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Humber the Hun was a legendary king of so-called "
Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...
" who, according to
Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth (; ; ) was a Catholic cleric from Monmouth, Wales, and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography and the popularity of tales of King Arthur. He is best known for his chronicle '' The History of ...
's pseudohistorical chronicle , invaded the
British Isles The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
in about the 12th century BC from Scythia. His people successfully conquered
Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English-language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingd ...
but he himself was drowned in the river named Humber after him during his campaign against Southern Britain. His descendants became the legendary kings of Pictland.


Mediaeval literature

According to Geoffrey, following the division of
Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
amongst
Locrinus Locrinus was a legendary king of the Britons (historic), Britons, as recounted by the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in his ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. He came to power in 1125BC. According to Geoffrey, Locrinus was the oldest so ...
,
Kamber Camber, also Kamber, was the legendary first king of Cambria, according to the Geoffrey of Monmouth in the first part of his influential 12th-century pseudohistory ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. According to Geoffrey, Cambria, the classical name ...
, and
Albanactus Albanactus, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, was the founding king of Albania or Albany. He is in effect Geoffrey's eponym for Scotland. His territory was that north of the Humber estuary. This myth was then taken up by Giraldus Cambrensis. Le ...
, Humber invaded
Alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English-language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingd ...
ny (which then covered all the lands north of the Humber) and killed Albanactus in open battle. The remaining natives fled south where Locrinus allied with Kamber and defeated Humber near a river in which Humber was drowned. The river, which was thereafter known as the
Humber The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...
, marked the southern border of the Kingdom of Northumbria and is one of the main rivers of
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. When Locrinus raided Humber's ships after his death, he found Humber's consort
Estrildis Estrildis was the beloved Mistress (lover), mistress of King Locrinus of the Britons (Celtic people), Britons and the mother of his daughter Hafren, Habren, according to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth. Medieval literature In Ge ...
, the daughter of the King of
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
there. Thus Humber's Huns were able to settle Britain with their Queen Estrildis eventually marrying Locrinus. The
River Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...
was named after her daughter
Hafren Hafren (or Sabre, Sabren, or Sabrina; ; ) is a legendary British princess who was drowned in the River Severn by her repudiated stepmother Gwendolen. The legend appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical chronicle (). According to G ...
.


Post-mediaeval literature

The war between Humber and Locrinus was retold in many histories, poems and dramas. Dramatic works include the play ''Locrine'' (1591; published 1595 under the initials W.S.).
Poetry includes ''The Faerie Queene'' (1590) by
Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; – 13 January 1599 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the House of Tudor, Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is re ...
; "An old Ballad of a Duke of Cornwall's Daughter", published in a 1726 collection of old ballads;Philips, Ambrose. ''A collection of old ballads. Corrected from the best and most ancient copies extant. With introductions historical and critical. Illustrated with copper plates. Vol.II.'' 2nd ed., vol. 2, printed for J. Roberts, in Warwick-Lane; D. Leach, at Locke's Head adjoining to Ludgate; and J. Battley, in Pater-Noster-Row, MDCCXXVI. [1726], chapter 2, pp. 1-6. ''Eighteenth Century Collections Online'', Accessed 13 January 2019.
/ref> and the introduction to the poem ''The revenge of Guendolen'' (circa 1786) by J.J. Proby.
Historical accounts include the eighteenth century works ''The history of Great-Britain, from the first inhabitants thereof, 'till the death of Cadwalader, last king of the Britains; and of the Kings of Scotland to Eugenev'' (1701) by John Lewis;Lewis, John. ''The history of Great-Britain, from the first inhabitants thereof, 'till the death of Cadwalader, last king of the Britains; and of the Kings of Scotland to Eugenev. As also A short Account of the Kings, Dukes, and Earls of Bretagne, 'till that Dukedom was united to the Crown of France, ending with the Year of our Lord 68; in which are several Pieces of Taliessin, an antient British Poet, and a Defence of the Antiquity of the Scotish Nation: With many other Antiquities, never before published in the English Tongue: With a Compleat Index to the Whole. By John Lewis, Esq; Barrester at Law. Now first published from his original manuscript. To which is added, The breviary of Britayne, written in Latin by Humfrey Lhuyd, of Denbigh, a Cambre Britayne; and lately englished by Thomas Twine, Gent.'' Printed for F. Gyles in Holborn, Mess. Woodman and Lyon in Covent-Garden, and C. Davis in Pater-Noster-Row, MDCCXXIX.
729 Year 729 ( DCCXXIX) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar, the 729th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 729th year of the 1st millennium, the 29th year of the 8th century, and the 10th and ...
p. 30. ''Eighteenth Century Collections Online'', Accessed 13 January 2019
''The naval history of Britain, from the earliest periods of which there are accounts in history, to the conclusion of the year M.DCC.LVI.'' (1756); and ''A new and complete history of England, from the first settlement of Brutus, upwards of one thousand years before Julius Cæsar, to the year 1793'' (1791-1794) by Charles Alfred Ashburton.


Interpretation

A medieval studies scholar has pointed out that medieval maps of Britain represent a conception of a land divided by the rivers Humber and Severn into three realms. The river names, she suggests, are associated with legendary figures who attempt to transgress boundaries, in this case an invading king, who are destroyed by the water that defines the limits.


In pop culture

Modern
Ulster Scots Ulster Scots, may refer to: * Ulster Scots people * Ulster Scots dialect Ulster Scots or Ulster-Scots (), also known as Ulster Scotch and Ullans, is the dialect (whose proponents assert is a dialect of Scots language, Scots) spoken in parts ...
and other Scots Protestants are still referred to as Huns by Irish
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
s.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Humber The Hun British traditional history Huns Humber Legendary monarchs