UTHER PENDRAGON, THE [VIR] SPECTABILIS DUX [BRITANNIARUM]?

Some of the Forts Under the Command of the Dux Britanniarum (from the NOTITIA DIGNITATUM)

In thinking about Arthur as a 6th century chieftain who may have been attempting to replicate the earlier Roman rank of Dux Britanniarum, I happen to recall that in the NOTITIA DIGNITATUM this duke was also awarded the rank of 'vir spectabilis.'  For the meanings of spectabilis, see

https://latinlexicon.org/definition.php?p1=2055642&p2=s

http://archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wordz.pl?keyword=spectabilis

Other dictionaries give for spectabilis 'that is worth seeing, worthy of notice or regard, worthy of admiration, notable, considerable, remarkable, distinguished', etc.

Uthr (see the GPC) has among its range of meanings "wonderful, wondrous, astonishing, excellent, admirable."  According to Welsh language experts like John Koch, the word probably comes from a British cognate of Irish uachtar and originally had the meaning of 'high, lofty', and so that which towered over, was easily seen and hence awe-inspiring.  

According to Dr. Simon Rodway of The University of Wales, spectabilis "is close to some of the meanings of uthr."  I should stress here that Dr. Rodway is NOT saying the words in question are identical in meaning.  

As Pendragon according to early Welsh usage (and I'm quoting Rachel Bromwich here) would either be the Chief-warrior or Chief of warriors, we might easily see it as a rendering of the Roman title of dux, a military commander.  Welsh scholars hold to the view that Geoffrey of Monmouth's derivation of the title Pendragon from a draco standard represents a purely fictional development.  They base this belief on the fact that dragon is inevitably used metaphorically in early Welsh to designate a warrior or martial hero.  Dragon in this sense had a uniquely positive connotation. The interpretation of 'caput draconis' or 'dragon's head', promoted by Geoffrey, is not given any credence nowadays by Welsh literary specialists. Could we instead, then, propose the following -

Uther Pendragon = [vir] spectabilis dux [britanniarum]?

This brings to mind my earlier discussion of the TRIAD corruption which names an Arthur Penuchel as son of Eliffer/Eleutherius of York.  The Dux Britanniarum was stationed at York.  If someone like Eliffer ruled from York and was referring to himself as the 'Duke of the Britains' and the vir spectabilis, he could, theoretically, have been referred to as Uther Pendragon.

Eliffer is made the son of Arthwys, an eponym meaning 'People of the Bear'.  I've placed these people in the Irthing Valley or Valley of the Bear River on Hadrian's Wall.

Once again I caution against overreacting to this idea.  My conclusions regarding Arthur do place him on the western end of Hadrian's Wall and point toward the Irthing Valley as his point of origin.  However, Eliffer's sons Peredur and Gwrci were also said to fight on the Wall (at Carrawburgh) and at Arderydd near Longtown in Cumbria.

We also must be aware that vir spectabilis was used by other military ranks in the late Roman period, such as the magister militum, comes and vicarius. In other words, it was not exclusively applied to the dux britanniarum.  I've before offered up a magister militum as a possible candidate for Uther (see https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2019/08/uther-pendragon-and-flavius-victor.html).