CREIDDYLAD NOT A GODDESS: THE WELSH MYTHOLOGIZATION OF PICTISH HISTORY

Moot Hill, Scone, Scotland

In https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-goddess-creiddylad-finally.html, I did my best to read myth as myth.  Alas, I now realize I should have sought history in the story of Gwyn, Gwythyr and Creiddylad.

I would direct my readers to this source:

https://books.google.com/books?id=VBQnAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88&dq=%22castellum+credi%22&source=bl&ots=sEhYn6Fo6e&sig=ACfU3U2TSbgW-WQpYjn4GB01VB28jy_A8w&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi9lOq2nc3oAhXBKH0KHbUUAsoQ6AEwAHoECAoQKw#v=onepage&q=credulitatis&f=false

Note that Scone is referred to as 'collis credulitatis.'  Given the presence of the Pictish king Nectan in this context (compare Nwython and Nethawg, a pet form of Nechtan, in the CULHWCH AND OLWEN story) I now feel that we need to look at this hill-name as the origin of Creiddylad.

I'd already shown that Cyledyr son of Nwython was a Welsh attempt to render the Irish spelling for Kildare [1].  It was a Nectan who had, supposedly, founded a religious house for St. Bride at Abernethy.  But scholars have discussed in some detail how the various early  Nechtans could have been confused with each other or even conflated.  In the case of the CULHWCH AND OLWEN story, we have both the connection of Abernethy and a Nectan (Nwython) with Kildare (Cyledyr) as well as that of Scone (Creiddylad = Credulitatis) with a Nectan. 

I still feel 'Victor' (Gwythyr) could be the Buadach nickname of St. Bride.  Both she and Gwyn were sun deities and their seasonal battle for Creiddylad/Scone makes sense given that Kildare/Cyledyr is also a character of the tale.  There is, however, the father of the Pictish king Breth, one Buthut or Buthud, who some have related to the same Irish word Buadach meaning "victorious." See Skene, for example (https://books.google.com/books?id=ErQHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA502&lpg=PA502&dq=%22buthut%22%2B%22pictish%22%2B%22Budic%22&source=bl&ots=gk5fqdAjtK&sig=ACfU3U3tVei4KoSMpmENVX5tZUgK8N4wwA&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjDw_CwsM3oAhVUs54KHbeyCzwQ6AEwAHoECAgQKQ#v=onepage&q=%22buthut%22%2B%22pictish%22%2B%22Budic%22&f=false).  Alex Woolf (personal communication) hold to this view:

"I think it remains plausible. The first element certainly looks like the victory word and the scribes of the late copies in which the king list survives often confused insular c and t, so Buduc might have been the original form. In fact, the more I think about it the more likely it seems."

However, it is also possible that Gwythyr should not be taken as personal name or epithet at all in this context.  Instead, it could merely be the word  "victory", used of the battle fought at Scone.  From https://books.google.com/books?id=T8k_AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA383&lpg=PA383&dq=%22castellum+credi%22%2B%22victoria%22&source=bl&ots=RJ2rUy_B52&sig=ACfU3U1H5wG7MwpPE1DtLc5JZgHbc8bYeQ&hl=en&ppis=_e&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiL3Y6azdHoAhXPup4KHQ0IDrUQ6AEwAXoECAsQMQ#v=onepage&q=%22castellum%20credi%22%2B%22victoria%22&f=false:

A pun on Gwythyr's name may even be built into the CULHWCH AND OLWEN episode. From http://www.culhwch.info/:

"This was the peace that was made: leaving the maiden at her father's house untouched by either side, and [that] every May Day until the Day of Judgement from that day hence [there should be] a fight between Gwyn and Gwythyr. Whichever one of them was victorious 453 on the Day of Judgement, let him take the maiden."

  453 [g]orffo lit. 'would conquer, would prevail' 3rd pres/fut. subjunctive < gorbot 

The GPC has gorfyddaf: gorfod as meaning "to be victorious; triumph; prevail; to conquer, get the better of, vanquish, overcome, defeat." 

Gwyn may also be a replacement for Alpin, a name thought to be akin to Latin Albinus, presumably from the root albus, 'white.'

There is not much ancient religion here.  Instead, we have garbled history being utilized in a literary creation.  

[1]

Cyledyr is, rather transparently, a made-up name derived from the Latinized Irish name for Kildare, 'Cilledara', and is not from a proposed British *Culidorix < *Con-slii-o-riks 'seizing king' (Dr. Simon Rodway) or *Culo-dor- 'postern-gate' (figuratively 'defender' vel sim: Sims-Williams, Celtic Inscriptions of Britain, pp. 46-47, with further references).

From https://anthonyadolph.co.uk/the-pictish-king-list/:

"Necton morbet filius Erip xxiiij. regnavit Tertio anno regni ejus Darlugdach abbatissa Cilledara de Hibernia exulat pro Christo ad Britanniam. Secundo anno adventus sui immolavit Nectonius Aburnethige Deo et Sancte Brigide presente Dairlugdach que cantavit alleluia super istam hostiam. [Necton gave land for the building of a church at Abernethy dedicated to St. Brigid of Kildare.]

Optulit igitur Nectonius magnus filius Wirp, rex omnium provinciarum Pictorum, Apurnethige Sancte Brigide, usque ad diem judicii, cum suis finibus, que posite sunt a lapide in Apurfeirt usque ad lapidem juxta Ceirfuill, id est, Lethfoss, et inde in altum usque ad Athan. Causa autem oblationia hec est Nectonius in vita julie manens fratre suo Drusto expulsante se usque ad Hiberniam Brigidam sanctam petivit ut postulasset Deum pro se. Orans autem pro illo dixit: Si pervenies ad patriam tuam Bominus miserebitur tui: reg-num Pictorum in pace possidebis."

This episode is also alluded to in the Irish version of Nennius's HISTORIA BRITTONUM:

https://celt.ucc.ie//published/G100028/index.html

"Nectan-mor-breac, son of Eirip, xxxiiii. annis regnavit. Tertio anno regni ejus Darlugdach, abbatissa Cille-Dara de Hibernia exulat pro Christo ad Britiniam; secundo? anno adventus sui immolavit Nectonius anno uno Apurnighe Déo et sanctæ Brigidæ, præsente Darlugdach, quæ cantavit alleluia super istam hostiam."