The Mammoth Book of King Arthur (99 page)

Bardsey Island.
A small island off the point of the Lleyn Peninsula, called Ynys Enlli in Welsh. It was the site of a Celtic
monastery founded in the
mid-sixth century by Cadfan, and is closely associated with Merlin. Higden’s
Polychronicon
claims that Merlin is buried here and that this was the site of a glass house that he built
for Niniane. The suggestion of a glass house/fort has linked Bardsey with Annwn in
The Spoils of Annwvyn
and by extension with Avalon. It may therefore have been the last resting place of
Arthur. In
Journey to Avalon,
Pykitt and Barber claim that Bardsey was once called
Ynys Afallach,
the “isle of apples”, and curiously, in the year 2000 it was discovered
that the island did have the survival of an ancient stock of apples which may date back as far as the second abbott, Lleuddad, whose name still survives in gardens on the island. There are many
caves around the southern tip of the island and in one of these Merlin is believed to be sleeping surrounded by the Thirteen Treasures of Britain. There is nothing historically to connect it with
Arthur, but it was a Holy Island and the journey to it was treacherous, as described in
The Spoils of Annwryn.
Its Celtic name,
Ynys Enlli,
means the “isle of the
currents”.

Barmouth.
A minor road leading north-east out of Barmouth ends at the farm of Sylfaen, just beyond which is a megalithic stone circle called
Cerrig Arthur.
It is
not known how this came to be associated with Arthur.

Beddgelert.
Tucked in a beautiful valley in the shadow of Snowdon, this is the nearest town to two significant Arthurian sites. 2km north-east on the A498 is the
hill-fort Dinas Emrys, “Fort of Ambrosius”, described by Nennius, where Vortigern was unable to build a stronghold and which required a human sacrifice. As a result a boy without a
father was found, but he explained that the fort kept collapsing because of two battling serpents in a pool beneath the foundations, these being symbolic of the British and the Saxons. In
Nennius’s version that boy turns out to be Ambrosius, whilst Geoffrey reveals it to be Merlin. Vortigern grants the fort to Ambrosius/Merlin and builds his fort elsewhere. Excavations carried
out by Dr. Savory in 1954–56 discovered that there really was a pool beside the fort, and that the stronghold dated from the mid-to-late fifth century, contemporary with Vortigern and
Ambrosius. The current ruins on the hill are the remains of a twelfth-century castle and should not be confused with the original fort. No names were found to link it
to a
local ruler and since both Vortigern and Ambrosius are more closely connected with Gloucester and Powys, this seems too remote for them. It may have been occupied by one of the sons of Cunedda,
possibly Dunod or Dunaut, as the territory around Dinas Emrys was called Dunoding.

Just north of Dinas Emrys is a pass called Cwm Llan, suggested as a site for Camlann. Just beyond it is Carnedd Arthur, a cairn supposed to mark Arthur’s burial place. It looks down
towards Llyn Lydaw where Bedivere is supposed to have returned Excalibur.

Bethesda.
10km south along the A5 is Llyn Ogwen and towering above the lake to the south is the Hill of Tryfan (994m). Somewhere on this hill is the reputed grave of
Bedwyr.

Caernarvon.
The Roman fort of Segontium was one of the major Roman strongholds in Wales, occupied almost continuously from around 78
AD
until troops were
withdrawn by Magnus Maximus soon after 383. The fort is associated with Eudaf Hen, whose daughter married Magnus. Eudaf, as Octavius, may have been one of the later commanders here. Malory calls it
Kynke Kenadon in Book VII (Caxton edition) of
Morte Darthur
where Arthur holds court one Pentecost and from where Gareth undertakes his adventure with Dame Lunet. It has also been identified
with the Waste City of Senauden, but
see
Dorchester.

Dolgellau.
To the east are two sites both called Camlan. One is on the A470 just north of Pentrewern. The other is about ten km along the same road at the junction with
the A458 just south of Mallwyd. The name Mallwyd probably means “battle ground”. Just north of Dolgellau is a river called Gamlan. All this suggests how common the name was and how
difficult it is to isolate.

Dyffryn Ardudwy.
A large burial chamber here is also known as Carreg Arthur or Arthur’s Quoit. It is near one of the possible sites for Camlann.

Gelliwig,
see
Lleyn Peninsula.

Llanrwst.
Charlotte Guest believed that the fortress of Math, Caer Dathyl, was “on an eminence” above this village, though no obvious site presents itself.
There is a Pencraig Arthur a few kms to the north.

Llanuwchllyn.
To the north of the town, at the southern end of Llyn Tegid (Lake Bala) was the Roman fort Caer Gai. The name
means “Fort of
Caius” and tradition has it named after Arthur’s seneschal, Kay. It is also known as Caer Gynyr after Cynyr Ceinfarfog, Cai’s father. The fort itself was only occupied between
about 70 and l30
AD
, but there is evidence of an associated “castle” still marked on the maps. Cai’s father was known as the Lord of Penllyn, the name for
the surrounding territory. Tradition suggests that the young Arthur was raised with Cai and thus spent his youth in this area. To the south, in the Berwyn Mountains, is Bwlch y Groes, where Arthur
began his battle with King Rience.

Lleyn Peninsula
. There are several sites of Arthurian interest. Near the southern tip, overlooking Bardsey Island (
see separate entry
) is
Rhiw.
The hill,
Mynydd Rhiw (304m), has been the site of human habitation since the Stone Age and was also the site of a Bronze Age axe factory. There are many antiquarian sites around Rhiw but the one of
Arthurian interest is also the most overlooked,
Gelliwig,
now the name of a farm between Rhiw and Botwnnog. Gelliwig was the name of Arthur’s court in the Welsh tales and is usually
placed in Cornwall. The name means “woodland grove”, so was probably once common across Britain, but this site is the only place where it survives. There is no evidence that this was
Arthur’s court, but the many antiquities in the area show that it is a site of ancient interest that requires more investigation.

North-east of Rhiw, beyond Botwnnog, at the village of Garnfadryn, is the large hill-fort of
Carn Fadryn
(371m), believed to be named after Vortigern’s granddaughter Madrun. It
shows signs of having been occupied during the fifth century. Further north again, just beyond Nefyn, is
Nant Gwrtheyrn,
the Valley of Vortigern. Somewhere here, as the stream runs down from
Llithfaen into Caernarvon Bay at Porth y Nant, is supposed to be the grave of Vortigern. It was described by Thomas Pennant in 1781 as a “high and verdant mount”, still visible in 1905,
but now lost. This clashes with the legend that he died at Ganarew in Gwent. If Vortigern died here then his citadel may well have been
Tre’r Ceiri,
on the eastern slopes of Yr Eifl
(564m). This was occupied throughout the Roman period and possibly beyond, and still shows evidence of its strong fortification. The name means “Town of the Fortresses”.

Returning to Rhiw, along the coast to the east is Abersoch and just north of the village is an old house called
Castellmarch
which has long been believed to be on
the site of King Mark’s castle. It more likely was a fort of horses, as “march” means horse.

Penygroes.
Overlooking the town from the east at the start of the Nantlle Valley is the hill-fort of Caer Engan, suggested as a possible site for Caer Dathyl, a fort
associated both with Math of the Mabinogion and with relatives of Arthur.

Powys

Aberyscir.
One of the homes associated with Ogrfan, father of Guenevere (
see also
Knucklas). He may well have been connected with the Roman fort of Cicucium which
was still occupied in the late fourth century. A hill-fort was just above the Roman one. Just to the north is the village of Battle, which takes its name from a battle in 1093 when the last of the
independent Brecon princes, Bleddyn ap Maenyrch, was killed, but it serves to remind us that this was also the area of Arthur’s pursuit of the Irish boar Twrch Trwyth and there were probably
several battles nearby. Between Aberyscir and Brecon is the town of Cradoc, which may take its name from Caradog Vreichfras since this may have been part of the territory that he captured when he
extended his territory from Ergyng across Llydaw into Breichiniog.

Brecon Beacons.
This was the core of the old kingdom of Brycheiniog, ruled by Brychan. Arthur’s pursuit of the giant boar Trwyth took him through the Brecon Beacons
as described in
Culhwch and Olwen.
Most specific locations are vague until the hunt passes south into Gwent. The eastern part of the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains was known as
Llydaw.
Culhwch and Olwen
refers to the men of Llydaw meeting at Ystrad Yw, a territory centred upon Llanbedr near Crickhowell. Llangors Lake to the north-west was also believed to be part
of Llydaw. If so, then this is the territory often confused with Armorica, which was also known as Llydaw.

Builth Wells,
see
Rhayader.

Cradoc,
see
Aberyscir.

Knucklas.
Little can now be seen of the ancient Castell y Cnwclas at Knucklas but this was long believed to be the home
of Ogrfan, the father of
Guenevere, and where she and Arthur married. This was probably the site of Guenevere’s Cameliard. Ogrfan is associated with other sites in Wales, especially Aberyscir (
see above
).

Rhayader.
Nennius records that during the hunt of the boar Twrch Trwyth, Arthur’s hound Cabal (more likely his horse) left an imprint in a stone and Arthur left
this as the topmost stone on a cairn. He records this as being at
Buallt,
the old name for Builth Wells, but the name survives, as Cam Gafallt, for a mountain south of Rhayader near the
village of Elan.

Trefeglwys.
It is here that the rivers Gleiniant and Trannon meet, suggesting a possible site for Arthur’s first battle.

Welshpool.
A focal point for several Arthurian sites such as those identified in
The Dream of Rhonabwy.
The plain on which the story starts, Argyngroeg, is to the
north of the town, invariably now called Gungrog. The ford at Rhyd-y-groes, over the Camlad river, where Arthur’s men gathered prior to the battle of Caer Faddon, is south-east of the town on
the A490, 2km north-west of Chirbury. Arthur’s warband moved north from here past Caer Digoll, which is the Beacon Ring hill-fort at Leighton. The battle site itself is just north of here,
probably at the Breidden Hills. Due west from here, across the Severn, is the large hill-fort Gaer Fawr, which may have been one of Arthur’s castles, linked to nearby Garthmyl, which may have
been named after Arthur’s vassal king Gyrthmwl.

25

FURTHER QUESTS – ARTHURIAN SOCIETIES AND WEBSITES

If you wish to pursue Arthurian research there are many avenues open to you.

The premier society is the International Arthurian Society (IAS) founded by Eugène Vinaver, Jean Frappier and Roger Sherman Loomis in 1948 for the promotion of the
scholarly study of the literature, legends and iconography of King Arthur. It publishes an annual
Bibliographical Bulletin.
Being international, it has representatives in every country. Full
details can be found at its website < www.dur.ac.uk/arthurian.society/contacts.htm >

The quarterly journal
Arthuriania,
published by Scriptorium Press, is available as part of the subscription for the North American Branch of the IAS, but it is also
available separately. Enquiries should be sent to Arthuriana, Southern Methodist University, PO Box 750432, Dallas, Texas 75275–0432, USA or via their website <
smu.edu/arthuriana/arthursubs.htm >

The
Arthuriana
website has a very helpful page of links to other Arthurian resources on the internet. It also provides access to the Arthurnet moderated e-mail
discussion group, which can be contacted via < smu.edu/arthuriana/arthurnet.htm >

A new internet-based organisation is the Society for Arthurian Popular Culture Studies run by Michael A. Torregrossa as part of the King Arthur Forever website. It was
established to foster
research on Arthurian popular culture from all periods in which representations of the Arthurian legend appear. Its web address is <
http://home.att.net/~torregrossa/ >

The Heroic Age
is a free on-line journal founded in 1998 and dedicated to the study of Northwestern Europe from the Late Roman Empire to the advent of the Norman Empire.
The Publisher is Michelle Ziegler and the web address is < http://members.aol.com/heroicage1/homepage.html >

The major on-line research facility is The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester, established in 1995 to make available in electronic format a database of Arthurian
texts, images, bibliographies and basic information. It is designed by Alan Lupack, Director of The Robbins Library, a branch of the Rush Rhees Library, and can be contacted at <
www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/cphome.stm >

Other websites of interest include:

“Early British Kingdoms” at < Britannia > run by David Nash Ford, and dedicated to “the history of all those little known kingdoms that existed in Britain
during the Age of King Arthur”, at < www.britannia.com/history/ebk/ >

“Faces of Arthur”, a companion site to “Vortigern Studies”, both run by Robert Vermaat, is dedicated to the full range of interests in King Arthur and fifth
century studies. At < www.geocities.com/vortigernstudies.org.uk/ >

“Timeless Myths”, which has a special section on the Arthurian romances and tales from Monmouth to Malory, at < www.timelessmyths.com/arthurian/index.html
>

“Arthurian A2Z Knowledge Bank”, part of the Mystical World Wide Web, for those who want a quick and easy A–Z guide to Arthurian names. Run by Mell Paul at <
www.mystical-www.co.uk/arthuriana2z/index.htm >