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ofglories · 5 months

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Long post rambling about Emrys, his origin and role in the legends, and my own personal lore and characterization of him under the cut.

Alright so to begin with:

Emrys is the Welsh name for the very likely fictional (due to the time period Gildas tried to attribute the events to) Roman soldier by the name of Ambrosius Aurelianus (or Aurelius Ambrosius according to the Historia Reginum Britanniae) first recorded by Gildas. The Welsh name in question is Emrys Wledig, though later once Geoffrey of Monmouth got a hold of the legends and made them his own we can assume the Pendragon name was unofficially tied to him as well courtesy of Geoffrey's creation of Uther Pendragon. And Uther Pendragon, from the get-go, was the younger brother of Ambrosius.

It is very important to note as well that in almost every appearance of Ambrosius, or Emrys as I will refer to him from now on, he is also tightly connected to Vortigern.

It's never consistent, but the version I have a preference for is that Emrys (and Uther) is somehow recruited from the Roman legion in Britain to join Vortigern as one of his generals where he then proves himself spectacularly in battle. Of course there's the...odd version where Emrys is actually a young Merlin but we're not gonna unpack all of that since it just goes into the usual Merlin lore of the dragon prophecy. But back on topic. Following proving himself in battle to Vortigern and earning his trust and respect, eventually one of two things tend to happen. One: Vortigern sections off a small portion of his kingdom into a smaller realm and crowns Emrys as the first king of what will become known as Camelot. Or two: Vortigern's tyranny becomes too much for the heroic predecessor of King Arthur and he breaks away to found Camelot. Regardless of which path is taken in the legends, one thing is always the same.

Emrys dies young and suddenly, likely due to poison or illness, with no heirs, wife, or lover of any sort left behind.

Of course that causes the whole power vacuum that allows Uther to become king and be a tyrant until Arthur comes along and does his whole one true king thing.

But since this is about Emrys, allow me to stay on that topic.

The difficulty with pointing towards things as sources for Emrys comes with the simple fact that he barely exists in the legends. He's more of a tragic figure of history. An ideal king like Arthur who unfortunately was cut down too soon either by fate or destiny or the hands of an assassin. Someone who could have built Britain into a shining, perfect kingdom of peace and equality and prosperity for all had he only been able to live longer. A figure that Arthur is both overshadowed by and then overshadows himself. Even outside of the legends, Arthur has entirely eclipsed the tales of Emrys. And not just as a legendary figure. Basically all writings and tales on Emrys are lost or damaged to the point that we only have a few things.

His Roman-Welsh bloodline, his connection to Vortigern, Uther as his younger brother, and his sudden, catastrophic death are the primary things that have survived.

Of course there is one amusing anecdote that I, unfortunately, have lost the source on since I saw it years ago, where Emrys and Merlin during a night of drunken revelry stole Stonehenge and placed it where it remains to this day.

Naturally I had to keep that, which is why I made it so Emrys is not to be allowed near alcohol due to a low tolerance and a tendency towards chaos when he's drunk.

But in regards to the rest of Emrys... Why did I make Vortigern his older brother and Uther's older half-brother?

For the tragedy of it all, duh.

Why would Vortigern decide to recruit some random Roman soldier to his side, I wondered. And then I came to the decision that Emrys resembled his mother, Gwendolyn, strongly. Which then led to the idea that Vortigern knew Emrys' mother. Thus leading to the tragedy of two brothers separated with the younger never knowing the older due to the circumstances of their mother marrying a second husband and being taken away, leaving the elder child behind. The tragedy of the older becoming a tyrannical figure who, years later, sees a soldier on the opposite side of his army, who resembles his long-lost mother.

And then the eventual even greater tragedy when, due to situations outside of either brother's control, Emrys is killed by Vortigern in a freak accident.

On a different note, the Caledfwlch situation is simple.

Arthur's first weapon is Caliburn, the Sword of Selection sealed in the stone. But why was the sword placed in the stone? How did Merlin ensure it would only move for Arthur? Well, I went into the Welsh tales a bit and took the name Caledfwlch, the original name for both Excalibur and Caliburn (according to scholars), and made that a sword that Emrys had wielded. One that, due to magical shenanigans, shattered the moment Emrys died. And then I said Merlin took the pieces of Caledfwlch and reforged them with magic into Caliburn which he then enchanted to only react to Arthur and from there we go.

So yeah.

In my attempts to connect the dots and make Emrys into a fully fledged character I ended up combining the bits and pieces from what little legends of him survived to this day and from there I went "my city now". A lot.

#an endless tale; headcanon #the heart of a fallen star; emrys pendragon #tales recorded in ink and fire; meta #i'm proud of writing this please check it out-

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liminalpsych · 1 year

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Every Gawain reference I could find in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain (1136 C.E.), including Faletra's translator notes, in case that's of interest to the Gawain fans out there.

"Desiring to honor the decrees of his own father, Arthur gave Anguselus royal power over the Scots, and he gave Urian the scepter of Moray. Back in the days of Aurelius Ambrosius, Loth had married the king’s sister Anna, by whom he fathered Gawain and Mordred. Arthur now granted him the earldom of Lothian and the other neighboring lands that had once belonged to him." [152]

"So he prepared a fleet and sailed first to Norway, hoping to bestow its crown upon his brother-in-law Loth. Loth was, in fact, the nephew of Sichelm, the king of the Norwegians, and should have inherited the throne when Sichelm died. But the Norwegians refused to accept him as their king, setting up a certain Riculf in his place. They believed they could fight off Arthur from within their fortified cities. At that time, Loth’s son Gawain was only twelve years old and had been placed in the service of Pope Sulpicius, from whom he received his arms." [154]

"From the outlying islands came Gillamorius, the king of Ireland; Malvasius, the king of Iceland; Doldavius, the king of Gotland; Gunuasius, the king of the Orkneys; King Loth of Norway; and King Aschill of Denmark." [156]

(So Loth, Gawain, and Mordred weren't of Orkney originally. Where did that first happen?)

Then there's this longer passage, which I'll do in smaller font because he gets a whole battle scene:

"He also sent two of his vassals, Boso of Oxford and Gerin of Chartres, along with his nephew Gawain, as an embassy to Lucius Hiberius to explain that he should withdraw at once to the borders of Gaul or else Arthur would come to do battle to determine who had the more just claim to Gaul. The youth of Arthur’s court, rejoicing greatly, began to urge Gawain to create some type of pretext for fighting with the Romans while he was visiting the emperor’s camp.

"The delegation made its way to Lucius and ordered him to withdraw from Gaul or else meet them in battle the next day. While Lucius was in the process of replying that he would by no means withdraw but had instead come to rule that country, his nephew Gaius Quintillianus interrupted, and started saying that the Britons were far better-equipped with bragging and threats than they were with courage or skill in battle. Gawain was incensed at these words; he drew his sword, attacked Gaius, and cut off his head. The delegation then took to its horses and fled. The Romans pursued them with foot-soldiers and a cavalry force, sparing no effort in trying to avenge themselves on these fleeing messengers. But just as one of the Romans was starting to gain on them, Gerin of Chartres suddenly turned his horse and cast his spear at him, piercing right through the man’s armor and body and pinning him to the ground. When Boso of Oxford saw the great feat that Gerin had performed, he turned his horse as well and threw his spear at the first Roman to approach. It pierced him through the throat and made him fall off his horse, lethally wounded. Then Marcellus Mutius, who was hoping to avenge Gaius Quintillianus, tried to attack Gawain from behind and was just beginning to lay his hands on him. But Gawain spun around and struck him with his sword right through the helm, cleaving his head all the way down to his chest. He told Mutius that, when he saw Quintillianus in Hell, he should tell him that this was why the Britons’ boasting was not idle. Gawain then regrouped with his companions and urged them each to turn and attack their pursuers in this way. They agreed, and each of them threw down one Roman. But the rest of the Romans, who had up until this point been bent only on pursuit, now answered their blows with swords and lances. Yet they still could not catch them or cast them down. They chased them at long last into the vicinity of a certain forest, from which around six thousand Britons emerged. They had been watching the delegation’s escape and had lain hidden in this wood in order to lend their aid. The Britons set spurs to their horses and the air was suddenly filled with their war-cries. Readying their shields for the attack, they rushed upon the Romans, immediately setting them to flight. The Britons followed them, unhorsing some of the Romans with their spears, while others they either captured or killed." [166]

"The rest of the army was led by the renowned earls Gerin of Chartres and Boso of Rydychen, which is called Oxford in the Saxon tongue; the third battalion was led by King Aschill of the Danes and King Loth of Norway; the fourth battalion by Hoel, leader of the Armoricans, and the king’s nephew Gawain." [168]

And another long battle scene:

"Eventually, the companies that they led were weakened beyond measure and had to retreat until they came to the battalion led by Hoel of the Armorican Britons and Gawain. These two men suddenly burned like a flame and led a charge against the enemy. Regrouping the soldiers who were retreating, they forced those Romans who had just a moment ago been in pursuit to turn and flee. Catching up with the retreating Romans, they cast them down and slew them and did not cease massacring them until they came up against the emperor’s personal battalion. The emperor, seeing the great peril of his comrades, lent his aid immediately. The Britons were greatly weakened in this battle. Cinmaroc, the Count of Tréguier, fell there, along with two thousand of his men. Three famous noblemen also fell—Richomarcus and Bloccovius and Iagwivius of Bodloan. If these three men had been princes of their own realms, future ages would have sung their fame on account of their prowess. While Hoel and Gawain made their charge, no enemy whom they attacked could escape, but had his life snatched away by either sword or spear. But when their company had come into the midst of Lucius’ men, they were completely surrounded by the Romans and they fell in battle just as their comrades had. Hoel and Gawain, however, were the greatest of all the knights of old, and when they beheld the slaughter of their companions they fought on all the more fiercely. Pushing ahead now on one side, now on the other, they harried Lucius’ personal bodyguard. Gawain, always aflame with a vigorous courage, sought to do battle with Lucius man to man. As this bold knight advanced, he would throw down and slay his enemies. Shining no less brightly, Hoel pressed the attack on the other side, urging on his companions and wounding the enemy. He received their blows most valiantly in turn, never shirking. He attacked and was attacked. It was not easy to say which of the two—Hoel or Gawain—was the mightier knight.

"As Gawain cut his way through Lucius’ bodyguard, as was mentioned before, he finally reached his goal and rushed upon the commander himself, forcing him to single combat. But Lucius was still in the prime of his youth. He possessed great courage and strength and skill in battle; he desired nothing more than to test his prowess against such a knight. When he withstood Gawain’s initial assault, he was joyous and exultant, for he had heard of Gawain’s fame. The battle between the two lasted a long time. They showered each other with mighty blows and warded off the blows with their shields, all the while struggling to kill each other. While they were fighting bitterly in this way, the Romans began to make a comeback, and they rushed upon the Armorican Britons and came to their commander’s aid, forcing Gawain and Hoel and their men back until they suddenly found themselves back among Arthur’s battalion." [173]

"Placing his trust in the enormous army he had amassed, Mordred marched out to meet Arthur as he attempted to land in Richborough. The two forces met in battle, and Mordred’s troops inflicted great slaughter on the others, who were still in the process of disembarking. King Anguselus of Alban, the king’s nephew Gawain, and countless others fell on the field of battle that day." [177, this is about the Battle of Camlann]

Translator's footnote: "The focus on Gawain partially reflects Welsh traditions like those found in Culhwch and Olwen, where the hero Gwalchmei (literally “Hawk of the Field”) also appears as Arthur’s nephew. Geoffrey was probably more directly familiar with the following account in William of Malmesbury’s The Deeds of the Kings of the English, III: “At that time, in the province of Wales which is called Rhos, the tomb of Walwen [Gawain], who was not Arthur’s degenerate nephew by his sister, was discovered. He ruled over that part of Britain which even now is called Walweitha. He was a warrior who was most renowned for his great valor, but he was slain by the brother and nephew of Hengist … but only after inflicting great damage upon them in compensation for his exile; in this he can share in the praise given to his uncle, for they both staved off the downfall of their homeland for many years…. Walwen’s tomb, which was fourteen feet long, was discovered upon the shore of the sea during the reign of King William. For this reason, some claim that he was wounded by his enemies and then shipwrecked; but others say that he was slain by his fellow-citizens..."

#Gawain #Geoffrey of Monmouth #Michael A Faletra #arthurian newbie #Gawain hasn't hooked me yet #but I know a lot of people are really into him #so maybe this will be useful #my fandom participation has always been 'add more resources'#going back to my very first fandom participation at 13 #Historia regum Britanniae

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mask131 · 2 years

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Magical summer: Merlin

MERLIN

Category: Arthurian myth/literature

Merlin is without a doubt the most well-known wizard of all times. Everybody knows who he is and his story.

Or at least, everyone THINKS they know. But in truth it is impossible. For one simple reason: the “Arthurian myth” or “Arthurian literature” is a mess. Modern media might have given you the false idea that there’s a canon or a definitive corpus of texts – well, no. The Arthurian literature is a series of texts of many different authors and many different natures, that were spread over ALL of the Middle-Ages (which is a lot of centuries) and over numerous different countries and cultures. The Arthurian myth was the transition from oral folklore and pagan myths to literature of a set of mythological figure, old tales and legendary themes, but with no consistent canon or rule: each new author that wanted to add a part in the Arthurian mythos did so on its own, or when in relation to another author or text, it was to correct, complete, oppose, rewrite or expand. You know the SCP Foundation, how it was hundreds of unrelated people contributing to a same project? Well the Arthurian myth was the SCP Foundation of its time. To tell you how confusing it is: where exactly it happens geographically is unclear. We know it takes place in “Britain”, but the two main countries that provided Arthurian literature were France and England – and the trouble is that “Britain” exists in both. England is “Great-Britain” or the “British Isles”, and this is why Arthur is King of England ; but France has a region known as “Bretagne” (aka Britain, often called “Little Britain” or “Petite Bretagne” to differentiate it from the English Britain) – it is notably where the Broceliande forest is. As a result, the geography of Arthur’s kingdom is an impossible realm that exists in both England and France as if the sea did not exist between the two countries.

Merlin, one of the greatest and most important figures of the myth, is as a result just as complex and complicated, a character who was built over a series of additions like a literary Frankenstein’s monster. But let’s try to untangle and analyze everything, shall we?

THE ORIGINAL MERLIN

Merlin was introduced in the Arthurian literature in the 12th century by a British author named “Geoffrey of Monmouth”, who took inspiration of older legends to create “Merlinus Ambrosius”, a mix of ancient druids, mad bards and wild prophets. Merlin first appears in “Prophetiae Merlini” (The Prophecies of Merlin), which is a series of prophecy attributed to Merlin, a legendary poet, wise man and prophet: the main prophecy here is how the Vortigern, warlord of Britain, asks Merlin to interpret a vision he had of two dragons fighting, one red and one white. Merlin explains that the red dragon is the “British race”, while the white dragon is the “Saxons” – he then explains that the Saxons will be victorious and details numerous prophecies related to the British-Saxon wars. This version of Merlin is a very righteous seer, as he keeps chastising, criticizing and condemning people for their various sins and crimes.

Merlin reappears in another work of Geoffrey, “Historia Regum Britanniae”, “History of the Kings of Britain”. In this text we have the story of Vortigern expanded: as it turns out, he tried to build a tower at a given place but each time it ended up crumbling down. Asking Merlin on the matter, he revealed that there were two dragons fighting right under the place where Vortigern wants his tower, and it is their battle that causes the structure to fall down each time: cut to the “red and white dragon” prophecy. We also learn in this text that Stonehenge was built by Merlin as a burial ground for Aurelius Ambrosius, a famous war leader (Merlin even brought the stones from Ireland!). Finally, we discover that he helped in the birth of Merlin: Uther Pendragon, king of Britain, used Merlin’s magic and spells in order to disguise himself as his rival, Gorlois Duke of Cornwall, and slip into his castle of Tintagel, to sleep with his wife, Igraine. From this disguised union was born little Arthur, and Igraine later became Uther’s wife after the death of Gorlois.

The last apparition of Merlin in Geoffrey’s works is in “Vita Merlini”, “The Life of Merlin”, which takes place after the death of King Arthur. Here Merlinus (Merlin) is described as a prophet and king of Dyfed, who after a bloody battle where close companions are killed, becomes mad with grief and runs off in the Caledonian Forest, living there like a wild man, only eating grass and fruit. Merlin however has a sister, Gwenddydd (or Ganieda), also a queen and also a prophet like her brother – thanks to her efforts, she manages to inform Merlin how his disappearance distraught both her and Merlin’s wife, Gwendolen (or Guendoloena). Merlin gains back his lucidity and goes to his sister’s court, only for the experience of being in a crowd to plunge him back into madness: he is chained to prevent him from returning to the woods. Bad idea to keep him here however, as Merlin laughs upon seeing a leaf in his sister’s hair, pointing out to her husband that she got it by laying outdoor with her lover. Gwenddydd, embarrassed, tries to discredit her brother through a trick: she brings the same boy three times before him, in three different disguises so no one could recognize him, and asks each time Merlin to tell her how he will die. Merlin says “in a fall from a rock” the first time, “in a tree” the second time and “in a river” the third time. Merlin proven a “fake” he is let go – but later the boy would indeed die by falling from a rock, being caught in the trees of a branch beneath it, and entangled upside-down in such a way that his head was plunged in a river in which he drowned. Merlin, before fleeing, authorizes his abandoned wife to marry again, but says her new husband should beware. And indeed, when news of Gwendolen’s new wedding reach Merlin deep into the woods, the mad prophet rides upon a stag to his wife’s wedding and there rips the antlers off the stag and throws them at the groom, killing him. He is imprisoned again at the court of his sister’s husband, Rhydderch king of the Cumbrians. And just like last time he laughs at bizarre sights (a beggar asking for money, and a young man repairing his shoes). The king, curious, offers him his freedom if he reveals why he laughed, and Merlin explains that the beggar was standing upon a buried treasure and that the young man would drown before he could wear his repaired shoes. [This is a recurring motif, the one of “Merlin’s laugh”, where the demented wild man keeps laughing at random sights, but as it turns out it is because he perceives the hidden truths and deep ironies of the world]. Merlin then retires to an observatory deep into the woods, a house with seventy windows, in which he studies the stars and practices astronomy. During his stay there he makes numerous prophesies about the future of Britain, until one day he discovers a new spring that appeared in the forest and whose miraculous waters have healing properties: drinking them, Merlin is definitively cured of his madness. Immediately numerous chiefs, warlords and rulers of Britain go to Merlin and ask him to return to his old kingdom, to become again the king of Dyfed, but Merlin refuses on the ground that he is now much too old to be an efficient king, and that he takes much more pleasure in nature than in the company of man. Merlin thus stays in the woods, alongside his sister (that after the death of her husband joined her brother away from the world) and with a goof friend of him, the famous poet Taliesin, who is basically Merlin’s besties and kept visiting and discussing with Merlin in his madness about things like cosmogony, the geography of world or the history of fishes. The text ends with Gwenddydd making a prophecy which tells of how Merlin will end up renouncing his own prophetic gift.

HOW MERLIN EVOLVED

The works of Geoffrey of Monmouth had an enormous impact on the Arthurian myth – it was the start of Merlin’s fame, and everyone wanted to have their piece of the cake. Which led to many authors rewriting or re-using Merlin, and slowly changing his character.

# Robert de Boron, French poet of the 13th century, wrote “Merlin”, an epic poem about the life of the titular wizard (Merlin being the Frenchization of the original “Merlinus”). The original poem was lost, with only a few fragments remaining, but the poem was hopefully “re-adapted” in a prose version that we have to this day. In Boron’s story, Merlin is just like in Geoffrey born of a human girl and a male demon. However Boron explains that this birth was no coincidence: demons actually wanted Merlin to be born, he was planned to be the Antichrist and this is why an incubus seduced a young maiden in a parody of Jesus’ birth. The demons wanted Merlin to reverse the effects of the Harrowing of Hell (when Jesus descended into Hell and came back, freeing all of the souls in it). However a priest foiled the demons plan by baptizing the boy, which freed him from the power of Satan and erased his intended destiny as Antichrist. The rest of Merlin’s life stick to Geoffrey’s version : as a seven years old his prophetic powers are so great Vortigern (here an usurper-king) asks him about his tower leading to the dragon episode ; he assists and helps Uther Pendragon and his brother (new kings of Britain after Vortigern’s death) in their war against the Saxons ; he built Stonehenge (here as a burial place for all fallen Britons in the war against the Saxons), he helped Uther give birth to Arthur by changing Uther’s shape into the one of Gorlois… However, Boron added two new episodes to the life of Merlin that weren’t there before. The first is after the building of Stonehenge: Merlin encourages Uther to establish the order of the Round Table, and to create the titular table. The second is the story that closes the poem: he encourages the young Arthur to pull a sword out of a stone, and Arthur succeeds, only to discover that this action (that no one else could do) proves that he will be Britain’s High King and is gifted with a divine destiny.

Boron does not keep the “madness” and “wild man” parts of Geoffrey’s Merlin, but he keeps the “Merlin’s laugh” part by depicting the wizard as a mischievous and amusing character prone to jokes. Boron also heavily insisted on Merlin’s shapeshifting powers, as he keeps either changing his own shape or those of other people. Boron also details how Merlin’s magic is both devilish and divine: from Satan and the demons, Merlin got a supernatural knowledge of the past and the present, as well as the ability to speak fluently as soon as he was born ; but when he got baptized, God gifted him with a new power to balance this all: he received from Heaven the power to see the future and make prophecies. The prose version of “Merlin” was followed by a prose sequel, “Suite de Merlin”, which describes the first wars waged by King Arthur and how Merlin helped him in there by predicting and/or influencing the course of battles – this sequel notably includes a specific tale in which Merlin, to help Arthur, gets for him the magic sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake.

# This set of prose works inspired many other French literature works about the Arthurian myth, most notably the “Lancelot-Grail” (Or Lancelot-Graal in French), a vast cycle of numerous French prose stories that formed together a HUGE epic story about, as you guessed it, Lancelot’s life and the quest of the Grail. In these works, Merlin’s demonic nature is heavily insisted upon and he becomes a more villainous character. While in previous works he was born of the rape or abuse of a virgin girl by a demon, here he is born of the consensual union between a demon of lust and a beautiful young woman – and due to never being baptized, all of his powers and magic are purely demonic. Merlin grew up in the borderlands between the Pictish lands (actual Scotland) and Argyll (actual Ireland) – and he was feared by all the Bretons due to all the knowledge he got from demons. In fact he was feared so much everyone called him a “holy prophet” out of fear, and those that dreaded him most even called him “their god”. [The part of the Lancelot-Grail cycle concerning Merlin is known as the “History of Merlin”, in French the Vulgate “Estoire de Merlin”, or to simplify the Vulgate Merlin : it notably shows what the life of Merlin was, how he helped both King Arthur and the knight Gawain in the beginning of their career, and how Merlin ultimately disappeared from the world due to the Lady of the Lake and his failed romantic relationship with her. We also know in these stories that Merlin helped Arthur have an affair with the “most beautiful maiden ever born”, Lady Lisanor of Cardigan, which led to the birth of Arthur’s illegitimate son, Lohot.

The Vulgate cycle got several sequels (aka the Post-Vulgate), which added several more elements to the legend: for example in it Merlin warns Arthur that one of his future illegitimate children will bring great misfortune and great ruin to his kingdom, and he advises Arthur to kill all the baby boys in his kingdom (like the Massacre of Innocents in the Bible): however it turns out that it is all a self-fulfilling prophecy, as Arthur’s attempt at killing him as a child leads to his illegitimate son Mordred wishing to take revenge upon his dad – and as we all know, Mordred would become Arthur’s murderer. One last addition to the corpus of French texts would be the “Perceval en prose” story, in which Merlin is presented as the one who actually started the quest of the Grail and sent Arthur’s knight on it. He is also said to be an immortal, that will only die “at the end of days”, that he had an apprentice who would become the wizard Mabon, and that after the death of king Arthur and the fall of his kingdom, Merlin turned himself into a bird and retired in the depths of the forest never to be seen again.

# Let’s jump from one country to another. Thomas Malory, an English writer of the 15th century, was quite inspired by all those French works, especially the Post-Vulgate writings, and he used them as a source for his own depiction of Merlin in his famous “Le Morte d’Arthur”, a Middle English prose tale about the stories of King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table. In this version Malory rejects most of the evilness and demonic nature of Merlin, presenting him as a much more benevolent figure. We find back the idea that Merlin the wizard set up the contest of the “sword in the stone” to prove the birthright of the next king of Britain (in this version Arthur is unaware of being the son of Uther and prince of Britain, due to being raised secretly by as small countryside lord) ; we also find back the idea that Arthur’s first wars against rivals and rebels (which culminated in the Battle of Bedegraine) were won notably thanks to the prophecies and magical counsels of Merlin (though this time Merlin didn’t give Excalibur to Arthur, Arthur got it directly from the Lady of the Lake) ; we also find back the idea that on Merlin’s advice Arthur had all the male babies of his kingdom taken away, only for Mordred, the one targeted, to survive Arthur’s murder attempts and return to kill his father…. But this was for the first time brought to the English language, and it would influence many more English Arthurian works.

- - -

I could have written much more about this, because Merlin is such a complex figure, but let's keep things short. If you are interested, you can look into more of it yourself This is the purpose of this Magical summer, to invite you to discover many more aspects of the world of magic - aspects you might have been unaware of before... When it comes to Merlin, his end is also very interesting - but I couldn't sort out a clear presentation on the spot. In the older and earlier version, Merlin is said to retire on his own from the world (as I wrote, sometimes he decides to abandon humanity to live in the woods, other times he turns into an animal and disappears). But as Merlin evolved, a new type of "ending" came from him: his downfall due to his own weakness for pretty young girls. Indeed, later versions of Merlin have him be quite a ladies' guy, who can't resist the charm of pretty young maidens. And in those many variations of his end, Merlin ends up vanquished or defated by a pretty young woman/fairy/sorceress that Merlin took either as his lover, either as his apprentice, often both. The name of the identity of the young lady or supernatural "femme fatale" depends: sometimes it is Morgan, other times it is Viviane, sometimes Nimue... But the story stays the same. Once the woman learned what she wanted to know (if she is the lover she will use her charms to take away Merlin's secrets, if she is the apprentice she will do it once Merlin has no more to teach), she gets rid of him in one way or another, usually imprisonning him in some sort of magical trap (a prison made of air, the interior of a tree, an isolated cavern, a magic tower...). Sometimes she does so because she is an ambitious and power angry woman who seeks to replace Merlin as the advisor and court mage of King Arthur ; other times she is just a jealous and obsessive lover who wishes to keep Merlin all of her own, and sometimes she is rather a woman who rejects Merlin's constant lust and seductions, and gets rid of him in order to protect herself and her virginity. The interesting fact however is that most agree that Merlin, due to being a wise sorcerer and a prophet, always knew of the plot of the "femme fatale" to get rid of him, but chose to ignore this warning : sometimes it is because he has grown too old and too weak to fight the female sorceress and so he just surrenders himself to her plot ; other times it is because he is blinded by lust or love and his own folly leads to his imprisonment.

#magical summer #wizard #merlin #enchanter #arthurian myth #arthurian literature #king arthur

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liminal-psych · 1 year

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First impressions of Arthurian lore, part 2 (again copied from my Facebook posts because I only just started using Tumblr again, this one’s from Nov 25th):

Reading up on Arthurian legend, and…

There are surprisingly few resources of any kind out there on the development of the stories themselves. No books for public consumption, just expensive textbooks and research papers.

Plenty of books retelling the legends in one way or another. Plenty of books on ”who was the real King Arthur / where is the real Camelot” etc, trying to determine historical basis for the stories. Some pagany stuff deriving spirituality and magic from Arthurian lore.

But way fewer other resources than I expected.

And my (rather advanced, thank you) Google skills failed to find me a recommendations list for translations of the various source texts. Which just seems strange. Do people just not engage with the source material with Arthurian legend? Is it just endless derivations and fanfic of fanfic of fanfic? This is not bad, this is fascinating, but it’s also very weird to me.

(More recently, since originally writing this, I have learned that people are still engaging with the source material, but it’s apparently just “10 gay people on Tumblr” doing so, to quote oldtvandcomics.)

And way fewer Facebook groups than I expected. I found one, the Arthurian Society, which I finally posted to asking for translation recommendations and resource recommendations. They were very very helpful.

(Note: More recently I have discovered that apparently the place for resources on getting started with Arthurian lit is Tumblr, of all places.)

It looks like the Camelot Project will be where I exist from now on while I’m in this hyperfocus. I’ve barely scratched the surface of it but it’s already super helpful.

I was resisting the urge to make the resource I’m looking for, a timeline of what characters and lore elements were developed when and by whom. I’m going to take notes as I read through the source material and try to make it for myself, whether or not I share it publicly in any form. I begin to see why people haven’t done so, though, as it is *complex*.

So what do I read first? I want to start at the beginning. But that’s harder to figure out than you might think.

At the start, we’ve got 1138, Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain. That’s the true “beginning” of Arthurian literature.

But if we want to look back further, Geoffrey’s sources were Gildas's sixth century De Excidio Brittaniae (On the Ruin of Britain) and Nennius's ninth century Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons). Gildas gave us Vortigern and Aurelius Ambrosius. Nennius gave us Saxon chieftains Hengest and Horsa, was the first to mention "Arthur the soldier," the "dux bellorum" (leader of battles), and also gives us a fellow named Ambrosius, who uncovers two fighting dragons under the foundation of his tower and prophesies the political future of Britain (sound familiar? Geoffrey incorporates him into the History as “Merlin Ambrosius”). Plus probably a bunch of Welsh material that Geoffrey never cites, for more on Merlin and Arthur.

Resources before Geoffrey are just brief mentions of Arthur. Merlin, on the other hand, has a wealth of pre-Galfridian material.

In addition to the History, Geoffrey also wrote two pieces about Merlin: Prophetiae Merlini (which was used for long afterwards by British politics in the same way as people have referenced Nostradamus, to attempt to predict or legitimize political events by saying it was predicted by Prophetiae Merlini), and Vita Merlini, a poem about Merlin’s life.

There’s Merlin Ambrosius of Nennius’s writing, and then there’s the Myrddin of early Welsh poetry. He gets called Merlin Silverstar at times to differentiate from Merlin Ambrosius, though you might have guessed that the two got merged into one figure pretty quick, the Merlin we now know of in modern Arthurian lore.

Then there are these six Welsh poems. The manuscripts that the poems are found in post-date Vita Merlini by over 100 years, but Welsh linguists have used orthographic evidence to show that the poems themselves are decidedly older than the manuscript, and may predate Geoffrey’s work as a result.

The poems are “Yr Afallennau" (The Apple Trees), "Yr Oianau" (The Greetings), "Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin" (The Dialogue of Myrddin and Taliesin), "Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer" (The Conversation of Myrddin and his Sister Gwenddydd), "Gwasgargerdd Fyrddin yn y Bedd" (The Diffused Song of Myrddin in the Grave), and "Peirian Faban" (Commanding Youth).

(When we say “poems” in this period of literature, we’re talking stuff like Beowulf. Novella length stuff. 50, 100 pages of lengthy lines and the like. So these are small books in their own right.)

And then of course there’s the Mabinogion, which was compiled into a manuscript much later than Geoffrey’s time but comes from earlier Welsh oral traditions which likely predate Geoffrey. There are apparently elements of the Mabinogion that are in Arthurian legends.

So do I start with the Mabinogion? The six Welsh poems about Merlin? Nennius and Gildas? Or Geoffrey of Monmouth?

Probably gonna start with Geoffrey, because it’s easy enough to find, and in fact free on the Camelot Project (though the formatting may drive me mad and lead me to get an ebook translation, apparently the Penguin Classics version is perfectly fine.

#arthurian literature #arthuriana #Arthurian newbie #arthurian lore #arthurian mythology #seriously how are there so few resources on this

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kingarthurdiesatcamlann · 2 years

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Year 480.2: Sir Moriad’s Big Break

Sir Angharad’s brother discovers a talent; Sir Bucky Conklin leads his unit to victory

Sir Angharad of Wylye

Sir Bucky Conklin of Burcombe

Sir Caradwen of Broughton

The army is split between the Irish and the Saxons; while Sir Angelo and Sir John are off defending from the former, Sir Angharad, Sir Bucky Conklin, and Sir Caradwen absolutely wreck the Saxons at the Battle of Salisbury, aided in no small part by the newfound inspirational skills of Sir Angharad’s twin brother, Sir Moriad.

King Aurelius Ambrosius is killed in the Battle of Salisbury; Duke Gorlois of Cornwall rallies his troops to victory anyway. Prince Uther returns triumphant from his own battles and is crowned the new King of Logres, but fails to achieve the votes needed to become High King of Britain.

Life Events:

Sir John marries Lady Lynelle; they have a baby girl.

Sir Bucky Conklin & Sir Angharad each successfully petition their lord to marry; they both choose to spend more time pursuing an advantageous courtship.

Sir Angharad finds and takes in a newborn abandoned in the woods near Wylye.

Sir Angelo’s cousin bears a child; his sister Angela now has a new charge.

Squire Caradog is formally declared dead; Sir Caradwen officially inherits Broughton.

Sir Bucky Conklin knocks up Lady Elaine; this is not known to court, and the child does not survive.

Sir Angharad’s brother Sir Moriad marries the Lady Marged

#kadac year summary #sir angharad #sir bucky conklin #sir caradwen #wylye kadac #broughton kadac #burcombe kadac

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a-system-of-nerds · 4 years

Note

Alright. Tell me of your retelling

Well, I’ve decided to pull bits and pieces that I like from other stories and tweak some things as it suits me. Here’s a list of things:

- Mordred will be more of a hero, as he was characterized in some of the earliest stories.

- For the Arthur-Guenevere-Launcelot love triangle, I’m making Guenevere the bad guy.

- Sir Ector fought with Aurelius Ambrosius to help put him back on the throne.

- Arthur’s first wife will be Lyonors, the daughter of Earl Sanam. A few years into their marriage, she bears him a son, named Borre. A year or so after that, she dies, leaving Arthur to struggle with raising his son and being king. At the urging of the older, more pretentious knights, he gets engaged to Guenevere. This causes a lot of other things.

- Laurel will be the cousin of Lynette and Lyonesse.

- Uther is “friends” with Merlin. It starts with Uther just pretending to be friends with him, needing his powers, but then it becomes genuine. However, he’s possessive of him, needing him to be his friend.

- Sir Bors has Asperger syndrome.

- The order of the Orkney siblings goes like this: Gawain, Soredamors, Agravaine and Clarissant (twins), Gaheris, Gareth, and Mordred. (There may be one more sibling added, Elayne.)

- Sir Gawain’s squire, Yvonet, is incredibly loyal to him, and, even after Yvonet becomes a knight himself, if it comes down to it, he will act as Gawain’s squire rather than a knight.

- Dinadan had a lover who was a Leanan Sidhe, an Irish vampire who gives inspiration to poets and musicians. Usually, a Leanan Sidhe shares with their lovers their intelligence, magic, and creativity, and when the Leanan Sidhe leaves, their lover dies from grief. The Leanan Sidhe then took their lover’s body to their lair and puts their blood in a cauldron, which is the source of their inspiration and beauty. So, when Dinadan ran away from home, he travelled a bit and met one. He was in a relationship with her, but he discovered the cauldron. His admiration turned to disgust as he learned what she was. He managed to get away and never went back to Ireland.

- Guenevere was the reason Dinadan died. She wanted to make Launcelot believe in her, so she told him that Dinadan was going to die. He didn’t believe her, but she used her powers to possess Agravaine, who was on a quest with Dinadan to end the previously mentioned Leanan Sidhe’s rein in Ireland. They were heading back when Agravaine attacked the already injured Dinadan. When Agravine awoke from the possession, he rushed Dinadan back to Camelot, where he died in Launcelot’s arms.

That’s about all I can think of for now. Thanks for asking; have a great day!

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pendraegon · 3 years

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can you imagine being uther and your brother’s name is aurelius ambrosius like i think this is the medieval equivalent of a parent being like “this is my kid, tim, and this is my kid, moonwater meadowfair”

#arthuriana #anyways. it's been a while since i said this but uther die challenge.#rip 2 aurelius ambrosius if he didn't die uther wouldn't have ever been king</3

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thepinkseat-askthemoonbunny · 2 years

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Since Uther and Aurelius were sent to Brittany as kids after Vortigern overthrew their dad and they basically grew up there….WHY DOESN’T UTHER HAVE A FRENCH ACCENT, ARTHURIAN MEDIA?! WHERE’S HIS FRENCH ACCENT YOU COWARDS?!

#uther pendragon #I’m learning so many cool arthurian facts this week #Arthuriana #Arthurian legend #King Arthur #Aurelius ambrosius #Vortigern #arthurian mythology

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modreduscycle · 4 years

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Kings of Logres

In order, Aurelius, Uther, and Arthur.

#arthuriana #Arthurian #Arthurian legend #Arthur Pendragon #king arthur #uther #uther pendragon #aurelius ambrosius #aurelius

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leafvy · 3 years

Photo

𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

hello everyone! i am finally back with a new name list, i hope you enjoy it and find it usefull!

[ disclaimer: my sincere apologies if there are any spelling/meaning/origin mistakes in any of my name lists, i am by no means a professional in this area, i just like creating lists to help aid storytellers. i do try my best to find each name’s corresponding origin/meaning/spelling but i am a human who is prone to make the odd mistake. p.s, i take requests! ]

Female

Adalina - German derived - Noble

Adelaide - English - Noble natured

Adrianna - Latin - Person from Hadria

Aishwarya - Sanskrit - Wealth, prosperity

Alethea - Greek - Truth

Alexandria - Greek derived - Feminine form of Alexandros, defender of men

Alexandrina - Greek derived - Feminine form of Alexandros, defender of men

Alianora - Unknown - Unknown

Amaryllis - Greek - Sparkle, shine

Anastasia - Greek - Ressurection

Anastazja - Polish - Reborn

Angelina - Greek - Messenger

Angelique - Latin - Messenger of God

Annabella - Italian - Loving

Annabelle - English - Favoured grace

Annalisa - Latin - Graced with God’s bounty

Annamaria - Italian/French/German - Bitter, grace

Anneliese - Latin - Graced with God’s bounty

Antoinetta - Latin - Praiseworthy

Antoinette - French - Priceless one

Antonella - Italian - First born

Antonia - Italian - Priceless, praiseworthy, beautiful

Antonina - Spanish - Priceless, highly esteemed

Arabella - Latin - Yielding to prayer

Araceli - Latin - Altar of heaven, heavenly homemaker

Araminta - English - Prayer, protection

Arianna - Greek/Italian - Most holy

Ariella - Hebrew - Lion of God

Aubrianna - German - Elf

Augusta - Latin - Great, magnificent

Augustina - Latin - The exalted one

Avabella - Hebrew - My God is an oath

Avalina - English - Little bird

Avianna - Latin - Birdlike

Avrielle - Unknown - Unknown

Bathilda - Germanic/Norse - Battle

Benedetta - Latin/Spanish - Blessed

Benedicta - Latin - Blessed

Bernadetta - French - Brave Bear

Bernadette - French - Brave Bear

Busarakham - Thai - Yellow Sapphire

Cairistonia - Unknown - Unknown

Calliope - Greek - Beautifully voiced

Candelaria - Spanish - Candle

Carlotta - Italian - Free man

Carolina - Latin/French - Free man

Cassandra - Greek - The one who shines & excels over men

Cassiopeia - Greek - Unknown

Catalina - Spanish - Pure

Celestina - Spanish/Italian - Heavenly

Celestine - Latin - Heavenly

Charlotta - French/German - Manly

Charlotte - French - Free man

Chrysanthemum - Greek - Gold flower

Cleobella - Unknown - Unknown

Cleopatra - Greek - Glory of her father

Cordelia - Welsh - Jewel of the sea

Corinthia - Greek - Woman of Corinth

Cressida - Greek - Gold

Daniella - Latin/Hebrew - God is my judge

Dayanara - Spanish - Forceful

Debbonaire - French - Good natured

Deianira - Greek - Man destroyer

Delphina - Greek - Woman from Delphi

Demetria - Greek - Follower of Demeter

Desdemona - Greek - Misery, unlucky

Dolores - Latin - Sorrowful

Dominica - French/Latin - Lord

Dominique - French/Latin - Lord

Donatella - Italian - Gift of God

Dulcinea - Spanish - Sweetness

Ekaterina - Russian/Bulgarian - Pure

Eleanora - Greek - Sun ray

Elenora - Greek - Sun ray

Elisabet - Scandinavian - Pledged to God

Elisabetta - Italian - Pledged to God

Elizabella - Spanish - God is my oath

Elizabeth - Hebrew - My God is an oath

Elizaveta - Russian - God is my oath

Elladora - Greek - A gift sent from heaven, one who is filled with light

Emmanuella - Hebrew - God is with us

Emmeline - French/German - Work

Esmerelda - Spanish - Emerald

Esperanza - Spanish - Hope

Estefania - Spanish/Greek - Crown, garland

Eulalia - Greek - Well-spoken

Evalina - Latin - Desired

Evangelina - Latin - Gospel

Evangeline - Latin - Gospel

Evelyna - Unknown - Unknown

Fatehmeh - Arabic - Captivating, woman who abstains

Federica - Italian - Peaceful ruler

Felicity - Latin - Happiness

Fernanda - Portuguese/Spanish/Italian - Bold voyager

Fiorella - Italian - Little flower

Francesca - Italian - From France

Frederica - German/English - Peaceful ruler

Gabriella - Spanish/Italian - God is my strength

Galatea - Greek - She who is milk-white

Galilea - Italian/Hebrew - Born in Galilee

Gayatari - Sanskrit - Goddess

Geneva - French - Juniper tree

Genevieve - Celtic/French/German - White wave

Georgetta - French/Greek/Latin - Farmer

Georgianna - Catalan/English/Greek/Romanian - Farmer

Georgina - Greek - Farmer

Giovanetta - Unknown - Unknown

Giullietta - Italian/Latin - Youthful

Gwendolyn - Welsh - White ring

Helena - Greek - Shining light

Henrietta - French/English - Estate ruler

Hydrangea - Greek/Latin - Water vessel

Ingeborg - Norse - Stronghold, protection

Isabella - Italian - God is my abundance

Isabellina - Portuguese - My god is a vow

Isadora - Greek - Gift of Isis

Itzayana - Mayan - Gift of God

Jacqueline - French - Supplanter

Jaganmata - Hindu - Mother of the world

Jasmina - French/Persian - God’s gift

Jessamina - Persian - Gift of God

Jessamine - Persian - Gift of God

Josephina - Hebrew - Jehovah increases

Julianna - Latin - Youthful

Julietta - Italian/Latin - Youthful

Katerina - Greek - Pure

Katherine - Greek - Pure

Kathleen - Irish/Greek - Pure

Laurentia - Latin - From Laurentium

Leocadia - Spanish - Splendid brightness

Leonora - Greek - Compassion, light

Liliana - Spanish/Italian - Lily, flower

Liliosa - Spanish - Lily, flower

Louisiana - German - Famous warrior

Luciana - Latin - Light

Lucinda - Latin - Light

Maddelena - Italian - Woman from Magdala

Magdalena - Greek - Woman from Magdala

Magnolia - Latin - Magnol’s flower

Marcelina - Latin - Dedicated to Mars

Marceline - Latin - Dedicated to Mars

Margaery - French - Pearl

Margaretha - Greek/Latin - Pearl, margarita

Marguerita - Greek - Pearl

Marguerite - French - Pearl

Mariana - Spanish - Grace, drop of the sea

Mariella - Latin/Dutch - Star of the sea

Marielle - Latin/Dutch - Star of the sea

Melania - Greek - Black, dark

Miabella - Italian - Beauty

Millicent - German - Strong in work

Mirabella - Latin - Wondrous beauty

Momilani - Hawaiian - Pearl of heaven

Montserrat - Latin - Jagged mountain

Morganna - Welsh - Sea-born

Nicoletta - Greek - People of victory

Nicolina - Greek - People of victory

Octavia - Latin - Eighth

Olivia - Latin - Olive tree

Olympia - Greek - From Mount Olympus

Onaiwah - Native American - Awake

Ophelia - Greek - Help

Penelope - Greek - Weaver

Persephone - Greek - Bringer of destruction

Petronella - Latin/Greek - Stone, rock

Petronilla - Italian/Latin - Stone, rock

Philomena - Greek - Friend of strength

Priscilla - Latin - Ancient

Raffaella - French - God has healed

Raphaela - Hebrew - God has healed

Rosabelle - Latin - Beautiful rose

Rosalina - German - Gentle horse

Samantha - Hebrew - Told by God

Santana - Spanish - Holy

Saphhira - Greek - Sapphire

Seraphina - Hebrew - Burning ones

Serenity - Latin - Peaceful

Shoshana - Hebrew - Lily, rose

Sophronia - Greek - Wise

Stellamaris - Latin - Star of the sea

Tatiana - Russian - Fairy Queen

Temperance - English - Moderation

Theodora - Greek - Gift of God

Ululani - Hawaiian - Heavenly inspiration

Valencia - Latin - Strong, healthy

Valentina - Latin - Strong, healthy

Vasilisa - Russian - Queen, Empress

Venezia - Italian - From Venice

Veronica - Latin - She who brings victory

Victoria - Latin - Victory

Violetta - Italian - Purple

Virginia - Latin - Virginal, pure

Vivienne - French - Life

Waleria - Polish - Healthy, strong

Wilhelmina - Dutch/German - Will, desire, helmet, protection

Williamina - German - Protection, resolute

Xanthippe - Greek - Yellow Horse

Yaroslava - Slavic - Fierce, glorious

Yevgeniya - Russian - Well born

Zenobia - Greek - Life of Zeus

Male

Aballach - Arthurian - Father of Modron

Abraham - Hebrew - Father of multitudes

Acacius - Greek - Thorny

Alessandro - Italian - Defender of mankind

Alexander - Latin - To ward off, defend & protect

Alexandros - Greek - Defender, protector of man

Algernon - Norman-French - Moustached man

Alistair - Scottish - Defending men

Alphonsus - Spanish/Italian - Noble & ready

Ambrose - Greek/Latin - Immortal

Ambrosius - Greek/Latin - Divine, immortal

Anderson - Greek - Son of Andrew

Antonio - Spanish/Italian - Priceless one

Archibald - Germanic - Bold, genuine

Augustus - Latin - Majestic, venerable

Aurelius - Latin - Golden

Balthasar - Greek - Bal protects the King

Barnaby - English - Young warrior

Bartholomew - Aramaic - Son of Talmai

Beauchamp - English/French - Beautiful field

Beauregard - French - Beautiful gaze

Beckett - English - Beehive

Belvidere - Italian - Beautiful to see

Benedict - Latin - Blessed

Benjamin - Hebrew - Son of the right hand

Broderick - Welsh/Irish/Norse - Son of Rhydderch, descendent of Bruadar, Ginger brother

Callahan - Irish - Descendent of Ceallachán

Caspian - Arabic - Treasure of the sea

Cassander - Spanish/Greek - Brother of heroes

Channing - English/French - Young wolf, church offical

Christian - English - Follower of Christ

Christopher - English/Greek - Bearing Christ

Cillian - Irish - War, strife, church

Cleveland - English - Cliff land

Clifford - English - Lives near the cliff

Constantine - Latin/Greek - Steadfast, constant

Constantino - Latin/Greek - Steadfast, constant

Cornelius - Latin - Horn

Dartagnan - French - From Artagnan

Dashiell - French/Scottish - Heaven, sky

Douglas - Scottish - Dark water

Elmwood - English - Forest of Elm trees

Elwood - English - Forest of Elder trees

Emerson - German - Son of Emery

Emiliano - Italian - Rival

Emmanuel - Hebrew - God is with us

Evander - Greek/Scottish - Strong man, bow warrior

Finnegan - Irish - Son of fair haired

Fiorello - Italian - Little flower

Fitzwilliam - English - Son of William

Francesco - Latin/Spanish - French man, free man

Frederick - German - Peaceful ruler

Gabriel - Hebrew - God is my strength

Grayson - English - Grey haired one

Gregory - Latin - Gregarious

Guillermo - Spanish - Resolute protector

Harrison - English - Son of Harry

Heathcliffe - English - Cliff near a heath

Henderson - Scottish - Son of Henry

Holden - English - Hollow in the valley

Humphrey - French/English - Peaceful warrior, bear cub

Hyperion - Greek - The high one

Ignatius - Latin/Etruscan - Fiery one

Jackson - English - Son of Jack

Jameson - English - Son of James

Jefferson - English - Son of Jeffrey

Jeremiah - Hebrew - Yhwh will raise

Jonathon - Hebrew - Son of Jehovah

Joshua - Hebrew - Yhwh is salvation

Kenderick - Scottish/English - Royal ruler, champion

Lancaster - English - Habitational name

Lawrence - Latin - From Laurentium

Leander - Greek - Lion man

Leonardo - Italian/Spanish/Portuguese - Strong as a Lion

Leopold - Germanic - Brave people

Lorenzo - Italian/Spanish - From Laurentium

Lysander - Greek - Liberator

Madigan - Irish - Little dog

Malachi - Hebrew - Messenger of God

Marcellus - French - Young warrior

Marmaduke - Irish/Gaelic - Follower of Maedoc, leader of the seas

Maverick - American - Independent

Maximilianus - Latin - Greatest

Maximillian - Latin - Greatest

Montgomery - French - Gomeric’s hill

Mordecai - Hebrew - Little man

Morrison - English/Scottish - Son of Morris

Muhammad - Arabic - Praised, commendable

Napoleon - Greek - Lion of the new city

Nathaniel - Greek/Hebrew - God has given

Nicholas - Greek - Victory of the people

Nicholson - English/Greek - Son of Nicholas

Octavian - Latin - Eighth

Oswald - Anglo-Saxon - Divine power, ruler

Ozymandias - Greek - Tyrant, dictator

Percival - French - Pierce the vale

Peregrine - Latin - One from abroad

Phineas - Hebrew - Oracle

Randolph - English/German - Chief-Wolf

Reginald - Latin - King

Remington - English - Place on a riverbank

Roderick - Germanic - Famous ruler

Salvatore - Italian - Savior

Santiago - Spanish/Latin - Saint James

Sebastian - Latin - Venerable

Simeon - Hebrew - To hear, to be heard

Solomon - Hebrew - Man of peace

Sullivan - Irish - Black eyed one

Sylvester - Latin - Wooded, wild

Tennyson - English - Son of Dennis

Thaddeus - Aramaic - Courageous heart

Theodore - Greek - God given

Tiberius - Latin - Of the Tiber

Tobias - Hebrew/Greek - God is good

Tristram - Welsh - Noise

Ulysses - Greek - Wrathful, hater

Valentino - Latin - Strong

Vincenzo - Italian - To conquer

Wallace - Scottish/English - Foreigner

Wellington - English - Place name

Whittaker - English - White field

William - Germanic - Strong-willed warrior

Willoughby - English - Willow farm

Xerxes - Persian - Hero among heroes

Zacchaeus - Hebrew/Greek - Pure, innocent

Zachariah - Persian/Hebrew - God remembers

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