mabon of Modron, given in the Triad 70-PEN. 50 NLW, Peniarth MS. 14.11. Mabon becomes the brother of Arthur's mother OnbrawstA6 from Arthur's grandmother Modron.
With my addition of this Greek myth of "Zeus and Leta" with Gwyn ap Nudd, I have attempted to connect Mobon's imprisonment in the Temple of Nodens clearly of importance in CO as might have been told in a Mabinogion taleCO.
F 14.17. Thirteen Treasures of Britain (CO: the story of obtaining the cauldron, Treasure #8, is owned by Diwrnach the Irishman (task #14) which involves Arthur, Bedwyr, and Lancelot is left out here.) (CO: The basket of Gwyddneu Long-shank, Treasure #2 was required in 'Culhwch and Olwen' as task #10) (DR: The chessboard is Treasure #12) #10: The basket of Gwyddneu Long-shank was required in 'Culhwch and Olwen' was #2 in the 'Treasures of Britain". The Chess Board of Arthur is #13.
F 14.18. The humorous version of The Hunt of the Twrch Trwyth Mirabilia Brittonum, or the Wonders of Britain, a guide to the history hidden in the British landscape. GARRY WALTON (atlas obscura)
F 15.1. Battle of Badon References
The next section is the text of Culhwch and Olwen showing the Welsh locations with commentary and GPS coordinates (References map the path of the Twrch Trwyth (TT1-TT27}indexed as TT# on printed maps. They are kml location files for Google Maps contain lat/lon coordinates.)
Annales_CambriaeAC
447-956:
Annales_Cambriae A-text taken from Annales Cambriae (pdf from original printed in Y CymmrodorYC Vol 9) and Welsh Annals in Wikisource with the starting date of the Annales adjusted by plus two years to correct the mistake of the Easter date of entry (a9) being 453, but this has since been shown to be 455. (It does not have dates but 'an' for each unlabeled year.) A more detailed discussion of the different versions can be found in Annales Cambriae : John Williams (1860).
"518 - The Battle of Badon, in which Arthur carried the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ for three days and three nights on his shoulders and the Britons were the victors."
"537 - The battle of Camlann, in which Arthur and Medraut fell"
Historia Brittonum - NenniusNEN
Battles #9-12 made up the Battle of Badon (See 8.7 for list of all twelve battles.)
"The ninth was at the City of Legion, which is called Cair Lion.
The tenth was on the banks of the river Trat Treuroit.
The eleventh was on the mountain Breguoin, which we call Cat Bregion.
The twelfth was a most severe contest, when Arthur penetrated to the hill of Badon. In this engagement, nine hundred and forty fell by his hand alone, no one but the Lord affording him assistance. In all these engagements the Britons were successful. For no strength can avail against the will of the Almighty."
Gildas, on the Ruin and Conquest of BritainGIL
26. "After this, sometimes our countrymen, sometimes the enemy, won the field, to the end that our Lord might this land try after his accustomed manner these his Israelites, whether they loved him or not, until the year of the siege of Bath-hill, when took place also the last almost, though not the least slaughter of our cruel foes, which was (as I am sure) forty-four years and one month after the landing of the Saxons, and also the time of my own nativity." (5.11: St Gildas conundrum that gives his age and the time of the battle)
Bede's Ecclesiastical HistoryBE, Book I. Chap. XVI
"The Britons Obtained Their First Victory Over The Angles, Under The Command of Ambrosius, A Roman
When the victorious army, having destroyed and dispersed the natives, had returned home to their own settlements, the Britons began by degrees to take heart, and gather strength, sallying out of the lurking places where they had concealed themselves, and unanimously imploring the Divine assistance, that they might not utterly be destroyed. They had at that time for their leader, Ambrosius Aurelius, a modest man, who alone, by chance, of the Roman nation had survived the storm, in which his parents, who were of the royal race, had perished. Under him the Britons revived, and offering battle to the victors, by the help of God, came off victorious. From that day, sometimes the natives, and sometimes their enemies, prevailed, till the year of the siege of Baddesdownhill, when they made no small slaughter of those invaders, about fortyfour years after their arrival in England."
F 15.2. Cerdic (519-534) and his son Cynric (534 to 560: ASC '26 years')
There is good circumstantial evidence that Cerdic is the grandson of Vortigern and maybe by his Saxon wife Rowena which would explain the fact that he often allies himself with the Saxons.
(See Anglo-Saxon ChroniclesASC:534 who had defeated Ambrosius (Annales CambriaeAC:508). Kingship is followed by Ceawlin (560 to 591) then later the famous Alfred the Great, son of Æthelwulf (871-899). Cerdic's father is ElesaASC:560 who can be related to Eliseg from the Pillar of Eliseg10.4).
F 15.3. Oesc son of Hengist killed in Battle 9 at Cat's Ash; father of Octha (512-534) = Osla Gyllellvawr (Osla Long Knife)
He is clearly Saxon as the Saxons were known by their log knives. In this case it is his grandson Octha II (His grandfather was Octha I, the 'Hengist' who fought against Vortigern.) He is the leader of the Gewissei 1.2 along with Cerdic15.2 above). He is incorrectly shown as being on Arthur's side in in the Mabinogion story "Culhwch and Olwen"CO
, but correctly shown in the Mabinogion story "The Dream of Rhonabwy"DR
as a Saxon adversary of Arthur at Badon: "And with that behold four-and-twenty knights came from Osla Gyllellvawr, to crave a truce of Arthur for a fortnight and a month. And Arthur rose and went to take counsel. And he came to where a tall, auburn, curly-headed man was a little way off (possibly the Irish Cerdic (red curly hair), Osla's ally), and there he assembled his counselors. Bedwini, the Bishop, and .."
F 15.4. Merlyn's reconnaissance from the text of the Hunt of the Twrch Trwyth
"And with all these Arthur went into Ireland. And in Ireland there was great fear and terror concerning him. And when Arthur had landed in the country, there came unto him the saints of Ireland and besought his protection. And he granted his protection unto them, and they gave him their blessing."
"And Arthur called Menw the son of Teirgwaedd (Merlyn1.1, in order that if they went into a savage country, he might cast a charm and an illusion over them, so that none might see them whilst they could see every one."
"Medyr the son of Methredydd (from Gelli Wic he could, in a twinkling, shoot the wren through the two legs upon Esgeir Oervel in Ireland"CO
"And thence he sent Menw the son of Teirgwaedd to see if the precious things (the comb, razor, and scissors) were between the two ears of Twrch Trwyth, since it were useless to encounter him if they were not there. Albeit it was certain where he was, for he had laid waste the third part of Ireland. And Menw went to seek for him, and he met with him in Ireland, in Esgeir Oervel. And Menw took the form of a bird; and he descended upon the top of his lair, and strove to snatch away one of the precious things from him, but he carried away nothing but one of his bristles. And the boar rose up angrily and shook himself so that some of his venom fell upon Menw, and he was never well from that day forward."
"Then Arthur sent Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, to endeavour to speak with him. And Gwrhyr assumed the form of a bird,"(This is a duplicate for the previous paragraph, assumed to be Merlyn, giving more information on the seven piglets)
"and alighted upon the top of the lair, where he was with the seven young pigs. And Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd asked him, 'By him who turned you into this form, if you can speak, let some one of you, I beseech you, come and talk with Arthur.' Grugyn Gwrych Ereint made answer to him. (Now his bristles were like silver wire, and whether he went through the wood or through the plain, he was to be traced by the glittering of his bristles.) And this was the answer that Grugyn made: "By him who turned us into this form, we will not do so, and we will not speak with Arthur. That we have been transformed thus is enough for us to suffer, without your coming here to fight with us." "I will tell you. Arthur comes but to fight for the comb, and the razor, and the scissors which are between the two ears of Twrch Trwyth." Said Grugyn, "Except he first take his life, he will never have those precious things. And to-morrow morning we will rise up hence, and we will go into Arthur's country, and there will we do all the mischief that we can."
F 15.5. Piglet Commanders Twrch Trwyth was an Irish king that was turned into a boar as a punishment for his sins. Twrch Trwyth’s father’s name was Taredd Wledig. He had seven piglets that acted as his warriors (each name at death or escape should correspond to a named place shown in brackets) (one name is not shown):
In addition to pigs named after places, persons such as Llwch Lleminawc (Lancelot of the Lake) and his brother Lot at the battles of gave their names to the sites of two lakes where battles occurred: Llwch Ewin and Llwch Tawy.
F 15.6 (Commanding warriors of Cornwall) Text of Twrch Trwyth (Commanding warriors of Cornwall) Hywel9.1 with his son Derfel Gadarn and Caradog Strong-armed7.4, from Kelliwik, Cornwall and Somerset
"Then Arthur summoned unto him all the warriors that were in the three Islands of Britain, and in the three Islands adjacent, and all that were in France and in Armorica, in Normandy (Cornwall) and in the Summer Country (Somerset), and all that were chosen footmen and valiant horsemen."
(Although Arthur did this before going to Ireland, it certainly is more logical to have happened when he begins to pursue the Twrch Trwyth in Wales.)
F 15.7. Text of Twrch Trwyth (Arthur lands the port at Porthmawr)
"And he disembarked at the house of Llwydden ap Kelcoed, at Porth Kerddin (Pen Arthyr and Trelethin: Porthmawr, near St. David's Head) in Dyved."
(Arthur landed at Porthmawr with the cauldron and then he went to Ireland to request a truce with the Twrch Trwyth, which was refused, thus it is probable that Arthur landed here when he began to chase them in Wales.)
F 15.8. The Chase
F TT1_Porth Clais.kml
"So they set forth through the sea towards Wales. And Arthur and his hosts, and his horses and his dogs, entered Prydwen, that they might encounter them without delay. Twrch Trwyth landed in Porth Cleis in Dyved"
(Porth Clais is the place, at which the Twrch Trwyth landed, and commenced his devastating expedition through the Principality, is a small but well-known harbor in Pembrokeshire, at the estuary of the river Alun: Although it is only capable of affording accommodation to what are now termed small craft, it was, in times past, a much frequented port, and was the landing-place in several marauding excursions of the Gwyddyl Ffichti, one of whom, named Boia, is recorded in the Liber Landavensis as having been the source of great annoyance to St. David and St. Telliaw. The former of these saints is traditionally reputed to have been a native of Porth Cleis, and to have been baptized at a holy well in its immediate vicinity.)
F TT2_St. David's.kml Mynyw, or St. David's
"and Arthur came to Mynyw"
F TT3_Aber deu Gleddyf (Milford Haven).kml
"The next day it was told to Arthur that they had gone by, having slain all that were at Aber Gleddyf (Milford Haven), of man and beast, before the coming of Arthur."
(Using TT6 for configuration.)
Horses from this story CO and Triads of the Horses. Horse Beric from 'Knights of the Round Table (1953)'
F TT4_Kynwastori (Canaston).kml
"and Arthur overtook them as they were killing the cattle of Kynnwas Kwrr y Vagyl, (Kynwaston or Canaston, not far from Narberth)
F TT5_Meini Gwyr (Buarth Arthur).kml (the henge Meini Gwyr (Buarth Arthur) near Pant y Caws))
&
F TT6_Gwal y Filiast (Bwrdd Arthur).kml
(the cromlech of Gwal y Filiast (Lair of the grey hound)/Bwrdd Arthur (Arthur's Table), near Llanboidy)
"Now when Arthur approached, Twrch Trwyth went on as far as Preseleu ( Preselly Mountains, the highest range in Pembrokeshire), and Arthur and his hosts followed him thither, and Arthur sent men to hunt him; 1. Eli and 2. Trachmyr, leading Drudwyn the whelp of Greid the son of Eri (task #22) , and 3. Gwarthegyd the son of Caw (He is Winwaloe15.17 where he is still alive, so using Mabon son of Modron: task #26 "There is no huntsman in the world can act as houndsman to that hound, save Mabon son of Modron, who was taken away when three nights old from his mother. Where he is is unknown, or what his state is, whether alive or dead."), in another quarter, with the two dogs of 4. Glythmyr Ledewic, and 5. Bedwyr leading Cabal (Cavall), Arthur's own dog."
Using the hunting configuration from the hunt of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd: "Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd. And Mabon the son of Mellt (Modron) came with the two dogs of Glythmyr Ledewic in his hand, and Drudwyn, the cub of Greid the son of Eri. And Arthur went himself to the chase, leading his own dog Cabal. And Mabon the son of Mellt came with the two dogs of Glythmyr Ledewic in his hand, and Drudwyn, the cub of Greid the son of Eri. And Arthur went himself to the chase, leading his own dog Cabal."
F TT7_Nyfer River- Cwmcerwyn, Preseli.kml
"And all the warriors ranged themselves around the Nyver (River Nevern) . And there came there the 1.-3.three sons of Cleddyf Divwlch, men who had gained much fame at the slaying of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd;"
F TT8_Foel Cwmcerwyn at Bedd Arthur.kml
" and they went on from Glyn Nyver, and came to Cwm Kerwyn (Cwncerwyn)."
"And there Twrch Trwyth made a stand, and slew four of Arthur's champions, 1. Gwarthegyd the son of Caw (See "The Dream of Rhonabwy"DR' for his identity and strangely still alive) and 2. Tarawc of Allt Clwyd, and 3. Rheidwn the son of Eli Atver, and 4. Iscovan Hael." (Using the cluster of names below Nodawl Varyf Twrch (boar): Berth the son of Kado, Rheidwn the son of Beli, Iscovan Hael, Iscawin the son of Panon.)
And after he had slain these men, he made a second stand in the same place. And there he slew 1. Gwydre the son of Arthur, and 2. Garselit Wyddel, and 3. Glew the son of Ysgawd, and 4. Iscawyn the son of Panon. (Gwydre is memorialized in the neolithic stones circle called Bedd Arthur. (Photo: The tallest stone of Bedd Arthur with the Bluestone outcrop of Carn Meini in the background by Vicky Tuckman (Morgan) megalithic.co.uk)
"And the next morning before it was day, some of the men came up with him. And he slew Huandaw, and Gogigwr, and Penpingon, three attendants upon Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr, so that Heaven knows he had not an attendant remaining, excepting only Llaesgevyn, a man from whom no one ever derived any good. And together with these he slew many of the men of that country, and Gwlydyn Saer, Arthur's chief Architect."
(Even the Twrch Trwyth and his progeny, are remembered at the hill of Moel Dyrch and the adjacent farm of Tre Dyrch.)
F TT9_Pelumyawc - Chapel Peulin.kml)
(Pelumyawc (Chapel Peulin for St. Paul Aurelianus) occupied a central area between the mountains Llanddewi Velfrey, Henllan Amgoed, and Laugharne: it probably covered portions of the parish of Whitland and of that of Llandysilio, the church of which is a little to the north of the railway station of Clyn Derwen (Clunderwen)").
"Then Arthur overtook him at Pelumyawc, and there he slew 1. Madawc the son of Teithyon, (Madawg son of Twrgadarn, forester from the Forest of Dean. His tale of a magnificent (white stag) prompted Arthur to organize an epic hunt thus relates to the Stag of Redynvre which is further related to the early MabinogionMAB
tale of Pwyll trespassing into Arawn's hunting grounds) (white) 2. Gwyn (white) the son of Tringad, 3. the son of Neved (Nevern River leftover, first name missing), and 4. Eiryawn (white as snow) (Penllorau (head of laurel)."
(Having defined all four names that can be connected with white, I think it is impossible for Arthur to lose four more men, I contend that the story teller told the tangential story about the white Stag of Redynvre who would help Arthur to find the imprisoned Mobon son of Madron to accomplish tasks #26, #28, #33. Then this story connected together to describe four white pigs that 'he' (Arthur) killed at this point rather than the 'he' (the Twrch Trwyth) to have killed Arthur's men.) (I have moved this section to the next location of the 'White House') I also moved "Then Arthur summoned unto him Gwyn ap Nudd (Nudd being of the other world therefore using Mabon for him), and he asked him if he knew whether (these pigs were part of the 'Wild Hunt', where ghostly hunters would pass in hurried pursuit, that was thought to foretell some catastrophe such as war or plague.) And he said that he did not." (just white pigs of the Twrch Trwyth.) Caer Vandwy is an otherworldly castle, belonging to Gwyn ap Nudd, in Annwfn. According to 'Preiddeu Annwn', Arthur and his men plundered it.
Collage from 'The Hunt of Wild Boars', engraving 1570, Metropolitan Museum of Art
(On the way passing by:
F TT10_Y Tŷ Gwyn ar Daf.kml (On the River Taff, begun by St. Paulinus, disciple of St. Germanus and being the place where Hywel Dda would drew up his laws around 940).
F TT11_Twlc y Filiast.kml (pigsty of the grey hound) near Llangynog)
F TT12_Abertywi.kml (On the River Tywy south of Carmarthen Castle.)
"Thence he went to Aberteivi, where he made another stand, and where he slew 1. Kyflas the son of Kynan (Cenlas (Gildas' Cuneglasus) son of Owain, son of Enion Yrth), and 2. Gwilenhin king of FranceMaelgwyn Gwynedd, the son of Owain's brother Cadwallon.(both too young, therefore wishful thinking for their colluding to murder Arthur's Owain (See Ref. 15.14) and precipitating the battle of Camlann.) (therefore ignoring their deaths)"
F TT13_Clyn Ystun (Drefach).kml
"Then he went as far as Glyn Ystu, and there the men and the dogs lost him."
(Clyn Ystun - a farm between Carmarthen and the junction of the Amman with the Llychwr (Loughor), more exactly about six miles from that junction and about eight and a half from Carmarthen as the crow flies.)
F TT14_Loughor (Dyffryn Llychwr).kml
"And all the huntsmen went to hunt the swine as far as Dyffryn Llychwr. And Grugyn Gwallt Ereint (Silver Bristle) and Llwydawg Ferocious closed with them and killed all the huntsmen, so that there escaped but one man only. And Arthur and his hosts came to the place where Grugyn and Llwydawg the Ferocious were. And there he let loose the whole of the dogs upon them, and with the shout and barking that was set up, Twrch Trwyth came to their assistance."
"And from the time that they came across the Irish sea, Arthur had never got sight of him until then. So he set men and dogs upon him"
(Dyffryn Llychwr (Loughor), on the border Carmarthenshire and Glamorgan.)
F TT15_Mynydd Amanw (Brynamman).kml"
"And thereupon he started off and went to Mynydd Amanw. And there 1. one of his young pigs was killed. Then they set upon him life for life, and 2. Twrch Llawin was slain, and then there was slain another of the swine, 3. Gwys was his name."
(In the Mynydd Amanw (Brynamman) we recognize the lofty heights, which form a natural boundary between the counties of Brecon and Carmarthen, called Mynydd Du, and Bannau Sîr Gaer, or the Black Mountain and Carmarthenshire Vans. On this range tradition has assigned to Arthur a resting-place of the most ample dimensions, called Gwely Arthur, or Arthur's Bed, and near to the spot where the river Amman rises is an elevated knoll, called Twyn y Moch, at the foot of which is Llwyn y Moch, both of which names may bear some allusion to the adventures detailed in the text.)
F TT16_Dyffryn Amanw (Ammanford).kml
"After that he went on to Dyffryn Amanw, and there 1. Banw and 2. Bennwig were killed. Of all his pigs there went with him alive from that place none save Grugyn Gwallt Ereint and Llwydawg the Ferocious."
F TT17_ Llwch Ewin (Source of the Twrch).kml
"Thence he went on to Llwch Ewin, and Arthur overtook him there, and he made a stand. And there he slew 1. Echel Forddwytwll, and 2. Garwyli the son of Gwyddawg Gwyr, and many men and dogs likewise."
(Llwch Ewin (Llyn y Fan Fach - crossing the River Twrch ).
The same remark may be said to apply to the adjacent river Twrch, which rises on the Van, and runs into the Tawy, below Ystradgynlais. Another singular coincidence may be traced between the name of 'a brook in this neighborhood, called Echel, and the Echel Forddwyttwl, who is recorded in the tale as having been slain at this period of the chase. On the Llangadock side of the Black Mountain we meet with fresh reminiscences of the British monarch in Pen Arthur, and Coiten Arthur. The latter is one of two large rocks in the bed of the Sawdde river, said to have been the hero's quoit, which be flung from the summit of Pen Arthur to its present position; a distance of about a mile. The rock beside the Coiten was thrown into the stream from the same eminence by a lady of those days, being a pebble in her shoe which gave her some annoyance.)
F TT18_Llwch Tawy (Source of the Tawe).kml
"And thence they went to Llwch Tawy."
Here is the place where Grugyn Silver Bristle and Llwydawg the Ferocious separate from each other with no explanation given. To account for this, I have included here a previous story concerning the fulfillment of tasks #15-17 to get the tusk of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd (Chief Boar): "I require the tusk of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd to shave myself withal, neither shall I profit by its use, if it be not plucked alive out of his head." (This was probably the original razor that later mistakenly added to the comb and brush on the Twrch Trwyth head and obtained from him in the Severn River.) I am substituting Yskithyrwyn (Chief Boar) for Llwydawg the Ferocious. Since Caw, who beheaded him, is fictitious, I am substituting Arthur for him because Caval is his dog. (This leaves the half of the Twrch Trwyth, that will flee to the east without and thus incidentally saves Arthur's relatives that would be killed by Llwydawg the Ferocious at Ystrad Yw!)
"And thence went Arthur into the North, and captured Kyledyr Wyllt; and he went after Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd. And Mabon the son of Mellt came with the two dogs of Glythmyr Ledewic in his hand, and Drudwyn, the cub of Greid the son of Eri. And Arthur went himself to the chase, leading his own dog Cabal. And Caw, of North Britain, mounted Arthur's mare Llamrei, and was first in the attack. Then Caw, of North Britain, wielded a mighty axe, and absolutely daring he came valiantly up to the boar, and clave his head in twain. And Caw took away the tusk. Now the boar was not slain by the dogs that Yspaddaden had mentioned, but by Cabal, Arthur's own dog." (Clearly Arthur is present, yet the fictious Caw has taken Arthur's horse and dog and takes credit for the kill which still said to be the work of Arthur's dog Caval!)
F TT19_Y Pigwn (Din Tywi).kml
"Grugyn Gwrych Ereint parted from them there, and went to Din Tywi."
(Din Tywi is the Roman Fort is Y Pigwn on the River Tywi (Towy) which flows into Carmarthen Bay along with the Afon Gwili, at Abergwili and the River Taf.)
(Since F TT20_Cabal's footprint (Carn Cavall).kml is north of here, Today the paw print of the hound Cafall is said to still exist in a rock on top of the mountain of Carn Gafallt in north Brecknockshire, Powys, between Rhaeadr and Builth Wells, some 1,500ft (466m) above the upper Wye, in the Elan Valley. Hence the rock was named 'carn cabal' now gives name to this whole hill as Carn Gafallt, after the carn alluded in the Historia Brittonum, as one of three prehistoric cairns on its southern brow above Talwrn at SN 943644. The placement of the cairns tends toward a linear alignment along the escarpment edge rather than the highest point of the hill which may have held specific importance. Four middle-bronze-age gold torcs were found on the hill under one of the lesser stone-piles which litter the area. (Paw print: Sarah Laskow (Atlas Obscura))
F TT21_Pen-y-castell (Gath Gregyn).kml
"And thence he proceeded to Ceredigiawn, and Eli and Trachmyr with him, and a multitude likewise. Then he (Grugyn) came to Garth Gregyn" thus its other name Garth Gregyn
(Garth Grugyn/Garthgrugyn) fortified by Maelgwn Fychan (1185-1257) of Deheubarth but given that Hywel Dda had combined the territories of Seisyllwg (containing Ceredigion plus the region known as Ystrad Tywi.) and Dyfed in 920, it is likely to be Pen-y-castell (Garth Greyyn), hillfort near Castle Hill, Llanilar occupying the flat summit of a very prominent hill on the south side of the Afon Ystwyth which connects to the Roman roads from Y Pigwn and the strategic fort of Y Gaer.
This strategy of was an attempt to lure Arthur away from the main forces and allow for their troops to sail around to attack the main objective of attacking Arthur's Gelliwig at Llanmelin near Carleon-upon-Usk to be NenniusNEN
'ninth battle of urbe Legionis'.
F TT18_Llwch Tawy (Source of the Tawe).kml
"And there Llwydawg the Ferocious fought in the midst of them, and slew Rhudvyw Rhys and many others with him.
F TT22_Wormelow Tump in Ystrad Ystrad Yw (cantref bounded by the Monnow and the Wye)
"Then Llwydawg the Ferocious went thence to Ystrad Yw, and there the men of Armorica met him, and there he slew Hirpeissawg the king of Armorica, and Llygatrudd Emys, and Gwrbothu, Arthur's uncles, his mother's brothers, and there was he himself (Llwydawg the Ferocious was slain."
(Ystrad Yw is a cantref bounded by the River Monnow on the west and the River Wye (Yw) on the west. The Monnow and the Wye eventually combine and flow into the Severn below Chepstow.)
Arthur placed a memorial here at Wormelow Tump to commemorate the loss of Emyr Llydaw, the father-in-law of his sisters Gwenonwy, Anna, and Afrella and his son Amhar. Amwn Ddu and his wife Anna, St. Samson's parents, who were praying in support the warriors, were also killed. It is Nennius Wonders of Britain WON: 11th: Amr's Tomb
says the Arthur killed him, but clearly it is the Gewissei general Llwydawg the Ferocious who did, not Arthur although Arthur regretted his mistake.
F TT23_Ewyas.kml
"Twrch Trwyth went from there to between Tawy and Euyas, and Arthur summoned all Cernyw and Devon unto him, to the estuary of the Severn, and he said to the warriors of this Island, 'Twrch Trwyth has slain many of my men, but, by the valor of warriors, while I live he shall not go into Cernyw. (Proof that Cernyw is the land of his fort in Wales. by the Severn.) And I will not follow him any longer, but I will oppose him life to life. Do ye as ye will.'
And he resolved that he would send a body of knights, with the dogs of the Island, as far as Ewyas, who should return thence to the Severn, and that tried warriors should traverse the Island, and force him into the Severn."
The space between the River Tywi (Towy) and and the cantref of Euyas is essentially the eastern half of South Wales which allows for the battle of Carleon-upon-Usk to be fought. The Gewissei alliance with the Saxons was meant to divert Arthur forces from the protection of his fort at Llanmelin near Carleon-upon-Usk. Grugyn Gwrych Ereint had sailed around Wales to land at Newport and follow the Roman road from Carleon to Caerwent and to attack Arthur's fort from the south.The northern forces were intending to come down the Wye to attack from the north. Arthur figured this out and thus he gives a speech about keeping the enemy out of Cernyw where is fort is located. He sends a body of knights to stop the northern forces from crossing the Wye and goes himself with his best knights to Carleon.)
F TT24_Cat's Ash (Carleon).kml
east of Carleon
F TT25_Llyn Liuan.kml
"Then Arthur and his hosts proceeded until they overtook the boar in Cernyw, and the trouble which they had met with before was mere play to what they encountered in seeking the comb. "
(Arthur defeats the southern troops as they march from Carleon to Caerwent at Cat's Ash. (JA: 'Cat' meaning battle and 'Ash' for 'Oesc, the son of the Saxon leader Hengist.).
F 15.9. (Two best riders)
"And Mabon the son of Modron came up with him at the Severn, upon Gwynn Mygdwn, the horse of Gweddw,"
(Mabon the son of Modron, Arthur's grandmother, wife of Gwrgant the Great, Arthur's grandfather)
(upon Gwynn Mygdwn, the horse of Gweddw (Fair Dun-mane, a singular horse)
F 15.10. Text of Culhwch and Olwen: (Two Severn Kings)
"this was betwixt Llyn Lliwan and Aber Gwy (Wye Estuary). And Arthur fell upon him together with the champions of Britain. And Osla Kyllellvawr drew near, and Manawyddan the son of Llyr, and Kacmwri the servant of Arthur, and Gwyngelli, and they seized hold of him, catching him first by his feet, and plunged him in the Severn, so that it overwhelmed him. On the one side, Mabon the son of Modron spurred his steed and snatched his razor from him, and Kyledyr Wyllt came up with him on the other side, upon another steed, in the Severn, and took from him the scissors , But before they could obtain(and) the comb, he had regained the ground with his feet, and from the moment that he reached the shore, neither dog, nor man, nor horse could overtake him until he came to Cernyw."
(Those in the Severn ended up on the other side.)
"
"If they had had trouble in getting the jewels from him, much more had they in seeking to save the two men from being drowned. Kacmwri, as they drew him forth, was dragged by two millstones into the deep. And as Osla Kyllellvawr was running after (with)"
(Correction as he is not ally of Arthur although correctly shown as an enemy in "The Dream of Rhonabwy"DR
"the boar, his knife had dropped out of the sheath, and he had lost it, and after that, the sheath became full of water, and its weight drew him down into the deep, as they were drawing him forth."
"But from one difficulty to another, the comb was at length obtained. And then he was hunted from Cernyw, and driven straight forward into the deep sea. And thenceforth it was never known whither he went; and Aned and Aethlem with him. Then went Arthur to Gelli Wic, in Cernyw, to anoint himself, and to rest from his fatigues."
F 15.11. "Bedwyr the Fine-sinewed on the strand of Tryfrwyd"PaG
"They fell by the hundred before Bedwyr the Fine-sinewed on the strand of Tryfrwyd (Tribuit) .."
"Before the accomplished Bedwyr on the strands of Tryfrwyd (Tribuit) ...
Compared with Cai in the battle.The sword in the battle was unerring in his hand.
They were stanch commanders of a legion for the benefit of the country- Bedwyr and Bridlaw;
Nine hundred would to them listen; Six hundred gasping for breath; Would be the cost of attacking them."
F 15.12. Text of Culhwch and Olwen: (Culhwch and Olwen marry)
Final paragraph: "And that night Olwen became Culhwch's bride, and she continued to be his wife as long as she lived. And the hosts of Arthur dispersed themselves, each man to his own country. And thus did Culhwch obtain Olwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden PenCawr."
(The two preceding paragraphs seem to have been tacked on because the narrator realized that the comb was left out and then recounts task #18 of collecting the witches blood as shaving cream which undramatic compared to the hunt of the Twrch Trwyth. and should have appeared with the other preceding tasks.)
F 15.13. "The Dream of Rhonabwy"DR(from the Red Book)
This story also is from the Red Book and included with 'Culhwch and Olwen' in the Mabinogion. In this story Madog sends Rhonabwy and two companions to find the prince's rebellious brother Iorwerth. They stop at a hovel of a 'muttering hag' similar to the witch in task #18: 'The killing of witch Orddu' in 'Culhwch and Olwen', which occurs undramatically after the razor, scissors, and comb are obtained. The hovel has a "couch, which seemed to be made but of a little coarse straw full of dust and vermin", which Rhonabwy abandons. "But Rhonabwy, not being able either to sleep or to rest, thought he should suffer less if he went to lie upon the yellow calf- skin that was stretched out on the floor. And there he slept." In his dream he meets the traitor responsible for the misunderstanding between Arthur and Mordred that brought about the Battle of Camlann, who is his guide.
The ford called Rhyd y Groes over the Severn River does relate to the Twrch Trwyth, who are floundering in the Severn at Llyn Liuan in 'Culhwch and Olwen' although it is much further north at Welshpool.
F 15.14. OwainA6, maternal uncle of Arthur, the son of Gwrgant the Great and Modrun14.11, daughter of Afallach (Morgan le Fay), maternal grandparents of Arthur. Owain's son is Count Gwythyr ('Victor') of LeonLBS, who is Gwenhwyfar's father. Owain's twin sister is Morfudd.
"Morfudd the daughter of Urien Rheged"CO (Note by Lady Charlotte Guest, (1877): "Morfudd was also the twin sister of Owain, and the beloved of Cynon the son of Clydno Eiddyn. Her mother's name was Modron, the daughter of Afallach."A6
Triad (70) Three Fair Womb-Burdens of the Island of Britain:
Urien son of Cynfarch and Arawn son of Cynfarch and Lleu son of Cynfarch, by Nefyn daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog their mother;
The second, Owain and Morfudd daughter of Urien* and (Anarun archbishop of Llydaw)**, by Modron daughter of Afallach their mother; (See Table V joined)
The third was Gwrgi and Peredur sons of (E)liffer of the Great Warband, and Arddun their sister, and ... (by Efrddyl?), and Cornan their horse and Grey-Skin their cow.
Triad 25 (3) The three accomplished princes of the Isle of Britain:
Rhun the son of Maelgwyn;
Owain the son of Urien* (not Urien of Rheged of the Gododdin) who lived later, but Gwrgant the Great, grandfather of Arthur) and
Rhuvon the Fair, son of Dewrath Wledig.
Triad (40) Triad of the Horses: Three Plundered Horses of the Island of Britain: Cloven-Hoof, horse of Owain son of Urien*. Stanzas from the Grave The grave of Owain ap Urien* at Pedrual, Under the sod at Llan Morvael; (Pedrual: Rhos Bedrual outside of Caernarvon on the Llanberis Road)
Owain is the one who plays chess with Arthur. in "The Dream of Rhonabwy"DR(from the Red Book)
''Owain,' said Arthur, 'wilt thou play chess?' 'I will, Lord,' said Owain. And the red youth brought the chess for Arthur and Owain; golden pieces and a board of silver. And they began to play."
F 15.15. Chessboard of Gwenddolen (See 14.17 Treasures of Britain #12)
(I have used the Lewis Chessboard which was discovered on the Isle of Lewis, much later on.)
The Battle of Badon is said to be taking place, while Arthur plays chess. This connects "The Dream of Rhonabwy"DR to the end of "Culhwch and Olwen, or The Twrch Trwyth"CO and with the Battle of Badon that is described by Annals Cambriae Battle of Badon, Historia Brittonum of NenniusNEN:12th Battle of Badon, and Gildas, on the Ruin and Conquest of BritainGIL.
After having been drowned and almost drowned in the Severn, the enemies then regroup on the east side of the Severn to fight at Catbrain Hill and Solbury Hill (the Battle of Badon).
F 15.16. Bedwini appears in Triad 64 (1): Three Tribal Thrones of the island of Britain, as Arthur's bishop. He is associated with St. EdeyrnLBS.
(Image from Stain glass window Plouescat, Finistre where he went to later.)
He is said to be of the congregation of Cadog with a church in Llanederyn on the banks of the Rumney near Cardiff with a congregation of three hundred members. He must also be associated with the church at Llanedern on the Llyn peninsula which was near Arthur's final defeat.
His nickname is derived by adding a 'B' in front.) There is a point at the opening of the Severn Estuary called Bedwin Sands (The Dream of Rhonabwy : "And they came to the edge of the ford, and there they beheld Arthur sitting on a flat island below the ford, having Bedwini the Bishop one side of him" and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw (St. Winwaloe) on the other") and also a counselor):
"And with that behold four-and-twenty knights came from Osla Gyllellvawr15.3, to crave a truce of Arthur for a fortnight and a month. And Arthur rose and went to take counsel. And he came to where a tall, auburn, curly-headed man was a little way off, and there he assembled his counselors. Bedwini (St. Edeyrn), the Bishop, and Gwarthegyd the son of Caw (St. Winwaloe) , .. Menw the son of Teirgwaedd (Merlyn) "
and therefore important in the Battle of Badon where the Severn bore was used to defeat the Saxons and Gewessei. (For two Saints to be conferring with Arthur, Bedwini and St. Winwaloe must be important, not obscure.).
He also appears in Culhwch and Olwen: "Bedwini the Bishop (who blessed Arthur's meat and drink".
He is the character 'Edeyrn the son of Nudd' in The Dream of Rhonabwy : "who are the jet-black troop yonder? They are the men of Denmark Brittany, and Edeyrn the son of Nudd is their prince." (See Chapter 17 in this book). Here Bedwin is being compared with Gwynn ap Nudd16.9, the King of Annwn (the Otherworld) because his troop of Saints wore black.
F 15.17. St. Winwaloe (French: Guenole) is listed as the bishop at Kelliwick and shown in Culhwch and Olwen and The Dream of Rhonabwy as Gwarthegyd the son of Caw (being linked with Bedwini the Bishop in DR implies the he is also a Bishop and assumed to to St. Winwaloe: "They beheld Arthur sitting on a flat island below the ford, having Bedwini the Bishop one side of him, and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw on the other."). The reasoning is that St. Winwaloe's father is supposedly St. Fracan who is suggested to be Brychan, who fathered of many female Saints, which seems to be false as it was for St. Gildas, a supposed son of Caw. His mother is Teirbron, the three breasted.
In the Book of Llandaff he appears as Guoruan (Gwrwan/Gwarw) and Guorhaboe appearing in the Llandaff Charter made by Arthur's son Noe: [9 - 50v] Penn Alun.(See Book of LlandaffBL) and shown as the patron of Wonastow, near Monmouth, Lann Gunguarui, later Llanwarw in Charter [90 - 87v]Villa Ellgnou in Guorinid in Book of LlandaffBL. These names are similar to Gwarthegyd. He has a presence in Monmouth, Cornwall and Brittany.An ancient rhyme for the festivals in March: 'First comes David, then comes Chad; then comes Winwell roaring mad" because on his day there is always a storm. He had a presence in South Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. St. Winwaloe died in 532, five years before Camlann,
F 15.18 'Counselors'
Text: (some guessed at) "And with that behold four-and-twenty knights came from Osla Gyllellvawr, to crave a truce of Arthur for a fortnight and a month. And Arthur rose and went to take counsel. Bedwini, the Bishop, and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw (Winwaloe) Caradawg Vreichfas, and Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar (Gwaine), Howel the son of Emyr Llydaw, Mabon the son of Modron, Twrch the son of Perif (a joke), Gadwy the son of Geraint, Trystam the son of Tallwch, Llacheu the son of Arthur(dead), and Llawfrodded Varvawc, ( LlenLleawc the Irishman son of Llwch llawwynnyaw = Lancelot) Alun Dyved (Alan Fyrgan traitor at Camlann) , Menw the son of Teirgwaedd (Merlyn), Gwrthmwl Wledig, (king of my northern kingdom) Gildas the son of Kaw not likely), "
This is an excuse to give a a list of characters like CO. From the list it is clear that Osla Gyllellvawr is correctly shown as the enemy whereas he was incorrectly shown as my ally in CO.
Llacheu, my son, is in the list, but he was dead. Mobon my uncle is there and so is Trystam. Some of the others are repeats from CO.
The character who is the dream guide is Iddew Corn Brydain17.4 (of Cornwall) son of Caradog Strong-armed (Freichfras)7.4 who confesses to deceiving Arthur at Camlann.
In a sense Arthur did offer a truce by allowing the men struggling in the Severn Bore to reach the shore safely when he could have cut them down on the shore.
F TT26_Catbrain Hill.kml
Catbrain Hill
NenniusNEN
:"The eleventh battle was on the mountain called Agned (the mountain Breguoin, which we call Cat Bregion.)" In the margin of the Cotton Nennius manuscript are the words: "In Somersetshire, quem nos Cath gregion" ('Cath' or 'Cad' means battle and this hill was once in Somerset.)
F TT27_Solbury Hill (Badon).kml
Solbury Hill, Badon
above Batheastern near Bath
F 16.1. Queen Guinevere's Maying Date 1900 Author John Collier (1850–1934) Blue pencil.svg Wiki data:Q453972
From CO, quoted below:
"Gwenllian Teg (fair), the majestic maiden", (note: similarity to Arthur's first mistress 'Indeg'16.2 below),
"Creiddylad the daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint. (She was the most splendid maiden in the three Islands of the mighty, and in the three Islands adjacent), and for her, Gwythyr (the Subduer) and Gwynn the son of Nudd fight every first of May until the day of doom."
I conjecture that Gwenhwyfar was there instead of Creiddylad the daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint, because some bard had rejected Gwenhwyfar for the famous later warrior princess: "Gwenllian Teg" tragically killed ('Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd' ap Rhys, Prince of Deheubarth), then later on another bard inserted the mythological "Creiddylad the daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint" (although there is no support for her in the rest of the MabinogionMAB, but shown in Englynion y Clyweid or believed to be Geoffrey'sGM Cordelia, daughter of King Lear (Leir), in any case spurious).
Thus, it should read "Gwenhwyfar, daughter of Gwythyr (the Subduer)1.7 who fights with Gwyn ap Nudd (God of the Underworld) every day of May until the day of doom." This mirrors the mythological story of Persephone's abduction by the God of the Underworld and the agreement of her being allow to return to earth every Spring to manifest that season. (This is touched upon in the First Branch of the MabinogionMAB: "Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed"PPD.)
In another section From CO, quoted below:
"A little while before this, Creiddylad the daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint, and Gwythyr the Enemy Subduer, were betrothed. And before she had become his bride, Gwyn ap Nudd came and carried her away by force; and Gwythyr the Enemy Subduer gathered his host together, and went to fight with Gwyn ap Nudd. But Gwyn overcame him, and captured [Greid the son of Eri (the owner of the hound named Drudwyn task#22) and Glinyeu the son of Taran (borrowed from the Second Branch of the MabinogionMAB: Branwen, Daughter of LlŷrBDL), and ... (the rest pretty much obscure)]."
(See Ref 16.10 For the the rest of CO and the resolution.)
F 16.2. Triad 110 (57) The Three Chief Mistresses of Arthur
Indeg daughter of Garwy the Tall
Garwen ('Fair Leg') daughter of Henin the Old
Gwyl ('Modest') daughter of Gendawd.
Kings are allowed courtesans, primarily to assure a male heir.
F 16.3. Disruptive behaviors The three tremendous slaughters of the Isle of Britain: Triad 52 (54)
The three tremendous slaughters of the Isle of Britain:
The first, when Medrawd went to Gelliwig, he did not leave in the court meat and drink to support a fly, but consumed and wasted it all; and he pulled Gwenhwfar from her throne, and committed adultery with her.
The second was, when Arthur went to the court of Medrawd, he left neither meat nor drink that he did not destroy; and killed everything in the hundred, both man and beast.
The third was, when the traitorous Aeddan went to the court of Rhydderch the Generous, he destroyed all the meat and drink in the court, without leaving as much as would feed a fly; and he did not leave either man or beast alive, but destroyed the whole.
These were called the three dreadful slaughters because the Cymry (Cambrians) were compelled, according to law and custom, to answer and redress for what was done in that irregular, unusual, and lawless manner.
F 16.4. Arthur's Englyn In CO Arthur wrote this Englyn: "Kai made a leash of Dillus, son of Eurei's, beard.Were he alive, thy death he'd be". This was unfair because the beard of Dillus Varvawc's beard had to be plucked when alive. This was task #31 from the forty tasks14.7 of Yspathaden.
F 16.5. Castell Dinas Bran A medieval castle occupying a prominent hilltop site above the town of Llangollen in Denbighshire, Wales. Being named after Bran the Blessed (See Ref 4.11: Triad of Fortunate Concealments: "he Head of Bran the Blessed") indicates that it would have been an older fort. Caradog the Silure leader against Claudius' expedition into Britain in AD 43 is said to be the son of Bran to which his genealogy has become tangled into the mythology of Bran and Branwen, the children of Llŷr in the MabinogionMAB.
F 16.6. Joseph of Arimathea at the Crucifixion is actually James (Joseph) Jesus' younger brother, however the Pesher of Christ19.3 reveals that this title was used by Joseph, the second son of Jesus and Mary Magdalene who was born in 44AD. He became a missionary to Britain and would have converted Bran, thus the titled Blessed. After Ambrosius' defeat at Amesbury, the monks of Glastonbury and descendants of Jesus' second son, Joseph of Arimathea, had relocated there under King Arthur's patronage.
F 16.7. The Tryst of Gwenhwyfar and Mordred
The abductor of Gwenhwyfar is called Melvas (Meleagant) is probably identical with a warrior in Culhwch and Olwen called Maelwys, son of Baeddan. His name has been translated as "prince of death", "young prince", and "noble pig", thus suspiciously as Gewissei ally of Mordred.
"At the time when king Melvas was reigning in the summer country. He was received with much welcome by the abbot of Glastonia, and taught the brethren and the scattered people, sowing the precious seed of heavenly doctrine. It was there that he wrote the history of the kings of Britain. Glastonia, that is, the glassy city, which took its name from glass, is a city that had its name originally in the British tongue. It was besieged by the tyrant Arthur with a countless multitude on account of his wife Gwenhwyfar, whom the aforesaid wicked king had violated and carried off, and brought there for protection, owing to the asylum afforded by the invulnerable position due to the fortifications of thickets of reed, river, and marsh. The rebellious king had searched for the queen throughout the course of one year, and at last heard that she remained there. Thereupon he roused the armies of the whole of Cornubia and Dibneria; war was prepared between the enemies.
When he saw this, the abbot of Glastonia, attended by the clergy and Gildas the Wise, stepped in between the contending armies, and in a peaceable manner advised his king, Melvas [Melwas or Melegant], to restore the ravished lady. Accordingly, she who was to be restored, was restored in peace and good will. When these things were done, the two kings gave the abbot a gift of many domains; and they came to visit the temple of St. Mary and to pray, while the abbot confirmed the beloved brotherhood in return for peace they enjoyed and the benefits which they conferred, and were more abundantly about to confer. Then the kings reconciled, promising reverently to obey the most venerable abbot of Glastonia, and never violate the most sacred place nor even the districts adjoining the chief's seat."
F 16.8. Triad> 41 (13)
The Chief Officers of the Isle of Britain:
Caradog, the son of Bran, the son of Llyr Llediath; (should be Gwythyr 'Enemy-Subduer')
Cawrdav, the son of Caradog with the Brawny Arm; and (correct)
Owain, the son of Macsen Wledig. (should be Owain son of Gwrgant the Great)
They were so called because all the men of the Isle of Britain, from the prince to the peasant, became their followers at the need of the country, on account of the invasions and tyranny of the foe. And wherever these three marched to war, there was not a man on the Isle of Britain but who would join their armies, and would not stay at home.
F 16.9. Gwyn ap Nudd's Castle St. CollenLBS for whom the town of Llangollen is named after was staying by Castell Dinas Bran when he overhead someone mentioned Gwyn ap Nudd and how he was King of Annwn and the fairies. That night a messenger knocked at the door inviting him to visit his castle on top of the hill.
F 16.10. Gwyn ap Nudd "Gwynn of the Mist" who rules Annwn (the Otherworld) where the Tylwyth Teg2.4 (elves and fairies) live . He is the Welsh equivalent to the Greek Hades who ruled the Underworld. (Hades abduction of Persephone who gained the chance to return every spring compares to 16.9.)
Image adapted from Jardin Botanique de Montréal.
(See Mobon son of Modron14.16 )
F 16.11. Resolution of the Fight for Gwenhwyfar From CO, quoted below:
"When Arthur heard of this, he went to the North, and summoned Gwyn ap Nudd before him, and set free the nobles whom he had put in prison, and made peace between Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythyr the Enemy Subduer. And this was the peace that was made: that the maiden should remain in her father's house, without advantage to either of them, and that Gwyn ap Nudd and Gwythyr the Enemy Subduer should fight for her every first of May, from thenceforth until the day of doom, and that whichever of them should then be conqueror should have the maiden."
Gwythyr's troops are poised to attack Castell Dinas Bran and Arthur agrees to the above compromise with the mediator St. Gildas.
(It is significant that Arthur should be the reconciler in a fight concerning Gwyn ad Nudd, making him as powerful as Zeus, and suggests that the whole event is metaphoric for a non-mythological event, but still of great importance like Gwenhwyfar's divorce.)
From CO, quoted below:
"When Arthur had thus reconciled these chieftains, Gwythyr (the Subduer) and Gwyn ap Nudd, he obtained Mygdwn (Gwynn Dun Mane), Gweddw's horse task#27, and the leash of Cwrs Cant Ewin (Cors Hundred-claws) Task #23."
So this whole story becomes a metaphor for Gwenhwyfar's father Gwythyr fighting with Mordred who was in the image of Hades of the Underworld, Gwyn ab Nudd, over Mordred's abduction his daughter.
The contract drawn up by Arthur's intervention suggests that Arthur has accepted a separation from Gwenhwyfar, but not a divorce, requiring her presence in court every May 1.
F 17.1. Crossing of the Dragons (The two eclipses overlaid. NASA photo and calculation.(center red line is the longest eclipse, blue lines on each side define the area of the eclipse)
Second Fiery Dragon: Annular Eclipse September 1, 536 2PM
This eclipse crossing Camlann and Gelliwig. Foretells Arthur's death at Camlann
. 
Center lines of eclipse almost crossing at Camlann in North Wales and Gelliwig in the South of Wales. Forte the death of Arthur in the next year.
First Fiery Dragon: Annular Eclipse Mar 29 1:36 PM7.6
Center lines crossing Angelsey near Camlann, and the western part of Wales and north England. Foretells death of Ambrosius in the next year.
F 17.2. Battle of Camlann 537
Annales CambriaeAC:537 (no +2 Easter correction) (Actually is was the third and last Battle of Camlann at Porth Cadlan, Isaf & Usaf Cadlan,; Battles first at Mallwyd (Maes y Camlan) & second at Afon Gamlan are at Ref 17.6 below.)
Thus the year of Arthur's mortal wound
F 17.3. Rhyd-y-Goes
There are two known Battle sites at the far reaches of the Severn River at Buttington: In 1039 a warband of Gruffydd ap LlewelynASC:1039, the great-great-grandson of Hywel the Good slew the Danes there. Closer in time, to Camlann in 893 at nearby Buttington King Alfred's thanes and WelshmenASC:893 defeated the Danes."
It is shown in Rhonabwy's dream to be close to the Battle of Camlann in the Mabinogion tale "The Dream of Rhonabwy"DR." As soon as sleep had come upon his eyes, it seemed to him that he was journeying with his companions across the plain of Argyngroeg (A district on the left bank of the Severn close to the town of Welshpool), and he thought that he went towards Rhyd y Groes on the Severn. As he journeyed, he heard a mighty noise ...").
Because of the obsession with Arthur being in Cornwall living in his picturesque caste of Tintagel built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in the 1230s, the location of the Battle of Camlann has been in Cornwall, when its location has been known all along in the "The Dream of Rhonabwy"! Rhyd-y-Goes is just 30 miles northwest from Camlann at Mallwyd. (See Ref 17.6 for Camlann battles One and Two) .
Rhyd y Groes also was near the point that Henry Tudor (see Forward) passed on his march to Bosworth Field to become Henry VII of Britain.
Also see Chapter 10 connecting the Saxons at Charford with the Battle of Camlann.
F 17.4. Iddew Corn Brydain same as Iddawc Cordd Prydain son of Caradog Strong-armed7.4 , thus brother of MordredA6 who is the guide to Rhonabwy in "Dream of Rhonabwy"DR and there he confesses to deceiving Arthur at Camlann :
"I was one of the messengers between Arthur and Medrawd his nephew, at the battle of Camlann; and I was then a reckless youth, and through my desire for battle, I kindled strife between them, and stirred up wrath, when I was sent by Arthur the Emperor to reason with Medrawd, and to show him, that he was his foster-father and his uncle, and to seek for peace, lest the sons of the Kings of the Island of Britain, and of the nobles, should be slain. And whereas Arthur charged me with the fairest sayings he could think of, I uttered unto Medrawd the harshest I could devise. And therefore am I called Iddawc Cordd Prydain, for from this did the battle of Camlann ensue. And three nights (Note: Three-fold dividing at Ref 17.9 above) before the end of the battle of Camlann I left them, and went to the Llech Las in North Britain (some megalith?) to do penance. And there I remained doing penance seven years, and after that I gained pardon. Thus listed a Saint as Iddawc Corn BrydainLBS"
F 17.5. The three secret treasons of the Isle of Britain Triad 22 >
First, the betraying of Caradog4.5 inflated as the son of the mythological Bran, by Aregwedd Voeddawg, daughter of Afarwy, the son of Lludd, and delivering him up a captive to the Romans. (Betrayal of Caradog by Queen Cartimandua of Brigantes)
Second, the betraying of Arthur by Iddawg Corn Prydein (See Ref 17.4 above), who divulged his designs.
(He is Rhonabwy's guide in the dream realm in the Mabinogion tale 'The Dream of Rhonabwy' and admits, he contributed to the enmity between Arthur and Mordred, leading to the battle of Camlann.)
And third, the betraying of Prince Llewelyn, son of Gruffydd, by Anian (the Bishop of Bangor) who caused the death of Llewelyn son of Gruffydd by siding with the King Edward I, thus resulting in the death of Llewelyn the Last in 1282, covered up as a chance slaughter.
By these three treacheries the Cymry (Cambrians) were completely subdued; and nothing but treachery could have overcome them.
F 17.6. Camlann battles One and Two (537 AD) Mallwyd (Maes y Camlan) and Afon Camlan (See Ref 17.7 for Battle 3 (Porth Cadlan) above
Camlaan Battle One:
17.6.continued
This site is just thirty miles from Rhyd-y-Goes17.3.
From the description of these battles it can be assumed that the Severn was navigable up to this point and thus allowed for quick deployment of Cynric's supplies and troops. Camlann at Mallwyd is just 30 more miles and could be reached in two days.
The combined force of Mordred and Cynric was too much for Arthur's army. His force was divided (See F 17.9 below) and his only action was to retreat west and then north up the Roman road to the Roman fort of Tomen y Mur (and then 30 miles west to Aberdaron.
17.6b. Camlaan Battle Two (537 AD):
In another skirmish, just six miles north from Dolgellau at the confluence of the Afon Mawddach and
on the ancient border of between Gwynedd and Powys. Photo of Waterfalls at Cwm Camlan by Pat Barton. The River Camlan marked on the Rivers of Great Britain Cassel & Co.1897 Pg 20, the River Cain and Camlan flow in into each other then into the Afon Mawddach which leads to the Cardigan Bay. It was there that the War-Band of my brother-in-law (since his three brothers had married my three sisters) Alan Fyrgan the son of Emyr Lydaw deserted us in the night.
Tolmen y Mur ref: Seeing Roman Britain; Bracken Press 1956 by Leonard Cottrel
F 17.7. Porth Cadlan opposite Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island), Isle of 10,000 Saints (See Ref 1.3 below.)
Camlann Field is on the plateau to the right. The large stone on the beach marking an the eroded harbor is Maen Gwenonwy after Arthur's sister. The Church dedicated to her son St. HenwynLBS is in Aberdaron nearby. Ynys Enlli is the Welsh name for Bardsey Island
This place was chosen by the authors of JA considering the necessary instant access to Bardsey Island at Porth Cadlan, necessary for a 'mortal wound' and the rock after Arthur's sister and the Church nearby after her son.
The derivation of Camlann (Camlan) comes from the word 'Cad' (battle) and 'lann' (area of land)
F 17.8. Offa's Dyke runs from the Severn Estuary in South Wales to Prestatyn Denbighshire in North Wales, pretty much on the boundary between Wales and England.
It has always thought to be built by King Offa (757-796) since the 9th-century writer Asser wrote: "Offa had built a great dyke built between Wales and Mercia from sea to sea". However, it did not represent the mutually agreed boundary between the Mercians and the Kingdom of Powys although its construction shows it was built to block out the Welsh.
Recently, there was found was a hearth beneath Wat's Dyke near Oswestry, England, near Offa's Dyke, that carbon dates to AD 446, prior to Arthur. Since "ofer" means border in Old English it may have been built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (193-211). This path could be used by foot soldiers coming up from the Severn Estuary from Chepstow to Camlann at Mallwyd.
F 17.9. Three-fold dividing Triad 51 (59) The Three Fatal counsels of the Isle of Britain:
The third was the three-fold dividing by Arthur of his men with Medrawd at Camlan in the battle of Camlann, and through which Arthur lost the victory and his life, where Medrawd was united with the Saxons.
Iddew Corn Brydain (see Ref 17.4 above) for his deception of three nights
F 17.10. Alan Fyrgan A7, son of Emyr Lydaw. Brother to my brothers-in-law from my three sisters. Listed in Triad 81 (30)
Three Faithless War-Bands of the Islands of Britain:
The War-Band of Goronwy the Radiant of (Penllyn), who refused to receive the poisoned spear from Lleu Skilful-Hand on behalf of their lord, at the Stone of Goronwy at the head of the Cynfal;
and the War-Band of Gwrgi and Peredur, who abandoned their lord at Caer Greu, when they had an appointment to fight the next day with Eda Great-Knee; and there they were both slain;
And the War-Band of Alan Fyrgan, who turned away from him by night, and let him go with his servants to Camlan. And there he was slain.
The number of each of the War-Bands was twenty-one hundred men.)
F 17.11 Gwyddawg the son of Menestyr (who killed Kai) "Gwyddawg the son of Menestyr (who slew Kai, and whom Arthur slew, together with his brothers, to revenge Kai)," 'Culhwch and Olwen'CO in the Mabinogion.
F 17.12 Derfel Gadarn (the Mighty) By tradition he was a survivor of Camlann and became a Saint and going to Ynys Enlli1.3 with Cadfan. His parish in Llanderffel, Merioneth where his wooden horse icon still remains. His wooden icon image was burned in the English Reformation in 1538 along with Friar Forest, Welsh tradition said that is Derfel image was burned a forest would burn! He is he son of Hywel9.1, who was my counselor at the Battle of Badon, and the brother of three sister's husbands.
F 17.13. Three Survivors of Camlann
Triad 83 (also also the same as CO except for slot 3)
The three men who escaped from the battle of Camlan:
The grave of Gwalchmai in Peryddon
as a reproach to men;
in Llanbadarn the grave of Cynon.
The grave of the son of Osfran at Camlan
after many a slaughter;
the grave of Bedwyr on Tryfan hill.
Thus we have:
F 17.14. St. Cynwyl A disciple of St, Cadog, was [32 - 73v] Lann Cyncyrill., begin spared because he had no weapon, but his bible. His first church was at Caio that is traversed by the old Roman Road, the Sarn Helen, from Loventium. He was also the founder of other churches in Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. It is interesting to note that there is a Llandaff Charter concerning Lann Cyncyrill which includes Lann Cynfall of St. Cynwyl. It having been dedicated for the redemption of his own soul by Morgan, my son, for the soul of Ffrioc, his uncle and my brother, whom he slew."
F 18.1. The_Last_Sleep_of_Arthur (modified) Of the return of King Arthur Bk. 8, line 3112 Bk. 8, line 3112: by John Lydgate (c. 1370–c. 1451), English poet and translator. He is considered one of the leading English poets of the 15th century, and in his own day was often ranked alongside his master, Geoffrey Chaucer.
Painting by Edward_Burne-Jones (1833-1898):
F 18.2. Bardsey Island Apple A special species native only on Ynys Enlli (Bardsey Island)
It was discovered in 1998 by Ian Sturrock and Sons, has been declared as a unique variety by Dr Joan Morgan: tree created from my photo of the mother tree growing on the side of a house, built by Lord Newborough in the 1870; apples from grafted tree.)
F 18.3 Vortipore Stone from Carmarthen Museum, Wales. Vortipore, one of the five corrupt kings picked on by St. Gildas. Photo: Chapter 18)
F 18.4 Stain Glass Panels of St. Armel Panels Ch. 9 - Ch. 11 show the history of St. Armel
The descriptions that start with How (French: 'Comment') are from the Church of Ploërmel Figure of St. Armel from the Ploërmel Church, Ploërmel, Morbihan, Brittany
(Enlarged image of St. Armel taken from one of 8 stain glass panels: "How St Armel in the court of King gets help to heal the poor."
French: "Comment St Armel en la cour du roi et en sa vue guerit un pauvre.")
and the others are from the Church of Saint-Armel des Bochaux in department Morbihan, Brittany. Note that those of Saint-Armel Church are of a latter date because they have given St. Armel a Roman tonsure, which is incorrect. (Image of St. Armel in Chapter 1 taken from panel: "How St Armel in the court of the King in his sight heals the poor".)
(B&Wsketch of stained glass of fighting the dragon in ch. 19 is from St. Sauveur, Dinan)
F 19.1. Sketch of stained glass at Church of Ploërmel (see footnote 18.4)
F 19.2. Eglise du Graal Originally, the church was dedicated to Saint Onenne Church Sainte-Onenne, but changed to its current name. It is a good entry point for Forêt de Paimpont, also known as Brocéliande forest that features imagined sites of many episodes of the Arthurian legend in the French tradition. The Grail Legends began in France with "Perceval, le Conte du Graal", an unfinished romance written by Chrétien de Troyes around 1190. The was the vessel used by Jesus at the Last Supper, which Joseph of Arimathea (the second son, Joseph, of Jesus and Mary Magdalene - (See Ref 19.3 "Pesher of Christ" below) used to catch Christ's blood at the crucifixion. It was woven into to legends of King Arthur as the ultimate goal of the Knights of the Roundtable.
F 19.3. Pesher of Christ(TM trademarked) The Pesher method was used the Dead Sea Scrolls to reveal hidden knowledge in the Scripture. The "Pesher of Christ" shows that Jesus did not die on the cross, but was revived in the cave and that Mary Magdalene was pregnant with a daughter, Phoebe-Tamar, at the Crucifixion. Jesus would then have two more sons with her: Jesus Justus and Joseph and a later son by his second wife, Lydia. Jesus was born in 9 BC and resurrected in 33 AD. These were the true Graal children as known by the Templar Knights who found these secrets by digging into the Temple Mound. Jesus' death was shown in Revelation 18:24 "Martyrs were found in clergy and congregation, but the greatest of all was Jesus (the Slain One)." His last appearance in June 72 AD at the age of 78 having attended the betrothal of Jesus Justus (his son) and his bride. (Revelation 18:23)
F 19.4. St. Armel's thirty-seven churches
Photos from "Saint Armel Fragments du Passe by Michel Mauger, 2001 ISBN2-9517486-0-4
F 19.5. Columba or Colmcille (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is today Scotland at the start of the Hiberno-Scottish mission. He founded the important abbey on Iona. His abbey is also credited with the The Book of Kells.
His death is recorded in Annals Cambriae.
Epistle of St. Columba to Pope Gregory (CXXVII) Justifying the Celtic Christian time of Easter:
The arguments of St. Columba in defense of the Celtic usage may be thus summarized:
1. It had been sanctioned by Anatolius, whose view had been approved by St. Jerome.
2. To defer Easter to the 22nd, or even the 21st day was incongruous, seeing that the moon then entered her last quarter, rising so late as to give darkness preponderance over light; and the solemnity of light should not be celebrated under the domination of darkness. He quotes Anatolius as having insisted on this principle, of which (we may here observe) we find an intimation in Philo with reference to the Jewish Passover : "That not only by day but also by night the world may be full of all-beauteous light, inasmuch as sun and moon on that day succeed each other with no interval of darkness between."(De Sept. et Fest. 1191.)
3. The alleged objection to keeping Easter on the day of the Jewish Passover was unfounded and futile.
4. The Mosaic Law enjoined seven days, beginning with the 14th, as the duration of the Passover festival; and within the same limits should be kept the Easter festival. [This argument, it may be observed, whatever its worth in other respects, appears to be founded on an error. For the Passover, having been killed before sunset on the 14th of Nissan, is believed to have been eaten after sunset, i.e. after the 15th day, reckoned from evening to evening, had begun; and from the latter day inclusive the seven days of unleavened bread were reckoned, thus ending with the 21st, which was a special day of "holy convocation. - The original here, being probably an incorrect citation, is obscure. It is, '' Pascha, ed est solemnitas dominicae Resurrectionis, ante transgressum vernalis aequinoctii 16 initiam non potest celebrari, ut scilicet aequinoctium non antecedat."
F 20.1. King Childebert I (496 -558) was a Frankish King of the Merovingian dynasty, the third of the four sons of Clovis I, who was the first king to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler. Significantly he converted to Catholicism in 496, largely at the behest of his wife, Clotilde, who would later be venerated as a saint. In the Grail Legends, the Merovingian dynasty is believed to be descended from Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Their daughter was Phoebe who married St. Paul. (See : 'Paulina's Promise to her Grandfather, Jesus'; also 'The Pesher of Christ'19.3 author Dylan Stephens)
F 20.2. Pedigree of the rulers of Domnonée, Brittany
F 20.3. Bluebeard In église Saint-Trémeur is statue of saint Trémeur showing his decapitated head in front of his mother Tryphine. Originally it was Tryphine who was decapitated by Conomor with her head restored by St. Gildas. (See "Legends and romances of Brittany" by Lewis Spence: Conomor and Judicael.)
F 20.4. St. Peter's wife (Matthew 8:14,15; Mark 1:30-31) Healing of Peter's wife's mother .
1Corinthians 9:5, Paul asked, "Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas (Peter)?
F 20.5. Seven Founder Saints of Brittany
Modified Woodcut from Chroniques de Bretagne by Alain Bouchard (Paris, Galliot du Pre, 1514
F 20.6. Purgatory Although this place has a name that is Catholic in origin, it is nonetheless a true place that is required to exist because, as G. I. Gurdjieff tells us in "Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson", humans are three-brained beings having a Body, Spirit, and Soul. (This was touched upon humorously by Merlyn and Arthur (See Ref Ref 4.12 "three-bodied beings").
Upon the death of the Body, the Soul, still connected with the Spirit, rises up to the plane of Spirit which is the Solar System. (The Soul was either completed on earth or by the reincarnation of the Spirit.)
In the beginning the Souls, once completed, would have been able to join with the Creator, except that the knowledge that was left behind by other developing Souls was inevitably tainted by their own egos. Thus, there was a need for an intermediate place in the Cosmos for each individual to align 'his or her' (independent of gender) Reason (Understanding) with that of the Creator. It is not the same as 'limbo' as Purgatory is a place of joy.
Arthur's dilemma came about by the distortion of his history that led to him being remembered in people's minds as a larger-than-life being and thus chained to the earthly plane by his artificially-inflated ego. This fate is also shared by many famous spiritual and iconic people who possess a Spirit and a Soul.
F 20.7. Fountain (Saint-Armel-des-Bochaux); Statue (Saint-Armel-des-Bochaux); Statue (Ploërmel)
F 20.8. Collage built from 'Gauvere poplaire xviii siecle', Rennes library
Appendix 1 - Review of dates:
Table of Anglo-Saxon lined up with Annales Cambriae
(ASC) Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (covering Vortigern-Arthur 430-577) The original manuscript of the Chronicle was assembled from earlier chronicles in the late 9th century , probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great (r. 871–899) (AC) Annales_Cambriae A-text taken from Annales Cambriae (pdf from original printed in Y CymmrodorYC Vol 9) and Welsh Annals in Wikisource and adjusted the starting date by plus two years to correct the mistake of the Easter date of entry (a9) being 453, but this has since been shown to be 455. (Exception is Camlann where +2 is not applied). A more detailed discussion of the different versions can be found in 'Annales Cambriae' by John Williams, Longman, Green, 1860. (The text enclosed within the "‡" symbols are entries which are not found in the A-text, but which appear in a later version.) (NEN) Nennius - Historia Brittonum This monk gives the most historical on detail on Arthur's Battles and in addition his list of Wonders of Britain is extremely helpful in establishing the location of Arthur in South Wales. Also his information on Vortigern and Vortimer are the must detailed.
Nennius' Twelve Battles
50b.Tunc Arthur pugnabat contra illos in illis diebus cum regibus Brittonum, sed ipse dux erat bellorum.
Nennius' 33 towns 7. The island of Britain derives its name from Brutus, a Roman consul. Taken from the south-west point it inclines a little towards the west, and to its northern extremity measures eight hundred miles, and is in breadth two hundred. It contains thirty-three cities, viz. Nennius' Wonders of Britain
Source taken from Leabhar breathnach annso sis the Irish version of the Historia Brittonum of Nennius
The first wonder of the island of Britain is Loch Leinnon; there are sixty islands and sixty rocks in it, and sixty streams
flow into it, and one stream out of it, that is the Leamam.
The second wonder is the mouth of the stream Tranon (Trannon ends the Severn River), which
is filled from the bottom with one wave, and ebbs like every other
sea. This describes the
Severn Bore that is formed when rising tides move into the funnel-shaped Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary. As the surging water forces its way upstream, as far as Gloucester and beyond, it creates waves of water moving against the direction of the river.)
The third wonder is the fiery waters.
The fourth wonder is the fountain of salt in the same place.
The fifth wonder, i. e. two bubbles" of froth at the mouth of the Severn. They encounter and break each other, and move back
again, and come in collision again, and thus continue perpetually.
"There is another wonder: it is the confluence of Linn Liuan; the mouth of that river flows into the Severn, and when both the Severn is flooded to The Teared [Severn Bore], and the sea is flooded similarly into the aforementioned mouth of the river, both it is received into the lake/pool of the mouth in the mode of a whirlpool and the sea does not advance up. And a bank/shore exists near the river, and so long as the Severn is flooded to The Teared [the bore] that bank/shore is not covered, and when the sea and Severn ebbs, at that time lake Liuan vomits all that it has devoured from the sea and both that bank/shore is covered and in the likeness of a mountain in one wave it spews and bursts. And if there was the army of the whole region, in the midst of where it is, and it directed its face against the wave, even the army the wave carries off through the force, by fluid full clothes. If, on the other hand, the backs of the army were turned against it, the same wave does not harm, and when the sea may have ebbed, then the entire bank, which the wave covers, backwards is bared and the sea recedes from it (A tributary to the Severn mentioned in Culhwch and OlwenGM).
The sixth wonder is Loch Heilic, which has no water flowing into
it or out of it ; and there are different kinds of fishes in it at every
side ; and.it reaches, in its depth, only to a man's knee; it is twenty
cubits in length and in breadth, and has high banks.
The seventh wonder, apples upon the ash tree at the stream of
Goas.
The eighth wonder, a cave which is in the district of Guent (Gwent),
having wind constantly blowing out of it.
The ninth wonder, an altar which is in Loingraib (Llygraib in Gower). It is supported
in the air, although the height of a man above the earth.
There is another wonderful thing in the above oft-mentioned region of Guent. There is there a spring near to the wall of the well of Mouric, and timber in the middle of the spring, and men wash their hands together with their faces, and they have the timber beneath their feet when they wash - for instance I have both tried and seen it. When it is inundated by the sea, until the worst the Severn is extended over everything coastal, and covers, and all the way to the spring it is stretched out, and the spring is filled from the teared Severn, and draws the wood with itself all the way to the great sea, and throughout the space of three days on the sea it is turned upside-down, and on day four, in the above mentioned spring, it is found. It is also a fact that one from the countryside might have buried it in the earth to require it proved, and on day four it was found in the spring and the former rustic, he who concealed and buried it, was dead before the end of the month.
The tenth wonder, a stone which is upon a cairn (Carn Gafallt - See TT20 location) in Bocuilt (Builth), with
the impression of the paws of Arthur's dog in it; and though it should
be carried away to any part of the world, it would be found on the
same cairn again. (See Cabal in 'Culhwch and Olwen'CO)
The eleventh wonder, a sepulchre which is in the land of Argingi (Ergyng in Hereforshire),
which one time measures seven feet, another time ten, another time
twelve, and another time fifteen feet in length. (See TT22 location) in Wormelow Tump
There is another wonder in the region which is called Cereticiaun. There is there a mountain, which is given the name Cruc Maur, and there is a grave on the summit of it, and every man whosoever that will come to the grave and stretch himself out next to it, however short they will be, the grave and the man have been found within one length, and, if it will be that the man is short and small, similarly also it is found the length of the grave is like the height of the man, and, if he will be long and tall, even if he might be of length four cubits1 near the height of every man so the tumulus is discovered. And every wanderer who's up to weariness, the man will bow three bows near that, he will not be beyond himself upto his day of death, and he will not be weighted down again by any weariness, even if he will go alone to the boundaries of the cosmos.
Vortigern and Vortimer excerpts from Nennius (NEN)
36. After the Saxons had continued some time in the island of Thanet,
Vortigern promised to supply them with clothing and provision, on condition they would
engage to fight against the enemies of his country. But the barbarians having greatly
increased in number, the Britons became incapable of fulfilling their engagement; and when
the Saxons, according to the promise they had received, claimed a supply of provisions and
clothing, the Britons replied, "Your number is increased; your assistance is now
unnecessary; you may, therefore, return home, for we can no longer support you;" and
hereupon they began to devise means of breaking the peace between them. From Nennius (NEN) 37. But Hengist, in whom united craft and penetration, perceiving he had
to act with an ignorant king, and a fluctuating people, incapable of opposing much
resistance, replied to Vortigern, "We are, indeed, few in number; but, if you will
give us leave, we will send to our country for an additional number of forces, with whom
we will fight for you and your subjects." Vortigern assenting to this proposal,
messengers were dispatched to Scythia, where selecting a number of warlike troops, they
returned with sixteen vessels, bringing with them the beautiful daughter of Hengist. And
now the Saxon chief prepared an entertainment, to which he invited the king, his officers,
and Ceretic, his interpreter, having previously enjoined his daughter to serve them so
profusely with wine and ale, that they might soon become intoxicated. This plan succeeded;
and Vortigern, at the instigation of the devil, and enamored with the beauty of the
damsel, demanded her, through the medium of his interpreter, of the father, promising to
give for her whatever he should ask. (Probably this marriage with Rowena happened further down in 465 after the loss of twelve chieftains.) 43. At length Vortimer, the son of Vortigern,
valiantly fought against
Hengist, Horsa, and his people; drove them to the isle of Thanet, and thrice enclosed them
with it, and beset them on the western side. The Saxons now dispatched deputies to Germany
to solicit large reinforcements, and an additional number of ships: having obtained these,
they fought against the kings and princes of Britain, and sometimes extended their
boundaries by victory, and sometimes were conquered and driven back. 44. Four times did Vortimer valorously encounter the enemy; After a short interval Vortimer died; before his decease, anxious for the
future prosperity of his country, he charged his friends to inter his body at the entrance
of the Saxon port, viz. Upon the rock where the Saxons first landed; "for
though," said he, "they may inhabit other parts of Britain, yet if you follow my
commands, they will never remain in this island." They imprudently disobeyed this
last injunction, and neglected to bury him where he had appointed.
In the battle in 465, even though it was again a draw, the Saxons claimed they slew twelve leaders, all Welsh and Vortimer was mortally wounded. This would mean that there was no need to make up From Nennius (NEN)
Dinas Emrys: 40. But soon after calling together his twelve wise men, to consult what
was to be done, they said to him, "Retire to the remote boundaries of your kingdom;
there build and fortify a city to defend yourself, for the people you have received are
treacherous; they are seeking to subdue you by stratagem, and, even during your life, to
seize upon all the countries subject to your power, how much more will they attempt, after
your death!" The king, pleased with this advice, departed with his wise men, and
travelled through many parts of his territories, in search of a place convenient for the
purpose of building a citadel. Having, to no purpose, travelled far and wide, they came at
length to a province called Guenet (Gwynedd in Wales); and having surveyed the mountains of Heremus (Hermes: Eryri: Snowdon - traditionally Dinas Emrys near Beddgelert, but Fadryn on the Lleyn is more likely as it is named after Madrun the daughter of Vortimer, the son of Vortigern - see Cair guorthegern in List of Cities), Upon this, the wise men said to the king, "Build here a city; for, in this
place, it will ever be secure against the barbarians." Then the king sent for
artificers, carpenters, stone-masons, and collected all the materials requisite to
building; but the whole of these disappeared in one night, so that nothing remained of
what had been provided for the constructing of the citadel. Materials were, therefore,
from all parts, procured a second and third time, and again vanished as before, leaving
and rendering every effort ineffectual. Vortigern inquired of his wise men the cause of
this opposition to his undertaking, and of so much useless expense of labor? They
replied, "You must find a child born without a father, put him to death, and sprinkle
with his blood the ground on which the citadel is to be built, or you will never
accomplish your purpose." 41. In consequence of this reply, the king sent messengers throughout
Britain, in search of a child born without a father. After having inquired in all the
provinces, they came to the field of Aelecti, in the district of Glevesing (Maes Elletus, Llanmaeas, Glywysing), where a party
of boys were playing at ball. And two of them quarrelling, one said to the other,
"boy without a father, no good will ever happen to you." Upon this, the
messengers diligently inquired of the mother and the other boys, whether he had had a
father? Which his mother denied, saying, "In what manner he was conceived I know not,
for I have never had intercourse with any man;" and then she solemnly affirmed that
he had no mortal father. The boy was, therefore, led away, and conducted before Vortigern
the king. 42. A meeting took place the next day for the purpose of putting him to
death. Then the boy said to the king, "Why have your servants brought me
hither?" "That you may be put to death," replied the king, "and that
the ground on which my citadel is to stand, may be sprinkled with your blood, without
which I shall be unable to build it."
"Who," said the boy, "instructed you to do this?" "My wise men," answered the king. "Order them
hither," returned the boy; this being complied with, he thus questioned them:
"By what means was it revealed to you that this citadel could not be built, unless
the spot were previously sprinkled with my blood? Speak without disguise, and declare who
discovered me to you;" then turning to the king, "I will soon," said he,
"unfold to you every thing; but I desire to question your wise men, and wish them to
disclose to you what is hidden under this pavement:"
they acknowledging their
ignorance, "there is," said he, "a pool; come and dig:" they did so,
and found the pool. "Now," continued he, "tell me what is in it;" but
they were ashamed, and made no reply. "I," said the boy, "can discover it
to you: there are two vases in the pool;" they examined, and found it so: continuing
his questions, "What is in the vases?" they were silent: "There is a tent
in them," said the boy; "separate them, and you shall find it so;" this
being done by the king's command, there was found in them a folded tent. The boy, going on
with his questions, asked the wise men what was in it? But they not knowing what to reply,
"There are," said he, "two serpents, one white and the other red; unfold
the tent;" they obeyed, and two sleeping serpents were discovered; "consider
attentively," said the boy, "what they are doing." The serpents began to
struggle with each other; and the white one, raising himself up, threw down the other into
the middle of the tent and sometimes drove him to the edge of it; and this was repeated
thrice. At length the red one, apparently the weaker of the two, recovering his strength,
expelled the white one from the tent; and the latter being pursued through the pool by the
red one, disappeared. Then the boy, asking the wise men what was signified by this
wonderful omen, and they expressing their ignorance, he said to the king, "I will now
unfold to you the meaning of this mystery:
The pool is the emblem of this world, and the
tent that of your kingdom: the two serpents are two dragons; the red serpent is your
dragon, but the white serpent is the dragon of the people who occupy several provinces and
districts of Britain, even almost from sea to sea: at length, however, our people shall
rise and drive away the Saxon race from beyond the sea, whence they originally came; but
do you depart from this place, where you are not permitted to erect a citadel; I, to whom
fate has allotted this mansion, shall remain here; whilst to you it is incumbent to seek
other provinces, where you may build a fortress." "What is your name?"asked the king; (M.A.) From Nennius (NEN) "I am called Ambrosius that is Embreis Guletic" (Welsh: Emrys Wledig. GM: has "Merlin Ambrose." I suggest Menw-Aurelius, son of Ambrosius: 2 people)," returned the
boy; and in answer to the king's question, "What is your origin?" he replied,
"A Roman consul was my father." Then the king assigned him that city, with all
the western provinces of Britain; and departing with his wise men to the sinistral
district, he arrived in the region named Gueneri, where he build a city which, according
to his name was called Cair Guorthegirn. (In this case it must be Little Doward fort in Glwysing, however in was at his fortress at Fadryn that he and his daughter St. MadrynLBS escaped the flames that were set by Ambrosius.
Appendix LS - Literary Sources It was 449 years after our Lord's incarnation, when the emperor
Martianus succeeded to the throne, which he occupied for seven
years. He was the forty-sixth from the emperor Augustus. (the joint reign of Martianus and Valentinianus (Valentinian III ruled the Roman Empire in the west from 425 to 455, and Marcian ruled in the east from 450 to 457)
At that time the Angles and Saxons were called in by the aforesaid
king, and arrived in Britain with three great ships. They received
settlements on the east side of the island by order of the same
king, who had invited them here, to fight as for their country.
They at once took the field against the foe, who had often before
overrun the land from the north ; and the Saxons won the victory. The new-comers were of the three strongest races of Germany,
namely, Saxons, Angles and Jutes, Of Jutish origin are the men of
Kent, and the Wihtsaetan ; that is the tribe dwelling in the Isle
of Wight. From the Saxons, that is from the people called Old
Saxons, came the East Saxons, the South Saxons, and the West
Saxons; and from Angle came the East Angles and the Middle
Angles, Mercians, and the whole race of the Northumbrians. This
is the land which is named Angulus, between the Jutes and
Saxons, and it is said to have lain waste, from the time they left it,
up to this day. Their leaders then and their commanders were at
first two brothers, Hengist and Horsa, sons of Wihtgils, whose
father was called Witta, whose father was Wihta, and the father of
Wihta was called Woden. From his race the royal families of
many tribes derived their origin. Later on, when occasion offered, they entered into alliance with the Picts, whom
they had previously driven out by arms. And then the Saxons
sought excuse and opportunity for breaking with the Britons.
So they publicly announced to the Britons and declared, that, unless
they gave them a more liberal maintenance, they would take it for
themselves by force and by plundering, wherever they could find it.
And they soon carried their threats into execution: they burned
and plundered and slew from the sea on the west to the sea on
the east; and now no one withstood them.
At that time their general and leader was Ambrosius,
also called Aurelianus: he was of Roman origin, and a man of
courage and moderation. In his time the Britons recovered heart
and strength, and he exhorted them to fight and promised victory;
and by God's help in the fight they did win the victory. And then from that time now the Britons, now again the Saxons were
victors, till the year in which Mount Badon was beset; there they
made a great carnage of the Angles, about forty-four years after
the arrival of the Angles in Britain.
The Geographical Background to Welsh Arthurian Stories by F. T. Howard, M.A. F.G.S. contained in Transactions of the Cardiff Naturalists' Society, Volumes 48-53, Cardiff Naturalists' Society. 1915 Appendix 3 - Land Registries relating to Arthur and his family
The Proof that King Arthur exists begins with throwing out the story of Geoffrey_of_Monmouth:
The History of the Kings of BritainGM
and establishing the fact that Arthur was a king in South Wales, that Camelot was not in Cornwall or Tintagel, and Avalon was not in Glastonbury. He was, in fact, a descendent of Magnus Maximus, who was Emperor of Rome in the West (384–388), which explains his rapid rise to leadership. Beginning with the throwing out the bogus generational charts of Uther and verifying the ones that exist by comparing them with the detailed genealogy tables of the Celtic saints. we will find instead the true Arthur and his knights. Of most importance in the establishment of the true Arthur is the Llandaff Charters, once they have been correctly ordered. (BL) Book of Landaff (Liber Landavensis) Note that unfortunately the highly respected Dr. Wendy Davies, 'The Llandaff Charters', National Library of Wales,1979, did not see that there was a missing page and confounded two Tewdrig's and Meurig's and from other mistakes by others such as Professor Chadwick, 'Studies in Early British History' concludes that the Llandaff Charters are a fraud, thus squandering to possibility of discovering the true Arthur. (See JA page 201) Appendix 3a - Llandaff Charter showing Father and Mother of Arthur (Arthruis)
Land grant [20 - 70v] "Lann Cingualan, and Lann Arthbodu. Lann Conuur, and Lann". The National Library of Wales, Liber Landavensis [c.1120-c.1134] folio 17 - 69v
Cilcinhinn and 12 modii of land at Conuoy; Lanngenei
Thus: King Meurig has a wife, Onbraust, and they have two sons: Athruis (King Arthur) and Idnerth. Meurig's father is Tewdrig; Onbraust's father is Gwrgant the Great (Ergyng) and his son was Morgan last on the witness list). Thus it shows that Gwent and Ergyng are united by marriage forming what will be the Kingdom of Morganwg, named after Arthur's son Morgan. Appendix 3b - Land Registry showing Arthur's maternal line of Constantine the Blessed and Peipiau [1 - 49r] Lann Custenhinngarthbenni.
bgcolor=yellow>King Peipau is King of Ergyng and he is the son of Erb. King Constantine is his father-in-law which implies that he married a daughter of King Constantine. The spear throw of King Constantine indicates that he is a powerful warrior.
Be it known to us that King Peipiau son of Erb,
granted Manor Garth benni, as far as the black marsh between the
wood, and field, and water, and the spear-throw of King Constantine,
his father-in-law, beyond the river Wye, to God, and Dubricius, Arch-
bishop of the See of Llandaff, and to Junapeius his cousin, for his
soul's health and the writing of his name in the Book of Life, with all
its liberty, without any earthly payment, and overlordship, small and
moderate, except to God, and to St. Dubricius, [and those] who serve in
the church of Llandaff for ever. And Peipiau held the written deed upon
the hand of St. Dubricius, that the house of prayer and penance, and
the episcopal residence might belong to the Bishops of Llandaff for
ever. And in testimony thereof, he consecrated the church, and left
there three of his disciples.
The witnesses are, of the clergy:
Of the laity:
Boundaries: (kml) "Beyond the Wye" It can be identified as Welsh Biknor, Hereford enfolded by the Wye. S. Guernabui (Guenuor) was appointed princeps of the monastic settlement at Gath Benni. He shown as abbot with an alumnus, Gurguare, in Charter [43 - 76r].
Appendix 3c - Charter showing Arthur and his Son Morgan
(See Book of Llandaff in Appendix to Footnotes ):
Land grant [45 - 76v] Lann Cinmarch, Llandeui, Lann Junabui, Lann Guorboe".
The National Library of Wales, Liber Landavensis [c.1120-c.1134] folio 45 - 76v
Lann Cinmarch, Llandeui, Lann Junabui, Lann Guorboe
And King Athruis (King Arthur) walked the entire boundaries of the gift of the land, sprinkling dust taken from the sepulchre of St. Cinfarch the disciple of St. Dubricius, preceded by a holy cross and sprinkling of holy water, attended by Bishop Comeregius with all his clergy. The King (Arthur) alone carried the Gospel on his back and confirmed forever the alms which had been given for the soul of his father Mouric (Meurig); and a blessing being given to him (Arthur), and an absolution at the same time pronounced, he commended himself, both body and soul, to the present Bishop and his successors in the See.
The witnesses are, of the clergy:
Arthur (Athruis) is now King Arthur and, significantly, very religious. This event appears to be upon the death of his father Meurig. His son Morgan is also a witness.
Boundaries: Lann Cinmarch.kml "The Manor of Tnoumur, from the
fissure of the valley of Annwg on the Wye upwards along
the valley to the ditch in the valley, following the ditch
near the high road throughout its length to the Pool Merrick ((a brook near Mathern, Monmouthshire site of Church: where Arthur's grandfather died, now named for Arthur's father Merrick)..
Upwards with Pool Merrick for a boundary to the Pant
Mawr, along Nant Catguistil upwards to the Sow's track,
to the Taran-bwll, to the ? -tog, to the mound of the
Yew-tree, through the wood downwards to the dyke, along
it to the Wye, with its wears downwards as far as Pant
Annwg, where the boundary began." Monuments that support Arthur being from South Wales Appendix 4a - The Ogmore Stone, which was found during restoration of Ogmore Castle in 1929 and used a stepping stone and is now in the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff:
"[--] | EST[-- |QUODDE[.] |ARTHMAIL |AGRUMDO |E/TGLIGUIS |E/TNERTAT | /TFILIEPI " Appendix 4b - The Samson Stone has baffled many as it seems to relate to a later Arthur who was not around in the time of St. Samson The revelation of its true meaning supports the facts in this book. St. Samson, who attended Llanilltud college with Arthur also spend time in Brittany as an important Saint and later returned to be Abbot of Llanilltud. Arthur, having recovered from his wounds at Camlann, secretly moved to Brittany to be Saint Armel (Arthmail). There was an evil king called Conomor who had usurped the throne of true king Judwal in Brittany. Samson and Arthur set out to defeat him, after first getting the go-ahead from King Childebert, the Merovingian King. This stone commemorates his defeat, which is where the Abbaye du Relec now stands, and their great friendship.
On the top of this stone was probably mounted a wheel cross. This stone had fallen into the open grave of Will the Giant who asked to be buried next the stone. Having dug too close, it fell into the grave and was covered up until 1793 ("Tour in South Wales" vol1 pg 345 by Donovan)
It has been supposed that
the cross is of later date than the sixth century, and that it was not
erected by S. Samson to the memory of King luthael and his
companion Artmal, but at a time posterior, and that the Iuthael and
Artmal (Armel) thereon named belonged to this later date, and to the
house of Morganwg ; moreover the style of decoration supports this
view. The coincidence of names at two periods is remarkable, for
S. Samson's great work was the restoration of the princely line in
Domnonia, the placing of Iuthael on the throne in 555, and Artmal
was his great helper in the work. (See Legends and romances of Brittany by Spence, Lewis: Conomor and Judicael by Lewis Spence (apple books & google))
"In the name of the Most High GOD was begun the cross of the Savior which Appendix 5 - King Arthur = St. Arthmael (St. Armel in Brittany) thus birthdate is 482 - Pen Ychen in Glywysing
Once it is established that Arthur did not die after being mortally wounded at Camlann, he can be found as a famous saint in Brittany (Armorica), having the same birthplace and timeframe, thus (482-562) dieing at the age of 80 (not death at 552 or 570 because he fought against Conomore in 555 and died before Samson.) The Lives of the British Saints, volume 1, by Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), 1834-1924
The authorities for the Life of S. Armel are these: The Lections in
the Breviary of Rennes, fifteenth cent., that of Leon, 1516, the Breviary
of S. Malo, 1537, and that of Vannes, 1589. The original in the
Breviary of Leon, 1516, exists in a copy made by Benedictines of the
seventeenth or eighteenth cent., printed by Roparz, Notice sur Ploermel,
P. 163. That from the Breviary of S. Malo, printed at Paris, 1489,
is in the Acta Sanctorum, Aug., t. iii, pp. 298-9. Albert le Grand
gives the Life from the Breviaries of Leon and Folgoet, the latter no
longer exists, also from the Legendarium of Plouarzel, which has also
disappeared. Albert le Grand is usually very reliable in what he
extracts from documents no longer accessible, though reckless in
attribution of dates. The earliest text we have is that of the Rennes
Breviary, and this is later than the twelfth century, but is probably
based on an earlier life. Armel was born in Morganwg, in the cantref of Penychen. We
not told the names of his parents, but this we obtain from the
the Welsh genealogies. From one in the Iolo MSS., p. 133, we learn that
Derfael, Dwyfael, and Arthfael were sons of Hywel, son of Emyr
I.lyilaw, cousins of S. Cadfan. They were members of S. Illtyd's "choir," and
afterwards were with S. Cadfan in Bardsey. Armel was
accordingly first cousin of S. Samson, S. Padarn, S. Maglorius, S. Malo,
and brother probably of S. Tudwal of Treguier, and perhaps also of S. Leonore. According to the Life in the Breviaries, he was educated in a monastery
under a certain abbot Caroncinalis, more properly Carentmael, but
did not become a monk. He lived as a secular priest, till one day entering
the church he heard the deacon read the gospel : "Whosoever he
be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath cannot be My disciple."
This seemed to him to be spoken to himself. He therefore resolved on
abandoning his own land, his parents, and his property. He went to
Carentmael and told him his purpose. The abbot agreed to depart also,
and a large body of colonists left South Wales together with Caroncinalis
and Arthmael. They landed in the mouth of the Aber Benoit in Finistère. the principality of Leon, and
went inland till they formed a settlement where is now Plouarzel. Carentmael is said to have been a near kinsman of Paul of Leon,
it he has left no impression in the district where he settled, and
he is not numbered among the Breton Saints. Armel remained at Plouarzel some years till the death of Jonas,
king of Domnonia, in or about 540, when Conmore married the widow,
and obliged Judual, or Iuthael, the prince, to fly for his life to the court
of Childebert. Arthmael, like Leonore and other Saints of Armorica,
got on bad terms with the regent Conmore, and he was obliged to
leave and go to Paris, where he did his utmost to induce Childebert to
displace Conmore and restore Judual. His efforts were unavailing,
till the arrival of Samson, whose energy and persistence in the same
cause broke down finally the King's opposition, and they were suffered
to return to Brittany, and organize an insurrection on behalf of Judual. This succeeded, and Conmore was killed in battle in 555. Judual
rewarded Armel for his services by giving him land on the Seiche,
now in Ille et Vilaine, where is the village of S. Armel. Here he
established a monastery. A dragon infested the neighborhood. He
went to it, put his stole about its neck, and conducted it to the river.
He bade the monster precipitate itself into the stream, and was at once
obeyed. This is a symbolic way of saying that he subdued Conmore,
the old dragon of Domnonia. Passing one day by the valley of Loutehel, the people complained
to him that they lacked good water, and with his staff he miraculously
produced a spring. He would seem to have established another
monastery at Ploermel, near the pretty lake called 1'Etang du Duc, in
a well-wooded rolling country. Whether he died and was buried there
or in his territory near the Seiche, and where is his tomb in the church,
is uncertain. How long this was after the restoration of Judual we do
not know, but it was somewhere about 570. He was formerly patron of Ergue-Armel, near Quimper, but has
been supplanted by S. Allorius. There is a fountain of the Saint at
Loutehel, and another prettily situated near the road to Vannes at
Ploermel. At this latter place is a window of stained glass of the
sixteenth century, representing the story of the Saint in eight compartments: S. Armel became one of the most popular Saints of Brittany. In addition to the parish churches of Plouarzel, Ploermel and S. Armel
Loutehel, and Ergue-Armel, those of Languedias and Langoet were
dedicated to him, and he had chapels at Bruz, at Fougeray, Lantic,
Radenac, S. Jouan de l'Isle, S. Glen, Sarzeau, and Dinan. His day is
most generally regarded as August 16, Missal of Vannes, 1530; Breviary
of Vannes, 1589; MS. Calendar of S. Meen, fifteenth century; Breviary
of Dol, 1519; Proper of Vannes, 1660 ; and the MS. Breviary of
S. Melanius, Rennes, 1526, Albert le Grand, and Dom Lobineau.
On the other hand August 14 is his day in the Breviary of S. Malo,
1537, and in that of Leon, 1516; August 15, a Missal of S. Malo,
fifteenth century; August 17, the Quimper Breviary of 1835; July
27, the Vannes Breviary of 1757. The name Arthmael has become in Breton Arzel and Armel and
Ermel. He does not seem to have received any cult m Wales, but in
Cornwall Arthmael had a chapel, and was represented on the screen
(1531) had an altar, and was commemorated annually at Stratton. S. Arthmael is represented in stained glass of the end of the fifteenth
ginning of the sixteenth century in the church of S. Sauveur,
Dinan, habited as an ecclesiastic with an amice over his shoulder and
a cap on his head, and with a green dragon at his feet, bound by his stole.
At Ploermel, in like manner in brown habit ; but at Languedias
statue of the seventeenth century that represents him as an
abbot, trampling on a dragon, which he holds bound with his stole. Armel is invoked for the healing of rheumatism and gout. Henty VII would seem to have brought with him from Brittany a
veneration for this saint. There is a fine statuette of him in Henry
VII 's Chapel, Westminster, where he is represented as trampling on
the dragon. and mailed, with gauntlets on his hands. This is a
reference to his designation as "Miles fortissimus " in the legend as
in the Breviary of Leon, 1516, and in the Rennes Prose of 1492,
in which he is invoked as "armigere " against the enemies of our
salvation. On Cardinal Moreton's monument in the crypt of Canterburv Cathedral he is also represented,
but the figure there has been grievously mutilated, head and hands have gone. Ermyn's Hotel, Westminster, stands on S. Ermyn's Hill. This
is first mentioned in 1496 as S. Armille's, and later on the name is
found as Armell, Armen, Ermyne and Armet. There was a chapel
in the seventeenth century, which is now represented by the
modern parish church of Christchurch, Westminster. GENEALOGIES: Appendix A6a - Genealogy of Arthur as descended from Magnus Maximus and Ceindrech (his first wife) Appendix 7 - Genealogy connection to Emyr Lydaw (Budic, Emperor of Armorica (Brittany)) via his three sisters: Gwenonwy, Anna, and Afrella.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicles Versions Compared (Wikisource) covering Vortigern-Arthur 430-540 merged with Gildas, "On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain'' lined up by date with
Annales Cambriae does not have dates, but rather was set up with a row for each year and the check was a roman numeral every ten (Thus when there were too many or too less they could be adjusted.) These are shown in the first column for the A-text. The starting point was unknown, however two set points could be made at position (a9) 455: Easter altered on the Lord's Day by Pope Leo, Bishop of Rome (440-461) and this position is verified by (a151) 597: The death of Columba given in his Vita written by Adomnan. Also, "Days dark as night" corresponds to an eclipse in Germany.
(Important King Arthur set points are in orange and green backgrounds) (NASA Astronomical Calculation in black.)
At that time, the Saxons were the strengthened in multitude and increased in power in Britain. On the death of Hengist, Octa, his son, passed out of the left-hand side (north) of Britain to the kingdom of Kentish men, and from him are descended the kings of Kent.
Then Arthur fought against them in those days, together with the kings of the Britons, but he was their leader of war ("Dux Bellorum").
Translation:
Then Arthur fought against them in those days, together with the kings of the Britons, but he was their leader of war ("Dux Bellorum").
1. Cair ebrauc (York)
2. Cair ceint (Canterbury)
3. Cair gurcoc (Anglesey)
4. Cair guorthegern (Vortigern: Carn Fadryn?
5. Cair custeint (Constantine's fort: Caernarfon)
6. Cair guoranegon (Worcester)
7. Cair segeint (Silchester)
8. Cair guin truis (Norwhich?)
9. Cair merdin (Carmarthen)
10. Cair peris (Porchester)
11. Cair lion (Caerleon-upon-Usk)
12. Cair mencipit (Verulam)
13. Cair caratauc (Catterick)
14. Cair ceri (Cirencester)
15. Cair gloui (Gloucester)
16. Cair lullid (Carlisle)
17. Cair grant (Cambridge)
18. Cair daun (Doncaster)
19. Cair britoc (Bristol)
20. Cair meguaid (Meivod)
21. Cair mauiguid (Manchester)
22. Cair ligion (Chester)
23. Cair guent (Caerwent)
24. Cair collon (Colchester)
25. Cair londein (London)
26. Cair Guorcon (Worchester)
27. Cair lerion (Leicester)
28. Cair draithou (Drayton)
29. Cair ponsavelcoit (Pevenscy)
30. Cairteimm (Teyn-Grace)
31. Cair Urnahc (Wroxster)
32. Cair colemion (Silchester?)
33. Cair loit coit (LincCaerlwytgoed - Lichfield)
edited by James Henthorn Todd (1848) (6, 11, 14 are not in the Irish Version, so added and arranged in usual order of listing on other sites)
The Letimain Lake Lomond in
Scotland is here greatly shorn of its marvels. The Latin places an eagle upon
each rock, but GeoffreyGM
adds, that once a year the sixty
eagles assembled together, and sang aloud
their prophecies of whatever events were
about to happen. The Leamain here, and Lenin or
Leun of the Latin, is the river Levin,
flowing out of Lomond into the Clyde,
by the famous fortress of Alclyde or Dunbarton .
This is in the region of Huich (Gewissei) and is surrounded by a wall made of brick and stone and men rush to bathe in it all the time, and each may have his own bath, just as it he likes it: if he wants, it will be a cold bath; if hot, it will be hot"
"Same" in this wonder's description refers back to the previous wonder and thus three old salt springs at Droitwich, where there has been an uninterupted tradition of salt spring use from the Iron Age, through the Romans and Saxons, to today.
When the sea is poured into the
mouth of the Severn to a fall head of water,
(water brought,
to a head, as at mill-dams). Two heaps of surf are
collected on either hand, and make war
against each other like rams; and each
goes against the other and they collide together, and secede again from each other
and advance again at each in a swell.
This seems to be meant for a description
of the phenomenon called the Severn Bore, which
can be seen in the Severn river. There are only two places on the Severn where the Bore wave
can collide with itself to produce the effect: Hock Cliff and it used to at Upper Parting but the weir at Maisemore it.
This Loch Heilic is called in the Latin Finnaun
(or Fountain) of Guur Helic or Guor Helic, and said to be twenty feet (not cubits)
square. It was in the region of Cinlipluc,
Cinlipluic, or Cinloipiauc. Near it, and
forming but one wonder with it in the
Latin, was the river Guoy (Wye) and the
apple-bearing ash. Helic means willow
trees, and is the ancient name of Ely. This might be at Pwll-Helyg.
This word for ash tree is still in use in the north of Ireland. Its old form is
preserved in the name of the river in Ashford in Limerick.
At the Llangattock Escarpment, many caves have been carved up by quarrying. It could be Pwll y Gwynt ("Pool of the Wind").
St. Iltutus beheld a ship approaching,
which contained the body of a saint, and an
altar suspended in air over it. lie buried
him under the altar, and built a church
over it ; but the altar continued suspended
in the air.
Paw print of Arthur's dog Cabal
The impression upon
the cairn in Builth is said to have been made
by Arthur's dog, Cavall or Caball, during
the chase of the Twrch Trwyth.
(Mosaic: Pompeii, Italy, Naples, Italy, Museum)
The sepulchre is was beside a fountain
called Licat Anir, the last word being one of Arthur's knights, whom Arthur slew (It is his relative Emyr Llydaw (See Appendix 7 Genealogy of Emyr Lydaw) - died in battle, not slain) and buried at that spot.
"Amhar son of Arthur" mentioned in the MabinogionMAB
: "Geraint the Son of Erbin"7.3 is a confusion.
the story of Treachery of the Long Knives. 4.6 . However, Vortigern, believing that he did not have the resources to fight anymore, made the decision to appease the Saxons by giving up East, South, and Middle-sex in return for a peace. Most likely this was the time that he was given Hengist's daughter to firm up the deal.
they
discovered, on the summit of one of them, a situation, adapted to the construction of a
citadel.
After this combining Merlin with Ambrose, Geoffrey went on to write a whole fictional work: Vita Merlini about Merlin's life.
(Also see 4.9)
This writing is the only contemporary source to Arthur and confirms without a doubt the existence of Ambrosius as the leader of the Britains against the Saxons and Arthur's important win on Badon Hill. Sadly the rest of the work is a tirade against five kings for their various sins and an attack upon the British clergy of his time (most likely those sponsored by Rome rather than the Celtic Saints of which he is one).
Below is the statements concerning Ambrosius and the Battle of Badon
25...."that they might not be brought to utter destruction, took arms under the conduct of Ambrosius Aurelianus, a modest man, who of all the Roman nation was then alone in the confusion of this troubled period by chance left alive. His parents, who for their merit were adorned with the purple, kind been slain in these same broils, and now his progeny in these our days, although shamefully degenerated from their grandfather's [avita] excellence, provoke to battle their cruel conquerors, and by the goodness of our Lord obtain the victory."
26. "After this, sometimes our countrymen, sometimes the enemy, won the field, to the end that our Lord might this land try after his accustomed manner these his Israelites, whether they loved him or not, until the year of the siege of Bath-hill, when took place also the last almost, though not the least slaughter of our cruel foes, which was (as I am sure) forty-four years and one month after the landing of the Saxons, and also the time of my own nativity."
Below is his condemnation of five British kings left after Camlann
"Two royal youths (sons of Mordred, Constantine having ignored their asylum in a church), with their two attendants, whose arms, although not eased in armor, were yet boldly used, and, stretched out towards God and his altar, will hang up at the gates of thy city, O Christ, the venerable ensigns of their faith and patience; and when he had done it, the cloaks, red with coagulated blood, did touch the place of the heavenly sacrifice."
"Art not thou as the former, if not far more foul, to thy utter destruction, swallowed up in the filthiness of horrible murders, fornications, and adulteries, as by an overwhelming flood of the sea?"
Vortipore Stone18.3 (also its ogham script)
Carmarthen Museum
"Why art thou so stiff? What! do not such violent gulfs of sin (which thou dost swallow up like pleasant wine, nay rather which swallow thee up), as yet satisfy thee, especially since the end of thy life is daily now approaching? Why cost thou heavily clog thy miserable soul with the sin of lust, which is fouler than any other, by putting away thy wife, and after her honorable death, by the base practices of thy shameless daughter?"
Why art thou fallen into the filth of thy former naughtiness, yea, since the very first spring of thy tender youth? ... Why dost thou raise so great a war as well against men as also against God himself, against men, yea, thy own countrymen, with thy deadly weapons, and against God with thine infinite offences? Why, besides thine other innumerable backslidings, having thrown out of doors thy wife, dost thou, in the lust, or rather stupidity of thy mind, against the apostle's express prohibition, denouncing that no adulterers can be partakers of the kingdom of heaven, esteem her detestable sister, who had vowed unto God the everlasting contineney, as the very dower, in the language of the poet, of the celestial nymphs?"
"O thou dragon of the island, who hast deprived many tyrants, as well of their kingdoms as of their lives, and though the last-mentioned in my writing, the first in mischief, exceeding many in power, and also in malice, more liberal than others in giving, more licentious in sinning, strong in arms, but stronger in working thine own soul's destruction ... so that the vessel prepared for the service of God, is now turned to a vessel of dirt, and what was once reputed worthy of heavenly honor, is now cast as it deserves into the bottomless pit of hell.(Died of the plague)"
(See Ref. 15.1 for summary text.)
(William of Newburgh, highly respected for his work; Historia rerum Anglicarum (‘The History of English Affairs’, c. 1198) criticized Geoffrey's work, "while upholding Gildas and Bede as the most esteemed writers of British’history, particularly as they were committed to revealing the truth about the Britons, William laments that Geoffrey has endorsed the opposite that to atone for faults of the Britons to weaves a laughable web of fiction about them, with shameless vain glory extolling them far above the virtue of the Macedonians and the Romans. Having taken old fictitious accounts of the Britons and adding to them himself and then embellishing them in the Latin tongue, Geoffrey has cloaked them with the honorable title of history. (paraphrased)"
Needless to say, Geoffrey's work is an example of how fiction about history often masks the truth and yet is told as truth, thus ridiculed in this book.
(Reveals the preliminary battle to the Battle of Badon shown here in Chapter 15 )
Contains many parallels to the real Magnus Maximus the ancestor of Arthur.)
Sources: See Merged Triads of Ynys Prydein from multiple sources on author's site showing numbering from
Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain 3rd Edition by Rachel Bromwich, University of Wales Press; 3rd edition (February 9, 2006)
It is a dialogue between King Arthur and the gatekeeper Glewlwyd GavaelvawrCO, in which Arthur boasts of his own exploits and those of his companions, especially Cai the Fair. It is a poem of confused images. It shows Bedwyr fighting in Battle Ten - The Severn Bore: "By the hundred there they fell,before the accomplished Bedwyr on the strands of Trywruid." At the end it clams that Kai died with Llacheu. Pa gur is notable for being one of the earliest vernacular Arthurian works, and for alluding to several early adventures of Arthur which are now lost.
'Holy Kingdom; Bantam Press 1998 by Adrian Gilbert with Baram Blackett and Alan Wilson was a ground breaking book in its day containing many truths, but also significant mistakes.)
(From: 'The Bardic Museum' byEdward Jones. Publication date 1802)
Arthur
Black is my steed and bears me well;
Nor will he the water shun;
And no man will be retreat!
Gwenhyfar
Bright is my steed of nature's hue:
May the boater always be despised;
He only is a man, who makes good his word!
Gwenhyfar
Who will ride and will be firm?
Who will march in front of battle?
None but a hero can overcome Cai the tall, son of Sevin
Arthur
I will ride, and will be firm;
And will march with speed along the bank of ebbing tide:
I am the man who will overcome Cai!
Gwenhyfar
Hold youth! It is strange to hear thee,
Unless thou art more than thy appearance;
Thou couldst not overcome Cai with a hundred in thy train!
Arthur
Gwenhwfar of the beauteous look,
Deride me not; though small I seem,
I would myself a hundred take!
Gwenhyfar
Ha! thou youth, in black and yellow grab!
From having steadfastly viewed thy form,
Methinks I have seen thee before!
Arthur
Gwenhwfar of sweet looks of mildness,
Inform me, (if thou knowest)
Where didst thou see me before?
Gwenhyfar
I saw a man of moderate stature
At the long table of Kelliwic, in Devonshire,
Distributing wine to his friends around him.
Arthur
Gwenhwfar of charming discourse!
From woman's lips, we look for idle talk:
There, truly, thou hast seen me!
This book contains Land Charters and these Saint Lives: Vita Edgar the Hermit, Vita Saint Samson of Dol, Vita Dubricius, Vita Teilo, and Vita Oudoceus
Be it known to
us that Meurig, King of Morgannwg, son of Tewdrig,
and his wife,
Onbraust, daughter of Gwrgant the Great,
have restored three
modii of land at Cilcyuhynn, and six modii of land at Conuoy, that is
Lann Gemei, and also Lan Teiliau Talypont which formerly belonged to
it,
to God, and to Bishop Oudoceus, and to his holy predecessors, Teliauus (St. Teilo) and
Dubricius, and all his successors in the Church of Llandaff,
for their souls' health, and the souls of their relatives, free
from all royal service, with all their dignity and liberty, sanctuary,
and free commonage to the inhabitants, present and future, in field and
in woods, in water and in pastures, in perpetual consecration.
The witnesses are, of the laity:
1. (This was the first charter in the Liber before the sort and it is under Dubricius.) It relates to the grant of Lann
Custenhinn- garth-benni in Ercicg (Ergyng)
Athruis (King Arthur), King of the Guent (Gwent) region, granted to God and Saints Dubricius and Teliauus into the hands of Comeregius the Bishop, the Church of Cinfarch, the disciple of Dubricius (St. Cynfarch), with its appurtenant lands that is Manor Troumur and Lanndeui, Lann Junabui, and Lann Guoruoe in the field of Molochu and the mansion of Mafurn and Lann Calcuch and Lann Cerniu (Cernyw}, with all its appurtenant land to the exclusion of his heirs except by assent of the Bishops of Llandaff, and with all liberties and commons in plain and in woods, in water and in meadows forever.
Of the laity:
(1) Lann Cinmarch, St. Kinmark, North of Chepstow ;
(2) Lanndeui, or Dew-church, Hereford, County;
(3) Lann Junabui (or Bredwardine) See Charter [3 - 49v];
(4) Lann Guoruoe (or Gurboe, i.e., Garway) See Charter [40 - 75v];
(5) Podum Mafurn (Malvern on the border of Worcestershire and the Hereford Beacons) See Charter [41 - 76r];
(6) Lann Calcuch and Lann Cerniu (Cernyw} (The site of Abbey Dore). See Charter [2 - 49r],
Boundaries: "The Manor of Tnoumur, from the fissure of the valley of Annwg on the Wye upwards along the valley to the ditch in the valley, following the ditch near the high road throughout its length to the Pool Merrick (a brook near Mathern, Monmouthshire site of Church: where Arthur's grandfather died, now named for Arthur's father Merrick). Upwards with Pool Merrick for a boundary to the Pant Mawr, along Nant Catguistil upwards to the Sow's track, to the Taran-bwll, to the ? -tog, to the mound of the Yew-tree, through the wood downwards to the dyke, along it to the Wye, with its wears downwards as far as Pant Annwg, where the boundary began."
(1) Lann Cinmarch, St. Kinmark, North of Chepstow;
(2) Lanndeui, or Dew-church, Hereford, County;
(3) Lann Junabui (or Bredwardine) See Charter [3 - 49v];
(4) Lann Guoruoe (or Gurboe, i.e., Garway) See Charter [40 - 75v];
(5) Podum Mafurn (Malvern on the border of Worcestershire and the Hereford Beacons) See Charter [41 - 76r];
(6) Lann Calcuch and Lann Cerniu (Cernyw} (The site of Abbey Dore). See Charter [2 - 49r],
Expansion:
SCIENDUM EST OMNIB[US] QUOD DE[DIT] ARTHMAIL AGRUM D[E]O ET GLIGUIS ET NETAT ET FILI EPI[SCOPO]
Translation:
"Be it known to all that Arthmail has given a field to God and to Glywys and to Nertat and to Fili the bishop."
Bishop Ffili is the brother of Bishop Ufelwy, who is under Teilo in the Llandaff Charters. Both are said to be sons of Cenydd (Keneth) who is called crippled because he was born of incest and caste out by his father Deroc, the son of Rhiwal, prince in Brittany from South Wales. That their grandfather is Gildas is unlikely. The importance of this stone is that it confirms the existence of Arthur in Glamorgan and the validity of the Llandaff Charters that many scholars believe are bogus (For more see BL). The reference to Glywys is honorary as he founded Glywysing. 
Samson the Abbot prepared for his soul and for the soul of King Juthahel
and Artmal, the praised."
St. Arthmael: The Lives of the British Saints Vol 1-4 I(Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), 1907)
St. Armel: Albert Le Grande's Lives of Saints of Brittany (Les vies des saints de la Bretagne Armorique) (Guy-Alexis Lobineau), 1725
Genealogy of Judual
The above chart is obtained by connecting Table II and Table V by realizing that St. Cystennin the son of Maxen Wlelig in Table II is the same as Cystennin Fendigaid in Table V then connecting using Book of Llandaff
Note: That Arthur's grandfather is not Urien of the North
Jesus College 20 Gen 34
but Urien of Gorre (Gower) synonymous with Gwrgant the Great (See Arthur Genealogy above)
"The French romances of Arthur, introduce Urien, under the name of Sir Urience of Gore, that is, of Gower in Glamorganshire" as opposed to Urien of Rheged and his son Owain in the late sixth century. "We have, therefore, a double uncertainty introduced by these legends, both as to the person of Urien himself, and as to the situation of his territory. It is evident that the Welsh genealogists and legend-writers placed Rheged in South Wales, and were ignorant of the existence of a kingdom of the same name in Cumbria, or Northern Britain." (Taliesin by David William Nash,1858)
Merged with Llandaff Charters (See BL) and excerpt from
The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens" by Mike Ashley, Constable & Robinson, 1998:
"Ergyng was a small but rich kingdom on the borders of Wales and England around Hereford, know better by the name Archenfeld. Medrawd ap Caurdaf ap Caradoc Vreichfas ap Gwrgan Mawr ap Cynfyn ap Pebiau Claforawg (the Dribbler) who married the daughter of King Cystennyn and was the grandfather of Dubricius from his daughter Yrddil."
(See 1.6 Mordred & (1.7 Gwenhwyfar)
From Table V The Lives of the British Saints, volume 1, by Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), 1834-1924
Due to the marriage of Arthur's three sisters Gwenonwy to Gwyndaf Hen, Anna to Amwn Ddu, and Afrella to Umbrafael to the sons of Emyr Lydaw, Emyr Lydaw (Budic, Emperor of Armorica (Brittany) was Arthur's uncle and his great uncle was St. Germanus of the Isle of Man (For more see BL), and his cousin was St. Illtud.
From Table VII The Lives of the British Saints, volume 1, by Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine), 1834-1924
Triad (93)
Three Men who specified their sufficiency from Arthur as their Gift:
Culhwch son of Cilydd son of Celyddon Wledig,
Huarwor son of Aflawn, and
Gordibla of Cornwall