[NOTE: This post represents another old idea I had sitting around. I held in abeyance because I was not sufficiently satisfied with it. To be honest, I'm still not! But in honor of the principle of full disclosure, I'm finally presenting it for consideration. My readers should console themselves with the knowledge that I will continue to explore the problem in more detail in the near future.]
Whitley Castle, Epiacum
Closely related to Culhwch in its list of heroes and
adventures is the poem Pa Gur yv y Porthaur?
(Who is the gatekeeper?), in which Mabon am Mydron
appears in Arthur’s band described as a ‘servant of
Uthr Bendragon’, in what is probably the first
extant reference to the latter figure.
from John Koch's Celtic Culture
Over the past few years, I've felt the need to properly treat of the 'elei vytheint' phrase found in the Arthurian PA GUR poem (https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-pa-gur-battle-sites-revision.html). Why are these two words so important?
Well, if Mabon is one of the three predatory birds of Elei, and he is said in that context to be the servant of Uther Pendragon, we might reasonably ask whether Uther belonged at the same place. As Elei is a known spelling of the River Ely in Glamorgan, I once tried to do the opposite of finding Mabon there: I sought Uther instead (https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2017/12/uther-pendragon-discovered-at-last.html, https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2018/10/how-welsh-tradition-confirms-that.html, etc.). That effort led to an indefensible identification of Uther with St. Illtud. Or, if one wishes to accept Illtud as Uther, one also had to dismiss the latter as Arthur's father.
The problem with Elei in south Wales is that all the other sites mentioned in the PA GUR are located in the North of Britain - several of them in the far North. In addition, Mabon in the Roman period is a decidedly Northern deity (although he appears in Wales and southwestern England in CULHWCH AND OLWEN).
In the PA GUR poem, Mabon appears to be confined to the region about Edinburgh. Right after the three predatory birds of Elei are listed, we are told about Manawyd(an)'s prowess at Tryfrwyd/North Queensferry. Then we have a descriptive statement on Mabon son of Mellt ('Lightning'; cf. Apollo, with whom the Roman period Maponus was identified, as father of Jupiter Fulminator/'Lighting Hurler'). This is immediately followed by Llwch and a companion's defense of Edinburgh on the border. Llwch is the Welsh rendering of Irish Lugh, and is here appropriate, as the British form of this god name is found in the territorial designation Lothian (Lleuddiniawn, 'Land of the Fort of Lugus'). Lleu and Mabon appear to have been associated in Welsh tradition, if not actually identified with each other. We find both, for instance, in death at Nantlle in Arfon. Next in the PA GUR we have more northern battles (two, maybe three in Highland Scotland), and subsequent references to Edinburgh and Tryfrwyd (this time extolling Bedwyr's martial prowess). We finally go south, when Cai is mentioned with the 'lords of Emrys' ( = Gwynedd), and fights in Derbyshire and Mon. Cai was associated with Caer Gai near Penllyn/Lake Bala. An introduction to Cai had previously appeared "sandwiched" in the Bedwyr-Tryfrwyd section of the poem, probably because Cai and Bedwyr are frequently found paired in the Welsh heroic tradition.
So, once again, I'm struck by just how little sense it makes to seek Elei in south Wales!
But if it's in the North, then where, exactly? As the PA GUR site list contains British, Gaelic and English place-names, we cannot restrict ourselves to, say, those that happen to be Cumbric. Although, clearly, we can't select a location that isn't, in some way, closely linked to Mabon or Apollo Maponus. Obviously, any such name in the North may not still be extant.
As for Elei itself, while there are different theories as to its derivation, the prevailing one was best summarized by noted Celtic place-name specialist Dr. Isaac Graham:
"Elei would be from the same root as Aled, Alun, Eleri, all rivers, < Celt. *al- < PIE *h2el-, 'to shine'. They are all, in different ways, 'shining rivers'.
Alan James agrees, saying of *al-:
"...an element widely attested on the Continent and in Roman Britain, generally as a river-name, though occasional examples suggest it may have been applied to other topographical features. It is also found in personal, tribal and divine names, a range of applications which implies that this term was adjectival and broad in sense.’ Those like Nicolaisen and Kitson who see this as primarily an Old European river-naming element interpret its meaning as ‘flowing’, but different Indo-European origins and etymologies have been proposed, with a range of meanings such as ‘bright, shining, white’ (see alarch, and cf. W alaw 'a waterlily' and OIr Alba 'Britain'), ‘sparkling, speckled’ (again, see alarch, and cf. OIr ala ‘a trout’), rocky (see *al), ‘holy’, nourishing’, 'wandering', etc.
Nearly all the surviving or recorded names thought to be associated with this element appear to
have been formed with an IE suffix –*awe-, zero-grade -*au-, with root-determinative -*n- or
participial -*ant..."
Nearly all the surviving or recorded names thought to be associated with this element appear to
have been formed with an IE suffix –*awe-, zero-grade -*au-, with root-determinative -*n- or
participial -*ant..."
If this is correct, then I needed to find an *al- river in the North, preferably in the region where Maponus was worshiped, that was also associated with this god. Fortunately for us, there is such a river.
This is the Ayle Burn in Cumbria and Northumberland. Of course, as is true of many 'Ale' type streams in Britain, the original spelling contained an /n/ (the Ayle Burn was 'Alne' in 1347). But there may have been cases in which the /n/ was lost earlier, It is allowable, I feel, to have Elei (a more familiar form to the PA GUR author, in all likelihood) substituted for the Ayle/Alne. Or Elei may have been a sort of short-form for the full spelling of Alne.
At the confluence of the Ayle Burn and the River South Tyne is the remarkable Roman fort of Epiacum, now called Whitley Castle.[1] An altar to Apollo was found here which is believed to have also been a dedication to Maponus. I have at the following link the paper written on the altar by R. P. Wright. In his words,
"Dedications to the British Apollo-Maponus have been found in an area which extends from Ribchester to Hadrian's Wall and from Corbridge to Brampton and Clochmabenstane (Locus Maponi). It would not be surprising to find a further instance of this cult at Whitley Castle, which is centrally placed within this area."
Now if Mabon of Elei belonged at Epiacum/Whitley Castle, what does that tell us about Uther Pendragon?
Well, I suppose that depends on what we want to make of the fact that he was Mabon of Elei's master. It is certainly possible for someone to have his origin at one place, but to serve a master someplace else. And if we allow for a major shrine to Maponus at Epiacum, yet remember that Maponus was also worshipped at Ribchester, we can retain my identification of Uther with Sawyl Benisel.
[1]
For more information on the Roman fort itself, please consult these helpful Web pages:
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