tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26926330340724365302024-03-18T22:56:18.496+00:00Clas Merdin: Tales from the Enchanted IslandLegendary History, Arthuriana and Celtic MythologyEdward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.comBlogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-11852780640984201772024-03-12T14:29:00.001+00:002024-03-13T13:18:01.739+00:00The First Scythian King The Origins of the AlansThe Ice PrincessIn 1993 a team of Russian archaeologists led by Dr. Natalya Polosmak made a fascinating discovery on the Ukok Plateau, high up at 2,500m altitude in the Altai Mountains in Siberia, close to the borders with China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. As they started excavating the burial mound they found a huge block of ice.Tomb of the Siberian Ice PrincessThis was a Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0Tuva Republic, Russia51.8872669 95.62601719999999323.577033063821155 60.469767199999993 80.197500736178853 130.78226719999998tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-73829889954113687512024-01-28T18:37:00.000+00:002024-01-28T18:37:00.333+00:00The Grail and the Alans“In the summer of 376, a large force of Goths came to the river Danube, the north-eastern boundary of the Roman Empire, and asked for asylum. Two Gothic kings had just died, and another been deposed, as they tried — and failed — to hold in check the expansion of Hunnic tribes into their territories on the northern shores of the Black Sea. Within two years, the Goths had precipitated, in turn, a Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-15641226304570816492023-12-22T13:24:00.001+00:002023-12-22T20:44:13.392+00:00 First Sarmatian found in Britain"In 175 CE, following their defeat in the Marcomannic Wars, emperor Marcus Aurelius drafted Sarmatian cavalry into Roman legions and deployed 5,500 Sarmatian soldiers to Britain, as recorded by contemporary historian Cassius Dio. Little is known about where the Sarmatian cavalry were stationed, and no individuals connected with this historically attested event have been identified to date, Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-30839455207558599812023-12-04T17:00:00.003+00:002024-01-25T00:07:22.268+00:00Artorius: A Nation with AmnesiaIn this series of articles we have considered the relationship of the Three Welsh Romances, Historia Peredur ab Efrawg, Owain (Chwedl Iarlles Y Fynawn) and Geraint ab Erbin to their French counterparts the Arthurian romances written by Chretien de Troyes, Perceval, or Le Conte du Graal, Yvain, Le Chevalier du Lion; Erec et Enide. The relationship between these parallel stories immediately calls Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-4104812877696849122023-11-16T23:13:00.004+00:002023-11-16T23:13:53.011+00:00 Lancelot in Wales?Peredur - Part VII “OWAIN (or The Lady of the Fountain), probably dating to the thirteenth century, is one of three Middle Welsh prose tales commonly referred to as "the three romances," the others being Geraint and Enid and Peredur. All three have some as-yet-undefined relationship with romances by Chrétien’ de Troyes-Yvain, Erec et Enide, and Perceval.”1“Whether the three Middle Welsh Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-27405335153139620102023-09-10T22:25:00.003+01:002023-09-12T12:16:23.351+01:00 Peredur: Mimicry and DenialPart VI – Manuscript MuddlesIn attempting to unravel the complex relationship between the Welsh tale of Peredur son of Efrog and Chrétien de Troyes’ Perceval, or Conte du Graal we must consider that in addition to the ‘standard’ version as found in the White Book of Rhydderch (c.1350) and the Red Book of Hergest (between 1382 and c.1400) there is also two versions that are designated as Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-46926434451885305242023-08-31T23:57:00.007+01:002023-09-07T20:50:01.219+01:00Peredur: Flower of Warriors, Candle of Knights Peredur: A Grail Romance? Part V“Historia Peredur vab Efrawg …. is a microcosm of almost all the problems which can be found in early Welsh prose literature. It is virtually impossible to unravel the manuscript tradition, and because of this it is difficult to settle upon an ‘authoritative’ text; the narrative structure has been analysed in different ways, and widely differing suggestions have Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-51074351124131375042023-08-20T13:45:00.001+01:002023-08-20T13:59:20.035+01:00 Peredur: The ProcessionPeredur: A Grail Romance? Part IVIt is said that Chretien de Troyes’ French ‘Perceval, or the Story of the Grail’ is the source for the Welsh text ‘Peredur son of Efrog’; or, conversely, that Peredur is the source of Perceval; or perhaps they both derive from a common source? But it is not as simple as an adaption of one text or the other, as the long versions of Peredur found in the Red Book of Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-85709951924676731212023-08-14T23:20:00.001+01:002023-08-15T18:30:29.255+01:00Peredur: From Caerllion to Constantinople Peredur: A Grail Romance? Part IIIMabinogionfrageTraditionally, the Middle Welsh tales of ‘Peredur son of Efrog’, ‘Geraint son of Erbin’, and 'Owain, or The Lady of the Well’ have been known as ‘the three romances’ in part because they correspond to the late-12th century French romances of Chrétien de Troyes. The general consensus is that all three of the Welsh Romances are adaptions Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-68744764116521813872023-07-31T16:15:00.007+01:002023-08-01T13:01:00.279+01:00Perceval and Peredur: Summaries of the StoriesPeredur: A Grail Romance? Part IIDuring the 19th century Lady Charlotte Guest assembled eleven medieval Welsh tales from The White Book of Rhydderch and The Red Book of Hergest to form the collection commonly known as The Mabinogion. Lady Guest grouped the tales of her Mabinogion collection as the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, Culhwch and Olwen, Rhonabwy’s Dream, The Dream of Mascen Wledig, Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-53980376292222615602023-07-23T20:00:00.003+01:002023-07-31T21:44:25.068+01:00Peredur: A Grail Romance?Part IA Welsh RomanceDuring the 19th century Lady Charlotte Guest assembled eleven medieval Welsh tales from the Red Book of Hergest (dated between c.1375-c.1400), to form the collection commonly known as The Mabinogion. In her 1906 edition, Guest published the tales in the following order:The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, The Dream of the Emperor Maxen, Lludd and Llefelys, Culhwch and Olwen, Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-29951973960904526772023-07-18T14:05:00.005+01:002023-07-18T14:13:08.900+01:00The Fortress KingdomThe Wars of Æthelflæd and Edward the Elder, 899–927Paul HillIn the first book of a four part series The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons: The Wars of King Alfred 865-899 (March 2022) by author Paul Hill investigated the tactics of 9th century warfare which changed in Alfred’s time in response to the devastation of the Danish invasions from set-piece battles to a grander network of fortifications, Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0Stafford, UK52.806693 -2.1206624.496459163821157 -37.27691 81.116926836178848 33.03559tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-21542249809300801552023-07-02T20:45:00.069+01:002023-07-02T21:16:49.938+01:00Glastonbury Pilgrimages 2023 Next weekend sees the Annual Glastonbury Pilgrimages on 7/8/9 July
The first pilgrimage to Glastonbury in modern times was in 1895 to celebrate the beatification of Abbot Richard Whiting, on the anniversary of his martyrdom 1539, when thousands of pilgrims from all over the country arrived by train and climbed the Tor where Mass was said. Pilgrimages took place after both World Wars Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0Magdalene St, Glastonbury BA6 9EL, UK51.1460616 -2.715267422.835827763821158 -37.8715174 79.456295436178848 32.4409826tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-60734868635038201302023-06-08T23:45:00.002+01:002023-06-08T23:45:26.232+01:00Arthur: The King in the West Part I: Goreu, the Shepherd's SonIn the tale Culhwch and Olwen, Goreu the son of Custennin the shepherd (Custenhin heussawr: previously named as Custenhin Amhynwyedic) is often overlooked as a minor character. However, a closer reading shows Goreu to be an important figure with a significant role in the tale, albeit somewhat minimalized in its current form, indicating he was at one Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-42745553121855774412023-05-21T23:05:00.001+01:002023-05-21T23:05:27.235+01:00King Arthur’s Sister The Daughters of Anlawdd Wledig Part IIThe Cousin from BrittanyAccording to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Utherpendragon and Igerna had two children, Arthur and Anna [viii.20]. When a large Germanic fleet returned to ravish the cities of Albany during the King’s illness, Loth of Lodonesia, “a valiant man, mature both in wisdom and age” was put in command of the British forces. As a reward forEdward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-3014498168168658012023-05-14T22:00:00.002+01:002023-05-14T22:17:15.277+01:00The Daughters of Anlawdd WledigPart ICan we detect the influence of Geoffrey of Monmouth on the oldest Arthurian tale of Culhwch and Olwen? Arthurian texts composed before Geoffrey published his ‘History of the Kings of Britain’ (Historia regum Britanniae, c.1138) are generally considered to be free of his influence and texts written after this, when the Arthurian legend underwent monumental change, generally contain some Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-15663973923659814392023-04-11T23:13:00.002+01:002023-04-13T11:48:28.344+01:00 Geoffrey of Monmouth influence on the Arthurian Legend“Culhwch and Olwen is an important tale in many respects. It is one of our earliest sources for information about the native Arthur, a repository of lore about characters from Celtic tradition, many of whom are otherwise unknown, and a mine of legal idioms of Celtic provenance. It is part myth, part folklore, and its language ranges from simple lists and catalogs to exuberant and alliterative Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-22643757568627572002023-03-31T23:59:00.001+01:002023-04-01T21:58:15.464+01:00Dating Culhwch: Manuscripts and MonarchsThe Date and Authorship of Culhwch and Olwen -Part II"When one turns to observe the Welsh situation one is struck by the very different profile presented by the vernacular literature before approximately the end of the twelfth century. On the one hand there is a relatively substantial series of verse texts, assigned more or less securely to certain historical and chronological settings and Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0St Davids, Haverfordwest SA62, UK51.881227 -5.26599523.570993163821157 -40.422245000000004 80.191460836178848 29.890255tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-77348986449580084202023-03-08T22:00:00.005+00:002023-03-31T16:07:27.958+01:00Culhwch’s World: Giant Boars, Gatekeepers and Werewolves“The Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen is the oldest Arthurian tale that has been preserved in the manuscripts. The extant redaction has been dated to the second half of the eleventh century but its orthography, vocabulary, syntax, and, moreover, certain stylistic and narrative features, suggest that a written version of parts of it may have existed a century earlier.” 1The Date and Authorship of Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0Carmarthen SA31, UK51.85762 -4.31213123.547386163821152 -39.468381 80.167853836178836 30.844119tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-67202215676769681182022-12-21T10:37:00.004+00:002023-01-15T01:01:38.422+00:00 Culhwch and the QuestCarn Cafall: Arthur’s StoneSituated 1529 feet up on the southern edge of a windswept hill between Rhayader and the Elan Valley reservoirs in Mid Wales are three, possibly once five, prehistoric cairns which furnished its name. This is Carn Gafallt, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI), where, according to ‘The Mirabilia’, a collection of toponymic tales appended to the 9th century HistoriaEdward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0Carn Gafallt, Llandrindod Wells LD1 6NU, UK52.2697222 -3.5547523.959488363821151 -38.711 80.579956036178842 31.6015tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-51972895234312797522022-11-21T21:07:00.006+00:002022-12-13T10:14:50.281+00:00 The Date of the Mirabilia“Certainly there is much about the early Arthurian tradition that might fit a god or supernatural hero. ……... This Arthur seems to belong in a world of ‘magical realism’, set apart from the abodes of man.”1 It is generally accepted that the case for a “historical” Arthur begins with the battle list contained in the 9th century Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons, dated AD 829/30), theEdward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-70939648693361678922022-11-15T00:00:00.002+00:002022-11-15T13:05:00.365+00:00Richard Whiting: The Last Abbot of Glastonbury (complete PDF)
A series of articles that appeared on this blogsite from 2011 to 2017 featuring the fate of the Last Abbot of Glastonbury assembled here as one complete essay to download, print, share.
Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0Glastonbury BA6, UK51.147427 -2.71845422.837193163821155 -37.874704 79.457660836178846 32.437796tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-32754589676586168032022-10-31T00:00:00.001+00:002022-11-01T23:27:04.524+00:00How Fionn gained WisdomA Halloween TaleProbably one of the most popular tales from the Fenian Cycle is the story of how the great Gaelic hero Fionn mac Cumhaill gained wisdom. Later stories tell of the Salmon of Knowledge in which the young Fionn gained his wisdom by accidentally tasting part of a magical salmon. However, an older version from the 8th century tells a different story:“Fionn and his men the Fianna were Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-45451170394778872552022-10-14T21:52:00.000+01:002022-10-14T21:52:00.221+01:00Where was King Harold Buried?The Death of the KingOn a hilltop 7 miles from Hastings in the early morning of 14 October 1066, two great armies prepared to fight for the throne of England.The last Anglo Saxon king of England Harold Godwinson, who had been crowned King Harold II just nine months earlier, faced the army of Duke William of Normandy, who believed he was the rightful heir to the throne. By the end of the day Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0Battle, UK50.917405 0.48367922.607171163821157 -34.672571 79.227638836178841 35.639929tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2692633034072436530.post-77265059510445636062022-10-02T21:47:00.001+01:002022-10-02T23:31:46.581+01:00 An Irish Arthur?Arthurian References in the Irish AnnalsIn the previous post Evidence for a pre-Nennian Arthur we noted four men of the 6th-7th centuries all bearing the name ‘Arthur’ from Irish Royal families with British connections:• The first historically attested Irish Arthur is found in the family of Áedán mac Gabráin, king of the Scottish Dál Riata from 573-608 AD. • Artuir ap Bicuir 'the Briton' of Edward Watsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11897445465538125504noreply@blogger.com0