The case that the historical
King Arthur might be the Dalriadic prince Artur, or Artuir, has
been re-examined recently. Ziegler (1999)
concluded that there is no compelling reason to believe that
this individual was Arthur. However, I argue here that a more
likely Dalriadic contender is to be found in the figure of King
Comgall, the grand-uncle of Artur mac Aedan.
Early
Individuals Known as Arthur
From the end of the
6th century a number of individuals were known as Artur or near
variants. Barber (1972) highlighted
the two most prominent - Artur of the Dalriadic Scots and Arthur
of Dyfed, but did not substantiate the case for either.
Ziegler (1999)
examined the first, Artur of Dalriada, but presented convincing
objections. The dates concur with her view: both these individuals
lived at the very end of the sixth century, and are unlikely
to be the historical Arthur.
Three sources provide
the earliest references to Arthur. The Welsh or Cambrian Annals
(Annales Cambriae) contain two explicit references: the
victory of Arthur and the British against the Saxons at Badon
in AD516, and his demise after the Camlann conflict in 537 (Morris 1980). The Gododdin, attributed to Aneurin, describes a
catastrophic defeat by the Saxons of a contingent from Edinburgh
at Catreath (Catterick) near Scotch Corner. The battle was in
around 570 (Koch 1997); the wording
suggests the warrior, Arthur, was of a previous generation, also
fighting against the Saxons - the Gododdin Arthur could
well be the same individual who fought at Camlann in 537.
Last, an account of Arthur's
many battles appears in the Historia Brittonum (Morris
1980). The battle list bears no dates, but the account also
tells how Ochta, son of Hengist, was instructed to fight 'contra
Scottos' in the North by the Roman walls, noting 'Arthur
fought against them at this time.' The Irish version of the
Historia states 'Ochta, the son of Hengist, assumed government
over them. Arthur, however, and the Britons fought bravely against
them' (Van Hamel 1932). Hengist
died in around 488, placing his son (or possibly grandson) Octha
at the beginning of the Arthurian period.
The story these three documents tell is consistent -- an Arthur
fought, in the early sixth century, against the Saxons on the
side of the early Britons, so ruling out the later Artur.
Locating
Arthur's sphere of activity
This does not exclude
the possibility that Arthur might be another member of the Dalriadic
Scots. Indeed, the evidence placing Arthur in North Britain is
strong. Skene (1876), Bromwich (1963), Goodrich (1986),
and Glennie (1988) all looked to
Arthur's battles as listed by Nennius and concluded that these
conflicts took place predominantly in the southern regions of
present day Scotland, with some in what is now northern England.
There are locations that cannot be identified readily, but four
have received a large measure of support.
The first is near Loch Lomond. Nennius tells of battles on the
River Dubglas in the region of Linnuis. This points to Lennox,
north of Glasgow. Dubglas is 'blackwater', and a river
Douglas flows into Loch Lomond. One battle was fought in the
Celyddon (Caledon) Forest, overtly Scotland. Another was on the
hill called Agned that twelfth century Geoffrey of Monmouth tells
us is Edinburgh. Finally, Goodrich (1986)
puts forward a strong argument that the Camlann site is at Camboglanna
(Birdoswald), a fort on Hadrian's wall. Each identification may
be open to challenge; together they provide a formidable case
that Arthur fought in the North.
The Scottish theme crops up elsewhere. As discussed by Glennie
(1988) and Goodrich (1986),
the highest density of Arthurian placenames is in Scotland: exemplified
by Ben Arthur, adjacent to Loch Lomond, and by Arthur's seat,
Edinburgh. Other, later, legends suggest that Arthur's sister
married the King of Lothian, the county of Edinburgh: Arthur's
warring in Southern Scotland and the Borders may need to be taken
seriously.
The Annales Cambriae
provide a second line of evidence as to his identity. I suggest
that, if the early scribes wrote of Arthur, they would write
also of Arthur's kinfolk. The Annals name ten persons over an
80 year span centered on the Arthurian entries. One is connected
with Wales - King Maelgwn. Excepting Arthur himself (and his
legendary nephew Medraut) the remaining seven entries relate
to Ireland. One, Gildas was a Clyde native who spent the last
years of his life in Ireland and, according to Caradoc's Vita
Gildae (Williams 1990), encountered
Arthur in person. Three were prominent Irish Christians of the
time. The last three are Irish Scots of the Dalriadic dynasty
that settled the western coast of Scotland.
Figure
1. Left: Individuals named in the Cambrian Annals (Annales
Cambriae) in an 80-year period (486 to 567) spanning the
Arthurian entries: those associated with Ireland and the Irish
Dalriadic Scots are underlined. Right: Pedigree of the
Dalriadic Scots; prefixed numerals indicate the order of accession
to the throne; obit dates are given as suffixes.Click
here to enlarge figure.
Therefore, while the
earliest records point to North Britain, the flanking entries
in the Welsh Annals suggest a connection with Ireland and the
Scots. A possible point of overlap is in the warring activities
of the Dalriadic Scots in southern Scotland.
There is little doubt that the Dalriadic Scots were allied to
the British. Gabran married the daughter of Brychan, the founder
of the British kingdom of Brecheiniog (probably at Brechin, Forfarshire)
in Scotland, while Aedan is reputed to have been a grandson of
Dyfnwal Hen, the ruler of the British kingdom of AlClud (Dumbarton)
by Glasgow, and is said to have been born on the Forth.
Scots were active across the South of Scotland, and supported
the Britons in their conflict with the Saxons. Gabran lends his
name to the region of Gowrie, while the descendents of Aedan
were known as 'the men of Fife'. Aedan is recorded, by Bede and
other reliable sources, fighting alongside the Britons of Edinburgh
against the advancing Saxons. The Scotichronicon refers
to a Scots king Comgall, son of Domangart, who fought against
Saxon incursions in close alliance with the British (Watt
1989). Ziegler (1999) reviews
further evidence for Dalriadic activities in the south of modern
Scotland.
Arthur
and the Kings of Dalriada
The records pertaining
to the Scots contain no mention of an individual 'Arthur', with
the exception of the later Artur. I propose an explanation. Dalriada
is generally held to be a compound of dal (or dail,
'portion', 'meeting' or 'tribe') with Riada (Riadda/Riata),
as Bede opined, but this latter
may also be a compound of ri- (rig, righ, rix;
'king'), with Adda/Ata. Watson (1926)
informed us that Add, as in the prominent Dalriadic stronghold
at Dun Add (also Att), was pronounced, even until recently, Athd
with a long A. Therefore, ri-Adda may have been
pronounced ri-Athda. If so, the King of the Dalriadic
Scots might have been heard, by British ears, as Athda,
only a short way from airth (Welsh), 'the bear', and Arthur.
The Dalriadic Senchus Fer n'Alban (History of the Men
of Scotland) and other sources collated by J. Bannerman in
his Studies (1974) relate
that the throne was held by Comgall. Comgall's rule (from 507)
spans Arthur's exploits (Figure 1).
The Annales Cambriae, a primary source for Arthurian legend,
record the death of the historical Arthur in 537, while the obit
of Comgall is at 537/538 in the Annals of Ulster and Annals
of Tigernach. Thus, the dates of Comgall and Arthur accurately
coincide.
Conversely, the Annales Cambriae make no mention of Comgall,
an important leader, even though his brother, nephew and father
are there in name. The omission could make sense if Comgall was
Arthur. This could also explain the younger Artur born to the
Dalriadic dynasty at about the time of Comgall's death, perhaps
named in tribute to Comgall. Plausibly, the earliest historical
records suggest an identity for Arthur. Comgall, like Arthur,
fought against Saxon incursions in allegiance with the British.
Where the Annales Cambriae record the death of Arthur
(AD 537), the Irish Annals record the obit of Comgall (AD 537/8).
Although the later Artur has been ruled out (Ziegler
1999), I suggest that the Dalriadic Scots might have provided,
in the figure of Comgall, the model for King Arthur.
Works
Cited
Bannerman,
J. 1974. Studies in the History of Dalriada. Edinburgh:
Scottish Academic Press.
Barber,
R. 1972. The Figure of Arthur. Worcester: Trinity Press,
Worcester.
Bromwich,
R. 1963. "Scotland and the earliest Arthurian tradition".
Bibliog. Bull. Int. Arthurian Soc. 15: 85-95.
Glennie,
J.S.S. 1988. "Arthurian localities", pp. 65-120. In:
An Arthurian Reader. Matthews, J., ed. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Goodrich,
N.L. 1986. King Arthur. New York: Harper and Row.
Koch,
J.T. 1997. The Gododdin of Aneirin, Text and Context from
Dark-Age Britain. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
Morris,
J., ed. 1980. Nennius, British History and the Welsh Annals,
Arthurian Period Sources Vol. 8, London: Phillimore.
Shirley-Price,
L., trans. 1968. Bede: History of the English Church and People.
London:Penguin.
Skene,
W.H. 1876. Celtic Scotland: A History of Ancient Alban.
Vol. I, History and Ethnology; Edinburgh: Edmonston and
Douglas.
Van
Hamel, A.G., ed. 1932. Lebor Bretnach: the Irish version of
the Historia Brittonum ascribed to Nennius. The Stationery
Office, Dublin.
Watt,
D.E.F, ed. 1989. Scotichronicon, Bower W, (1385-1449).
Vol. 2 (books III & IV), Aberdeen: Aberdeen University Press.
Watson,
W.J. 1926. The Celtic Placenames of Scotland. Edinburgh:
Birlinn. 1993 reprint.
Williams,
H., trans. 1990. Two Lives of Gildas by a Monk of Ruys and
Caradoc of Llancarvan. Lampeter: Llanerch. See the Medieval
Sourcebook:"Caradoc of Llangarfan: The
Life of Gildas"
Ziegler,
M. 1999. "Artur mac Aedan of Dalriada". The Heroic
Age, 1: http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/1/haaad.htm
