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Modron (Dungeons
Modron ("mother") is a figure in Welsh tradition, known as the mother of the hero Mabon ap Modron. Both characters may have derived from earlier divine figures, in her case the Gaulish goddess Matrona. She may have been a prototype for Morgan le Fay from the Arthurian legend. Origin Modron largely features in the Welsh tradition as a supernatural mother figure. She likely derives from the Celtic goddess Matrona, known to have been worshiped in Gaul. Similarly, Modron's son, Mabon ("youth"), appears to derive from the youth god Maponos.Koch, p. 1299. Both Matrona and Maponos were worshiped in the area around Hadrian's Wall, which may account for the prominence of Modron and Mabon in literature connected to the Brittonic ''Hen Ogledd'' (Old North) of Britain.Koch, p. 1209. Certain elements of Modron's story – specifically that her son Mabon was stolen from her in the night as a baby – suggest a connection with Rhiannon in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, whose son Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Urien Rheged
Urien ap Cynfarch Oer () or Urien Rheged (, Old Welsh: or , ) was a powerful sixth-century Common Brittonic, Brittonic-speaking figure who was possibly the ruler of the territory or kingdom known as Rheged. He is one of the best-known and best documented of the Ancient Britons, British figures of the 'Yr Hen Ogledd, Old North'. His kingdom was most likely centred around the Solway Firth. According to the ''Historia Brittonum'' (), Urien gained the decisive advantage in a conflict against the Anglo-Saxons in northern Britain led an alliance with three other kings: Rhydderch Hen, Gwallog ap Llênog, and Morcant Bulc, Morgan. The alliance led by Urien penned the Anglo-Saxons in at Lindisfarne, though this siege came to an abrupt end when Urien was murdered on the orders of his erstwhile ally Morgan. The most secure evidence for his existence comes the ''Historia Brittonum'' and eight Panegyric, praise-poems in Middle Welsh dedicated to him surviving in a Book of Taliesin, four ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pryderi
Pryderi fab Pwyll is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and king of Dyfed after his father's death. He is the only character to appear in all Four Branches of the Mabinogi, although the size of his role varies from tale to tale. He is often equated with the divine son figure of Mabon ap Modron, while Jeffrey Gantz compares him to Peredur fab Efrawg, who is himself associated with the continental figure of Sir Percival de Galles.''The Mabinogion.'' Translated with an introduction by Jeffrey Gantz. 1976. Penguin Books, London. Ifor Williams speculated that he was once the focal character of the Mabinogi as a whole, although some subsequent scholars disagree with this theory. Pryderi is described by Jeffrey Gantz as "bold and enterprising, but rash to the point of foolishness." He goes on to say that "his downfall, while pathetic, is not entirely undeserved." Role in Welsh mythology Birth and early life Pryderi was born in Arberth to Pwyll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afallach
Afallach (Old Welsh Aballac) is a man's name found in several medieval Welsh genealogies, where he is made the son of Beli Mawr. According to a medieval Welsh triad, Afallach was the father of the goddess Modron. The Welsh redactions of Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', Brut y Brenhinedd, associate him with Ynys Afallach, which is substituted as the Welsh name for Geoffrey's ''Insula Avalonsis'' (Island of Avalon), but this is fanciful medieval etymology and it is more likely his name derives from the Welsh word ''afall'' "apple tree" (modern Welsh ''afal'' "apple", afallen "apple tree"Bernhard Maier, ''Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture'' (trans. Cyril Edwards, The Boydell Press, 1997). cf. Proto-Celtic *''aballo-'' "apple"< ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Welsh Triads
The Welsh Triads (, "Triads of the Island of Britain") are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a rhetorical form whereby objects are grouped together in threes, with a heading indicating the point of likeness; for example, "Three things not easily restrained, the flow of a torrent, the flight of an arrow, and the tongue of a fool." Contents The texts include references to King Arthur and other semi-historical characters from sub-Roman Britain, mythic figures such as Brân the Blessed, undeniably historical personages such as Alan IV, Duke of Brittany (who is called ''Alan Fyrgan'') and Iron Age characters such as Caswallawn ( Cassivellaunus) and Caradoc ( Caratacus). Some triads simply give a list of three characters with something in common (such as "the three frivolous bards of the island of Britain") while others include substantial narrative explanation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mabinogion/Kilhwch And Olwen
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of the archaic pronoun ''thee' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth (; also ), is a fabulous wild boar from the Legend of King Arthur, of which a richly elaborate account of its hunt described in the Welsh prose romance '' Culhwch and Olwen'', probably written around 1100. Its hunt involved King Arthur and his hosts and his hound Cafall, and was also deemed to require other recruited men of talent, other hounds, and additional equipment such as leash, according to the tasks () prescribed by the giant Ysbaddaden, though events did not always unfold as the giant foretold. The boar was brought out of Ireland, driven to Britain, and finally shoved off a cliff into the sea at Cornwall. The legend, in simpler form, dates much earlier, since Arthur's use of his hound Cavall ( (base text, MS. MS. ''H''), (MS. ''K''), MS. ''D''1), (MSS. ''D2 G'') to hunt the boar ( (base text, MSS.''H K''), (MSS.''C1 D G Q''); or (MSS. ''C2 L'')) is glimpsed in a piece of geographical onomasticon composed in Latin in the ninth century, the ''Histori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Culhwch And Olwen
''Culhwch and Olwen'' () is a Welsh tale that survives in only two manuscripts about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, , and a fragmented version in the White Book of Rhydderch, . It is the longest of the surviving Welsh prose tales. Lady Charlotte Guest included this tale among those she collected under the title ''The Mabinogion''. Synopsis Culhwch's father, King Cilydd son of Celyddon, loses his wife Goleuddydd after a difficult childbirth. When he remarries, the young Culhwch rejects his stepmother's attempt to pair him with his new stepsister. Offended, the new queen puts a curse on him so that he can marry no one besides the beautiful Olwen, daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden Pencawr. Though he has never seen her, Culhwch becomes infatuated with her, but his father warns him that he will never find her without the aid of his famous cousin Arthur. The young man immediately sets off to seek his kinsman. He find ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loucetios
In Gallo-Roman religion, Loucetios (Latinized as Leucetius) was a Gallic god known from the Rhine-Moselle region, where he was identified with the Roman Mars. Scholars have interpreted his name to mean ‘lightning’. Mars Loucetius was worshipped alongside the goddess Nemetona. Name and etymology The name ''Loucetios'' derives from a Celtic stem *''lowk-et''-, meaning 'flash of lightning, thunderbolt' (cf. Old Irich ''lóchet''), itself from the root *''lowk''- ('bright, light'; cf. Middle Irish ''luach'' 'glowing light', Middle Welsh ''llug'' 'eyesight, perception'). It is the source of the place name ''Luzech'', attested as ''Luzechium'' in 1326 CE. The name may be a reference to either a Celtic common metaphor for battles as thunderstorms (cf. Old Irish ''torannchless'', the 'thunder feat'), or else the divine aura of the hero (the ''lúan'' of Cú Chulainn). It is presumably analogous to Oscan ''Loucetius'' ‘light-bringer’, an epithet of Jupiter. Inscriptions and shr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Arthur
According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a leader of the Sub-Roman Britain, post-Roman Britons in battles against the Anglo-Saxons in the late-5th and early-6th centuries. He first appears in two early medieval historical sources, the ''Annales Cambriae'' and the ''Historia Brittonum'', but these date to 300 years after he is supposed to have lived, and most historians who study the period Historicity of King Arthur, do not consider him a historical figure.Tom Shippey, "So Much Smoke", ''review'' of , ''London Review of Books'', 40:24:23 (20 December 2018) His name also occurs in early Welsh-language literature, Welsh poetic sources, such as ''Y Gododdin''. The character developed through Welsh mythology, appearing either as a great warrior defending Britain from human and supernatura ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uther Pendragon
Uther Pendragon ( ; the Brittonic languages, Brittonic name; , or ), also known as King Uther (or Uter), was a List of legendary kings of Britain, legendary King of the Britons and father of King Arthur. A few minor references to Uther appear in Old Welsh language, Old Welsh Medieval Welsh literature, poems, but his biography was first written down in the 12th century by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' (''History of the Kings of Britain''), and Geoffrey's account of the character was used in most later versions. He is a fairly ambiguous individual throughout the literature, but is described as a strong king and a defender of his people. According to Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend, Merlin magically Shapeshifting, disguises Uther to look like his enemy Gorlois, enabling Uther to sleep with Gorlois' wife Lady Igraine. Thus Arthur, "the once and future king", is an illegitimate child (though later legend, as found in Thomas Malory, Malory, emphasis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pa Gur
Poem 31 of the Black Book of Carmarthen, a mid-13th century manuscript, is known from its first line as ''Pa gur yv y porthaur?'' (meaning "What man is the gatekeeper?") or ''Pa gur'', or alternatively as ''Ymddiddan Arthur a Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr'' ("The dialogue of Arthur and Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr"). It is a fragmentary, anonymous poem in Old Welsh, taking the form of a dialogue between King Arthur and the gatekeeper Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr, in which Arthur boasts of his own exploits and those of his companions, especially Cai the Fair. ''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. Its precise age is not known and has been the subject of wide-ranging disagreement, but scholarly opinion now tends to favour a date of c. 1100. Summary ''Pa gur'' is in places a very difficult text, and translations of it vary widely. This summary is based on the version of Jon B. Coe and Simo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vortimer
Vortimer (Old Welsh Guorthemir, ), also known as Saint Vortimer (, "Vortimer the Blessed"), is a figure in Matter of Britain, British tradition, a son of the 5th-century Britons (historical), Britonnic ruler Vortigern. He is remembered for his fierce opposition to his father's Saxons, Saxon allies. In Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', he overthrows his father and reigns as List of legendary kings of Britain, King of Britain for a brief period before his death restores Vortigern to power. Accounts Vortimer first appears in the 9th-century work known as the ''Historia Brittonum''. According to the ''Historia'', Vortigern allows Saxons under Hengest and Horsa to settle on the Isle of Thanet, and offers them provisions in exchange for their service as mercenaries. Vortigern soon proves to be an "ignorant king", and the wily Hengest manipulates him into ceding over more land and allowing more settlers to come from Germania. After a dire period of Saxon encroac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
