Owain Danwyn (
fl. 440) was a king of
Rhos in
Gwynedd, Wales, in the mid-5th century. He was the son of
Einion Yrth and the father of
Cynlas Goch, probably the Cuneglasus excoriated by
Gildas
Gildas ( Breton: ''Gweltaz''; c. 450/500 – c. 570) — also known as Gildas the Wise or ''Gildas Sapiens'' — was a 6th-century British monk best known for his scathing religious polemic ''De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae'', which recount ...
. Very little is known of his life.
Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman proposed a theory that he was the
historical figure
A historical figure is a significant person in history.
The significance of such figures in human progress has been debated. Some think they play a crucial role, while others say they have little impact on the broad currents of thought and social ...
behind the legend of
King Arthur.
History
Owain Danwyn (
Old Welsh Dantguin, also spelled Ddanwyn, Ddantgwyn, etc., meaning "White Tooth"), is known from several medieval genealogies of the kings of
Rhos. Most of these concur that he was the son of
Einion Yrth and grandson of
Cunedda
Cunedda ap Edern, also called Cunedda ''Wledig'' ( 5th century), was an important early Welsh leader, and the progenitor of the Royal dynasty of Gwynedd, one of the very oldest of western Europe.
Name
The name ''Cunedda'' (spelled ''Cuned ...
, founder of the
Gwynedd dynasty in
North Wales
North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...
.
His brother was
Cadwallon Lawhir ap Einion, known from the Gwynedd pedigrees.
Owain was the father of
Cynlas Goch, who is identified with the prince named Cuneglasus who
Gildas
Gildas ( Breton: ''Gweltaz''; c. 450/500 – c. 570) — also known as Gildas the Wise or ''Gildas Sapiens'' — was a 6th-century British monk best known for his scathing religious polemic ''De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae'', which recount ...
castigated for his various sins in ''
De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae
''De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae'' ( la, On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain, sometimes just ''On the Ruin of Britain'') is a work written in Latin by the 6th-century AD British cleric St Gildas. It is a sermon in three parts condemning ...
''. According to the ''
Bonedd y Saint The ''Bonedd y Saint'' or ''Seint'' (Welsh for "Descent of the Saints") is a Welsh genealogical tract detailing the lineages of the early British saints
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degr ...
'', a genealogy of British saints, Owain was also the father of the saints
Einion Frenin
Saint Einion Frenin (Welsh: old ', mod. ' or ', "Saint Einion the King"; la, Ennianus or ''Anianus'') was a late 5th-Abersoch Virtual Guide"History: The Pilgrim's Trail and Some of Its Churches" Accessed 18 Nov 2014. and ...
,
Seiriol
Seiriol was an early 6th-century saint, who created a cell at Penmon Priory on Anglesey, off the coast of north Wales. He later moved to Ynys Seiriol ( Puffin Island).
Narrative
Seiriol was a son of King Owain Danwyn Owain Danwyn ( fl. 440) ...
and
Meirion, and in some versions, Hawystl Gloff.
[
According to Gildas, Maelgwn, the son of Owain's brother Cadwallon, took the throne of Gwynedd by murdering an uncle. ]Peter Bartrum
Peter Clement Bartrum (1907 in Hampstead, London, England — 14 August 2008) was a researcher and genealogist who, from the 1930s onwards, specialised in the genealogy of the Welsh nobility of the Middle Ages.
Educated at Queen's College, Oxfor ...
suggests this may have been Owain, though he notes that Gildas' term ''avunculus'' typically refers to a maternal uncle.
Arthurian identification
Writers Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman proposed that Owain Danwyn was the historical basis for the legendary King Arthur. This theory is based partly on their interpretation of the British power structure in the 5th century, and interpretations of names and epithets associated with Owain's family. According to Phillips and Keatman, "Arthur" was Owain's honorific title, meaning "Bear", and his capital was Viroconium in Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...
, England.
Charles T. Wood commented that their thesis lacked conclusive proof but noted that their book was "always accurate in its use of sources and seldom wildly farfetched in the conclusions it draws." Rodney Castleden criticized the assumptions Phillips and Keatman based their conclusions on.
See also
*Kings of Wales family trees
Family trees of the kings of Gwynedd, Deheubarth and
Powys and some of their more prominent relatives and heirs. The early generations of these genealogies are traditional and their historical accuracy is debated by scholars.
...
References
{{Authority control
5th-century Welsh monarchs
Historical figures as candidates of King Arthur
Monarchs of Rhos