UTHER PEN, SON OF NETHAWC/NWYTHON?

Pictish Stone at Abernethy

In the 'Elegy of Uther Pen [Dragon]', the following line occurs:

Line 11

Neur ordyfneis-i waet am Wythur,
I was used to blood[shed] around Gwythur,

In her commentary to the critical edition of the poem, Marged Haycock says:

"am Wythur On the personal name Gwythur, see §15.31. Am ‘for, around’,
perhaps here meaning that the speaker [i,e, Uther Pen] was in Gwythur’s entourage."

Why is this significant?  Because in the MABINOGION tale 'Culhwch and Olwen', one of the earliest Arthurian stories, we are told that among Gwythyr's retinue is one PENN SON OF NETHAWC.

Bromwich and Thompson have the following discussion on the name Penn (in the English edition of CO, published in 1992; information courtesy Will Parker via personal correspondence):

"Penn uab Nethawc: some element appears here to be lacking. Pen(n) is itself an unlikely personal name.  Nethawc could be read as Neithon, the name which developed in Brythonic as Nwython, corresponding to Nechton, Nechtan in Irish and Pictish. If so, it would be a doublet of Nwython, which follows immediately in the text."

While these authors go on to say that  "Pen(n) in that case would be a possible corruption of Run, corresponding to Run mab Nywthon," given the testimony of the MARWNAT VTHYR PEN it would be more reasonable to suggest that Penn is a shortened form of Uther Penn.  I think it unlikely that Run could have become Penn, in any case (see https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2019/06/is-penn-son-of-nethawc-merely.html). 

MABINOGION translator Gwyn Jones chooses instead to connect the previous /o/ in C&O to penn, yielding an otherwise unknown name Oben.  This is unwarranted, as adequately demonstrated by Dr. Marieke Meelen in https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/40632/05.pdf?sequence=8 (p. 149-50).  Dr. Simon Rodway of The University of Wales concurs with Meelen's assessment of the phrase.

Neithawc or Nethoc is an attested hypocoristic form of Neithon.  For the saint Mo-Nethoc in NE Scotland, for example, see https://www.jstor.org/stable/24371933?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A690abfbd90b60bdc989f34e698db64c0&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents, https://saintsplaces.gla.ac.uk/place.php?id=1350166381 and https://books.google.com/books?id=N9eqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=%22Nethoc%22%2B%22welsh%22&source=bl&ots=Z5kUOf5oT-&sig=ACfU3U2VRrLmv9KawBuNTM7CK_Ef_pbDTg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjj5LqMr7_iAhWJIDQIHSUiBr8Q6AEwCHoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22Nethoc%22%2B%22welsh%22&f=false.

The fascinating thing about the possibility that Uther Pen's father was named Nechton is the presence of a saint of this name at Hartland Point near Tintagel.  The same saint is also to be found at Tintagel itself, although this is believed by some to be a modern false attribution (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Nectan%27s_Kieve and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Nectan%27s_Glen).  Hagiographer Professor Nicholas Orme disagrees (personal communication). In any case, I had long ago theorized that either Hartland or Tintagel was the Promontory of Herakles of Ptolemy, and that Eigr (from a Celtic word akin to the root of Greek akron, 'headland') was either a personification of the Tintagel promontory or even a reflection of Hera Akraia.  Arthur fights 12 battles, similar to the 12 Labors of Hercules, and his birth story matches that of Hercules.

Could it be that Arthur was relocated from the North to Tintagel hard by Hartland at least in part because there was a Nechtan at these latter places?

The pedigree attached to Arthur by Geoffrey of Monmouth has long been known to be fraudulent.  Yet no earlier, more genuine genealogy has been forthcoming.  Might we propose that at some point in the pre-Galfridian legend Arthur's grandfather bore the name Nechtan?

And if he did, what would this mean for our Northern Arthur?

There is good reason for believing that the Nwython of C&O is the 5th century Pictish king Nechtan Morbet.  His son Cyledyr is, rather transparently, a made-up name derived from the Latinized Irish name for Kildare.

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.

Unfortunately, a connection between Arthur and the 5th century Nechtan is highly unlikely, and for many reasons.  But one important point should be made: Nechtan is the Celtic cognate of the Latin sea god Neptune.  A divine Nechtan who is associated with water is found in Irish mythology.  As I've mentioned before, the story of Arthur's birth not only is paralleled by that of Hercules, but by that of Mongan, who is sired by Manannan son of Lir, 'son of Sea.'

As always, there is nothing certain in any of this.  Uther Pen of the elegy poem may have been fancifully associated with the Penn son of Nethawc of C&O.  Or the Galfridian tradition placing Uther at Tintagel near a known St. Nechtan location may have contaminated C&O, despite the fact that Penn son of Nethawc is firmly placed in the North in this last source.  Not only are we told the battle between Gwyn son of Nudd and Gwythyr takes place in the North, Nethawc/Nwython is beyond doubt Pictish, and Gwrgwst Ledlwm and his son Dyfnarth (= Fergus Mor and Domangart) are Dalriadan.

It is possible that this Penn, 'Chief, Head', son of the Pictish Nethoc or Necton is a Welsh import of Cind, father of Cruithne (Cruithne being the eponymous founder of the Picts).  There was also a Brude Cind. See https://anthonyadolph.co.uk/the-pictish-king-list/. Or the name may have been borrowed from that of Baetan mac Cinn, King of the Cruthin, mentioned in the Annals of Ulster at year entry 563. If I'm right, then any connection between Uther Pen and the Penn of C&O is a purely fictional one.

Cind/Cinn is the Q-Celtic equivalent of Welsh Pen[n].

HOWEVER, THERE WAS ANOTHER NEITHON OF THE NORTH, AND I WILL EXAMINE HIM MORE CLOSELY IN A FUTURE BLOG POST.

Update 6/1/2019:  https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2019/06/uther-pen-son-of-nethawcnwython-part-two.html

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2019/06/is-penn-son-of-nethawc-merely.html

Coming Soon: HAS THE REAL FATHER OF UTHER PENDRAGON BEEN DISCOVERED?

Hartland Point of St. Nectan

ST. MARTIN AND MYRDDIN: A CHRISTIAN SAINT CO-OPTS A PAGAN GOD?

Tomb of St. Martin at Tours

In my various writings on the Welsh Myrddin (Geoffrey of Monmouth's 'Merlin'), I frequently alluded to the fact that his name seems in several instances to have been replaced in the North by that of St. Martin.  For the most part I was content with merely suggesting that the substitution took place because their names were superficially similar (they cannot be linguistically related).  In this blog post I would like to explore in a bit more detail some interesting correspondences that become apparent when we compare the lives of Myrddin and Martin.  

Chapter 4, Life of St. Martin:

Caeser accuses Martin of 'fear of the battle' when he refuses to serve any longer as a soldier.  Many have seen in Myrddin's fleeing from the Arthuret battle a state of panic.  In the Irish sources, such panic could be so severe as to cause death.  

Chapter 5:

The real St Niniann lives for some time in Pictava, the old name for Poitiers based on the Gaulish tribal name, Pictones.  As Martin dies in Candes, a place noted for its white stone, it is likely the story of his church being founded at Whithorn or Candida Casa/'White House' in Pictland (see the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle year entry 565 and Bede, Chapter 4) is a reflection of these place-names in France.  Whithorn may owe its name to the saint who founded it (see The Innes Review vol. 52, no. 1, Spring 2001, 1-28, Thomas Owen Clancy, The Real St Ninian, as well as
  https://www.academia.edu/28873924/Six_degrees_of_whiteness_Finbarr_Finnian_Finnian_Ninian_Candida_Casa_and_Hwiterne and https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/chapel-finian/).  I imagine Myrddin as Lailoken (from Welsh Llallogan) is associated with St. Kentigern at Molendinar Burn because St. Ninian's cemetery was located there. Kentigern (see  https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2018/09/so-just-who-or-what-was-myrddinmerlin.html) is the Gwasawg who relentlessly pursues Myrddin.  In reality, Myrddin does not appear to have ever been as far north as Strathclyde.  His presence is Tweeddale is a relocation (see https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-grave-of-myrddinmerlin.html).   And the Welsh mountain of Myrddin at Tinto (see https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2018/09/merlins-mountains-in-lowland-scotland.html) may be entirely due to the presence there of yet another Martin name.  Other mountains associated with Myrddin/Merlin, like the Eildons, were sites of Lammas fairs, originally sacred to the god Lleu.

While we are on the subject of 'white' place-names, let us not forget that Myrddin's lord Gwenddolau means 'White dales', found preserved at Carwinley or Caer Gwenddolau.  His sister was named Gwenddydd, 'White day.'

Chapter 10:

As the newly appointed bishop of Tours, Martin establishes his monastery in a secret spot next to a precipitous rock of a lofty mountain in a cell made of wood.  His monks live in caves in the overhanging mountain. This is reminiscent of Myrddin's mountain in Caledonian Wood.

Chapter 11:

Very close to the monastery was an altar were some martyrs were said to have been buried together. Martin learns that this is a fake shrine worshiped by locals.  The man who was buried there is a robber decapitated for his crimes.  This is cleverly devised hagiographical code, for thieves were sacred to the god Mercury.  In Gaul, Mercury is often associated with triple faces or heads and can be depicted holding a ram's head (itself the sacred animal symbolizing the god; see Miranda J. Green's Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend). Thus we can be fairly certain the monastery at the mountain took the place of a shrine dedicated to the god Mercury.  The Romans appear to have identified the god Mercury with the Celtic Lugus.  Myrddin evinces many characteristics of this particular divinity.

Only a short distance north of the Kirkmaiden near Monreith a statuette of Mercury was found (see https://canmore.org.uk/site/62754/stellock).  I'm presently trying to obtain an image of this figurine through Dr. Fraser Hunter of National Museums Scotland.  I've argued for some time now that Myrddin (= the later Merlin) is either the god Lugus or an avatar of that deity.  As St. Martin seems to have replaced Myrddin in several locations in Lowland Scotland, it might be significant that Mercury is present so close to Whithorn.

The Welsh appear to have identified Mabon and Lleu, as both gods are placed in death at the same place in Gwynedd (Nantlle).  The Rhinns and The Machars were within the tribal territory of the Novantae, wherein was situated the center of Mabon worship.  

Chapter 13:

Martin survives an attempt to kill him with a falling pine, itself a sacred pagan tree attached to a shrine.  We are reminded in this case of the tree or pole/stake upon which Myrddin either hung or was impaled.  

Chapter 21:

Angels are regularly seen by Martin, and he converses with them.  Myrddin has frequent communion with 'wild ones' and 'pale wanderers' in the Caledonian Wood, descriptions of Otherworld beings, specifically ghosts of the battle-slain.

St. Martin died in Candes on November 8.  In Roman times, this was the day of the festival of the Mundus Patet, when ghosts were released from the Underworld (see http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Journals//JRS/2/Mundus*.html).  November 8 falls only a week after the Celtic Samhain, a perilous time in which the barrier between the worlds of the living and the dead was removed.  In Irish story, sacred Irish kings and heroes died special sacrifical deaths on Samhain.  The triple death motif is found in such myths, and this is the form of execution meted out to Myrddin by Meldred's shepherds.  

The connection between Myrddin and Martin is odd, as Martinus means, literally, 'the little Mars.'  We would expect, then, that Myrddin should be derived from a British deity who was identified with the Roman Mars.  However, as I've pointed out above, there is good reason for supposing that St. Martin's monastery at the mountain near Tours had belonged to Mercury who was, in reality, the god Lugus.  The saint replaced the pagan worship of the pan-Celtic deity, who had been subjected to the usual interpretatio Romana, with his own Christ.  But as always happens in such cases, traces of the earlier deity were preserved within the new Christian overlay.  

While I've floated various identifications for Myrddin, the best remains that he is either the god Lleu/Lugh/Lugus or an avatar of that god.  Myrddin, 'phantom-man, is matched by Irish scal, 'man-phantom', a descriptor used for the god Lugh. In Irish, ferscal or scalfer had the meaning of 'phantom-man' or 'male phantom.'[1]. I've not been able to attach the name Myrddin to any other supernatural entity.  

[1]

From the eDIL:

1 scál

Cite this: eDIL s.v. 1 scál or dil.ie/36295

Last Revised: 2013

See 2013 Version

n o, n. See Pedersen Vgl. Gr. i 76 , O'Brien, Ériu xi 89 f. , Celtica vi 118 . supernatural or superhuman being, phantom, giant, hero. Later also man, human being (espec. in B. na f.; see also banscál, ferscál): ascath .i. scāl, unde ascata .i. lāechda. Nō scālda ar ūathmaire an laoich amhail scāth, Corm. Y 21 . `sgal' láoch (scál, v.l.), Metr. Gl. 15 § 32 . `sgal' ┐ `arg' . . . | sen anmann na bhfer, 13 § 24 . sgal .i. fear, O'Cl. sgal .i. láoch, ib. scal .i. fear, Lec. Gl. M 101 . conaccatar a s.¤ fadeissin isin taig, ZCP xiii 373.7 (Baile in Scáil). nimda s.¤-sa ┐ nimda aurdrach . . . is de hsīl Ādaim [dom], 11 . scal find (of a hero), LL 311b15 , `ein leuchtendes Phantom', Ält. Ir. Dicht. ii 23 § 1 . C. . . . in s.¤ sciathach, LL 45a25 ( RC xxxvi 262 ). co faca in s.¤ . . . chuci, LU 8534 ( FB 39 ). immácomarnaic dó ┐ don s.¤ , 8547 ( FB 40 ). co n-acca ní: in s.¤ mór am' dóchumm `a mighty phantom', MacCongl. 71.15 . dom mac neimnech . . . scal fri scalaibh sgelmhaine sgal sgolaidhe, LL 385c33 ( Measgra Uí Chl. 206.43 ). gabais E. scot na scal | os chlaind N. co nefnar, LL 3b24 . marb I. i Scelc na s.¤ , 16a28 . cland in merscáil móir (i.e. Míl), ZCP xiii 364.2 . ? airddithir a scíath ri s.¤ | sithithir a lam ri lae, LL 44b29 = 380b38 .

In B. na f.: do [ḟ]racc (.i. do ben) a scáil (.i. a fir), LU 437 ( ACC 1 Comm ). ēccusc an scāil (.i. fer), ZCP v 484.1 .

In nn. loc.: a nGlinn in Scail, Tromd. Guaire 403.428 . Medb Maige in Scáil, TBC-LL¹ 3228 = TBC-I¹ 2409 .

Compds. ¤baile, alternative title of the text Baile in Scáil ( ZCP xiii 372 ff . ): ro scríbad issin s., LL 132a48 . ¤ḟer giant : co n-acca in scáilfer mór ina dochum, LU 8515 ( FB 37 ). co n-acamar in s. mór . . . chucaind aníar `a great hero', Ériu iv 138.24 .