The Mammoth Book of King Arthur (36 page)

8. The Triads

The
Trioedd Ynys Prydein
(“The Triads of the Isle of Britain”) are a series of records that function as mnemonics, to assist in remembering key names or
events. They are always grouped in threes, such as the “Three Fair Princes” or the “Three Frivolous Bards”, and sometimes a fourth name might be added as better (or worse)
than all three. Triad No. 2, for instance, lists the “Three Generous Men” of Britain – Nudd, Mordaf and Rhydderch – and then says, “And Arthur himself was more
generous than the three.” This reads too much like a later addition to rectify the omission of Arthur, and references such as this are of no value at all. Only those triads that incorporate
Arthur within the list and say something meaningful are worthy of consideration.

The triads turn up in various sources, primarily the
Red Book ofHergest
and the
White Book of Rhydderch
, but are part of a rigid oral bardic tradition, and some may date back to
the sixth century. Tradition ascribes them to various bards such as Taliesin and Myrddin, but we now have no way of knowing who first wrote what, or when. Like all oral records they are subject to
change over time, with new names substituted to reflect current thinking. Their reliability, six centuries after Arthur, is suspect, but just occasionally there may be some information, as much in
what they don’t say as what they do.

The translation and ordering of the triads has been rationalised by the work of Dr Rachel Bromwich in
Trioedd Ynys Prydein
(1978), and most quotes from triads now follow her numbering.
She lists ninety-six triads, but other incomplete lists exist in different sequences suggesting that there are more. Nevertheless,
for consistency I shall follow Dr
Bromwich’s numbering. Of those ninety-six, about twenty-six actually mention Arthur. However, some of these, such as the “Three Knights of Arthur’s Court who won the Graal”,
are clearly late compositions. I’ve selected those few which do raise points of interest.

This tells us the three principal courts of Arthur: Mynyw (St. David’s), Celliwig (here sited in Cornwall because of the translation of Cernyw), and Pen Rhionydd. This
last court has caused much conjecture. Its bishop, Cyndyrn Garthwys, is St Kentigern, and the reference to the North has caused most to suppose it is near Kentigern’s bishopric in Glasgow.
Since his parish covered most of Strathclyde and Rheged (Kentigern was the grandson of Urien of Rheged), Pen Rhionydd could have been anywhere in what is now Cumbria and Galloway. Bromwich, in her
interpretation of the triads, has suggested it is the Rhinns of Galloway.

Depending on the location of Pen Rhionydd, this triad could be an accurate record of the three Arthurs. The Chief Prince of Mynyw was Arthur of Dyfed (though it is odd to see Maelgwyn of Gwynedd
there). Arthur of Gwent ruled from Celliwig, and the third could relate to Arthur of the Pennines or Artúir of Dál Riata. The clue lies in identifying Gyrthmwl Wledig.

Although he appears in
The Dream of Rhonabwy
as one of Arthur’s counsellors, he is seldom referred to. He is mentioned in the “Stanzas of the Graves”, described as being
“a chieftain of the North” but buried at Celli Frifael, which is in the Gower Peninsula in south Wales. His name appears in another triad as one of the “Three Bull Spectres”
of Britain, suggesting that he
had already passed into legend, and that there was some otherworld adventure involving his ghost. The mystery is not helped by his name, which
was probably a melding of
Gwyrth-Mael
, or “Miracle Prince”.

Curiously, the name
Gyrthmwl
appears in a poem composed by Heledd, the sister of Cynddylan, written sometime in the mid-seventh century.

Ifor Williams has interpreted
Gyrthmwl
as a place name, and in fact it’s one we’ve already encountered as Garthmyl, in Powys, close by the Roman fort of The
Gaer, near Welshpool. It is from near here that Arthur leads his army to the battle of Caer Faddon in
The Dream of Rhonabwy
. Could it be that the composer of the triad confused the name of
one of Arthur’s strongholds with an individual? Or, more likely, was Garthmyl named after its lord? He may have been related to the Cadellings of Powys and commanded The Gaer on behalf of
Arthur.

But how does this relate to “the North” and the parish of Kentigern? In his middle years, Kentigern allegedly moved to North Wales and founded a monastery at Llanelwy, now St. Asaph,
in Gwynedd. This has since been rejected as a Norman fabrication, but the triad may have been repeating that fabrication, so that even though based on a false premise, the location may still be
accurate. Twenty-five kilometres to the west of St. Asaph is Penrhyn. In
The Keys to Avalon
, Steve Blake and Scott Lloyd suggest that Pen Rhionydd (“Headland of the Maidens”) is
related to another locale, Morfa Rhianedd (“Seastrand of the Maidens”), which runs between Llandudno and Conwy. Located here is Deganwy, one of the courts of Maelgwyn Gwynedd.

The “North” would then seem to mean North Wales. Since Deganwy was Maelgwyn’s stronghold, it seems odd to place him at Mynyw and Gyrthmwl at Deganwy. However, if we think back
to Gildas’s commentary upon Maelgwyn, we know that he first came to the throne by murdering an uncle, repented and went
into a monastery, and then returned to his
murdering ways. He probably usurped Deganwy in his later years, in the 530s or 540s, after Arthur’s death. Near Borth is a stretch of shore called Traeth Maelgwyn where legend has it that
Maelgwyn won his kingship.

This triad may be remembering, albeit awkwardly, a period when Arthur, as High King of Wales, appointed three sub-kings to govern Wales on his behalf. Maelgwyn took the west, Caradog the south
and Gyrthmwl the east and north. This arrangement may not have lasted long because another triad, about the “Three Horse Burdens” of Britain, tells how Gyrthmwl’s sons avenged his
death when they attacked Dinas Maelawr, in Ceredigion. This has been idenitified as the fort of Pendinas, in Aberystwyth, suggesting conflict between Maelgwyn and Gyrthmwl.

If ever there were three forgotten Arthurian names it must be these three. No legends have grown up around them, but they also appear in
Culhwch and Olwen
and
The
Dream of Rhonabwy
as counsellors at Arthur’s court. Since they are otherwise unknown, in all likelihood this triad has remained true and they probably were amongst Arthur’s
advisors. Cadrieth was also the name of one of the survivors of Catraeth, but there is no reason to presume they are the same person.

It is unfortunate that the name of Medrawd’s court is not given but, in any case, the triad does no more than emphasise the rivalry
between Arthur and
Medrawd. The third line repeats a tradition that Aedan mac Gabhran, the future king of Dál Riata, took advantage of Rhydderch of Strathclyde. The legend recounts that Aedan incited a
rebellion against Rhydderch, who was forced to flee to Ireland. Rhydderch returned, however, leading to the bloody battle of Arderydd in 574 (listed in the
Welsh Annals
under 575). The
battle was between Rhydderch and Gwenddoleu, a renegade chieftain operating throughout Galloway and Rheged. Aedan allied himself with Gwenddoleu, whilst Rhydderch’s men formed part of a
confederate army organised by Peredur of York and his brother Gwrgi. Arderydd, also known as Arthuret, was evidently one of the great showdowns in British history. Gwenddoleu was killed and, so
legend has it, his bard Myrddin went mad with grief and ran wild in the Caledonian forest. Aedan fled back to Dál Riata, whilst Rhydderch regained Strathclyde and became one of the great
kings of the North.

Here there may be a hint of memory of Arthur’s fatal battle at Camlann, where, perhaps, his battle tactics were flawed. There have been few references to Camlann in our
trawl through fabled history, but its memory permeates the triads, which dwell on the futility of the battle. One such reference is in Triad 53, the “Three Harmful Blows” of Britain,
where it says: “The blow Gwenhwyfach struck upon Gwenhwyfar: and for that cause there took place afterwards the action of the Battle of Camlan.” Gwenhwyfach, wife of Mordred, and her
sister Gwenhwyfar/Guenevere quarrelled while collecting nuts. One sister struck the other and, from that, enmity arose between Mordred and Arthur, leading Mordred to abduct Guenevere and claim the
kingdom, and to the final battle.

Llywarch was cousin to Urien of Rheged. The Men of the North fought amongst themselves and Llywarch found himself hounded out of Rheged and reduced to poverty with most of his
sons killed. He eventually settled in Powys in the late sixth century, where he died at an advanced age, a sad and somewhat lonely man. In one of his poems, he confirms that, “They welcomed
me in the taverns of Powys, paradise of Welshmen.” Llemenig is a shadowy character but one who might be a prototype of Lancelot (
see
Chapter 17). Heledd was the sister of Cynddylan,
king of Powys in the mid-seventh century. This seems to suggest that Arthur’s court was in Powys. By the time of Llywarch, the ruler of Powys was either Brochwel of the Tusks or Cynan the
Cruel. Nevertheless, the court may still have been remembered as Arthur’s.

Here are two more names that have faded into obscurity. Rahawd appears in Triad 12 as one of the “Three Frivolous Bards” at Arthur’s court, along with Arthur
himself! He also appears as one of Arthur’s counsellors in
The Dream of Rhonabwy
, but otherwise his name is not known, and may be a late Norman addition. Dalldaf is another of
Arthur’s courtiers who appears in
Culhwch and Olwen.
Bartrum has suggested he may be the same as Doldavius, king of Gotland, whom we shall meet in Geoffrey’s
History.
Drystan is another matter, as he is the well-known figure of Tristan (
see
Chapter 13).

The majority of the triads which mention Arthur are amongst the most fanciful and least historic, suggesting that they were added
later as Arthur’s legend grew.
Elsewhere, triads in which one might expect to find Arthur in his role as High King do not mention him.

We have encountered the first two in the battles in the North – indeed, Gwallawg is the nephew of Arthur of the Pennines who, had he really been a major force in the
North, ought to feature in at least one triad. Cynfelyn the Leprous was also related, being a distant cousin, and may have earned the honour because of an unrecorded role at Arderydd. The following
triad is similar.

These are also all Men of the North. Urien and Gwenddolau we have met. Cynfawr was the brother of Cynfelyn the Leprous, and although he is otherwise all but unknown, his epithet
of “Host Protector”, as identified by Bartrum, is similar to the Irish title “of the hundred battles”, applied to the near legendary High King Conn. This suggests that
Cynfawr, and no doubt Cynfelyn, were survivors of many battles in the North.

Yet Arthur is not amongst them, and if he had been such a Protector of the North, surely he would feature somewhere. Neither does he appear in the “Three Chief Officers” of Britain
(Triad 13), who are Caradawg, Cawrdaf and Owain. He is not one of the “Three Battle Horsemen” (Triad 18), who include Caradog Vreichfras, or the “Three Enemy Subduers”
(Triad 19), of whom one is Drystan/Tristan. Arthur is not even one of the “Three Battle Leaders” of Britain (Triad 25), who are Selyf ap Cynan, Urien of Rheged and, surprisingly,
Addaon, the son of Taliesin, whom we met in
The Dream of Rhonabwy.

Whenever you expect to find Arthur in a triad, he isn’t there, and when he does appear, it is usually as an echo of some aspect of his legend. Rather than the triads supporting the
existence of Arthur, they tend to underscore the development of the legend in later years. Only three of them tell us anything pertinent about Arthur. Triad 1 shows how his administration was
divided and where his three main courts were, Triad 65 suggests that he had a court in Powys, and Triad 59 reveals how he mismanaged his tactics at Camlann.