DEFINITIVE IDENTIFICATIONS FOR AMBROSIUS AURELIANUS AND UTHER PENDRAGON

Île de Batz, Brittany, France

Over the years, I have occasionally flirted with the idea that Uther Pendragon is merely a poetic "disguise" for Ambrosius Aurelianus.  Of the many pieces I wrote on the subject, here is one that mostly summarizes the argument:

https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2024/09/my-growing-fear-that-uther-pendragon-is.html

While there seemed good reason to go this route, to be honest, I hated the idea!  And so I refused to adopt it.  As it turns out, I was right to do so.

What I decided to focus on over the past few days was the Gwythur of the Uther Pendragon elegy.  I've been convinced all along whoever this Victor was, he is critical for identification of Arthur's father.

My energy has tended to focus on Victor son of Magnus Maximus, and there are two magister militums (assuming, for the sake of argument, that pendragon = magister militum) we can associated with Victor, one directly and one indirectly.  One is Nanniensus (whom I've discussed elsewhere) and the other is Gerontius (also an MVM). Neither man, of course, works chronologically for Arthur's father.

Another one is a Northern fiction, i.e. the Victor found in a story based in Pictland from CULHWCH AC OLWEN.  For this, see https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2020/04/creiddylad-not-goddess-welsh.html.  There is no link between this Victor and Uther Pendragon.

One other Victor had come to my attention, but until now I did not connect the dots.  This is Withur or Victor of Domnonee in Brittany.

The following on Withur is from the entry for St. Paul of Leon in P. C. Bartrum's A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY:

PAUL, ST., of Léon. (480)

Paul, surnamed Aurelian, was son of a certain count Perphirius, who came from Penn

Ohen, in Latin Caput Boum, [Penychen]. This man had eight brothers who all lived in Brehant Dincat, in

Latin Guttur receptaculi pugnae [Gullet of the place of refuge from battle], and three sisters. Those

named are: brothers, Notolius and Potolius, and a sister, Sitofolla. Paul consecrated himself to the

service of God.

2. Iltutus lived at an island called Pyrus [Ynys Byr = Caldy Island] and had many disciples.

Paul was handed over by his parents to Iltutus.

3. Among Iltut's disciples were Paul, Devius [Dewi] called ‘Aquaticus’, Samson and

Gildas.

7. Paul, aged 16, departed for the seclusion of the desert. He built an oratory which now

bears the names of his brothers [?Llanddeusant in Ystrad Tywi]. Here he was ordained priest by the

bishop.

8. His fame reached the ears of king Marc, quem alio nomine Quonomorium vocant,

‘whom others call by the name Quonomorius’, a powerful monarch, under whose rule lived peoples of

four different languages. Marc desired Paul to settle firmly the foundations of the Christian faith which

had recently been laid in that country. Paul went to Villa Bannhedos (Caer Banhed, Villa Benhedos in

the Paris MS.) where the bones of Marc now rest. He remained some time instructing the people. Marc

wished him to accept the office of bishop over the country, but Paul declined and decided to leave.

9. He set out and arrived at the house of his sister, aforementioned, who was living in the

furthest recesses of that country, on the shores of the British Sea, having become a nun.

10. Paul set sail and landed at an island named Ossa [Ushant].

11. Twelve presbyters came with him under their master (To-)Quonocus, and Decanus, a

deaenn Ohen [Penychen] was perhaps suggested by the name Pawl Penychen (q.v.).

Several things here stand out.  

First, the meaning given to Paul's home in Penychen matches the meaning of the -tagel component of Tintagel in Cornwall (cf. W. tagell, 'throat, windpipe').

Second, the HISTORIA BRITTONUM is of approximately the same age as the translation of Paul's remains to Orleans.  Given the name Ambrosius Aurelianus, and the placement of Ambrosius at Campus/Pauld Elleti in Penychen, I am going to go ahead and state that it is my belief that Paul was wrongly identitied with the Ambrosius Aurelianus of Gaul (father and/or saintly son).  And that the placement of Emrys in Penychen is precisely due to Paul's presence there.  An additional parallel has to do with Ambrosius's parents, who are said to have worn the purple:

From Gildas:

Ambrosius Aurelianus. He was a man of unassuming character, who, alone of the Roman race chanced to survive in the shock of such a storm (as his parents, people undoubtedly clad in the purple)

ambrosio aureliano uiro modesto, qui solus forte romanae gentis tantae tempestatis collisione occisis in eadem parentibus purpura nimirum indutis superfuerat,

Of Paul of Leon we are told that his father's name was Perphirius/Porphyrius ("clad in purple").

Third, Paul spends a considerable period of time with St. Illtud, whose military ranks prior to his becoming a religious include being the magister militum of Paul Penychen, and a descriptor 'miles terribilis.'  This leader of troops has always been high on my list for Uther Pendragon, the Terrible Chief of warriors.  The PA GUR poem seems to identify Illtud with Uther.

Fourth, Withur/Victor, as it turns out (from the actual VITA), is Paul's cousin ("Quos duplicata tenebat propinquitas, nam carnalis nexu originis consobrini, spiritualis autem quod est in Christo, fratres erant").  Illtud is said to come from Brittany.  Now while I've made attempts based upon the name of Illtud's father (Bicanus) to show that the Llydaw/Letavia of the saint's life may actually be a place in England or Wales, there are many bihan (= Breton form of Welsh bychan, 'small') place-names in Brittany - including in the Finistere of Withur.  I note bihan as a common modern surname in Brittany, but have not been able to find it used as a name in the early period.  In Wales, bychan was used only as an epithet, 'the less, the younger, junior (in cognomens)'. See the GPC. 

But to return to Point 2...

If Ambrosius/Emrys ended up in Penychen through the usual folkloric processes due to Paul Aurelian originating from there, what accounts for the former's transference from Campus/Palud Elleti (which I've before suggested was chosen because of Arelate on the Continent; see  https://mistshadows.blogspot.com/2024/11/campus-elleti-and-arelate-how-ambrosius.html) to Dinas Emrys?

Well, that represents yet another development - one in which Ambrosius, a name meaning 'the divine or immortal one' - was identified with Mabon.  Gileston, originally called the Church of Mabon of the Vale [of Glamorgan] is very near Campus Elleti, indeed, it is right across the River Thaw.  Mabon is the 'Divine Son', and the story of his being a bastard and playing ball with the other boys at Campus Elleti is echoed in the story of the Irish god Oengus Mac Og, the 'Young Son.'  We know Mabon is placed in death in Nantlle, the same place where the god Lleu appears as a death-eagle.  Eryri, where Dinas Emrys is located, was believed to derive from the Welsh word for eagle (eryr) and I have shown how Vortigern and Ambrosius at Dinas Emrys seems to borrow elements from St. Ambrose and Magnus the Tyrant at Aquileia, another place that might well have been fancifully linked to Latin aquila (eagle).

Geoffrey of Monmouth took this one step forward by identifying the Northern Myrddin, his Merlin, with Ambrosius/Mabon of Dinas Emrys.

So what can we get out of all this?

Well, to begin with, I feel comfortable continuing to see Ambrosius Aurelianus as a chronologically and geographically displaced version of a conflation of the 4th century Gallic prefect and his saintly son. He is not a factor in our quest for an Arthur belonging to Britain in the 6th century.

But the close relationship between Paul Aurelian and Illtud, a man whom the Welsh poem PA GUR seems to identify with Uther Pendragon, lends weight to Uther as the Terrible Chief of warriors.

The only question remaining would be whether Illtud was Arthur's father or whether I am right about a confusion betweem Illtud/Uther Pendragon and Sawyl of Ribchester.  I will return to this point in a future blog post.  What I can say right now is that Uther was one or the other: either he was Illtud or he was Sawyl.  

NOTE: The name of Withur's island is interesting.  Battham bears a striking resemblance to Badon, a word linguists agree derives from English bathum (or batham, the dative plural, 'baths'). I won't push this point very far, especially as the highest point on the island (where the modern lighthouse now stands) is only 33 meters above sea level.  And, it is hard to interpret such a site as being in any sense important to Dark Age British (or even Breton) events.  But a fun coincidence, nonetheless.