Arthursus: a legendary british warrior





The name 'Cecil' is first heard of in the 'Annales Cambraie', as in the entry for the year 1022, referring to Llewelin, son of Seisill, king of the Venedotiae.
Now, the Venedotiae were the relentless northern Britons who led the armies of Britain in the time of the Saxon invasions (during which time the romano-british war chieftain, Ambrosius Aurelianus, succeeded the Vortigern kings of Powys, who had actually invited the saxons into Britain in the year 450 to help fight the fierce successors of the ancient Barrow people in the far north, who were called Picts because they were tattooed with pictures).

The kings of the Venedotiae provided extraordinary leadership. It was their king called the 'Bear', in latin 'Ursus', and in cimbri 'Arth', whose double romano-british name was Arthursus, who defeated the saxon army led by either Cerdic, or his precedents Aelle and Octha, at the renowned battle of Bath Hill circa 495 Anno Domino (Year of our Lord). The Annales Cambriae (Welsh Chronicles) somewhat unreliably date the battle with the post-dated entry for 516 A.D.(Anno Domino):


"516 A.D...   Bellum Badonis, in quo Arthur portavit crucem Domini nostri Jesu Christi tribus diebus et tribus noctibus in humeros suos, et Britones victores fuerunt."

The Battle of Bath, in which the Bear carried the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ three days and three nights on his shoulders, and Britons found victory.



The british monk, Gildas, writing about 540, dates the battle more exactly:


"the siege of Bath-hill... when took place... not the least slaughter of our cruel foes ...(as I am sure) forty-four years and one month after the landing of the Saxons, and also the time of my own nativity."



The epic poem "Taliesin" also has a refrain which refers to Arthur at Badon:


"Woe to them, miserable ones, because of the battle of Badon,
Arthur, the head of the brave, his blades were red with blood,
He inflicted on his enemies the vengeance of warriors,
That demanded the battle blood of the sovereign of the North.;"



The Annales Cambriae again mention Arthur in the entry for 537 A.D.(Anno Domino):


"537 A.D...   Gueith Camlann, in qua Arthur et Medraut corruere"

The war at Camlann, in which Arthur and Medraut perished.





These brief contemporary references are all that remain of the original sources detailing the life of this Arthur of legend, whom we refer to today as king Arthur of Camelot, Arthursus of the Cymri. ......



The only mention of the fabled magician, Merlin, is found in the tragic entry of the Annales Cambriae for the year 573, a full two generations after the entry for Arthur. This entry reads simply:

"...Merlinus insanus effectus est."

...which of course, means, Merlin is effectively insane.
What we are to make of this, can be anyone's guess. I suppose it to mean that a very important man in the community, who by other traditions was an important shaman close to the chieftain, completely lost his mind towards the end of his life. ......



It is Nennius, the fanciful eighth century storyteller, who had the most to say about "Arthur the magnanimous". Though "there were many more noble than himself", Arthur was twelve times chosen commander and twelve times led his kings and armies to victory. The eighth victory, at Gurnion castle, was due to Arthur holding up an image of the Virgin Mary, which put the Saxons to flight. Nennius does not mention the particulars of Arthur's twelfth victory at Badon Hill, the final great success mentioned by Gildas as having put an end to the Saxon's incursions for a good forty five years, other than to say Arthur himself killed nine hundred and forty Saxons with his own hand. ......







This book unearths the evidence of prehistoric hill forts and Roman ruins; delineates the feudal wars, the 1536 union with England and the ensuing Reformation; and explains the transformations of the Industrial Revolution.

And now for something completely different...

Click here for a movie short
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(from the comedy "Monty Python and the Holy Grail")




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