A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY -1- People in History and Legend Up
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY People in History and Legend up to about A.D.1000 AARON, ST. See Julius, St., Alban, St. ABROS ap DOS. See Gurthiern ACHEBRAN. See Keverne, St. ACHREN. See Goddeu. ADDANC. See Afanc ADDAON ap TALIESIN. See Afaon ADDEDOMARUS. A British prince whose name appears on some coins. He is supposed to have ruled over the Iceni or some neighbouring tribe about the time of Cunobelinus (q.v.) (CB pp.36, 277-8; C & M p.59). It has been conjectured that he is the Aedd Mawr (q.v.) of the Welsh Triads. (Gilbert Stone, Wales, p.418). ADDIEN ap DÔN. See Dôn. ADELPHIUS, bishop. See Eborius. ADMINIUS. A son of Cunobelinus (q.v.) mentioned by Suetonius (Caligula, Ch.44ff). In the year A.D.40 he was expelled from Britain by his father after a quarrel, and surrendered himself with a small number of followers to the emperor Caligula in Gaul. Thereupon the emperor sent a letter to Rome describing in fine language how the island of Britain had been added to the Roman power! Nothing further is known of Adminius except that he may be the same as the person whose name appears on some coins as Amminius. The finding-place of these coins connect him with some part of Kent. (CB pp.34, 278). ADWARWY, disciple of Cybi. See Cybi. ADWEN (daughter of Brychan). She is mentioned in Vita Sancti Nectani (EWGT p.29) as a daughter of Brychan (q.v.). The name suggests that she was patron of Advent Church near Camelford, which was called Sancta Athwenna in 1340. (G.H.Doble, S.Nectan, S.Keyne and the children of Brychan in Cornwall, p.18). See also Edwen. ADWENT ferch ELIFFER. See Lleucu ferch Enflew. AED BROSC. He appears as the father of Trestin in the Irish version of the pedigree of the kings of Dyfed. (EWGT p.4) and corresponds to Owain Fraisg, father of Tryffin, in the Welsh versions. See Tryffin, king of Dyfed. AEDD, king of Ireland. Father of Gwitard and Odgar (qq.v). AEDD MAWR. (Legendary). He appears as the father of Prydain (q.v.). Nothing further seems to be known about him, and the origin of the name is unexplained. (But see Addedomarus). In an attempt to combine Welsh legend with the fictions of Geoffrey of Monmouth he is made the son of Antonius ap Seiriol (or Seisyll) ap Gwrwst (q.v.) ap Rhiwallon (EWGT pp.36, 95, 121). He is mentioned by Rhys Goch o'r Ryri as a remote ancestor: Hil Aedd Mawr. (Cywyddau Iolo Goch ac Eraill, pp.337 l.18 and 308 l.25). -1- A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY AEDDAN, disciple of Dubricius. He is mentioned in the Book of Llandaf (BLD 80) as a disciple of Dubricius [Dyfrig]. Like several other disciples of Dubricius (e.g. Inabwy, Ufelfyw and Arwystl) he has been included wrongly in the list of bishops of Llandaf between Oudoceus and Berthwyn. The only charter under his name concerns Mavurn in the Dore valley, and makes him a contemporary of Cynfyn ap Peibio (BLD 162). Wendy Davies dates the charter c.605 (LlCh p.104). AEDDAN or MAEDDOG, disciple of St.David. Aeddan and Maeddog are different forms of the same name, basically Aedd. He is mentioned in Rhygyfarch's Vita Beati Dauidis where we are told (§§ 15, 16) that Aidanus [Aeddan], Eliud [Teilo], Ismael [Ysfael] and many other disciples came with St.David to Rosina Vallis [Glyn Rosin] where David eventually founded his great monastery of Menevia [Mynyw]. In §§35-36 we are told that Aidanus went to Ireland and built there a monastery which is called Guernin [Ferns] in the Irish tongue. In §42 (Vespasian text) Maidoc, qui et Aidanus ab infantia was given a little bell by St.David, called Cruedin, which he had forgotten to take with him when he went to Ireland. When David was told this, it was miraculously transferred to Aeddan in Ireland. According to §§37-38 while Aeddan was in Ireland he was told in a vision that David was about to be poisoned. He was advised to send a servant, his fellow pupil, Scuthinus (see Ysgolan (1)), to acquaint David of the fact. Scuthinus was miraculously borne across the sea to the coast of Wales. All this material concerning Aeddan, except that in §§37-38, is reflected in the Lives of Aedán or Maedóc, bishop of Ferns in Co.Wexford, who died in 626. They also tell (§17 in the Vespasian text) how he gave aid to the Britons against the Anglici by prayer so that the Anglici were defeated and not a single Briton was killed. It is doubtful, however, whether Aedán of Ferns,(c.560 - 626) was the same as the disciple of St.David. Canon G.H.Doble thought that the Life of Aedán, bishop of Ferns, is “really a contamination of two different legends, one Welsh, the other Irish”. (St.Teilo, p.14). In the Life of St.Cadog (§70 in VSB p.l40) there is an agreement in which the name Maidoc appears among the witnesses together with David, Cynidr, Eliud [Teilo], Illtud, etc. Also in the same Life (§22) Maidoc appears again in company with David, Teilo, Illtud, Dochau and Cynidr to arbitrate between Cadog and Arthur. See Llyngesog Lawhir. Maidoc is also mentioned in the Life of Teilo in the Book of Llandaf (BLD 101). While he and Teilo where at Menevia they were involved in a miracle in which two tame stags helped them in carrying wood. See Teilo. There is a place called Ffynnon Faeddog, one mile north-west of St.David's (Ordnance Survey, 6 inch, 1908/9) but formerly Ffynnon Fadog (Doble, St.Teilo, p. 14n). There was also a Pwll Trefaeddan 1¾ miles west of St.David's. (Cy.xxiv (1913) p.32n). Aeddan is the patron of Llawhaden, also called Llanhuadain in Pembrokeshire (PW 29, WATU). LBS I.126 also mentions Solva St.Aidan under Whitchurch, near St.David's. There is no mention of Aeddan or Maeddog in the Welsh Calenders. (LBS i.125). Henry Rowlands, (Mona Antiqua Restaurata, 1766, pp.154, 155; first edition 1723) mentions Aiddan Foeddog as a son of Caw. His authority is not known but it probably means 'Aeddan alias Moeddog' and refers to the disciple of David. The effective identification with Aeddan ap Caw is perhaps possible. See Caw of Prydyn. AEDDAN ap BLEGYWRYD. (d.1018). Some time after the death of Maredudd ab Owain ap Hywel Dda in 999, Aeddan ap Blegywryd acquired royal authority in Gwynedd and Deheubarth (but not in Gwent and Morgannwg). He was finally killed, with his four sons, by Llywelyn ap Seisyll in 1018. (HW 346-7) Cardiff MS.4.110 p.47 (l8th century) says “Penmynydd ym Mon .... 'tis said to have been the seat of Aidan ap Blegored, and after of Gwrgi of Penmynydd”. -2- A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY His true genealogy is unknown, as admitted by David Powel in his Historie of Cambria, 1584, (1811 reprint p.58). (Iolo Morganwg pretended that he was the son of Blegywryd ap Morgan Mawr. See the Gwentian Brut s.a.994, MA2 p.693) and Iolo MSS. p.87. AEDDAN ap CAW. See Caw of Prydyn; Aeddan or Maeddog, above. AEDDAN ap CYNGEN. See Cyngen ap Cadell, Brochwel ab Aeddan. AEDDAN [Cangan] ap MAIG. See Cadwal Crysban. AEDDAN ap MÔR. (900?) A prince of the line of Rhufoniog. Father of Morudd (HG 20, JC 46, ABT 26 in EWGT pp.12, 49, 108). Compare Elaeth ab Ifor. AEDDAN ap RHODRI MAWR. See JC 20 p.47. Otherwise unknown. AEDDAN FRADOG. (?Aedán mac Gabráin) He first appears in the tract De situ Brecheniauc, §12(12) in EWGT p.15, thus: Luan filia Brachan, mater Haidani bradouc. He next appears in Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd, §11 in EWGT p.73, as follows: Gauran m. Aedan uradawc m. Dyuynwal hen m. Idnyuet m. Maxen wledic ... In Plant Brychan, §3i in EWGT p.82, we find: Lleian [verch] Vrychan gwraic Gawran, mam Aeddan vradoc, There are various other versions which are clearly corrupt. See EWGT. The association of the names Aeddan and Gafran strongly suggests Aedán son of Gabrán son of Domangart of the line of kings of Dalriada in Scotland who reigned 574-608. John Rhys (CB p.158) and H.M.Chadwick, (Celtic Scotland, p.l52) agree with the identification. If so we must ignore the ancestry of Aeddan Fradog given in Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd. But we can accept that his mother was Lluan, daughter of Brychan. This is somewhat confirmed in the Life of the Irish St.Laisren of Leighlin, where it is stated that Laisren's mother was Gemma, a daughter of Aedán and grand-daughter of a king of Britannia. (EIHM p.362). This was also noted by Egerton Philimore in Cy.11 (1892) p.100. There must be a suspicion that Gafran ab Aeddan in Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd is a mistake for Aeddan ap Gafran. But see Gafran ab Aeddan In a triad (TYP no.54) we are told that Aeddan Fradog came to the court of Rhydderch Hael at Alclud [Dumbarton] and left neither food nor drink nor beast alive. This was one of the ‘Three Unrestrained Ravagings’ of Ynys Prydain. According to Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt in Panton MS.51 p.116 Aeddan Fradog and Morgan Mawr ap Sadyrnin rebelled against Rhydderch Hael who fled to Ireland. Aeddan took Caer Alclud. Later Rhydderch was restored, but a quarrel arose between the shepherds of Rhydderch and Aeddan over a lark's nest (See TYP no.84).