OCTHA OF THE NORTH AND IDA OF BERNICIA: THE "BRACKETING" OF THE HISTORIA BRITTONUM'S ARTHURIAN BATTLES (Revised Substantially Since Original Posting)

Whitley Castle Roman Fort, Kirkhaugh, Northumberland

In the HISTORIA BRITTONUM attributed to the monk Nennius, the Arthurian battles are neatly inserted between the rise of Octha, son of Hengist, to the Kentish throne, and mention of the reign of Ida, King of Bernicia.  I used this "chronological fix" in my argument for the identification of Cerdic of Wessex with Arthur, as Cerdic's floruit is similarly situated in the ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE (with Aesc son of Hengist substituted for Octha).

But there is an interesting correlation between an Arthur of the North and the career of Octha, as this is told in the HB.

According to Chapter 38 of that source, Vortigern directed Hengist to grant Octha lands in the north "about the Wall that is called Guaul." This is generally thought to be a reference to Hadrian's Wall (although it could also be a memory of the Antonine; cf. Gwawl son of Clud, i.e. Clyde, in the MABINOGION). Octha is said to sail around Scotland, raiding as he goes, "as far as the borders of the Picts."

It is in Chapter 56 - the Arthurian section of the HB - which has Octha come down from the North and assume the kingship in Kent after the passing of Hengist.

On Octha's coming from the North... the Latin of the HB says "transivit de sinistrali parte Brittaniae..." Sinistrali is not "north", but rather "left."  However, as Dr. Ranko Matasovic has reminded us in his ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY OF PROTO-CELTIC:

*ufo-kliyo- ‘north’ [Noun]
GOID: OIr. fochla [yo n]
W: gogledd [m]
BRET:MoBret. gwalez ‘northern wind’
SEE: *kliyo- ‘left’
ETYM: The motivation of the development from ‘left’ to ‘north’ lies in the fact that the north is on the left side when one is facing the east (the rising sun).
REF: GPC II: 1436.

Scholars have written a great deal on the confusion that exists over some of the early successors of Hengist in Kent. It is not my intent here to rehash this debate, other than to say that there was an Ocga, an illegitimate son of Ida of Bernicia, who may either be the prototype for Octha or with whom Octha of Kent may have become conflated.   I feel the important thing to note is that even if the tradition of Octha in the North is spurious, we happen to find the Arthurian battles bracketed by two references to English military action in Britain beyond Hadrian's Wall.  

A warrior named Ebissa is Octha's companion in the North.  The name may be Celtic in origin, containing the element for 'horse' (*epo-s), although Eobba has been suggested.  Hengist and Horsa are English names meaning 'stallion' and 'horse', respectively.  During the Roman period, Whitley Castle, Kirkhaugh, Northumberland, was called Epiacum, 'place (or property) of *Epios'.  The Latin form of Epios was Eppius.  [See Rivet and Smith's THE PLACE-NAMES OF ROMAN BRITAIN.] Of course, Kintyre, the home of the Scottish Dalriadan dynasty, was anciently referred to as Epidium, the land of the Epidii or 'Horse-people.'  Arthur son of Aedan (or of Conaing) was of Dalriada and Arthur son of Bicoir "the Britain" killed the Irish king Mongan in or near Kintyre.  Long ago I suggested that Kent, called Centlond in the ANGLO-SAXON CHRONICLE, may have been wrongly related to Cind Tyre in the TIGERNACH ANNAL entry on Arthur son of Bicoir.

[NOTE:  Bicoir may be a slightly corrupt form of Petuir, found for Pedr of Dyfed, father of an Arthur.  I long ago recognized that /B/ and /P/ commonly substitute for each other, while /c/ and /t/ can be mistaken for each other in some MS. hands. There is no problem with the broad vowel o or u or vice-versa. Otherwise, we might postulate a connection of Bicoir to Beccurus, a name found on a Dark Age memorial stone in NW Wales.]

I would add this from the eDIL:

Echde
Cite this: eDIL s.v. Echde or dil.ie/19515
npr., m.: Aird Echdi, erca Echdi ZCP ix 191 . Ériu ii 32 . A. Echdai, Corm. Y 585 . Acc. to Meyer, Wortk. 41 , Aird E.¤ corresponds to Ptolemy's Ἐπίδιον Ἄκρον. Thurneysen, Ir. Held. 433 , considers that the npr. was extracted from the place-name.

This is a personal name, which has been thought to derive from Ard Echde, the Mull of Kintyre.  It is a Gaelic rendering of Ptolemy's Epidion Akron.  While I can't make a linguistic case for Octha coming from Echde or something similar (e.g. attested Irish names such as Echtaigh, Echtaich, Echtach), the pairing of the P-Celtic Ebissa with a Q-Celtic name containing the horse element would not be surprising.  In fact, as with Hengist and Horsa, it is to be expected. The initial /O/ could be due to contamination through contact with the several O- names found in the Bernician royal pedigree.  Or an Irish Eoch- formation could have lost the initial /E/. But, again, this is only speculation.

Incidentally, the father of the Erc who founded Dalriada was named Eochaid (possibly 'knight', 'horseman'). Kintyre is the home of the Mac Eacherns or Mac Each-thighearna, 'Son of Horse-lord.'

The emphasis on the North in Chapter 56 of the HB surely must have some bearing on the Arthurian content.  If Arthur did not belong in the North, why are his exploits heralded along with those of the English Octha beyond Hadrian's Wall and with the reign of Ida of Bernicia from Bamburgh?  If we look at Arthur's military career from this perspective, it is difficult if not impossible to default to Cerdic of Wessex/Ceredig son of Cunedda as the favored candidate for a historical dux erat bellorum.