your comments
Robin Salmon, Tenbury Wells
Re. settlement of Picts by Vortigern, there is a place Thonglands, 8 miles east of Ludlow/Llundain/Caer Lud, in Corve Dale by the ancient roadway with a moated site sufficient for a war party.Belay last pipe. I meant of course settling Saxons after dealing with Picts. Opposite Thonglands is brown Clee hill, 2 large ring forts and a Roman signal station, and an abandoned village Heath,Haethfeld?, on a spur of Clee with an early unaltered Norman Church remaining, sign of a settlement of significance before Conquest, but reference to proximity of Welshpool is a problem with that.
Tue Nov 4 07:49:33 2008
Roxymusic
Has anyone seen the film "Excalibur" - it's a brilliant piece of fiction which blends in all the 6th to 12th century myths into one fantastic film. Helen Mirren is in it as Morgana!
Mon Oct 13 09:15:27 2008
Chuck Gilbert New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Norma Lorre Goodrich, a cross disciplinary linguistic scholar, in her book, King Arthur, writes more in favor of Geoffrey of Monmouth's work, "The History of the Kings of Britain". Much of Arthur's exploits apparently happened in the North Umbrian area (northern England/southern Scotland). He apparently also was Celtic/Roman. The book is a complicated read for one who doesn't live in the area!
Mon Sep 15 08:20:46 2008
Robert Broad
I read somewhere Roman Gladius were made in Calibus and were stamped Ex Calibus to show they were well made. Seems plausible. An early British chieftain using a found Roman sword.
Mon Sep 1 09:23:31 2008
Stephen May from Rochdale
I am reminded of Oliver Cromwell's remarks to the effect: 'I beseech you in the bowels of Christ to consider that you may be wrong.' Whatever else can be said of Arthuriana, it is that a balance of probabilities should be the issue, not the dogmatism too often shown.
Tue Jul 1 08:04:55 2008
DynGlas
Arthwyr, the 'Bear Exalted', was a Briton, a Brythonic speaking Celt, a Pagan (Cymru) not an English king! England did not exsist then. He was a Native British, Welsh speaker and ruler of this Island. Arthwyr battled the Saxons and the Angles (The English) and Chrisianity! Arthwyr was born in what is now Boverton in the vale of Glamorgan (482). Birth of of St Samson in the vale of Glamorgan. 487 Birth of St Paul Aurelian at Boverton in the vale Glamorgan. 497. Ambrosius (Myrddin/Merlin) dies and Arthwyr becomes 'dux bellorum', leader of battles, fighting with the Kings of Briton. 517c. Battle of mount Badon which is now known as Bath. 521. Consecration of St Samson by St Dubricius. 524 Death of Riwal Mawr, nephew of Arthwyr. 530. Death of count Cwythyr, the father of Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere) 537 Battle of Camlan, abdication of Arthwyr. Wounded he went to his sister Morgana at Bardsey Island called Afallwch or Avalon. 544. Death of St David at his monastery at Mynyw. 545c. Gildas writes his De Excidio Brittanae. 546. Death of St Dubricius on Bardsey Island. 547. Death of Maelgwyn Gwynedd. 555. Death of Marcus Conomorus in Brittany. 562. Death of St Armel(Arthwyr)at St Armel des Boschaux in Little Briton(Brittany). 565. Death of St Samson at Dol in Brittany. 570. Death of St Gildas in his monastery at Rhuys in Brittany. 573. Death of St Paul Aurelian in Brittany. 574. Battle of Arfderydd. 577.Battle of Dyrham.(Deorham). 578. The epic poem Y Gododdin is composed by Aneurin. Genealogy contained in the book of Llandaff, the king who was reigning over Morgannwg and Gwent at this time was Arthwys ap Meurig ap Tewdrig (Tudor). Lifris provides us with evidence that Arthwys and Arthmael are one in the same person. Arthwyr king of Gwent, son of Mouric king of Morgannwg, and father of Morcant. Arthwyr (In English Arth-uir) a great man or sovereign of the proper Silures and therefore the denominated king of Gwent, the Venta Silurum of the Romans, and the British Metropolis of the nation". So the English are not native Britons, so Stone Henge is not English, nor Glastonbury either! This is Welsh history our ancient right, Arthwyr is a Welsh hero. As important to us as 1066 is to you!
Fri Jun 27 08:10:32 2008
Carol, United States
I have visited Glastonbury and the written evidence about the finding of King Arthur's grave is very convincing. He was very tall. A Blonde female skeleton was buried with him. The grave was ransacked by the monks of Glastonbury Abbey. I have read that his sword is six feet long and is now in a British museum. I sure would like more information about this. Glastonbury was an island at that time and was called Avon. If Arthur was born in Cornwall, ruled and fought in Wales, couldn't it be very possible that the retreated to the Isle of Avon when he was fatally wounded?
Thu Jun 12 08:33:37 2008
Dave, Rhosesmor
I don't get it. I've lived in Rhosesmor all my life & I've heard about these caves but how do you actually get to them?
Mon Jun 9 08:03:04 2008
Gordon Brooks of Gosport
The story of Arthur we know today is a by-product of conflict between Roman Christians, Celtic Christians, the (Welsh speaking) British and English-speaking peoples of England and Wales, as manipulated by politicians from the Dark Ages onwards. It's a very readable and thought provoking – dodgy dossier. If you take the oldest records, folk tales, praise poetry and archaeology together, then they agree that westward English cultural expansion in the south of what is now England was halted at the turn of the sixth century by a British victory at the battle of Badon. The British attributed the triumph to a charismatic leader they called Arthur, who briefly managed to unite Celtic warlords to a common purpose. Trouble resumed with attacks by both British and Saxon forces in the Solent and Hampshire area resulting in a coup. These battles were later described as Saxon victories by the English scribes of Wessex. In any case, English speakers gradually got the upper hand forcing the British nobility, and their storytellers, to flee west to (modern) Wales and the West Country; and south to northern France. According to the British, Arthur disappeared to the fertile wine producing Fortunate Isle (or Avalon) for healing of his wounds by enchantress Morgana - and would return. The English record keepers, except for Bede, papered over the crack in their story of conquest, adjusting their chronicles (badly) to make it look as if Badon and Arthur had never existed. The exiled British of Brittany long held a grudge and circulated ever more exaggerated tales of their hero Arthur around European courts. By the time the Normans and Bretons invaded England, Arthur had become a role model for all kings seeking to rule England. To seal Arthur's place in legend, Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote up Arthur's story hinting that William the Conqueror had been the returning Arthur. The message was apparently too subtle, because pretenders to the throne kept seeing themselves as the resurrected hero - that is, until the monks of Glastonbury were encouraged to falsify Arthur's Christian burial at, what they claimed was, the oldest Christian shrine in England. However, Arthur's story was essentially pagan and his downfall probably somewhere on the Hampshire coast where the coup had occurred. If so, and the Fortunate Isle was real, then it would most likely be the Isle of Wight which was the last pagan refuge in England, where the image of a magician and tales of ancient magic, cults and a shrine to Urien, Morgana's legendary husband, can still be found along with a long history of wine production. But, Arthur's story belongs to all Celts, for they have taken it to their hearts and localised it to where they now live as inspiration for successive generations. After all, it was their ancestors who were the power behind the real Arthur’s throne.
Gordon Brooks, Gosport, Britannia. PS My father was born in Wales.
Fri May 23 10:42:28 2008
Chinny, Wrexham
I think you'll all find that Arthur was a rather short playboy millionaire, who had Sir John Gielgud as his butler and Liza Minelli as his love interest. He also had a quest. It was for dry Martini's
Thu May 1 08:34:08 2008
Mak Wilson, Shropshire
If you'd like to read of another theory, totally unrelated to Scott and Lloyd's, about parts of South Wales being called Lloegyr, or something VERY similar go to: vortigernstudies.org.uk/artgue/guestdan4.htm
Mon Apr 28 08:20:12 2008
Alan Hassell, London
There were in fact two Arthurs, one who defeated Gratian in Paris in the fouth century and another in the sixth century who was the son of King Muerig of Glamorgan and Gwent. You can find out more, it is not my job to educate you lot, you can do it yourself by buying Artorious Rex Discovered by Alan Wilson and Baram Blackett available at amazon.com. While you're at it check out their other books like The Holy Kingdom, Moses in the Heiroglyphs. Forget about the romances and fairy tales learn the truth about the man. They will never find Arthur in England or Cornwall. He lived and was buried in his own kingdom, Wales (Britain) as it was known in those days.
Thu Apr 3 09:36:27 2008
Bruce of Eureka
Caliburn or Ex-Caliber means 'sword of steel', as Calybs was the Roman word for steel. It could also mean a particular type of sword actually forged by the Calybes people of Anatolia. The Latin term 'Ferrus' only refers to iron, not steel.PER WIKIPEDIA: The word "chalybeate" is derived from the Latin word for steel, "chalybs", which follows from the Greek word "khalups". Khalups is the singular form of Khalubes or Chalybes, who were mythical people living on Mount Ida in north Asia Minor who had invented iron working.
Wed Jan 2 10:09:43 2008
Artos Castus
Actually he was born Aug 21, 573 and diedin the 600s, born to Althea Morganna Castus(Pendragon) and Michael Arthur Castus (Pendragon). Arthur had light brown hair, bluish green eyes 5'11" and Camelot wasin SE (not Cadbury sorry)and you all are looking too far north for Camelot for years.
Mon Nov 12 09:38:15 2007
Luc, Arizona
What country is King Arthur and his sword Excalibur buried?
Fri Oct 26 08:25:46 2007
Tylluan
Arthwyr the 'Exalted bear'. Was a real native Welsh pagan (Brythonic) Silurian King and war lord of all the Welsh tribes of Briton. Arthwyr's enemies were the English known as Angles and Saxones then. Camelot is a Silurian War God called Camulos or the Green man (see Roman temple) Caerwent. All Silurian hill forts were encircled by a protective ring of Derwydd or Oaks called Celliwig or Holy Wood grove. Derw is where we get the word Druid from!Celliwig is now called Llanmelin in Pendan (or Newport Gwent) capital city of the Silures. Glasdonbury, which was Welsh when it was built, is not Afallwch or Avalon. Myrddin was the last of the Dragon Harpers and was born in Gwent.Arthwyr did not die in The battle of Camlann, he went to the other Silurian stronghold of Breton, or Amorica where he became a holy man. This is native history not English history. Peace go with you!
Fri Jul 20 14:04:34 2007
Gareth who used to live in Ruthin
Excalibur is the name of the sword and any connection to the French version of Authur are from the Bretons and not the French themselves. The Irish, Scots, Welsh and Cornish all have their claim on Authur and why not, at the end of the day someone on here said enjoy the legend. One thing - Merlin was Welsh! That's going to start another claim off lol.
Mon Jul 2 08:48:16 2007
Greg from Halkyn
Many thanks Nick, I do believe you are right, as I have just read, that there was no shield or sword found with the cape and a warrior would have been buried with his sword. Also the artefacts would have been related to a lady. Also the cape is too early to be associated with Arthur. The story that I read was probably more myth than truth. King Arthur could still be up here, as Halkyn is full of earth works and natural underground caves. In one part a cavern as big as Saint Paul's Cathedral with a large lake in it, is under Rhosesmor.
Mon Jun 18 08:23:37 2007
Nick
Hi Greg, the real cape came back to the area last year and was put on show in Wrexham Museum. I attended a lecture there by the curator of Prehistoric history from the British Museum who suggested that the cape would possibly have been worn by a woman, rather than a man. He actually showed pictures of the reconstructed cape being worn and it fitted over the narrow shoulders of a small woman - lifted into place by two others - although I guess it could have been made for a small man too.
Fri Jun 15 10:02:04 2007
Greg from Halkyn
Not far from Rhosesmor, on the outskirts of Mold, a gold cape was found on the remains of a warrior. As legend has it when the cape was removed from the skeleton, by some workmen, dark clouds appeared and it began to thunder. Whoever owned the gold cape would have been of great importance. Could this have been Arthur? A copy of the cape can be seen in the Mold Library and the original is in the British Museum.
Fri Jun 15 09:58:21 2007
Brittany Engeman
How cool is that my name is Brittany Engeman too!
Fri Jun 15 09:57:07 2007
Epona, Bristol
I think some people round here need to lighten up, get up on the mountains and experience some fresh air - then they might be able to use their imaginations without taking everything so seriously, and appreciate Arthurian legends for their romance and importance to British people.
Tue Apr 3 07:39:09 2007
Ben Guy from Penyffordd
Some things need clearing up here!! Many of the things currently associated with Arthur, eg Excalibur, Camelot, the Holy Grail, etc were actually inventions of French romance writers in the 12th and 13th centuries. WE have very little record of the original histocical Arthur, and much of the evidence we have has been coloured by the political agendas of the time it was written. Arthur was never buried at Glastonbury, and the whole 'finding of his grave' there was a hoax, very successful in bringing large amounts of cash to the abbey. Glastonbury also claimed a whole host of other figures, like St David and St Patrick. What can be said about Arthur is that he was a 6th century Welsh warrior living at the time of Maelgwn Gwynedd, an historical king of North Wales (d. c.547). He may have been a great battle leader, or Dux Bellorum as the Historia Brittonum calls him, but none of the early sources call him a king, and certainly not emperor of Western Europe! He may have fought the historical Battle of Badon (c.516) against the Saxons, mentioned in Gildas (6th century), which in all likeliness was on the Welsh border between Wales and Mercia. He also may have died at the battle of Camlan (c.537), possibly fighting Medraut. A few other things to clear up: Cadelfwlch is the name given to Arthur's sword in the early Welsh tales. Lloegyr is to this day the Welsh name for England. It was not South Wales, as Scott Lloyd and Steve Blake suggest in the Keys to Avalon, even Scott Lloyd himself has admitted he would now change much of that book. There's NO reference to King Crudel anywhere apart from the 'Joseph of Arimathea' legend of Robert de Boron The 'holy grail' of later Arthurian legend came from the Welsh mythological concept of the magical cauldron that will produce whatever you want it to. Indeed the first addition of the grail in the romances called it the 'graal' which in French is a platter, and in the romance it is described at a platter from which and endless supply of food can come.
Wed Jan 24 08:17:32 2007
Peter Williams from Delaware
Lloegr is the Welsh name for England. In the Middle Ages it was Lloegres. The Welsh name for Arthur's Sword is Caledfwlch. (There is no x in the Welsh language.)
Mon Oct 23 09:34:24 2006
Rob Davis of the US
I think that the search for the holy grail, or Arthur is the search for one's heart's desire. Well, at least a search for identity, or to hold on to one's idenity. It's the search that is important. What one finds along the way, and carries to the next generation. Sometimes it is better to just wonder, and marvel at these mysteries.
Mon Oct 16 09:35:01 2006
Wil, Wrexham.
Tamaal, N.Z. There's a rock near Capetown, South Africa also known as Arthur's Seat. Probably pops up in several myths as does Gelert.
Mon Aug 21 13:58:39 2006
Amy, Wrexham
King Arthur was actually 3 different people. The tales of his exploits are similar to accounts told of 3 Welsh princes, 2 of which have Arthur in their full names. It is thought by some historians that he was fictionalised to boost morale amongst the Welsh at a time when much of Wales was being taken by the English.
Tue Jun 20 11:03:42 2006
John, Texas
I've done years of study tracing what is called the dragon bloodline from the Kabalists of babylon. Arthur is from that line, and has nothing to do with Jesus. As you must know, the Welsh were Cimmerians, and they occupied the island of Rhodes, the island sacred to Helios the sun god. On that island there was( and still is) a city called "Kamiros," essentially the same as what the Cimmerians were known as, "Gamir." There is also the city of Lindos which the Greek Danaans built, called "Lindos," which I think named both London and Atlantis. I believe that Atlantis is named after Utu, the sun-god of Eridu that was portrayed as a dragon, from whom the dragon bloodline begins. Hercules was a Greek Danaan, and he came to Wales as per the Geryon myth, wherein he came to "Erytheia." That must have been Erethlyn, North Wales. He sailed to Wales in a gold cup (of Helios), as his ship (not literally of course), and that must be the Holy Grail: simply, the Rhodes peoples, in France the Redones. As yet a third Rhodian city belonging to Helios, there was (and still is) "Ialysos," named no doubt after the Cimmerians of the Halybes/Chalybes region, Phrygia. And so I theorize that "Excaliber" is a mythical symbol to be understood as Ex-Chalibes i.e. Exe-Halybes i.e. the Halybes of Rhodes settled the Exe river in Exeter, Devonshire, Cornwall. Arthur was connected to the Merovingian Franks, an occult group claiming descent from Jesus and Mary Magdalane. Yes, that's where the Da Vinci code hoax started, in Merovingian France. In reality, the Merovingians were from the Veneti, who in turn were from the Heneti of Paflagonia near the Halybes. They were even earlier from Trojans, as you may hear from many others, but I have traced them to the cousins of Trojans, the Khazars; hence the Cathars of France, buddies of the Templars, who were likewise from the Kabbalist dragan line. As the Khazars were ruled by Hebrews, so it was by Kabalis Hebrews, an occult bunch of Hebrews not descended from Israelites, but from Nahor, brother of Abraham. Nahor's third son, Kemuel, likely named Camelot, and Nahor's second son likely named Bude in North Cornwall, as well as the Bute family related to the Stewarts. Supporters of the Stewarts to this day claim to be from the dragon bloodline. Nahor's first son, Uts, was likely Utu, the dragon sun god of Eridu that I mentioned earlier, and he likely is the one after whom "At-Lantis is named, not to mention the Phrygian sun god, Atti(s), whose wife was Kybele, a version of "Kabala." This bloodline prides itself in being the continuation of the serpent of Eden, and if you can accept it, Kabalists formed the Greek myths, and became the Hellene Greeks, while allied to proto-Khazars. The Hellenes named Wales, in fact, and the Bude/Bute name in Britain stems from Boiotia/Boeotia, the buddy of Aeolus, the latter naming Wales. Yes, they were the proto-Alans, even the Geloni stemming from Hercules, the same Geloni who lived with the Boudini. Hercules was, of course, like Arthur, not a man, but a depiction of a certain peoples. That's how myth writers kept track of their bloodlines, by writing myths in code. Hercules depicted the Greek Danaans who became the Tuath de Danann in Britain. The myth writers were the first secret societies, and the myth writers of Greece were called "kabeiri," from Prhygia, an obvious reflection of the Hebrew Kabalists there. Hope this clears things up, but, for those of you who believe what I'm saying, it may be just the beginning of a research project.
Tue Jun 13 08:00:21 2006
Lucy Baxter, Quebec City
Peter Bourne - Take 'Arthur' for what it is i.e. an unknown and just enjoy.
Mon Jun 12 08:58:44 2006
James Logan from Mold
Yes Peter Bourne, he existed and was 9 feet tall. He was a legend, as any rational man would recognise.
Fri Jun 9 08:23:00 2006
Tamaal,New Zealand
Apropos of nothing but, just outside of Edinburgh where I lived for a while,there's a place called Arthur's Seat. Any theories why he's associated with Scotland?
Sun Jan 15 16:55:34 2006
Tamaal,New Zealand
Three things I would like to mention.
First, I went to school in Ruthin for a year (1973) and wasn't once told that it had any association at all with Arthur. Unbelievable!
Second, and probably more important, how does the film "King Arthur" claim to be based on historical evidence when, with the western Roman empire having collapsed in August of 410, i starts in 456 with Arthur as a legionaire?
Third, Bernard Cornwell, in his Warlord Chronicles, has suggested that Lloergyr is one of the offshore islands (Isle of Wight, if remember correctly) and was where they exiled outcasts and was, thus, indeed , "The Land of the Lost"
Sun Jan 15 16:51:40 2006
Phil from Llangollen
It would appear that most recent research into Arthur has shown that he wasn't actually a king but a warrior leader from N. Wales, and he actually filled a vacuum when the Romans left. When the A5 was being built several graves were discovered in the region of the junction to Ysbyty Ifan. It is also said that there are people who actually know where Arthur's grave is in that area.
Tue Sep 20 16:38:44 2005
Pat Nace, Pennsylvania,USA
I have read that Excaliber was also called 'Caliban' or that Caliban was a 'sister sword' to Excaliber. It was (they were )possibly made from meteoric iron that yielded steel swords.('Prince Valient' had the 'singing sword' also related to Excaliber. Steel 'sings' when struck -iron and bronze do not).
Wed Aug 17 23:25:02 2005
Glaukos, Powys
Excaliber? If Roman in origin, it could have been "Excel Liber" (loosely, Excellent Freedom) Just speculating...there are other possibles of course. :-)
Sun Apr 24 11:26:07 2005
PenDell Pittman, from Dahlonega, Georgia, USA
I am seaching for the area of my ancestry, said to be in North East Wales --The PenDell, or some name of similar ring. Can anyone help?
Sat Mar 19 19:31:17 2005
James McGill from Northern Ireland
What is your view on the Lady of the Lake?
Wed Dec 15 12:12:53 2004
Christina Hollow, Bristol
Can anyone tell me what the word 'Lloegyr' means? I understood it meant 'the lost lands' and referred to England. However, if South Wales was referred to under this name before the 'invasion' of the Saxons, it must have been derived from a personal name or characteristic of the landscape. Similarly, is there any reference to King Crudel in British geneologies of the first century?
Mon Nov 22 08:40:55 2004
Peter Bourne of Brighton
King Arthur did exist. He died of mortal wounds at the end of a heavy and bloody battle against his nephew, Modred. It happened at a very delicate period when the Saxons, Vikings, Irish and other invaders were dividing the Celts up. Arthur is derived from the Celt Arth and Urus, Latin for Bear. He was an immense man; one of the few Nephilim of his day left. He was a devout Christian, excellent warrior ( size definitely counted here, he was over 9 feet tall so records by Monks of the 12th century suggest). His life came to a rather abrupt end due to the battle and because a comet spread its debris over the area; this provoked the mist which caused Yellow Pestilence and was said to be radiation poisoning on the same scale as a fall-out from an atomic bomb; except this was wholly a cosmic event. Arthur's body was removed from the grave at Glastenbury Abbey as was the Holy Grail some 400 years after. The Holy Grail is now in the hands of a Welsh museum (Nanteos Cup); there are documents to prove all this, as Jesus once said... "seek and you will find".
Sat Jun 5 02:42:21 2004
Sarah, Cheshire
Excalibur?
Fri Mar 19 19:42:37 2004
Brittany Engeman
What is the name of the sword pulled from the rock?
Thu Mar 18 06:40:37 2004
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Legendary ruler of Camelot, King of the Britons and Celtic Kingdoms.
