Uther Pendragon (French: Uter Pendragon; Welsh: Wthyr Bendragon, Uthr Bendragon, Uthyr Pendraeg) is a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain and the father of King Arthur. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an Archaeologists ' label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity. King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders

A few minor references to Uther appear in Old Welsh poems, but his biography was first written down by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain), and Geoffrey's account of the character was used in most later versions. Old Welsh (Hen Gymraeg is the label attached to the Welsh language from the time it developed from the Brythonic language generally thought to be in the period Mediaeval Welsh literature is the literature written in the Welsh language during the Middle Ages. Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c The Historia Regum Britanniae ( English: The History of the Kings of Britain) is a pseudohistorical account of British history He is a fairly ambiguous individual throughout the literature; he is described as a strong king and a defender of the people. Uther, through circumstances (and Merlin's help) tricks the wife of his enemy Gorlois, Lady Igraine and sleeps with her. Gorlois ( Old Welsh: Gwrlais) was a Duke of Cornwall and Igraine 's first husband before her marriage to Uther Pendragon, In Arthurian legend, Igraine is the mother of King Arthur. (She is also known in Latin as Igerna, in Welsh as Eigyr, in French as Igerne Thus Arthur, "the once and future king," is an illegitimate child. This act of conception occurs the very night Uther's troops dispatch Gorlois. This theme of illegitimate conception is repeated in Arthur's siring of Mordred on his own sister Morgause in the later prose romances. In Common law, legitimacy is the status of a Child that is born to parents who are legally married to one another or that is born shortly after the Mordred or Modred ( Welsh: Medraut, Medrod, etc is a character in the Arthurian legend, known as a notorious traitor who fought Morgause, known in earlier works as Anna, is the sister or half-sister of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend. It is Mordred who will eventually mortally wound King Arthur in the Battle of Camlann. Mordred or Modred ( Welsh: Medraut, Medrod, etc is a character in the Arthurian legend, known as a notorious traitor who fought King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders The Battle of Camlann ( Cad Camlan) is best known as the final battle of King Arthur, where he either died in battle or was fatally wounded fighting his enemy and

Epithet

Uther's epithet Pendragon means "Chief Dragon" in a figurative sense, referring to his status as "foremost leader" or "chief of warriors". ^[1] The name was misinterpreted by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the Historia to mean "dragon's head". ^[2] According to Geoffrey and works based on his version, Uther acquires the epithet when he witnesses a portentous dragon-shaped comet, which inspires him to use dragons on his standards. The dragon is a Legendary creature of which some interpretation or depiction appears in almost every culture worldwide A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification According to the Lancelot-Grail cycle, it was Uther's older brother (elsewhere called Ambrosius Aurelianus) who sees the comet and receives the name "Pendragon"; Uther takes his epithet in his honor after his death. The Lancelot-Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend Ambrosius Aurelianus, called Aurelius Ambrosius in the Historia Regum Britanniae and elsewhere was a war leader of the Romano-British

Early Welsh poetry

Uther is known from earlier Welsh tradition, where he is associated with Arthur and, in some cases, even appears as his father. He is mentioned in the 10th century Arthurian poem Pa gur yv y porthaur ("What man is the gatekeeper?"),^[3] and is memorialized with "The Death-song of Uther Pen" from the Book of Taliesin. The Book of Taliesin (Llyfr Taliesin is one of the most famous Welsh Manuscripts It dates from the first half of the Fourteenth century though many of ^[4] The latter includes a reference to Arthur, so the marginal addition of "dragon" to Uther's name is probably justified. "The Colloquy of Arthur and the Eagle," a poem contemporary with but independent of Geoffrey, mentions another son of Uther named Madoc, the father of Arthur's nephew Eliwlod. In some old Welsh texts Eliwlod is a nephew of King Arthur. His father is Madoc, son of Uther Pendragon, an obscure brother of Arthur's mentioned ^[5] The Welsh Triads name Uther as the creator of one of the Three Great Enchantments of the Island of Britain, which he taught to the wizard Menw. The Welsh Triads ( Welsh Trioedd Ynys Prydein, literally "Triads of the Island of Britain " are a group of related texts in Medieval Menw, son of Teirgwaedd is a magician in King Arthur 's court in early Welsh Arthurian legend ^[6]

History of the Kings of Britain

Uther is best known from Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136) where he is the youngest son of King of Britannia Constantine II. Constantine III (died 411 by September 18) was a Roman general who declared himself Western Roman Emperor in 407 abdicating in 411 (and being killed His eldest brother Constans succeeds to the throne on their father's death, but is murdered at the instigation of his adviser Vortigern, who seizes the throne. Constans was the eldest son of the Roman usurper Constantine III and was appointed co-emperor by him from 409 to 411 Vortigern (ˈvɔrtɨɡɝːn also spelled Vortiger and Vortigen and in Welsh Gwrtheyrn was a 5th century warlord in Britain, a leading ruler among Uther and his other brother Aurelius Ambrosius, still children, flee to Brittany. Ambrosius Aurelianus, called Aurelius Ambrosius in the Historia Regum Britanniae and elsewhere was a war leader of the Romano-British Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into After Vortigern's alliance with the Saxons under Hengist goes disastrously wrong, Aurelius and Uther, now adults, return. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south Aurelius burns Vortigern in his castle and becomes king.

With Aurelius on the throne, Uther leads his brother's army to Ireland to help Merlin bring the stones of Stonehenge from there to Britain. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the Stonehenge is a Prehistoric Monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury Later, while Aurelius is ill, Uther leads his army against Vortigern's son Paschent and his Saxon allies. On the way to the battle, he sees a comet in the shape of a dragon, which Merlin interprets as presaging Aurelius's death and Uther's glorious future. A comet is a small Solar System body that orbits the Sun and when close enough to the Sun exhibits a visible coma (atmosphere or a tail — Uther wins the battle and takes the epithet "Pendragon", and returns to find that Aurelius has been poisoned by an assassin. He becomes king and orders the construction of two gold dragons, one of which he uses as his standard. He secures Britain's frontiers and quells Saxon uprisings with the aid of his retainers, one of which is Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. Gorlois ( Old Welsh: Gwrlais) was a Duke of Cornwall and Igraine 's first husband before her marriage to Uther Pendragon, The Dukedom of Cornwall was the first Dukedom created in the Peerage of England. At a banquet celebrating their victories, Uther becomes obsessively enamoured of Gorlois' wife, Igerna (Igraine), and a war ensues between Uther and his vassal. Gorlois sends Igerna to the impregnable castle of Tintagel for protection, while he himself is besieged by Uther in another town. Tintagel (tɪnˈtædʒəl with the stress on the second syllable Cornish: Dintagell) is a village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall Uther consults with Merlin, who uses his magic to transform the king into the likeness of Gorlois and thus gain access to Igerna at Tintagel. He spends the night with her, and they conceive a son, Arthur; but the next morning it is discovered that Gorlois had been killed. Uther marries Igerna, and they have another child, a daughter called Anna. She later marries King Lot and becomes the mother of Gawain and Mordred (in later romances she is called Morgause, and is usually Igerna's daughter by her previous marriage). Lot or Loth is king of Lothian, Orkney, and sometimes Norway in the Arthurian legend. Gawain (ˈgɔːwɪn or /gəˈweɪn/ also called Gwalchmei Gawan Gauvain Walewein etc Mordred or Modred ( Welsh: Medraut, Medrod, etc is a character in the Arthurian legend, known as a notorious traitor who fought Morgause, known in earlier works as Anna, is the sister or half-sister of King Arthur in the Arthurian legend. Uther later falls ill, but when the wars against the Saxons go badly he insists on leading his army himself, propped up on his horse. He defeats Hengist's son Octa at Verulamium (St Albans), despite the Saxons calling him the "Half-Dead King. Octa or Octha (c 500 - 543 was a king of Kent during the 6th century Verulamium was the third-largest city in Roman Britain. It was sited in the southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire. St Albans is the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London. " However, the Saxons soon contrive his death by poisoning a spring he drinks from near Verulamium. ^[7]

Geoffrey based some members of Uther's family on historical figures. Constantine is based on the historical usurper Constantine III, a claimant to the Roman throne from 407–411; Constans is based on his son. Usurpers are individuals or groups of individuals who obtain and maintain the power or rights of another by force and without legal authority Constantine III (died 411 by September 18) was a Roman general who declared himself Western Roman Emperor in 407 abdicating in 411 (and being killed Aurelius Ambrosius is based on the legendary Welsh figure Ambrosius Aurelianus, though his connection to Constantine and Constans is an invention. It is less likely, however, that Uther ever existed outside of Britain's mythical history.

Other medieval literature

In Robert de Boron's Merlin, Uther Pendragon personally kills Hengest after an assassination attempt by the Saxon leader, and Merlin creates the Round Table for him. Robert de Boron (also spelled in the manuscripts "Bouron" "Beron" was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries originally from the village In Prose Lancelot, Uther Pendragon claims to have been born in Bourges. The Lancelot-Grail, also known as the Prose Lancelot, the Vulgate Cycle, or the Pseudo-Map Cycle, is a major source of Arthurian legend Bourges is a commune in central France on the Yèvre river It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital He takes an army to Brittany to fight against King Claudas of Bourges, a situation resembling that of the historical ruler, Riothamus, who went to Brittany to fight ravagers based in Bourges. Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into King Claudas is a fictional Frankish king and an opponent to King Arthur, Lancelot, and Bors in Arthurian literature. Riothamus (also spelled Riotimus, Rigothamus, Rigotamos) was a Romano-British military leader active circa 470 There is an alternate account of Uther Pendragon's background in Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival. Parzival is a major medieval German Epic poem attributed to the poet Wolfram von Eschenbach, written in the Middle High German A certain Mazadân went with a Fay named Terdelaschoye to the land of Feimurgân. (This looks like a garbling of some source that told of Mazadân's alliance with the Fay Morgan in Terre de la Joye; the "Land of Joy"). Morgan le Fay, alternatively known as Morgane, Morgain, Morgana and other variants is a powerful sorceress and Antagonist of Mazadân becomes father of two sons, Lazaliez and Brickus. Brickus becomes father of Utepandragûn father of Arthur while the elder son Lazaliez becomes father of Gandin of Anjou father of Gahmuret father of Parzival/Perceval. Anjou is a former County (c 880) Duchy ( 1360) and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur 's legendary Knights of the Round Table. Uther Pendragon and Arthur here appear as the scions of the junior branch of an imagined 5th/6th century House of Anjou. Anjou is a former County (c 880) Duchy ( 1360) and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower

Modern literature

Uther Pendragon remains a widely used character in modern Arthurian literature. This is a list of books about King Arthur, or his related world family friends or enemies In T.H. White's The Once and Future King, Uther the Conqueror is the Norman King of England from 1066 to 1216. Terence Hanbury White ( 29 May 1906 &ndash 17 January 1964) was an English Author best known for his sequence of Arthurian The Once and Future King is an Arthurian Fantasy novel written by T Mary Stewart's first two books in her Arthurian saga, The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, feature Uther Pendragon. Mary Florence Elinor Stewart ( née Rainbow; born 17 September 1916) is a popular English Novelist, best known for her series The Crystal Cave is a 1970 Fantasy Novel by Mary Stewart. The first in a quintet of novels covering the Arthurian legend, it The Hollow Hills is a Novel by Mary Stewart. It is the second in a quintet of novels covering the Arthurian Legends Notably, he is Merlin's uncle, since in this version the latter is his brother Ambrosius' illegitimate son. The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the Ambrosius Aurelianus, called Aurelius Ambrosius in the Historia Regum Britanniae and elsewhere was a war leader of the Romano-British In Bernard Cornwell's The Warlord Chronicles, Uther is the King of Dumnonia as well as the High King of Britain. Bernard Cornwell OBE (born February 23, 1944) is a prolific and popular English Historical novelist He is best known for his The Warlord Chronicles is a Trilogy of books about Arthurian Britain written by Bernard Cornwell (perhaps best known for his Richard For the Brythonic colony of the same name in Brittany see Domnonée Dumnonia, sometimes referred to as Damnolia, was a Brythonic In Jack Whyte's The Camulod Chronicles, Uther is King of the Pendragon, the Celtic people of South Cambria, cousin to Caius Merlyn Britannicus and Ambrose Ambrosianus Britannicus. Jack Whyte ( Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland, 1940) is an author and Writer born and raised in Scotland, but living in A Dream of Eagles is a Historical novel series written by the Canadian author Jack Whyte. In contrast to traditional versions, Stephen R. Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle makes Uther's brother Aurelius, whose widow (Ygerna) he marries, Arthur's true father. Stephen R Lawhead (born July 2, 1950) is a best-selling American Writer known for his works of Fantasy, Science fiction The Pendragon Cycle is a series of Fantasy or semi- Historical books based on the Arthurian legend, written by Stephen R Ambrosius Aurelianus, called Aurelius Ambrosius in the Historia Regum Britanniae and elsewhere was a war leader of the Romano-British In Arthurian legend, Igraine is the mother of King Arthur. (She is also known in Latin as Igerna, in Welsh as Eigyr, in French as Igerne In Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon, Uther is the nephew of Aurelianus instead of his brother; while Aurelianus is the son of a Roman Emperor, Uther has no Roman blood. Marion Eleanor Zimmer Bradley ( June 3, 1930 – September 25, 1999) was an American author of Fantasy novels such The Mists of Avalon is a 1982 novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley, in which she relates the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the female characters Ambrosius Aurelianus, called Aurelius Ambrosius in the Historia Regum Britanniae and elsewhere was a war leader of the Romano-British For a simplified list see Concise list of Roman Emperors. For more information see History of the Roman Empire. In Valerio Massimo Manfredi's The Last Legion, Uther is himself a Roman Emperor - the last, Romulus Augustus. Valerio Massimo Manfredi (born 1946 is an Italian Historian, Archaeologist and Journalist. The Last Legion is a 2007 movie directed by Doug Lefler. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis and others it is based on a 2003 Italian Romulus Augustus (c 461/463 &ndash after 476 sometimes known as Romulus Augustulus ( Little Augustus) was the last Western Roman Emperor reigning from While the real Romulus Augustus disappeared from history after being deposed by Goths, in the novel he escapes to Britain, where he adopts the name Pendragon and eventually sires Arthur. The Goths ( Gothic: Gothic usvg|14px|u]]Gothic asvg|14px|a]]Gothic s In the 2000 book by Jack Whyte "Uther" the novel revolves around a fictionalized version of Uther's life.

See also

Notes

References

• Bromwich, Rachel (2006). Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c Rachel Bromwich (born 1915 is a British scholar Her focus is on Medieval Welsh literature, which she taught at the University of Wales Institute Cardiff Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain. University Of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1386-8.

External links

• A more detailed study of Uther Pendragon