UTHER PENDRAGON AT RIBCHESTER WITH THE SARMATIANS?

Could my problem with Illtud/Uther Pendragon as Arthur's father have to do with the fact that I have the wrong Samuel/Sawyl?

Those reading my past posts will recall that an acceptable corrected reading of a line in the early Welsh poem THE DEATH-SONG OF UTHER [PEN]DRAGON refers to the chieftain as a 'second Sawyl.'  I related this to Geoffrey of Monmouth's story, where Illtud refers to himself thus.  While not my best proof for Uther being Illtud, it does lend extra weight to the argument as a whole.

It has only recently occurred to me that I might be missing something here. Once upon a time I had tentatively proposed that Sawyl Benisel of Ribchester might be Uther. Ribchester was the Roman fort where the Sarmatian veterans were settled.  We all know now quite well that the Sarmatians often carried a dragon standard into battle.  Furthermore, both Sawyl and Uther had sons named Madog (or Madoc/Matoc/Madawg).  Madog son of Uther's son was named Eli[g]wlad, and I sought to account for this name as a Welsh form of Irish Ailithir, the latter being an epithet given to Madog son of Sawyl.  Lastly, Sawyl Benisel had an Irish princess as his wife, so the needed Irish connection for Arthur was maintained.

The idea was original, but failed to generate much interest.  

What I want to do in this post is to put forward two possible scenarios.  In the first, Uther Pendragon was originally a poetic title for Sawyl Benisel of Ribchester.  But at some point the title was wrongly associated with the Latin terribilis miles (and other military titles) of St. Illtud. OR... Sawyl was used poetically for Uther/Illtud and, as a result, Arthur as a son of Sawyl Benisel was mistakenly transferred to Illtud.

Here is the entry on Sawyl Benisel from P.C. Bartram's A CLASSICAL WELSH DICTIONARY:

SAWYL BENISEL ap PABO POST PRYDYN. (480)

‘S. Low-head or Humble’. He is mentioned in the ‘Harleian’ genealogies as son of Pabo Post

Prydyn and father of Guitcun (§19 in EWGT p.12). Most later sources change his cognomen to

Benuchel, ‘High-head or Proud’, namely ByS 13, AchS 12, BGG 4 in EWGT pp.56, 69, 73. He was

father of St.Asa by Gwenasedd ferch Rhain of Rhieinwg (ByS 13).

He is evidently the same as Samuel Chendisil the father of Matóc Ailithir and Sanctan by

Deichter daughter of Muredach Muinderg, king of Ulster (MIS §1 in EWGT p.32).

A daughter was the wife of Maelgwn Gwynedd (q.v).

Are either of these ideas at all credible/viable?  Or do they merely represent a last ditch, rather desperate effort to retain Uther Pendragon as Arthur's father?  

I will leave both of those questions for my readers to ponder.

IMPORTANT RELATED LINKS:

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2017/11/pabo-post-prydain-and-his-sons-map.html

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-sarmatian-dragon-rearing-his.html

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2017/11/a-workable-etymology-for-eliwlad.html

https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/583 [Evidence of Maponus at Ribchester;
cf. Uther Pendragon's "servant" Mabon]