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 century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

" who, according to Gafridian legend, invaded the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the 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 and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isl ...

in about the 12th century BC. His people successfully conquered

Scotia Scotia is a Latin placename derived from ''Scoti'', a Latin name for the Gaels, first attested in the late 3rd century.Duffy, Seán. ''Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia''. Routledge, 2005. p.698 The Romans referred to Ireland as "Scotia" around ...

but he himself was drowned during his campaign against Southern Britain.

Mediaeval literature

According to Geoffrey, following the division of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

amongst Locrinus,

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 River Humber. This myth was then taken up by Giraldus Cambrensis. L ...

, 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 Kin ...

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 Ouse and Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between ...

, marked the southern border of the Kingdom of Northumbria and is one of the main rivers of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. When Locrinus raided Humber's ships after his death, he found Humber's consort

Estrildis Estrildis was the beloved mistress of King Locrinus of the Britons and the mother of his daughter Habren, according to the 12th-century chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth. Mediaeval literature In Geoffrey's pseudohistorical ''Historia Regum Britan ...

, the daughter of the King of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

there. Thus Humber's Huns were able to settle Britain with their Queen Estrildis eventually marrying Locrinus. The

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

was named after her daughter

Hafren Hafren (or Sabre, Sabren, or Sabrina; cy, Hafren; owl, Habren) 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 chro ...

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 (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for '' The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen o ...

; "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.] 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 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 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 largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

References

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