By Ellie Nguyen
By the late fourth century, Christianity had been well established throughout most parts of Britain, though Celtic paganism remained. However, when the Saxons invaded Britain during the fifth century, Brythonic Christianity and Celtic paganism were effectively replaced with Germanic paganism. The Welsh (the Cymry) and the Saxons (the Saesones) were in constant conflict with each other, and the fighting continued through the eleventh century. Many surviving Welsh poems speak about the losses, victories, and battles that were fought during this period of conquest. Armes Prydein Vawris a prophetic poem from the Book of Taliesin, one of the surviving 170 Welsh manuscripts, from the tenth century. In this prophecy, a phrase that is repeated twice stands out between the proclamations of a Welsh victory over the Saxons: “Son of Mary (great the Word), how is it that [the Welsh] do not burst forth”1 (lines 26 and 940). The author of the poem seems to use Christian language and calls upon Jesus, the Son of Mary. Though this phrase can be dismissed as a simple prayer, part of the Christian religion of Welsh culture, it is interesting that the author chooses to also invoke other divine and legendary figures from old Welsh history and culture. The author’s inclusion of pagan figures invokes a feeling of unity and strength for all readers, especially the Welsh people. It invites all Brythonic people to be united with each other in order to bring an end to Anglo-Saxon rule. After reading the poem, readers would feel a sense of pride in their Welsh heritage and complete trust in their victory.
The reiteration of the phrase “Son of Mary (great the Word), how is it that they do not burst forth” emphasizes the shared frustration against the Saxons. The Welsh were not the only people that the Saxons pushed out of Britain. The poem calls for everyone who was wronged by the Saxons to rise up against them. Armes Prydein prophesied that the Welsh, the Irish, the Scots, and other Brythonic people would unite and be victorious against the Saxons: “There will be reconciliation between the Welsh and the men of Dublin…The men of Cornwall and of Strathclyde will be made welcome amongst us, The Britons will rise again when they prevail” (lines 9 and 11). This focuses on how the Welsh will accept help from anyone who dislikes the Saxons. As Morgan Kay has demonstrated, many Welsh prophecies invoke God and use Christian imagery. She claims that “the frequency with which prophecies appear alongside religious texts in manuscripts is certainly an indication that Welsh readers did not think of these prophecies as entirely separate from religious matters” (Kay 88). The ambiguity makes it hard to determine whether some prophecies are meant to be religious or political. However, there is a clear message in Armes Prydein that focuses on the call for unity. In Armes Prydein, the author distinctly makes the prophecy political through the invocation of the Awen, Myrddin (Merlin), St. David, Hors and Hengys in the calls to the Son of Mary. Awen is a divine inspiration, a muse, from Bretonic mythology. St. David was a bishop and monk whose cult was well known in Wales, Ireland, and Brittany. And, Hors and Hengys were the brothers who led the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes to invade Britain. Thus, this decision to include all of these religious and legendary figures makes it known that the end of the Saxons, though just a Welsh prophecy, depends on the unification of the Welsh and all Brythonic peoples. The Welsh will need help from the Irish and Scottish to defeat the Saxons. The inclusivity of these different religions and peoples in the prophecy invokes the unification of the Britons and calls for the end of the Saxons.
The specific use of Celtic/Brythonic pagan figures combined with the prophetic genre of the poem continues to make Armes Prydein less religious and more political. The author is including religious figures to invoke a revolt against the Saxons. Though it is a Welsh prophecy, and was written for mainly a Welsh audience, the combination of pagan and Christian figures and the talk about Irish reconciliation and Cornish acceptance reiterates the idea of unification. It makes it known that the Saxons are not the sole enemies of the Welsh, but rather the enemy of all the Brythonic peoples. There is a call for unification of the Welsh and all of the Brythonic people, but there is no chance of reconciliation with the Saxons. However, because the poem is directed at a specific audience, the implication is that the Welsh people would read and hear the poem, and feel a unifying sense for themselves against the Saxons. The first use of the Son of Mary phrase identifies the cause of Welsh suffering as the dominion of the English and their boasting (line 27). It calls to the Son of Mary and asks why the Welsh people have not revolted against the Saxons. The poem continues, calling the Saxons “dung-gatherers” and “foreigners,” further making it clear that the Saxons are the enemy. The prophecy that the Welsh, aided by other Britons–other people who view the Saxons as their enemy, would one day revolt and be victorious is a vision that many Welsh would have liked to come true. And, the second use of the Son of Mary phrase specifically speaks of the Welsh people: “The Welsh… the infamy of lords and of chieftains; Both suppliants and their patrons lament in the same manner: They are of one mind, of one counsel, of one nature” (lines 48-50). Even though there has been in-fighting among the lords and chieftains, they are united by a strong dislike for the Saxons. All of this talk of unity, and of Welsh greatness, and of how this was prophesied by multiple divine figures builds to bolster Welsh confidence and promote the belief that a Welsh victory will happen. The author reinforces this trust in the Welsh, their warriors, and their allies through the use of prophecy.
The Welsh, along with the other Brythonic nations, were frustrated with the invading “foreigners” and their wrongdoings against the British people. In one instance in Armes Prydein, the author speaks of a secret slaughter carried out by the Saxons on the Britons. After the secret slaughter [the “Treachery of the Long Knives”], (former) slaves [Saxons] now wear a crown (lines 34-36). The Saxons had forced the Welsh out of their homes, and according to other Welsh manuscripts, Saxons soldiers had massacred many British-Celtic leaders at a peaceful meeting and proceeded to take over their lands. This instance of the Saxons attacking the Britons, is one of the many mentioned throughout Armes Prydein. The Saxons had wronged many of the Brytonic peoples on multiple occasions, and the Welsh resistance to the Saxons and their colonialism only became stronger with each attack. The language and tone of Armes Prydein shows that there is strong hatred between both groups, that the Welsh do not want peace, and instead desire a complete end to the Saxons and their authority.
It is unknown who wrote Armes Prydein, and it is unknown what the religious affiliation of the author was. However, regardless of religion, authors are inspired by and draw on multiple sources, particularly when there are cultural and political issues being explored and even long after a religious belief has died. Armes Prydein captured its audience’s interest with the author’s use of Brythonic history and culture. And, the divine invocations in the prophecy led Welsh readers to feel inspired and united in a victory against the Saxons. This pride in Welsh identity and the need for Welsh unity continued to inspire authors and poets long after the poem was written. For example, Geoffrey of Monmouth, a Catholic cleric from the twelfth century from Monmouth, Wales, developed the character of King Arthur and the mythical Merlin. Merlin is the same Celtic seer (Myrddin) that the author from Armes Prydein invokes. Geoffrey was proud of his upbringing in Monmouthshire, Wales, and he wanted to bring attention to Welsh history and culture. He did that by recording (if not creating) the legend of King Arthur in The History of the Kings of Britain. Geoffrey’s famous work allowed Welsh history and their culture to be explored and talked about more. His decision to make Arthur a Celtic-British king, one who united all of Britain and overcame the invading Saxons, cements a Welsh victory over the Saxons in the history of England and in Britain. And, Geoffrey’s decision to make Merlin such an influential figure in his stories is a nod of acknowledgement towards the history and religions of Welsh culture. Geoffrey immortalized the Welsh people in his characters, and fulfilled the prophecy of Armes Prydein, the prophecy of Welsh victory, with his writing. King Arthur, along with all the Brythonic people, fulfilled Armes Prydein and defeated the invading English Saxons. By doing so, he became an important symbol to the Welsh and their Brythonic identity. When reading the legends of King Arthur and Armes Prydein today, it is important to note that these pieces of literature hold a strong importance to the preservation of Welsh and Brythonic identity and culture against the popular and more known English culture.
The Middle Ages are shrouded in talk about the Saxons, the Vikings, and Beowulf. But in reality, there were many more cultures and people coexisting with the Saxons, and their stories deserve to be told. The Medieval Ages are a period that many people can look back to and see where a sense of unity comes from. In Armes Prydein, the author and the Welsh people are frustrated by the oppression they face from the Saxons, and the author was able to display this shared frustration through a poem. The author used the genre of divine prophecy like a prayer to give hope to the Welsh, that one day this oppression would end. Armes Prydein inspired the Welsh to stay unified in order to be victorious. “Son of Mary (great the Word), how is it that they do not burst forth?” How is it possible that the Welsh have not risen up against the Saxons, and fought for themselves? Armes Prydein recounts the sufferings of the Welsh people, and it invokes a sense of Welsh pride and anger at the Saxons. This is the same sense of pride that inspired Geoffrey of Monmouth to rise up and preserve Welsh culture with his writing. He continued to spread the legends of great Welsh leaders and kings in his writing, and he cemented the unity and victory of the Brythonic peoples into English history and into readers’ minds. The goal of Armes Prydein was to invoke a rebellion against the Saxons through the inspiration of a united Welsh people, and the invocation of Welsh pride and nationality. This continued to inspire other authors to be interested in representing Welsh history. The unitedness and confidence in one’s group of people encourages everyone to work together to achieve a common goal. It is interesting to see how such an archaic group of people shares with us today the same value of harmony amongst the people in their group.
[1] In this essay, I use Andrew Breeze’s translation of the Middle Welsh Armes Prydein, further emended by Michael Newton. See “Armes Prydein.” Edited by Michael Newton, Exploring Celtic Civilizations, Digital Innovation Lab, 23 June 2016, exploringcelticciv.web.unc.edu/prsp-record/text-armes-prydein/.
Works Cited
Kay, Morgan. “Prophecy in Welsh Manuscripts.” Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium, vol. 26/27, 2006, pp. 73–108.
“Armes Prydein.” Edited by Michael Newton, Exploring Celtic Civilizations, Digital Innovation Lab, 23 June 2016, exploringcelticciv.web.unc.edu/prsp-record/text-armes-prydein/.
