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Peredur (,
Old Welsh Old Welsh ( cy, Hen Gymraeg) is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic ...
''Peretur'') is the name of a number of men from the boundaries of history and legend in
sub-Roman Britain Sub-Roman Britain is the period of late antiquity in Great Britain between the end of Roman rule and the Anglo-Saxon settlement. The term was originally used to describe archaeological remains found in 5th- and 6th-century AD sites that hint ...
. The Peredur who is most familiar to a modern audience is the character who made his entrance as a knight in the
Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...
ian world of
Middle Welsh Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen G ...
prose literature.


Gwrgi and Peredur, sons of Eliffer

Gwrgi and Peredur are listed as sons of Eliffer (Old Welsh: ''Elidir'' or ''Eleuther'') "of the great warband" (''cascord maur'') and as sons of the
Coeling Coel ( Old Welsh: ''Coil''), also called ''Coel Hen'' (Coel the Old) and King Cole, is a figure prominent in Welsh literature and legend since the Middle Ages. Early Welsh tradition knew of a Coel Hen, a 4th-century leader in Roman or Sub-Rom ...
dynasty in the
Harleian genealogies __NOTOC__ The Harleian genealogies are a collection of Old Welsh genealogies preserved in British Library, Harley MS 3859. Part of the Harleian Library, the manuscript, which also contains the ''Annales Cambriae'' (Recension A) and a version of th ...
, making them first cousins of
Urien Urien (; ), often referred to as Urien Rheged or Uriens, was a late 6th-century king of Rheged, an early British kingdom of the Hen Ogledd (today's northern England and southern Scotland) of the House of Rheged. His power and his victories, ...
.Koch, "Peredur fab Efrawg", pp. 1437–8. Likewise, a pedigree from Jesus College MS 20 includes Gwrgi and Peredur as brothers together with one Arthur ''penuchel''. Their principal claim to fame rests on their having fought in the
Battle of Arfderydd The Battle of Arfderydd (also known as Arderydd) was fought, according to the Annales Cambriae, in 573. The opposing armies are variously given in a number of Old Welsh sources, perhaps suggesting a number of allied armies were involved. The main ...
. The ''
Annales Cambriae The (Latin for ''Annals of Wales'') is the title given to a complex of Latin chronicles compiled or derived from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales. The earliest is a 12th-century presumed copy of a mid-10th-century original; later ed ...
'' report that this battle (''bellum Armterid'') was fought in 573, but gives no further detail.Koch, "Arfderydd", pp. 82–3. A later expansion of the entry names Gwrgi and Peredur, both described as sons of Eliffer, as the chieftains on the victorious side and tells that
Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio Gwenddoleu ap Ceidio (died c. 573) or Gwenddolau was a Brythonic king who ruled in Arfderydd (now Arthuret). This is in what is now south-west Scotland and north-west England in the area around Hadrian's Wall and Carlisle during the sub-Roman p ...
was defeated and slain in the battle. Under the year 580, the ''Annales Cambriae'' record the deaths of Gwrgi (''Guurci'') and his brother Peredur (''Peretur''). These references give them a place as heroes in the
Hen Ogledd Yr Hen Ogledd (), in English the Old North, is the historical region which is now Northern England and the southern Scottish Lowlands that was inhabited by the Brittonic people of sub-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages. Its population spo ...
of the late 6th century. Further detail is supplied in later legendary traditions, notably those represented by the
Welsh Triads The Welsh Triads ( cy, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, "Triads of the Island of Britain") are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a ...
(''Trioedd Ynys Prydein''). One listing the three "Horse-Burdens" of Britain relates that Gwrgi, Peredur,
Dynod Bwr Dynod son of Pabo ( cy, Dynod or ''Dunod ap Pabo''; la, Dunaunt; died c. 595), better known as Dynod the Stout ( cy, Dynod Bwr) or Dynod Fawr was the ruler of a small kingdom in the North Pennines in the post-Roman Hen Ogledd ("Old ...
and Cynfelyn Drwsgl were carried by a horse called Corvan, which enabled them to watch the clouds of dust ("battle-fog") coming from Gwenddoleu and his (mounted) forces in the battle of Arfderydd. The circumstances in which Gwrgi and Peredur died are alluded to in a Triad which explains that they had one of "Three Faithless Warbands of the Island of Britain". Their warband abandoned them at Caer Greu on the day before a battle with Eda ''Glinmaur'' ("Great-Knee") and so they were slain. The Welsh Triads also refer to family relations. One on the "Three Fair Womb-Burdens" of Britain, preserved incompletely in Peniarth MS 47, suggests that Peredur and Gwrgi had a sister called Arddun, while a variant version in Peniarth MS 50 calls the third sibling Ceindrech Pen Asgell ("Wing-head") and names the mother Efrddyl verch Gynfarch. Peredur is said to have had a son by the name of Gwgon Gwron, called one of the three "Prostrate Chieftains" (''Lledyf Vnben'') because "they would not seek a dominion, which nobody could deny to them". Still further allusions are found in early Welsh poetry. The poem ''Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin'', which assumes the form of a dialogue between
Myrddin Wyllt Myrddin Wyllt (—"Myrddin the Wild", kw, Marzhin Gwyls, br, Merzhin Gueld) is a figure in medieval Welsh legend. In Middle Welsh poetry he is accounted a chief bard, the speaker of several poems in The Black Book of Carmarthen and The Red B ...
(the prototype of
Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
) and the poet
Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the '' Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts ...
, deals out praise to the brave "sons of Eliffer", saying that they did not avoid spears in the heat of battle. The apparent context is the battle of Arfderydd, where Myrddin fought as one of Gwenddoleu's warriors, went mad from terror and in this way, acquired the gift of prophecy (see also ''Vita Merlini'' below). For some unknown reason, however, the poem extends the number of sons to seven. A warrior called Peredur is also listed in one of the younger sections of ''
Y Gododdin ''Y Gododdin'' () is a medieval Welsh poem consisting of a series of elegies to the men of the Brittonic kingdom of Gododdin and its allies who, according to the conventional interpretation, died fighting the Angles of Deira and Bernicia at a p ...
'' (''awdl'' A.31), which shows him as one of the heroes to have died fighting in battle as a member of the warband of
Mynyddog Mwynfawr {{No footnotes, date=May 2022 Mynyddog Mwynfawr (variant orthographies include: Old Welsh ''Mynydawc Mwynvawr''; Middle Welsh; ''Mynyddawg Mwynfawr'') was, according to Welsh tradition founded on the early Welsh language poem ''Y Gododdin'' (attr ...
, chieftain of the
Gododdin The Gododdin () were a Brittonic people of north-eastern Britannia, the area known as the Hen Ogledd or Old North (modern south-east Scotland and north-east England), in the sub-Roman period. Descendants of the Votadini, they are best known ...
in "the Old North". It has been argued that Peredur's appearance here may have been due to a tendency in the growth of the poem to draw personages known from such sources as the ''Annales Cambriae'' into the orbit of its subject matter, assuming he is the same Peredur.


Geoffrey of Monmouth's Peredurus

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiograph ...
, the author of the ''
Historia Regum Britanniae ''Historia regum Britanniae'' (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called ''De gestis Britonum'' (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. I ...
'', mentions a Peredur in his ''
Vita Merlini ''Vita Merlini'', or ''The Life of Merlin'', is a Latin poem in 1,529 hexameter lines written around the year 1150. Though doubts have in the past been raised about its authorship it is now widely believed to be by Geoffrey of Monmouth. It tel ...
'' (''The Life of Merlin''), an account of
Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
drawing heavily on narrative traditions about Myrddin Wyllt. In an early episode based clearly on the story of the
Battle of Arfderydd The Battle of Arfderydd (also known as Arderydd) was fought, according to the Annales Cambriae, in 573. The opposing armies are variously given in a number of Old Welsh sources, perhaps suggesting a number of allied armies were involved. The main ...
, Peredur (''Peredurus'') is joined by his allies Merlin, king of the South Welsh, and
Rhydderch Hael Rhydderch Hael ( en, Rhydderch the Generous), Riderch I of Alt Clut, or Rhydderch of Strathclyde, (floruit, ''fl.'' 580 – c. 614) was a ruler of Alt Clut, a Britons (Celtic people), Brittonic kingdom in the ''Hen Ogledd'' or "Old North" of Brita ...
, king of the
Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...
ns, when he engages Gwenddoleu (''Guennolus''), king of Scotland, in a battle at an unnamed site. Merlin loses three brothers and driven mad from grief, takes refuge in the woods. Peredur is here presented as prince of the North Welsh (''dux Venedotorum'') rather than a ruler in the British North. In his earlier and more famous work, ''Historia regum Britanniae'', Geoffrey of Monmouth also used the name ''
Peredurus Peredurus ( cy, Peredur) is a legendary king of the Britons in Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical chronicle ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. According to Geoffrey, he was the youngest son of King Morvidus and brother of Gorbonianus, Archgall ...
'' for a legendary ruler of Britain who was the fifth and youngest son born to the legendary
Morvidus Morvidus ('' Welsh:'' ''Morydd map Daned'') was a legendary king of the Britons from 341 to 336 BCE., as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the illegitimate son of Danius by his mistress Tangustela.Geoffrey of Monmouth, ''Historia Regum Bri ...
, king of the Britons. He is said to have conspired with his brother Ingenius to capture and oust their brother
Elidurus Elidurus the Dutiful (''Welsh:'' ''Elidyr map Morydd'') was a legendary king of the Britons as recounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the third son of King Morvidus and brother of Gorbonianus, Archgallo, Ingenius, and Peredurus. Elidurus b ...
, locking him up in
Trinovantum Trinovantum is the name in medieval British legend that was given to London, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', when it was founded by the exiled Trojan Brutus, who called it ''Troia Nova'' ("New Troy"), which was gr ...
. When the brothers divided the kingdom between them, Peredur became ruler over the part north of the Humber, including '
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 Scottish people, Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed i ...
ny' (Scotland), and following Elidurus' death, succeeded to the entire kingdom. In the same work, Geoffrey also includes one Peredur map Peridur among the leading magnates of the realm who attended King Arthur's plenary Court in the City of the Legion.


Peredur son of Efrawg (Middle Welsh Arthurian romance)

A Peredur is also the hero of the Welsh romance ''Peredur son of Efrawg'', where he claims the role performed by the Arthurian knight Percival in the works of
Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (Modern ; fro, Crestien de Troies ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on Arthurian subjects, and for first writing of Lancelot, Percival and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's works, including ''E ...
and other non-Welsh sources.


Other

In the ''
Englynion y Beddau The ''Englynion y Beddau'' ( en, The Stanzas or Verses of the Graves) is a Middle Welsh verse catalogue listing the resting places (''beddau'') of legendary heroes. It consists of a series of ''englynion'', or short stanzas in quantitative meter, ...
'', another Peredur, called Peredur of
Penweddig Penweddig was a medieval cantref – a Welsh land division – of the kingdom of Ceredigion and later of the kingdom of Deheubarth) which is now in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. The community secondary school Ysgol Gyfun Gymunedol Penweddig is ...
(a
cantref A cantref ( ; ; plural cantrefi or cantrefs; also rendered as ''cantred'') was a medieval Welsh land division, particularly important in the administration of Welsh law. Description Land in medieval Wales was divided into ''cantrefi'', which were ...
of
Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...
), occurs as the father of the legendary hero Môr. In the syndicated U.S. comic strip ''
Prince Valiant ''Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur'', often simply called ''Prince Valiant'', is an American comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretc ...
'', Sir Peredur The Rover is a notorious mercenary knight who is hired to fight Gawain in a contest of champions in a March 2021 story line. Peredur appears as a mythic archetype in
Robert Holdstock Robert Paul Holdstock (2 August 1948 – 29 November 2009) was an English novelist and author best known for his works of Celts, Celtic, Nordic countries, Nordic, Goths, Gothic and Picts, Pictish fantasy literature, predominantly in the fanta ...
's novel ''
Mythago Wood ''Mythago Wood'' is a fantasy novel by British writer Robert Holdstock, published in the United Kingdom in 1984. ''Mythago Wood'' is set in Herefordshire, England, in and around a stand of ancient woodland, known as Ryhope Wood. The story invo ...
''.


References


Primary sources

*''
Annales Cambriae The (Latin for ''Annals of Wales'') is the title given to a complex of Latin chronicles compiled or derived from diverse sources at St David's in Dyfed, Wales. The earliest is a 12th-century presumed copy of a mid-10th-century original; later ed ...
'' (Recension A), ed. . *
Harleian genealogies __NOTOC__ The Harleian genealogies are a collection of Old Welsh genealogies preserved in British Library, Harley MS 3859. Part of the Harleian Library, the manuscript, which also contains the ''Annales Cambriae'' (Recension A) and a version of th ...
, ed. . *
Welsh Triads The Welsh Triads ( cy, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, "Triads of the Island of Britain") are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a ...
, ed. and tr.
Rachel Bromwich Rachel Bromwich (30 July 1915 – 15 December 2010) born Rachel Sheldon Amos, was a British scholar. Her focus was on medieval Welsh literature, and she taught Celtic Languages and Literature in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at ...
(1978, revised ed. 1991). ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1978. *'' Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin'', ed. A.O.H. Jarman and E.D. Jones, ''Llyfr du Caerfyrddin''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1982. *Geoffrey of Monmouth, ''Vita Merlini'', ed. and tr. Basil Clarke, ''The Life of Merlin''. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1973. Translation reproduced online a
Celtic Literature Collective
*Geoffrey of Monmouth, ''Historia regum Britanniae'', ed. Acton Griscom and J.R. Ellis, ''The Historia regum Britanniæ of Geoffrey of Monmouth with contributions to the study of its place in early British history''. London, 1929; tr. Lewis Thorpe, ''Geoffrey of Monmouth. The History of the Kings of Britain''. London, 1966. *''
Peredur son of Efrawg ''Peredur son of Efrawg'' is one of the Three Welsh Romances associated with the ''Mabinogion''. It tells a story roughly analogous to Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished romance ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'', but it contains many striking di ...
'', ed. Glenys W. Goetinck, ''Historia Peredur vab Efrawc''. University of Wales, 1976. *''
Englynion y Beddau The ''Englynion y Beddau'' ( en, The Stanzas or Verses of the Graves) is a Middle Welsh verse catalogue listing the resting places (''beddau'') of legendary heroes. It consists of a series of ''englynion'', or short stanzas in quantitative meter, ...
'', ed. and tr. Thomas Jones, "The Black Book of Carmarthen 'Stanzas of the Graves'." ''
Proceedings of the British Academy The ''Proceedings of the British Academy'' is a series of academic volumes on subjects in the humanities and social sciences. The first volume was published in 1905. Up to 1991, the volumes (appearing annually from 1927) mostly consisted of the te ...
'' 53 (1967). pp. 97–137
External link


Secondary sources

* * * * *


Further reading

* * * * {{Geoffrey of Monmouth Arthurian characters Northern Brythonic monarchs History of York Welsh mythology