Explorations in Arthurian
History
A Literature Review
Part 1: Tales of Wales
It starts with poems. It starts with the
Welsh, in the town of Carmarthen,
reputed birthplace of Merlin.
A firmer mention of Arthur can be found
in a surviving manuscript, the Black Book of
Carmarthen, which gives us tantalizing possibilities but
only one historical clue: the Battle of Llongborth,
the location of which can no longer be pinpointed. Arthur is
mentioned by name as having been there. Other mentions of a
man called Arthur within the poems of the Black Book
include a tale of his trying to gain entrance to the castle
guarded by Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr. He is also mentioned in the
"Stanzas of the Graves," another poem included in the
Black Book. The poem mentions his grave but says that
its location is not known. This concept would grow into the
notion that Arthur was--and is--the Once and Future King,
who will come again to lead his people to victory over their
oppressors.
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A fleeting reference to Arthur's
greatness is contained in Y Gododdin, a poem by Aneirin
extolling the braveness of the Gododdin,
a tribe who migrated from Scotland to Wales, in a stand
against the Angles
at Catterick. To wit, the poet signs the praises of 80
warriors, one of whom he says fought bravely and did many
brave deeds, "even though he was no Arthur." To discover
more of Arthur in the Welsh tradition, we turn to the
bard.
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The Book of Taliesin, containing
poems written by and about the famous bard, provides some oblique
references and one direct reference: The Spoils of Annwn,
which tells of Arthur's traveling to the land of Annwn
(the "fort of glass") to secure a magical cauldron and a magical
sword.
Mythical tales featuring Arthur abound. Two others
are the "Dream of Rhonabwy" and "Culhwch and Olwen," both included in
a late 14th-century work called the Red Book of Hergest.
- The former tale tells of a warrior
named Rhonabwy, who is hired by Madog ap Naredudd, the
King of Powys. On his journey, Rhonabwy has a dream,
which is a detailed vision of Arthur's camp on the eve of
a great battle. The tale names this battle Badon and also
introduces us to Cei and Bedwyr, who would become
Kay
and Bedivere.
- The second tale tells of the love of
Culhwch for Olwen, daughter of the giant Svbaddaden, who
charges his daughter's suitor with a series of 40
seemingly impossible tasks to perform in order to be
proved worthy of Olwen's hand (or, more importantly, the
giant's approval). Culhwch's father suggests a visit to
Arthur, who inexplicably leads the quest. Twelve of these
tasks are described, including the capture of a giant
boar, the rescue of the god-king Mabon, and a quick trip
to Ireland to secure a magical cauldron. Sound familiar?
How about this: "Culhwch and Olwen" also makes mention of
two Arthurian companions named Bedwyr and
Cei.
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Lest we get the idea that all Welsh literary
pictures painted of Arthur were favorable, let's take a brief look at
the Life of St. Cadoc, written by Lifris of Llancarfan. This
11th-century tome portrays Arthur as prone to debauchery and
pettiness. Two other early sources, the Life of St. Carannog
and the Life of St. Padarn, teach Arthur a lesson in religion:
In both stories, Arthur serves as an obstacle to the intended action
and is forced to admit the power of God. Finally we come to the
Life of St. Gildas, whose De Excidio Britannium makes
no mention of Arthur but does mention Badon
Hill. The Life of St. Gildas was written
by the Llancarfan monk Caradoc about 1130; it portrays Arthur as
"king of the whole of Britain" and introduces the abduction of
Guinevere
by King Melwas and the rescue by Arthur. In this version, though, it
is mediation by Gildas and other monks from Glastonbury that secures
Guinevere's release. The abduction of the queen would become a
familiar theme.
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Speaking of familiarity, The
Mabinogion and its four
branches contain 11 tales from the Red Book of
Hergest (including the "Dream of Rhonabwy" and "Culhwch
and Olwen") and a story of Taliesin. These three are of
particular interest as evidenced above. The
Mabinogion also contains a tale of Peredur, which seems
to have been the basis for later tales of Perceval. Other
fun characters in these tales are Pwyll, Rhiannon, Branwen,
and Math.
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The number three has a particular
significance in Welsh literature, as evidenced by the
Triads,
which contain several references to Arthur, including the
Three Chieftains of Arthur's Court, The Three Counseling
Knights, and the Three Knights of Battle. Arthur is also
portrayed unsympathetically in such Triads as the Three Red
Ravagers and the Three Powerful Swineherds. One Triad of
note is the Three Futile Battles, which names as one of
these Camlann.
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Also naming Camlann is the Annales
Cambriae (Annals of Wales), which says
the Battle of Camlann was fought in 539, 21 years after the Battle of
Badon Hill. It is from the Annales that we get the phrase
"where Arthur and Medraut perished." The Annales also makes mention
of a battle called Arfderydd in 575, after which "Myrddin went mad."
This battle and subsequent madness of Myrddin
are also mentioned in the Black Book of Carmarthen.
As it began, so it ends--with Merlin. Now, on to
Geoffrey of Monmouth, the greatest Merlin biographer of the Middle
Ages. Click here
to continue.
Welsh
bards
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