Arthur and the Plantagenets

Tales From The Twelfth Century
The Arthurian legend experienced a profound change in the 12th century; some would argue that this was when the real legend began. Previously Arthur had been a soldier, a warrior, the Dux Bellorum leading the British post-Roman resistance against Germanic invaders; but this same Arthur had also ventured into the Otherworld fighting giants, witches and hunting a supernatural boar; treading the border between history and myth. Unlike other heroic precursors, such as Charlemagne who could be used by Norman monarchs to legitimise their claims to the throne, the historicity of Arthur of Britain was unproven.

King Arthur (14th Century Tapestry)

This was to change in the 12th century when Arthur was promoted to Emperor taking his armies to war in Europe and becoming firmly rooted in the historical past. Geoffrey of Monmouth, considered the Father of the Arthurian Legend, can be seen as the starting point behind this new all-conquering Arthur in his Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain, c.1136). However, although Geoffrey's work was generally well received there were doubtors who accused him of lying and inventing his history of Arthur. Geoffrey claimed he translated his account from an ancient book given to him by Walter, Archdeacon of Oxford, from which he constructed a noble history of the Britons, from their founder Brutus of Troy (c.12th century BC) to the last Welsh king Cadwallader (7th century AD).  The story of Arthur occupies Books 9-11, but his death is shrouded in mystery; Geoffrey has the mortally wounded king taken to Avallon to be cured of his wounds, a mystical isle where his sword was forged.

Geoffrey’s work is seen a major transformation in the Arthurian legend; Post-Galfridian Arthurian works portray his influence showing the popularity of his Historia among medieval authors (over 200 manuscripts survive).

Following Geoffrey, the Norman poet Wace put Geoffrey’s Chronicle into Old Norman dialect, indicating his target audience. Wace based his Roman de Brut (c. 1155) on Geoffrey’s Historia and introduced the Round Table into the Arthurian legend. The Brut of Layamon, an English priest, followed around 50 years later, putting the ‘Chronicle of Britain’ into English poetry for the first time, incorporating items from Welsh tradition not found in either Geoffrey or Wace.

By now the Brut tradition of British history had been established, with Welsh versions appearing in the 13th century, yet two major events in the last quarter of the 12th century spurred an outburst of Arthurian literature.

In 1190-91 the grave of King Arthur and his Queen Guinevere had been discovered in the monk’s cemetery at Glastonbury Abbey. An inscription on a leaden cross found in the grave confirmed this place was indeed ‘Avallon’.  Around this time the French poet Chrétien de Troyes introduced the 'Grail' to the Matter of Britain in his final Arthurian Romance Perceval, or the Story of the Grail. Chrétien left his tale of Perceval unfinished which left a multitude of later writers free to complete the interpretation of the Grail in their own words.

What caused this surge in Arthurian literature in the 12th century; could it have been a sudden interest in Arthuriana following the discovery at Glastonbury and Geoffrey’s tome, or was something else at play here?

Since Geoffrey of Monmouth, Arthurian literature was carefully shaped over the next two hundred years or so with all these threads linked to a common patronage. This has been interpreted as the use of the Arthurian legend by one particular Royal dynasty as political propaganda to establish their origins in legitimacy to the English throne.

The First Planagenet King of England 
The House of Plantagenet originated in the French region of Anjou, whose inhabitants were known as Angevins. The dynasty begins with Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou who married the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, known as Henry Beauclerc, the fourth son of William the Conqueror. Geoffrey of Anjou wore a sprig of the yellow broom plant, ‘planta genista’ in Latin, which attracted the epithet “Plantagenet”. Geoffrey and Matilda had a son, named Henry, known as “Curtmantle”.

Henry Curtmantle spent the years from age 9 – 13 at the court of his uncle Robert, Earl of Gloucester. Geoffrey of Monmouth had dedicated his History of the Kings of Britain to Robert who was also a staunch ally of Henry’s mother the Empress Matilda. It is likely that during his time at Robert’s court in Bristol the young Henry was first exposed to tales of King Arthur. The young Henry was also tutored by Thomas Becket, the man who later, when Archbishop, was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four knights in the employ of the Plantagenet king.

Following the death of of Henry I, King of England, in 1135 a succession crisis led to widespread civil unrest, known as The Anarchy, in England and Normandy. The sole legitimate heir to Henry I, his son William, had died in the ‘White Ship’ disaster of 1120. Henry tried, unsuccessfully, to install his daughter Matilda as his heir. Matilda was known as ‘Empress’ as she had moved to Germany to marry the Holy Roman Emperor Henry.

With no apparent male heir to Henry I, his nephew Stephen Blois seized the throne. In 1139 Matilda invaded south-west England with the support of her half-brother Robert of Gloucester, illegitimate son of Henry I and a very powerful Earl who some wanted to take the throne in his own right.

When Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, died in 1125 Matilda was recalled to Normandy by her father Henry I to marry Geoffrey of Anjou in 1128 forming an alliance between between England and Anjou, securing the southern border of Normandy.

The Civil War raged on, becoming something of a stalemate; the way out was an agreement on the future succession of England. In 1153, the Treaty of Westminster stated that Stephen would remain monarch of England for the rest of his life but on his death Henry (Curtmantle), the eldest son of Geoffrey and Matilda would succeed him as king of England. Geoffrey of Monmouth appears on the Treaty as a witness.

Henry inherited Anjou in 1151 and a year later became the Duke of Aquitaine by marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine, just weeks after the annulment of her marriage to King Louis VII of France. Eleanor and Louis had two daughters from their marriage, Marie and Alix. Marie was countess of Champagne and Troyes.

One year after signing the Treaty of Westminster Stephen died, Henry was crowned in 1154 as Henry II of England, followed by his sons Richard and John, commencing the era of the Plantagenets in England. At its peak, the Angevin Empire stretched from Scotland to the Pyrenees.

The Dynasty that Shaped a Legend
It can be of no coincidence that the commencement of the English reigns of the Plantagenet kings was also the time of a great upsurge in the literary evolution of the Matter of Britain centring on the emergence of the story of the Grail. Part of this was the coming togeteher of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine who filled their courts with poets and writers. Which forces the question, were the Plantagenets responsible for moulding the Post-Galfridian legend of Arthur? Some points to consider:

    • Robert, Earl of Gloucester, illegitimate son of Henry I of England, was patron of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain.

    • Geoffrey’s book, c.1136, details the reign of Arthur from his miraculous conception at Tintagel Castle to his mysterious disappearance after the battle of Camlann.

    • The mysterious disappearance of King Arthur fuels the Brittonic hope of his return. However, belief in Arthur’s survival was apparent in the south west of England before Geoffrey’s book as witnessed by the Canons of Laon in 1113.

    • Young Henry Curtmantle (the future king Henry II of England), educated at Robert, Earl of Gloucesters’s court at Bristol.

    • Robert was a staunch ally of the daughter of Henry I, the empress Matilda in the civil war against Stephen of Blois.

    • The civil war concludes with an agreement in 1153, known as the Treaty of Westminster, that Stephen will reign as king of England but on his death the throne will pass to Matilda’s son Henry; Geoffrey of Monmouth is a witness to the treaty.

    • In 1154 Matilda’s son is crowned Henry II of England. He marries Eleanor of Aquitaine two weeks after the annulment of her marriage to King Louis VII of France. Eleanor had two daughters from her first marriage, Marie and Alix.

    • The union of Henry and Eleanor produced eight children, including the future kings of England, Richard the Lionheart, and John, and an explosion in Arthurian literature.

    • Henry’s court is filled with poets and writers such as Walter Map and Gerald of Wales.

    • c.1155 the Norman poet Robert Wace writes Roman de Brut, a verse Chronicle based on Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain. Wace introduces the Round Table to the Arthurian story and dedicates his Brut to Queen Eleanor.

    • Wace’s later work, the Roman de Rou, was commissioned by Henry II of England.

    • Toward the end of the 12th century the English priest Layamon compiled a Chronicle of Britain, the first version of Geoffrey’s Chronicle in English. JSP Tatlock argues that Layamon wrote his Arthurian narrative with Arthur of Brittany in mind.

    • Queen Eleanor and her daughters introduces chivalry and courtly romance to the Matter of Britain. Her daughter, Marie, Countess of Champagne, is patron to the French poet Chretien de Troyes.

    • In Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart Chrétien introduces Lancelot and his love affair with Guinevere to Arthurian Romance. It is believed to have been a story assigned to him by Marie Countess of Champagne, and completed not by Chrétien himself, but by the clerk known as Godefroi de Leigni, which has been interpreted as his disapproval of the subject matter.

    • In the last quarter of the 12th century Chrétien de Troyes introduced the Grail to the Matter of Britain in his final Arthurian Romance Perceval, or the Story of the Grail.

    • Chrétien's Perceval is dedicated to his patron Philippe d'Alsace, Count of Flanders who provided him with the book that he claimed he adapted into the Story of the Grail. Philippe mediated in some of Henry II’s disputes with King Louis VII and Thomas Becket. Chrétien left his Perceval unfinished, possibly due to his own passing or Philippe’s death while on Crusade.

    • The Lancelot-Grail (Vulgate Cycle) is (incorrectly) attributed to Walter Map, possibly in part, due to his presence at Henry’s court, but written certainly by a similar courtier.

    • Without an heir himself, Richard I (The Lionheart) decreed that his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, should succeed him to the throne of England.

    • In 1190-91 the grave of King Arthur was discovered at in the cemetery at Glastonbury Abbey. According to Gerald of Wales, the location was disclosed by Henry II. Henry had been a good patron to the Abbey, but once Richard I took the throne in 1189 funds were concentrated on the Crusades.

    • The discovery in 1190-91 occurred during the short Abbacy (1189-1193) of Henry de Sully, appointed by Henry II’s son Richard I.

    • We are told that Henry de Sully was not the same man who was abbot of Fécamp Abbey in Normandy, and the eldest brother of Stephen Blois, King of England, and Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester. Fécamp boasted relics of the Holy Blood which had promoted the abbey to a major site of pilgrimage. Sully apparently died at Fécamp in 1189, the year his namesake arrived at Glastonbury.

    • In 1191 Richard presented Tancred of Sicilly with King Arthur’s sword ‘Caliburn’ in return for ships for the Third Crusade. Christopher Berard argues that Arthur of Brittany was to be knighted with the sword by Tancred at the wedding to his daughter.

    • Glastonbury Abbey was hopeful of Arthur of Brittany’s patronage when he was king of England. However, it was not be as the young Prince mysteriously disappeared in 1203 leaving the throne of England clear for John, Richard’s younger brother, who many suspected of being implicated in the matter. Subsequently, John purposefully avoided Arthurian matters although he also possessed an Arthurian sword; Curtana said to be the sword Tristan used to kill the giant Morholt.

    • Henry III granted the Twelve Hides of Glastonbury to the Abbey in 1227, making several later visits to the Abbey in 1235 and 1236, the first by a reigning monarch for two hundred years.

    • In 1233 Richard, Earl of Cornwall, brother of Henry III, purchased the ‘Island of Tyntagel’ and is credited with building the castle there. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Tintagel was the place of King Arthur's conception. Later writers claimed it was the place of his birth. Richard had the castle built in an ancient style to appear older than it actually is.

    • Edward I visits Glastonbury Abbey in 1278 and translates the remains of Arthur and Guinevere to a black marble tomb in front of the High Altar.

    • Edward’s ceremonial visit to Glastonbury followed his success in the first Welsh war in which he defeated Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, self proclaimed Prince of Wales. A short period of peace followed but it was not long before Edward was at war with the Welsh again. At the end of Edward’s second Welsh war Arthur’s Crown had been surrendered and sent to Westminster Abbey and Llewelyn’s head followed it to be impaled on a stake at The Tower.

    • Edward I constructs the Round Table, the top now hangs on the wall at the Great Hall at Winchester. The Round Table was probably constructed for a feast with chivalric tournaments, a trend that continued for centuries. In the 16th century king Henry VIII had the table repainted in Tudor colours with himself in Arthur’s place, as we see it today.

    • In 1331 Edward I’s grandson Edward III made a similar visit to Glastonbury, and like his forebear called in to Queen Camel and the Iron Age hillfort at Cadbury which had been identified as Camelot from the 12th century, but never recorded as such in the Romances.

    • Edward III continued to hold regular Round Table chivalric tournaments in which Arthurian characters and scenes were re-enacted.

    • In 1343 Edward III set out his intention to create the Order of the Round Table, comprising 300 knights, but this was abandoned and in 1348 he announced the creation of the Order of the Garter, consisting of 25 knights, the number of places around the Winchester Round Table, with permanent places for the monarch and the Prince of Wales, a tradition that survives today.

    • The origins of the Order’s garter and motto, “Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense” (Shame on Him Who Thinks Evil of It), are uncertain but it appears to share much with the 14th century English Arthurian work “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.”

Arthurianism

Although the Arthurian Age is typically set in the years between the Roman withdrawal and the arrival of the Anglo Saxons, 400-600, the writers of medieval Arthurian literature styled Arthur on the fashion and politics of their own day.

When Henry II took the throne of England he was in need of a predecessor from the past to legitimise his rule. As Christopher Berard observes, Henry had the good fortune to be the first king of England with the opportunity to present himself in the model of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s “Arthur”.

"Arthurianism" is defined by Berard as imitation or evocation of Arthur in a political or cultural context. This included hosting and participation in Arthurian pageants, such as, but not restricted to, Round Table tournaments and patronage of Arthurian literature; anything that could draw comparison between contemporary figures and Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. As we have seen above, this is something the early Plantagents did particularly well; by emulating Arthur they were bringing him back to life.

Arthurianism in Early Plantagenet England (Boydell Press, 2019) by Christopher Michael Berard charts the history of the first 150 years of Arthurianism, in five chapters from its beginnings under Henry II (154-1189), during the reigns of Richard I (1189-1199), John (1199-1216), Henry III (1216-1272), to its peak during the reign of Edward I (1272-1307).


© 2019 Edward Watson
http://clasmerdin.blogspot.co.uk



Further Reading:
Dan Jones, The Planatgenets (William Collins, 2013)
Martin Aurell, The Plantagent Empire 1154-1224 (Routledge, 2007)
Martin Aurell,  'Henry II and Arthurian Legend'  in Henry II: New Interpretations, eds. Christopher Harper-Bill and Nicholas Vincent (Boydell Press, 2007)
Sian Echard, ed., The Arthur of Medieval Lation Literature (University of Wales Press, 2016)
Sian Echard, Arthurian Narrative in the Latin Tradition (Cambridge University Press, 2008)
Karen Jankulak, Geoffrey of Monmouth (University of Wales Press, 2010)
Michael Faletra, trans & ed.,The History of the Kings of Britain (Broadview Press, 2007)
JSP Tatlock, The Legendary History of Britain (Gordian Press, 1974)
Francis Ingledew, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Order of the Garter (University of Notre Dame Press, 2006)

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The Destruction of the Glastonbury Holy Thorn

Vandals have struck again and destroyed the historic Glastonbury tree whose origins are said to be linked to the arrival of Christianity in Britain nearly 2,000 years ago.

The legendary Holy Thorn on Wearyall Hill in Glastonbury, Somerset, is regarded as one of the most iconic symbols of Christianity, and claimed to be derived from the original tree that grew from Joseph of Arimathea’s staff that he thrust into the ground after landing in Britain with his twelve companions sometime after the Crucifixion.

At sometime last Thursday, 23rd May, the Holy Thorn on Wearyall Hill was destroyed through an act of intentional vandalism. The Police have been informed and are trying to establish a motive for the attack; owing to its Christian links a religious motive has not been ruled out.

The Glastonbury Thorn before the attack in 2010
[The Official Page for the Glastonbury Thorn - Facebook]

This tree, said to be derived through cuttings from the lineage of the original, was planted on Wearyall Hill in 1951 to celebrate the Festival of Britain, had its branches cut off in 2010 and reduced to a stump in the early hours of one December morning. The surviving trunk put out some weak shoots that failed to develop, but now the stump of this tree has also been destroyed as someone returned nine years later to finish the job.

The Glastonbury Holy Thorn has refused to grow from seed and direct cuttings and can only be grown by being grafted onto the common hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna. The Holy Thorn is an unusual variety in that it flowers twice a year, spring and winter, known as Crataegus monogyna var, ‘biflora’ (= twice flowering), a variety usually found in the Middle East around the Mediterranean.

Every Christmas a sprig of the winter blossom is cut from the Holy Thorn in St. Johns churchyard and sent to the Queen. This tradition has continued since the Bishop of Bath and Wells first sent a branch to Queen Anne, in the 16th century.

Shortly before the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530’s, three Holy Thorn trees were said to be growing on Wearyall Hill. In the 17th century the one surviving tree was cut down by Puritans during the English Civil War (1642 -1651). This Holy Thorn had grown to quite a size for the species and now formed two trunks. One was completely destroyed, axed and burned by one of Cromwell’s Roundheads as a relic of superstition; as it fell, its thorns blinded the axe man in one eye. The other trunk was nearly cut through but survived for another thirty years, parenting many cuttings.

Offspring of the Holy Thorn survived at secret locations around Glastonbury and today their descendants can be seen in specimens growing around the town such as at Glastonbury Abbey, St Johns Church, Chalice Well, the Abbey Barn and in some private gardens.

From this stock, a new Holy Thorn was propagated and planted on Wearyall Hill in 1951, which survived for sixty years until it was vandalised during the night 8-9th December 2010, the very day that the Queen’s blossom was due to be cut from the Holy Thorn at St John’s.

The Pilgrim Reception Centre, Glastonbury, working with the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, collected cuttings from the branches severed in 2010 to propagate and continue the lineage.

In April 2012 a new tree propagated by Kew from these severed branches was planted on Wearyall Hill and surrounded by a metal railings to provide some protection from grazing livestock. Yet, within two weeks the replacement tree had been broken off about a foot from the ground.

Someone seems determined there will not be a Holy Thorn growing on Wearyall Hill.

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Arthur in the Celtic Languages

There are many books that focus on the Arthurian legend in literature, but three books featuring collections of essays by leading authorities in the field show the development of scholarship over the last seventy years should be held in every enthusiast's collection.

Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages: A Collaborative History (Clarendon Press, 1959)
edited by Roger Sherman Loomis. Includes important essays such as The Arthury of History (KH Jackson), Arthur in Early Welsh Verse (KH Jackson), The Legend of Arthur's Survival (RS Loomis), other chapters,  as the title suggests, concentrated on the development of Arthurian Medieval Literature.

Then in 1991 came The Arthur of the Welsh: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval Welsh Literature, edited by Rachel Bromwich, A. O. H. Jarman and Brynley F. Roberts published by Wales University Press (UWP) as part of the Series: Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages which includes The Arthur of Medieval Latin Literature, The Arthur of the Italians, The Arthur of the English, The Arthur of the French and so on.

The Arthur of the Welsh presents a collection of essays focusing on the Arthurian literature produced in Wales, in both Welsh and Latin, during the Middle Ages, with chapters on the ‘historical’ Arthur (Thomas Charles-Edwards), Arthur in early Welsh verse (Patrick Sims-Williams), the Merlin legend (A. O. H. Jarman), the tales of Culhwch ac Olwen (Brynley F. Roberts). Other chapters investigate the evidence for the growth of the Arthurian theme in the Triads and in the Historia Regum Britanniae of Geoffrey of Monmouth, and discuss the Breton connection and the gradual transmission of the legend to the non-Celtic world.

In January 2019 UWP published the latest book in Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages series;

Arthur in the Celtic Languages: The Arthurian Legend in Celtic Literatures and Traditions edited by Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan and Erich Poppe.

This is the first comprehensive authoritative survey of Arthurian literature and traditions in the Celtic languages of Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Irish and Scottish Gaelic. With contributions by leading and emerging specialists in the field, the volume traces the development of the legends that grew up around Arthur and have been constantly reworked and adapted from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century.

It shows how the figure of Arthur evolved from the leader of a warband in early medieval north Britain to a king whose court becomes the starting-point for knightly adventures, and how characters and tales are reimagined, reshaped and reinterpreted according to local circumstances, traditions and preoccupations at different periods.

From the celebrated early Welsh poetry and prose tales to less familiar modern Breton and Cornish fiction, from medieval Irish adaptations of the legend to the Gaelic ballads of Scotland, Arthur in the Celtic Languages provides an indispensable, up-to-date guide of a vast and complex body of Arthurian material, and to recent research and criticism.



Contents:
Introduction
Part One: Wales
The Beginnings of Welsh Arthurian Tradition
Native Welsh Arthurian Tales
Medieval Translations and Adaptations into Welsh
Influences and Re-Compositions
Popular and Later Traditions
Part Two: Cornish & Breton Traditions
Part Three: The Gaelic World
Ireland
Scotland

‘This long-awaited successor to The Arthur of the Welsh is the first-ever survey of Arthurian material across all the Celtic languages from the Middle Ages to modern times. A significant contribution to the field of Arthurian studies in general, it will prove an indispensable resource for those working with material in the Celtic languages.’ - Professor Sioned Davies, Chair of Welsh, Cardiff University

* * *

Glastonbury and the Myths of Avalon

Glastonbury and the Myths of Avalon
Yuri Leitch
(Self published 2019)

For those expecting yet another book on the Arthurian mysteries of Glastonbury, the back cover of Yuri Leitch’s latest publication makes it quite clear; this is not a book about the historical Arthur; this is a book about the history of Arthurian Romance and its significance to Glastonbury during medieval times. Leitch asserts that “the Arthur of Glastonbury is a myth created by the Benedictine Order of Glastonbury Abbey; motivated by the fascinating intrigues of their day; this is their story”.

This may come as a shock to many who have visited the little Somerset town and, on witnessing the site of Arthur and Guinevere’s grave, been caught up in the Glastonbury legend. Anyone who has fallen into this trap can be forgiven as Glastonbury is unique for its collection of tales; Joseph of Arimathea; Patrick; Brigid; King Arthur; Richard Whiting; the Tor; Chalice Well; the Michael Line; to list just a few. Coupled with the spiritual atmosphere of the place it is very easy to be drawn in and blinded to the facts; but that said, there is something here, although perhaps we can’t quite put our finger on it; Geoffrey Ashe referred to it as “someting else”.

I think it was at Andrew Collin’s Questing Conference at Glastonbury Assembly Rooms in 2007 that I first heard Yuri Leitch argue that Glastonbury was not Avalon. He had just published his first book ‘GWYN: Ancient God of Glastonbury and Key to the Glastonbury Zodiac’ (The Temple Publications, 2007) and delivered his presentation accordingly. At lunch we noted his Arthurian murals on the walls of the George and Pilgrims Inn across the road, embellishing the traditions of the town. Now, 12 years on, he expands the argument against an Arthurian Glastonbury in his latest book ‘Glastonbury and the Myths of Avalon’ (Self published 2019)

But this is not a negative book and Leitch cannot be categorised as an “Arthur assassin” as author’s Thomas Green and Nicholas Higham have been termed. Leitch clearly defines Glastonbury’s place in Arthurian Romance, perhaps the most popular part of the legend, that emerged in the 12th century.

Glastonbury’s part in the creation of the image of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table and the quest for the Grail cannot be underestimated.

This a short work, the main content of the book is four chapters across 114 pages. The first chapter deals with the mysteries of St David who Leitch argues has a stronger claim to the foundation of Glastonbury than Joseph of Arimathea. The second chapter begins with discussion on Arthur’s grave at Glastonbury and critical analysis of the leaden burial cross. Leitch then reconstructs what he thinks really happened and the motive. The next chapter explores the arrival of the Grail and Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury; an event that occurred shortly after Robert de Boron wrote his account of the Grail, completing Chretien de Troyes unfinished Story of the Grail. Around this time saw the emergence of the Perlesvaus, author unknown but suspected of having been written at Glastonbury. Shortly after this, William of Malmesbury’s early 12th century text of the history of Glastonbury Abbey was altered with additions supporting the Joseph of Arimathea legend by an unknown hand, probably a monk from the Abbey.

The fourth and final chapter focuses on the Mysteries of Avallon with Leitch arguing that the real location is in the Avallonnais region of Burgundy, France. This claim has been made by Geoffrey Ashe (and developed by Marilyn Floyde) who identified the historical Arthur as the Romano-British military leader named Riothamus who was active in Gaul around 470 AD. Riothamus was betrayed by Arvandus, the Prefect of Gaul and then routed by the Goths. According to Ashe, Riothamus was last seen heading for Avallon in Burgundy and the healing sanctuary at Les Fontaines Salées.

The book is completed by seven appendices including Glastonbury’s Arthurian Timeline, The Historical Arthur, concluding with Arthur the Deity taking the overall page count to 170.

In a short End Note, Leitch calls for Glastonbury to move forward and stop repeating the same, tired old claims of its Arthurian and Arimathean traditions and explore its medieval history and its very real connections with the Angevin Empire and the stories of the Grail.

* * *

Cynwal Sant: The last to leave Arthur

Plotting Camlann: Letters from the Dead




Saint Cynwyl
The earliest account of the survivors of Arthur’s last fateful battle at Camlan is found in the 11th century tale Culhwch and Olwen. Embedded in this tale is a triad reciting the three survivors of the battle: Morfran son of Tegid, Sandde Angel-face and Cynwyl Sant, who was the last to leave Arthur, on Hengroeon his horse.

The name of the steed Hengroen means ‘old skin’ and is said to survive in the name Dinhengroen in Abergele on the north coast of Wales, but quite why a settlement should be named after a horse is beyond me.

This is probably the Saint who was patron of Cynwyl Gaeo and Cynwyl Elfed in Ystrad Tywi, a region of south-west Wales situated on the banks of the River Tywi that was to become the county of Carmarthen.  It is said there is a place in the River Annell where the saint used to kneel in the cold waters and pray. Farmers would scoop water from the depressions made by Cynwyl’s knees and pour it over their cattle to purify them. Alternative stories claim that Cynwyl Gaeo is named after the giant, Cynwil Gawr.

Located between Llandovery and Lampeter is the village of Gaeo; at the centre of the settlement stands the parish church, a grade II listed building, dedicated to St Cynwyl. This church stands on an ancient site occupying a position near the Roman road linking the Roman forts at Llandovery (Alabum) and Llanio (Bremia) to the Roman gold mines at Dolaucothi. This ancient road remained in use as a Drover's road until the 18th century. Wirt Sikes, who studied Welsh folklore, noted the survival of Roman names in the parish, a people, he said, who pride themselves in their Roman descent.

Cynwyl Elfed is situated about 5 miles north of Carmarthen. The church of St Cynwyl at Elfed is said to have been founded in the 6th century, although like many ancient churches little survives of the original structure today as many were rebuilt in medieval times and restored again in later times. The enclosures (llannau) of the earliest Celtic Welsh Saints were typically circular, or oval, and rather tellingly the churchyard at Cynwyl Elfed is curvilinear and bounded by the Afon Duad to the east. Two churches with the same patron saint in close proximity almost certainly indicates the existence of a local cult.

It seems Saint Cynwyl is also remembered at of Aberporth on the west coast of Wales in Ceredigion, where the church is depicted as St Cynfil's on historic maps. The medieval church was replaced by a new structure in the mid-19th century.

And at Penrhos in Llŷn, North Wales, sometimes called Llangynwyl, is St Cynfil’s church some 2 miles from Pwllheli, on the western shore of Cardigan Bay. This church was, again, a 19th century construction built on an ancient site within a circular churchyard. The Grade II listed building has now been converted to a holiday cottage but the exterior remains unspoilt.

Saint Cynwyl is often confused with a son of King Dunawd of Pabo Post Prydyn of the North Pennines who migrated to North Wales, but this is based on a miss-reading of genealogies of Gwŷr y Gogledd, or Men of the North.

All we have for Saint Cynwyl, the last man to leave Arthur at Camlan, is scant evidence for a local cult at two sites near Carmarthen, singular sites at Aberporth on the west coast of Wales and Penrhos on the Llyn peninsula, and a settlement on the north Wales coast apparently named after his horse.

We can’t even be certain he was a historical person, let alone known of any miracles connected with a St Cynwyl, yet four churches named after the same saint tends to indicate his existence, even if somewhat localised. It is likely he spent his early days around the Carmarthen area; the highest concentration of churches tends to indicate the main popularity of a saint’s cult. Cynwwyl, like many Celtic Welsh Saints, would have spent the last years of his career on pilgrimage to Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli), off the tip of the Llyn Peninsula, said to be the burial site of 20,000 saints. On route to Bardsey he may have left the Carmarthen area, moved to Aberporth, his cell becoming popular with local people seeking cures to their ills, before making his way to Penrhos where he founded a church before ending his days at Bardsey watching the sun set over the sea in the west.

In conclusion, very little is known of St Cynwyl; he is absent from most books on the Celtic Welsh Saints. And even more obscure is his relationship with Arthur and his presence at the battle of Camlann and why he appears in the Triad embedded in Culhwch and Olwen with Morfran and Sandde. Neither St Cynwyl, or his horse Hengroen, appear to provide any clues in plotting the location of Camlann.

* * *

WORLD BOOK DAY 2019

The Mabinogi: A Book of Essays
Edited by C. W. Sullivan III
First published 1996 by Garland Press
Reissued in 2015 by Routledge Revivals

The Lost Tale of Dylan in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi

"Throughout the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, the mystical Otherworld encroaches upon the realm of mortal kind, and one of the more powerful appearances of it takes the form of animals that participate in metamorphoses with human figures. These can signify an Otherworld incursion into mortal nature in several different ways. They can signal a thinning of the barriers between the realms of the Otherworld and this world; they can represent characteristics associated with the mysteries of fertility and tribal magic; and they can appear to enhance or, at times, take the place of the principal figures in the tales. It is this third role of Otherworld animals that I wish to concentrate on, because among the many named, and hence characterised animal shapes into which figures are transformed, we come across an unnamed animal whose dis-closure may shed light on the puzzle of the lost tale of Dylan in the Fourth Branch." - Sarah Larratt Keefer


The purpose of this collection, which was first published in 1996, is to provide both an overview of the major critical approaches to the Four Branches of the Mabinogi and a selection of the best essays dealing with them. The essays examine the origins of the Mabinogion, comparative analyses, and structural and thematic interpretations. This book is ideal for students of literature and Medieval studies.

Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction

Part 1: Origins
1. The Mabinogion and  Lady Charlotte Guest Rachel Bromwich
2. The Date of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi T. M. Charles-Edwards;

Part 2: Comparative Analysis 
3. The Calumniated Wife in Medieval Welsh Literature Juliette Wood
4. The Lost Tale of Dylan in the Fourth Branch of The Mabinogi Sarah Larratt Keefer
5. Branwen: A Study of the Celtic Affinities Patrick K. Ford
6. Manawydan fab Llyr: Wales, England, and the "New Man" Andrew Welsh;

Part 3: Structural Interpretations
7. A Thematic Study of the Tale Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet Sean O Coileain
8. Pwyll Prince of Dyfed: the narrative structure Elizabeth Hanson-Smith
9. The Structure of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi J. K. Bollard
10. Prolegomena to a Reading of the Mabinogi: "Pwyll" and "Manawydan" Patrick K. Ford
11. Narrative Structure in Medieval Welsh Prose Tales R. M. Jones; Thematic Interpretations;
12. Thematic Structure in the Four Branches of the Mabinogi Jeffrey Gantz
13. The Role of the Myth and Tradition in The Four Branches of the Mabinogi J. K. Bollard
14. The Theme of Sovereignty in Pwyll Catherine A. McKenna
15. Gwydion and Aranrhod: Crossing the Borders of Gender in Math Roberta L. Valente
16. Inheritance and Lordship in Math C. W. Sullivan III

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Sanddef Pryd Angel

Plotting Camlann: Letters from the Dead

"....Sanddef Pryd Angel angel-face - no one wounded him at the battle of Camlan because of his beauty...."

Along with Morfran and Cynwyl Sant, Sanddef Pryd Angel is named as the three who escaped from Camlan in a triad embedded within Culhwch and Olwen. No one dared wound Sanddef because he was so beautiful he was mistaken for an Angel.

In contrast to Morfran who is famed for his ugliness, Sanddef Pryd Angel is known for beauty, which gives him his epithet meaning 'Angel's Form'. He is entirely absent from the early Triads of the Island of Britain (Trioedd Ynys Prydein) but is found in the later "Twenty-four Knights of Arthur's Court", again coupled with Morfran, as the "Three Irresistible Knights".

Sanddef is also found in two poems from Canu Llywarch Hen, in one version the name is found complete with the epithet ‘Pryd Angel’ and listed as one of Llywarch’s twenty-four sons.

Llywarch was a prince from the Old North (Hen Ogledd) during the 6th century. Following the fall of the northern Britons he is said to have fled to Powys and ended his days by Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid). A mound known as Pabell Llywarch (Llywarch's Tent) 2 miles north of Bala, said to be the site of a ruined stone circle, where a now lost inscribed stone near the church at Llanfor was claimed to commemorate old Llywarch. A tradition claims he ended his days here, writing poetry commemorating the loss of his sons.

As we have seen in the previous post, Morfran, Sanddef’s constant companion, was the son of Tegid and associated with Bala Lake. It his here that the cauldron of inspiration was tended by Little Gwion and the great shape-shifting chase, in which he was pursued by Ceridwen the sorceress, commenced.

The Death of Duran son of Arthur

Sandde [Bryd Angel] drive the crow
off the face of Duran [son of Arthur].
Dearly and belovedly his mother raised him.
Arthur [sang it]

This short reference to Duran son of Arthur is found only in a 15th century manuscript, otherwise Duran is unknown to Welsh Tradition. The mention of Sandde(f) suggests it is the battlefield of Camlan and Arthur's son lies among the dead, now carrion fodder.


Next >> Cynwyl Sant

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