THE FOUR CHIEFTAINS OF THE UTHER PENDRAGON ELEGY

Cordelia by William Frederick Yeames

Besides Arthur, four chieftains are mentioned in the MARWNAT VTHYR PEN or "Elegy of Uther Pendragon."  It might be helpful to try and place these leaders geographically, as to do so might tell us something important about Uther's sphere of military activity - even if such activity is purely legendary in nature.  

1) The first chieftain I would like to treat of is named Henpen.

19 neu vi a rodeis y Henpen,

it was I who gave Henben

20 cledyfawr goruawr gyghallen.

swords of great protective power.

Marged Haycock, editor and translator of the poem, has to this say on Henpen in her notes:

Line 19 a rodeis i Henpen The i is a remnant of the pronoun, i.e. rodeis-i. Restore y

Henben. Henpen is a personal name, or possibly a nickname, as in LlDC 18.219

Bed Hennin Henben yn aelwyt Dinorben (Abergele, Denbighshire), presumably

the same character as Hennin father of Garwen (em.) LlDC 18.217, and Henin

Hen, father of Garwen in Triad 57 (see TYP3 397), and possibly to be equated

with Heinin Vardd, chief poet at the Degannwy court of Maelgwn Gwynedd in

YT line 374, 380; and 200 Henin. See further on §8.24.

However, she has forgotten the following personage, found listed in P.C. Bartram's A CLASSICAL WELSH DICTIONARY:

HENBEN ap GLEISIAR GOGLEDD and/or HAEARNWEDD FRADOG. (Legendary).

One of the ‘Three Brave Men’ of Ynys Prydein who would not turn from battle except on their

biers. See further s.n. Gleisiar Gogledd. In ‘Marwnad Uthyr Ben’ in the Book of Taliesin are the lines:

Neu vi a rodeis i Henpen

cledyfawr goruawr gyghallen.

Indeed I gave to Henpen

immense swords for defence.

(BT 71, l.19). See TYP p.406.

This Henpen, as proven by his father's epithet, was of the North:

GLEISIAR GOGLEDD. (Legendary).

‘G. of the North’. He is mentioned in the ‘WR’ version of a triad (TYP no.22) as the father of

the ‘Three Brave Ones’ of Ynys Prydain, namely Gruddnei, Henben and Edenog, their mother being

Haearnwedd Fradog, ‘H. the Treacherous or Wily’. In the older version of the triad the only parent

mentioned is Haearnwedd Fradog which suggests that this was the name of their father. There is perhaps an attempt in the WR text to reconcile two versions of their parentage.

A proverb is attributed to Haearnwedd Fradog, vilwr teyrned, ‘soldier of monarchs’ in the

‘Englynion y Clyweid’ in Llanstephan MS.27 (No.30 edited in BBCS 3 p.12). This implies that

Haearnwedd was a man. On the name see TYP p.404.

2) Gwythur, i.e. Gwythyr or 'Victor'.

Line 11 Neur ordyfneis-i waet am Wythur,

I was used to blood[shed] around Gwythur,

Haycock:

am Wythur On the personal name Gwythur, see §15.31. Am ‘for, around’,

perhaps here meaning that the speaker was in Gwythur’s entourage.

This cannot be the Roman emperor Flavius Victor, as he was killed in A.D. 388 (although Victor was a son of Magnus Maximus, who is placed at Segontium in Welsh tradition).  Instead, this would appear to be the only other Victor known of in Welsh tradition, i.e. Gwythyr son of Greidawl.  This man man also belonged to the North. We are specifically told this in CULHWCH AND OLWEN; Arthur has to go to the North to settle the conflict between Gwythyr and Gwyn over Crieddylad.

Interestingly enough, according to C&O, one of Gwythyr's men was none other than Gwrwst Ledlum or Fergus Mor of Dalriada.  Fergus died c. 501 and his floruit exactly matches what we would expect of Uther Pendragon.  Fergus was father of Domangart (present as Dyfnarth in Gwythyr's retinue), father of Gabran, father of Aedan, father of Arthur (or father of Aedan, father of Conaing, father of Arthur).  It is tempting to immediately ask whether Uther Pendragon, taken as a title 'the Terrible Chief-warrior', could be a designation for Fergus.  But, if so, why was Fergus nowhere credited with a son named Arthur?

3) Cawrnur, a name which, translated literally, means 'Lordly or Heroic Giant.'

We know nothing about this person other than that Uther - perhaps with Arthur - stole horses from him.

Line 12 cledyual hydyr rac meibon Cawrnur.

with vigorous swordstroke against Cawrnur’s sons.

Haycock:

12 meibon Cawrnur See on §9.13-14 which describe horses being reaved from

Cawrnur.

The second Taliesin poem Haycock is alluding to in her note is the CADEIR TEYRNON.  Teyrnon, if we take it seriously and not merely as a noun for 'Lord', contains the typical Welsh suffix for a divinity.  Thus this is the 'Divine Lord.'  It is the same name used for the character Teyrnon Twrf Liant in the MABINOGION.  Twrf Liant means 'the Roaring Sea.'  I've argued that the giant claw that appears every May Eve when a male foal is stolen from Teyrnon is a reference to the silver hand of Irish Nuadu/Welsh Nudd/British Nodens, whose temple was found at the mouth of the Severn.  The noise accompanying the appearance of the hand is, of course, the roaring sea.  The best suggestion I've read (and forgive me - I forget the source!) is that the phenomenon being described in this myth is the great Severn Bore, which could be strong enough to wash away livestock.  

But I digress... It is not known for certain for Teyrnon is in the CADEIR TEYRNON poem.  However, Arthur is mentioned - the only person who is - and he is given a prominent description.  The following is from Arthuriana: Early Arthurian Tradition and the Origins of the Legend

by Thomas Green:

Thus it has been surmised that the teyrnon or 'divine lord' of the title is a reference to Arthur himself.  But, given the fact that Uther also partakes in this raid against Cawrnur for horses, Uther could be the teyrnon.

Alas, there is absolutely no clue whatsoever where Cawrnur resides.  Unless we go by the line in the CADEIR TEYRNON just before the reference to Cawrnur, which has "goscord uur [mur]", the retinue of the wall.  This could be any wall of any fort, but it could also designate either Hadrian's Wall or the Antonine Wall.  In which case we would have another chieftain of the North.  

4) Casnur 

Line 10 yn difant a charant Casnur.

in [the fight to] the death against Casnur’s kin.

Haycock:

10 yn difant a charant Casnur On difant, see §4.127; on carant, §§14.2 and 18.22;

for the element nur, see on §9.12. Casnur understood as a personal name (cf.

Cawrnur line 12) though G, but not GPC, notes possible adj. ‘wrathful, angry’.

The GPC for cas has:

cas1 

[Crn. cas, Llyd. C. cas: < Clt. *kad-t- o’r gwr. *kād- ‘tristwch, casineb’, fel hefyd yn y Gym. cawdd, Gwydd. C. caiss, a’r S. hate] 

eg. ll. casau, casoedd, a hefyd fel a.

Chwerwder, gwenwyn, llid, gelyniaeth, atgasrwydd:

bitterness, hatred, enmity. 

Fel a. Gwrthun, ffiaidd, a gaseir, digasog, yn peri neu’n haeddu casineb; annymunol, angharedig, brwnt, sarrug:

hateful, hated; disagreeable, nasty, unkind, surly. 

Haycock does not mention the following hero, who may be the chieftain in question.  If so, then Casnur appears to have belonged in Powys or thereabouts.  Again, the following entries are from Bartram:

CASNAR WLEDIG. (Legendary). (500?)

He appears in the Mabinogi branch of ‘Pwyll’ as the father of Gloyw Wallt Lydan (WM 38, RM

25), and in the tale of ‘Culhwch and Olwen’ as the father of Llary (WM 462, RM 107). In ‘Rhonabwy's Dream’ he appears as Kasnat Wledic, the father of Llara (RM 160). Otherwise he appears only in the genealogies as the father of Llary and ancestor of Tegonwy ap Teon, whose descendants were in Powys and Rhwng Gwy a Hafren ["Between the Wye and the Severn"] (MG 3, ABT 1b, 8g, etc. in EWGT pp.39, 96, etc.); also as ancestor of St.Mechyll in Bonedd y Saint (§49 in EWGT p.62). In the capacity of ancestor he is mentioned occasionally by the poets, but they give no information about him, except

that he was a famous hero.

In ABT 1b, 8g, etc. he is made son of Lludd ap Beli Mawr. This is in keeping with his legendary

character, but if he is the same as Casanauth Wledig (above) he is probably based on an originally

historical character whose parentage is unknown. MG 3 is clearly mistaken in making him the son of

‘Gloyw Gwlad Lydan’ ap Lludd ap Beli Mawr. 

Casnar came to be used as a synonym for ‘famous warrior’, ‘proud warlike man’. It appears as

if Casnar was proverbial for his delight in war. (Ifor Williams in Armes Prydein, 1955, p.11).

CASANAUTH WLEDIG. (430)

The name appears only in a genealogy in Jesus College MS.20 (JC 16 in EWGT p.46), at the

head of a line of princes, probably of a part of Powys. His wife is given as Thewer ferch Bredoe ap

Cadell Ddyrnllug (probably recte Brydw ap Gwrtheyrn). He is perhaps the same as Casnar Wledig who is called Kasnat Wledic in the tale of ‘Rhonabwy's Dream’ (RM 160).

However, in the Gorchan Cynfelyn, the hero is called 'gasnar', i.e. casnar.  This man is said to have hailed from Gwynedd and to have been a son of Tegfan, grandson of Cadfan, possibly of Llyn (according to Rachael Bromwich).  

So there we have it; the best I can do with the personages (other than Arthur) mentioned in the MARWNAT VTHYR PEN.