Catigern () is a figure of Welsh tradition, said to be a son of

Vortigern Vortigern (; , ; ; ; Old Breton: ''Gurdiern'', ''Gurthiern''; ; , , , etc.), also spelled Vortiger, Vortigan, Voertigern and Vortigen, was a 5th-century warlord in Sub-Roman Britain, Britain, known perhaps as a king of the Britons or at least ...

, the tyrannical King of the Britons, and the brother of

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 ...

. A figure of this name also appears in the Welsh genealogies, though he is given different parentage. Catigern is nearly exclusively known for a tradition in which he fell in battle with the

Saxons The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

Etymology

The

Old Welsh Old Welsh () is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic around 550, ha ...

personal name ''Catigirn'' (≈ ''Cattegirn'') means 'Battle-Prince'. It stems from a

Common Brittonic Common Brittonic (; ; ), also known as British, Common Brythonic, or Proto-Brittonic, is a Celtic language historically spoken in Britain and Brittany from which evolved the later and modern Brittonic languages. It is a form of Insular Cel ...

form reconstructed as *''katu-tigernos'', formed with the root *''katu''- ('combat'; cf. Gaul. ''catu''- 'combat, battle', OIr. ''cath'' 'battle, troop') attached to ''tigernos'' ('lord, master'; c. Gaul. ''tigerno-'', Olr. ''tigern'', OW. ''tegyrned'', OBret. ''Tigern''). The name ''Catiherno'', borne by a Breton priest c. 509–521, may also be related.Sims-Williams (1990), p. 246.

History

The earliest mention of Catigern appears in the ''

Historia Brittonum ''The History of the Britons'' () is a purported history of early Britain written around 828 that survives in numerous recensions from after the 11th century. The ''Historia Brittonum'' is commonly attributed to Nennius, as some recensions ha ...

'', written in the 9th century and attributed to the monk

Nennius Nennius – or Nemnius or Nemnivus – was a Welsh monk of the 9th century. He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the ''Historia Brittonum'', based on the prologue affixed to that work. This attribution is widely considered ...

. Chapters 43–45 say that the British king

had been appeasing the

, and his son

rose against the enemy and engaged them in four battles. At the third of these, the Battle of Epsford ( Aylesford), Catigern fell, as did the Saxon leader

Horsa Hengist (, ) and Horsa are legendary Germanic peoples, Germanic brothers who according to later English legends and ethnogenesis theories led the Angles (tribe), Angles, Saxons and Jutes, the progenitor groups of modern English people, in thei ...

. ''Historia Brittonum'', ch. 43–45. Chapter 48 also mentions Catigern as Vortigern's second son after Vortimer and before Pascent and Faustus, and reiterates that he died in the same battle as Horsa. ''Historia Brittonum'', ch. 48. Neither mention is clear as to which side Catigern was on, but context implies he fought alongside his brother against the Saxons. The ''

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...

'' describes this battle and the death of Horsa in the entry for 455, though it does not mention Catigern. A Catigern, here ''Cattegirn'' (Celtic ''cato-'' "battle", ''tigerno-'' "lord"), also appears in the

Harleian genealogies __NOTOC__ The Harleian genealogies are a collection of Old Welsh genealogies preserved in British Library, Harley MS 3859. Part of the Harleian Library, the manuscript, which also contains the '' Annales Cambriae'' (Recension A) and a version of ...

. This Cattegirn is included towards the head of three of the pedigrees of rulers of

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

. In each of these, however, he is said to be the son not of Vortigern, but of the legendary Powys ancestor figure Cadell Ddyrnllwg. This Cadell is known from the ''Historia Brittonum'', which says he was a servant who had been converted by Vortigern's enemy Saint Germanus of Auxerre, and thereafter became a king whose descendants ruled Powys through the centuries. ''Historia Brittonum'', ch. 35. However, one of the

genealogies from Jesus College MS 20 The genealogies from Jesus College MS 20 are a medieval Welsh collection of genealogies preserved in a single manuscript, Oxford University, Bodleian Library, Jesus College, MS 20, folios 33r–41r. It presents the lineages of a number of medie ...

refers to a "Cadern", father of Cadell and the son of Vortigern.

Later literature and legend

Catigern appears briefly in

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (; ; ) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle '' The History of ...

's chronicle ''

Historia Regum Britanniae (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a fictitious account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It chronicles the lives of the List of legendary kings o ...

'', in a section adapted from the ''Historia Brittonum'' account. Geoffrey adds the detail that Catigern and Horsa personally met in battle at Epsford and slew each other. Geoffrey's account spread widely through the Middle Ages and after, and Catigern has appeared in adaptations of Geoffrey, and occasionally, in other derivative works. His battle with Horsa is the subject of John Lesslie Hall's poem "The Death of Horsa", and he appears as a minor character in William Henry Ireland's play '' Vortigern and Rowena'', which was initially touted as a lost work by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. The

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

chamber tomb A chamber tomb is a tomb for burial used in many different cultures. In the case of individual burials, the chamber is thought to signify a higher status for the interred than a simple grave (burial), grave. Built from Rock (geology), rock or som ...

of Kit's Coty House, located near Aylesford, is identified with Catigern's tomb in local legend.Vermaat, Robert (2008)
The Grave of Catigern
Vortigern Studies. Retrieved December 14, 2009.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Geoffrey of Monmouth 5th-century Welsh monarchs Arthurian characters House of Gwertherion Monarchs of Powys