A SEVERAN-PERIOD INFLUENCE ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MYRDDIN LEGEND?

Burgh By Sands/Aballava Roman Fort

(courtesy https://www.u3ahadrianswall.co.uk/burgh-by-sands-roman-forts/)

While I was exploring a Severan period Arthur ( = L. Artorius Castus), I happened upon a couple unusual events described as happening to Emperor Severus while he was on Hadrian's Wall.  Birley discusses these, but a nice summary exists in Simon Elliott's SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS IN SCOTLAND: THE NORTHERN CAMPAIGNS OF THE FIRST HAMMER OF THE SCOTS and in Ilkka Syvanne's EMPEROR SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS: THE ROMAN HANNIBAL:

The Latin phrase used to describe this Ethiopian soldier, who may have belonged to a Moorish unit stationed at Aballava (Arthur's "Avalon"), is "clarae inter scurras famae et celebratorum semper iocorum (https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Historia_Augusta/Septimius_Severus*.html)." The word scurra is defined as follows in Lewis and Short:

scurra, ae, m.

I. Orig., an elegant, town-bred man; a fine gentleman, gallant, dandy: tu urbanus vero scurra, deliciae popli, Rus mihi tu objectas? Plaut. Most. 1, 1, 14; cf. (opp. militaris) id. Ep. 1, 1, 13; id. Curc. 2, 3, 17.

Also of an elegant debauchee, Cic. Sest. 17, 39; Auct. Har. Resp. 20, 42.

II. Transf.

1. A city buffoon, droll, jester (usually in the suite of wealthy persons, and accordingly a kind of parasite; syn.: sannio, parasitus): urbani assidui cives, quos scurras vocant, Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 165; id. Poen. 3, 2, 35; 5, 5, 2; id. Truc. 2, 6, 10; Cic. Quint. 3, 11; id. de Or. 2, 60, 247; id. Verr. 2, 3, 62, § 146; Auct. Her. 4, 10, 14: Hor. S. 1, 5, 52, 1, 8, 11; id. Ep. 1, 15, 28; 1, 18, 4; Vulg. 2 Reg. 6, 20.

Zeno sarcastically called Socrates scurra Atticus, Cic. N. D. 1, 34, 93: Sabinus Asilius, venustissimus inter rhetores scurra, Sen. Suas. 2, 12.

Of the clown in a pantomime, Juv. 13, 111.

Prov.: vetus est: De scurrā multo facilius divitem quam patremfamilias fieri posse, Cic. Quint. 17, 55.

2. In the times of the later emperors, one of the guard, a soldier of the guard, a guardsman, Lampr. Alex. Sev. 61; 62 fin.; id. Heliog. 33; Treb. Poll. Trig. Tyr. 30.

The sequel to the Emperor's encounter with the buffoon concerns a so-called rustic soothsayer (haruspicis rustici), who wrongly has Severus sent to the Temple of Bellona.  

hăruspex (ar-), ĭcis, m. [Sanscr. hirā, entrails; Gr. χολάδες, χορδή; cf. hariolus, Curt. Gr. Etym. p. 202 sq.], a soothsayer, diviner among the Etruscans, who foretold future events from the inspection of the entrails of victims; from this people they were introduced among the Romans (syn.: hariolus, augur, auspex, extispex).

I. Lit.: haruspices mitte omnis, Plaut. Am. 5, 2, 2: quid enim habet haruspex, cur pulmo incisus etiam in bonis extis dirimat tempus et proferat diem? Cic. Div. 1, 39, 85; cf. id. N. D. 1, 20, 55: Etrusci haruspices, id. Div. 2, 35, 75; cf. id. Leg. 2, 9, 21; Gell. 4, 5, 5: cum haruspices ex tota Etruria convenissent, Cic. Cat. 3, 8, 19: Tyrrhenae gentis haruspex, Ov. M. 15, 577: quem (annum) saepe ex prodigiis haruspices respondissent bello civili cruentum fore, Sall. C. 47, 2; cf.: C. Mario per hostias dis supplicanti magna atque mirabilia portendi haruspex dixerat, id. J. 63, 1: dum sacra secundus haruspex Nuntiet, Verg. A. 11, 739: signaque ferre jubent: retinet longaevus haruspex Fata canens, id. ib. 8, 498; Macr. S. 3, 5, 1: qui de salute principis vel de summa rei publicae haruspices consulit, cum eo qui responderit, capite punitur, Paul. Sent. 5, 21, 3. Cf., on the haruspices, O. Müll. Etrusk. 2, p. 6 sq.

II. Poet. transf., a prophet in gen.: utinam patriae sim vanus haruspex, etc., Prop. 3, 13 (4, 12), 59: Armenius vel Commagenus, Juv. 6, 550.

There has been a debate over whether the temple was at York or Carlisle, but we do know Bellona (https://www.vindolanda.com/blog/bellona-roman-goddess-of-war) was worshipped at Old Carlisle (see https://romaninscriptionsofbritain.org/inscriptions/890):

Maglona Roman Fort Near Wigton, Cumbria

What struck me as interesting about all this is that we have a fool of sorts, mentioned in the same context as a "rustic" utterer of prophecies, associated with Arthur's Avalon and, quite possibly, with a site nearby where there was a temple of a war goddess. This same region was the stomping ground of the Welsh Myrddin, a madman-prophet, who had a special affinity with a magical apple tree and whose origin was Carwinley just a little north of Carlisle, and whose madness (which I have in the past defined as a spectral state following death) was brought about by the battle fought at Arthuret, a site next to Carwinley.  Myrddin communes with the spirits of the dead and we are reminded of the Pluto association of the Moorish soldier who confronted Severus.  Avalon was a Celtic Otherworld, a land of spirits.  According to our sources, the madness that afflicted Myrddin may well have been a battle-panic so severe it brought about death itself.  I have discussed this as occurring in the Irish sources to warriors in connection with war goddesses like Nemhain (eDIL: "battle-fury, warlike frenzy, strife"). Roman Bellona (Greek Enyo) was a goddess with similar attributes.  

Now, I must very quickly say that I have explored any possible connection of the name Myrddin with the Moors at Aballava (assuming, of course, they were actually already there during the reign of Severus). The reception of this idea among the relevant language specialists was not encouraging.

Mauri, ōrum, m. (Μαῦροι), the Moors, Mauritanians, the inhabitants of Mauritania: proxime Hispaniam Mauri sunt, Sall. J. 18, 10 sqq.; Plin. 5, 2, 1, § 17; 13, 15, 29, § 91; Liv. 21, 22, 3; Mel. 1, 4, 4.

In sing.: Maurus, i, m., a Moor, Juv. 11, 125; Luc. 4, 678.

Hence,

A. Maurus, a, um, adj., = Μαῦρος, of or belonging to the Moors, Moorish, Mauritanian; also poet. for African: Maurae manus, i. e. Poenorum arma, Ov. F. 6, 213: angues, Hor. C. 3, 10, 18: jacula, id. ib. 1, 22, 2: Oceanus, Juv. 10, 148: unda, i. e. mare Africum, Hor. C. 2, 6, 3: silvae filia Maurae, i. e. e citro facta, Mart. 14, 90, 1: postes, i. e. citrini, Stat. S. 1, 3, 35.

B. Maurĭcus, a, um, adj., Moorish: Maurica planta, Coripp. Joann. 2, 137.

Subst.: Maurĭcus, i, m., a Roman surname, Mart. 5, 28, 5.

Adv.: Mau-rĭcē, like a Moor, Varr. ap. Gell. 2, 25, 8.

And Maurĭcātim, as or like a Moor: Mauricatim scire, Laber. ap. Charis. p. 184 P. (Com. Rel. v. 16 Rib.).

C. Maurītā-nĭa (Maurēt-), ae, f., = Μαυριτανία, a country of Africa, on the Mediterranean, between the Atlantic Ocean and Numidia, the modern Fez and Morocco; having been divided into M. Cæsariensis and Tingitana, it was called also in the plur. Mauritaniae, Caes. B. C. 1, 6; 39; Cic. Sull. 20, 56; Tac. H. 1, 11; 2, 58; 59; Plin. 5, 1, 1, § 2.

Hence, Maurītānĭcus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Mauritania: exercitus, on a coin of Hadrian, in Eckhel. D. N. V. t. 6, p. 498.

D. Maurūsĭa, ae, f., = Μαυρουσία, the Greek name of Mauritania, Vitr. 8, 2, 6.

Hence,

a. Maurūsĭăcus, a, um, adj., Moorish, Mauritanian: citrus, Mart. 12, 66, 6.

b. Maurūsĭus, a, um, adj., = Μαυρούσιος, Maurusian, Mauritanian, African: gens, Verg. A. 4, 206: pubes, Sil. 11, 414.

Subst.: Maurūsĭi, ōrum, m., the Mauritanians, Liv. 24, 49.

Still, the idea that this Ethiopian fool, perhaps conflated with the rustic soothsayer, may have contributed to the Myrddin legend is intriguing.  All the necessary elements seem to be there, and in the right place.  If the Moorish soldier at the west end of Hadrian's Wall does have something to do with Myrddin, this would be quite the coincidence, as L. Artorius Castus was active in the same region at the same time.