Thief (32 page)

Arthurian Characters

Most scholars agree that Arthur, Guinevere, and Merlin were titles shared by various personas throughout the late fifth and sixth centuries. The ones in this book are the late sixth-century characters. Because of inconsistent dating, multiple persons sharing the same titles and/or names, and place names as well as texts recorded in at least six languages, I again quote Nennius: “I’ve made a heap of all I could find.”

* historically documented individuals

*Arthur—
Prince of Dalraida, Dux Bellorum (Latin “Duke of War”) or Pendragon (Welsh)/High King (Scot) of Britain, although he held no land of his own. He is a king of landed kings, their battle leader. A Pendragon at this time can have no kingdom of his own to avoid conflict of interest. Hence, Gwenhyfar is rightful queen of her lands, Prince Arthur’s through marriage. Arthur is the historic son of Aedan of Dalraida/Scotland, descended from royal Irish of the Davidic bloodline preserved by the marriage of Zedekiah’s daughter Tamar to the Milesian king of Ireland Eoghan in 587 BC. Ironically the Milesians are descended from the bloodline of Zarah, the “Red Hand” twin of Pharez (David and Jesus’ ancestor) in the book of Genesis. Thus the breach of Judah prophesied in Isaiah was mended by this marriage of very distant cousins, and the line of David continued to rule through the royal Irish after Jerusalem fell.

*Aedan of Dalraida—
Arthur’s father, Aedan, was Pendragon of Britain for a short time and prince of Manau Gododdin by his mother’s Pictish blood (just as Arthur was prince of Dalraida because of his marriage to Gwenhyfar). When Aedan’s father, the king of Dalraida, died, Aedan became king of the more powerful kingdom, and he abandoned Manau Gododdin. For that abandonment, he is oft referred to as Uther Pendragon,
uther
meaning “the terrible.” He sent his son Arthur to take his place as Pendragon and Manau’s protector.

Angus
—the Lance of Lothian. Although this Dalraida Arthur had no Lancelot as his predecessor did, Angus is the appointed lesser king of Stirlingshire/Strighlagh and protector of his Pictish queen Gwenhyfar and her land. As with his ancestral namesake Lancelot, Angus’s land of Berwick in Lothian now belongs to Cennalot, who is ultimately defeated by Arthur. (See
Cennalot
and
Brude.
) Angus is Arthur’s head of artillery. It is thought he was raised at the Grail Castle and was about ten or so years younger than his lady Gwenhyfar.

Scholar/researcher Norma Lorre Goodrich suggests he may have been a fraternal twin to Modred or Metcault. That would explain Lance not knowing who he really was until he came of age, as women who bore twins were usually executed. The second child was thought to be spawn of the Devil. Naturally Morgause would have hidden the twins’ birth by casting one out, only to have him rescued by her sister, the Lady of the Lake, or Vivianne del Acqs. This scenario happened as well in the lives of many of the saints, such as St. Kentigern. Their mothers were condemned to death for consorting with the Devil and begetting a second child. Yet miraculously, these women lived and the cast-off child became a saint.

*Brude/Bridei—
see
Cennalot/Cennalath/Lot of Lothian.

*Cennalot/Cennalath/Lot of Lothian—
Arthur’s uncle by marriage to Morgause. This king of eastern Pictland and the Orkneys was all that stood between Brude reigning over the whole of Pictland. Was it coincidence that Arthur, whose younger brother, Gairtnat, married Brude’s daughter and became king of the Picts at Brude’s death, decided to take out this Cennalot while Brude looked the other way? Add that to the fact that Cennalot was rubbing elbows with the Saxons and looking greedily at Manau Gododdin, and it was just a matter of time before either Brude or Arthur got rid of him.

*Dupric, bishop of Llandalf
—a historical bishop who
may
also be Merlin Emrys per Norma Goodrich.

Gwenhyfar/Guinevere—
High Queen of Britain. This particular Gwen’s Pictish name is Anora. She is descended from the apostolic line and is a high priestess in the Celtic Church. She is buried in Fife. Her marriage brought under Arthur the lands of Stirlingshire, or Strighlagh. Her offspring are its heirs, as the Pictish rule is inherited from the mother’s side. There were two abductions of the Gwenhyfars. In one she was rescued. In the other she
slept
, meaning she died (allegedly from snakebite), precipitating the fairy tale of
Sleeping Beauty
. In both Gwenhyfar’s abduction and that of Sleeping Beauty, thorns surrounded the castle, thorns being as common a defense in those days as moats were. Also note the similarities of names, even if the definitions are different—Anora (grace), Aurora (dawn).

*Hering—
son of Hussa, prince of Northumbria. Hering did not succeed his father but fled to Aedan’s protection in Dalraidan Scotland after his cousin Aethelfrith of Bernicia won the throne and exiled him. Hering later led the Scots against his cousin Aethelfrith.

*Hussa—
the king or bretwalda of the Northumbrian Saxons, succeeded by his nephew Aethelfrith instead of his son Hering.

*Merlin Emrys of Powys—
a Christian druidic-educated bishop of the Celtic Church, protoscientist, adviser to the king, prophet after the Old Testament prophets, and possibly a Grail King or Joseph. Emrys is of the Irish Davidic and Romano-British bloodlines as son of Ambrosius Aurelius and uncle to Aedan, Arthur’s father. Merlin Emrys retired as adviser during Arthur’s later reign, perhaps to pursue his beloved science or perhaps as the Grail King. In either case, he would not have condoned Arthur’s leaning toward the Roman Church’s agenda. Later the Roman Church and Irish Celtic Church priests would convert the Saxons to Christianity, but the British Celtic Church suffered too much at pagan hands to offer the Good News to their pagan invaders. (See
Dupric
and
Ninian
.)

Modred—
king of the Orkneys and Lothian, also a high priest or abbot in the Celtic Church; Arthur’s nephew and son of late Cennalath and Morgause

*Morcant—
king of Bryneich, now mostly occupied on the coast by the Saxons and called Northumbria. The capital was Trapain Law.

Ninian—
Merlin’s protégé, priestess in the Celtic Church

*Vivianne Del Acqs—
sister to Ygerna, Arthur’s mother, and Morgause of Lothian. She is known as the Lady of the Lake. Vivianne is a high priestess and tutor at the Grail Castle. It’s thought that she raised both Gwenhyfar and Angus/Lance of Lothian, all direct descendants of the Arimathean priestly lines.

*Ygerna—
Arthur’s mother and a direct descendant of Joseph of Arimathea, was matched as a widow of a British duke and High Queen of the Celtic Church to Aedan of Dalraida by Merlin Emrys to produce an heir with both royal and priestly bloodlines. It is thought her castle was at Caerlaverock.

The Grail Palace

Norma Lorre Goodrich suggests that the Grail Palace was on the Isle of St. Patrick, and recent archaeology has exposed sixth-century ruins of a church/palace there. But what was it, or the Grail itself, exactly? Goodrich uses the vast works of other scholars, adding her expertise in the linguistics field to extract information from Arthurian texts in several languages. Weeding out as much fancy as possible, the Grail Palace was the church or place where the holy treasures of Christianity were kept (not to be confused with the treasures of Solomon’s Temple, which Jeremiah and Zedekiah’s daughter Tamar allegedly took to Ireland in 587 BC, or the Templars found during the Crusades). The Grail treasures consist of items relating to Jesus: a gold chalice and a silver platter (or silver knives) from the Last Supper, the spear that pierced Christ’s side, the sword (or broken sword) that beheaded John the Baptist, gold candelabra with at least ten candles each, and a secret book, or gospel, attributed directly to either Jesus, John the Beloved, Solomon, John the Baptist, or John of the Apocalypse.

Or was this book the genealogies of the bloodlines, whose copies were supposedly destroyed by the Roman Church?

If the house of the Last Supper was that of the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea, is it possible that Jesus used these rich items and that Joseph brought them to Britain in the first century as tradition holds? The high priest of the Grail Castle tradition was called the Joseph. Of all the knights who vied for the Grail or the high priest position as teacher and protector of the bloodlines and treasures, only Percival and Galahad succeeded. Did they take the place of Merlin Emrys, when he passed on?

The purpose of the Grail Palace, beyond holding the treasures, was one of protecting and perpetuating the apostolic and royal bloodlines … hence the first-century Christianity brought to Britain by Christ’s family and followers. It was believed that an heir of both lines stood a chance of becoming another messiah-like figure. Such breeding of bloodlines was intended to keep the British church free of Roman corruption and close to its Hebrew origins. Nennius, who was pro-Roman to the core, accused the Celtic Church of
clinging to the shadows of the Jews—
the first-century Jews of Jesus’ family and friends.

But by the time the last Arthur fell, the hope of keeping the line of priests and Davidic kings, as had been done in Israel prior to Zedekiah’s fall, was lost. With the triumph of the Roman Church authority, political appointment from Rome trumped the inheritance of the priestly and kingly rights divinely appointed in the Old Testament. Celibacy became the order of the day to keep the power and money in Rome.

Goodrich suggests that there were three Grail brotherhoods: Christ and the Twelve Disciples, Joseph of Arimathea and his twelve companions, and Arthur and the Twelve Knights of the Round Table. After Arthur’s death, the order of the Grail with its decidedly Jewish roots gave way to Columba at Iona and the Roman Church. The Grail treasure—which had been brought from the Holy Land by Joseph of Arimathea, first to Glastonbury and later, after Saxons came too close for comfort, to the Isle of Patrick off of Man—had to be moved again. Percival and Galahad returned it to the Holy Land. And it is there, centuries later, that the Knights Templar allegedly entered into the mystery, perhaps with privileged information kept and passed down among the sacred few remnants of the bloodlines that shaped early Christian Scotland, England, and Ireland.

Etienne Gilson said that the Grail veneration started in Jerusalem with Arimathea and Jesus’ family and friends and that it stood for grace. God’s grace. Christ’s grace by sacrifice.

Or is it that only those truly baptized by Pentecostal fire are fit to care for the Grail treasures, just as only the high priest of Aaron was allowed into the Holy of Holies in ancient Israel? And is finding the Grail a metaphor for the Holy Spirit embodied in the apostles, or entering into the presence of God? Lancelot only dreamed of it, while Percival and Galahad actually achieved it as evidenced by the fires on their tunics.

The truth has been veiled by time, muddied or intentionally destroyed by later anti-Semitic factions in the church, and turned into a fantasy by later medieval writers who vilified most of the women, romanticized the men, and changed the now-lost original accounts to suit the tastes of their benefactors. Yet still this quest haunts the imagination and the soul—to be like, and hence in the presence of, Christ.

Bibliography

For Readers Who Want More:

There are
over
seventy-five books from which I've garnered information and inspiration for this novel. However, I am listing those of the most influence for the reader who wants to delve into the history and tradition behind this work of fiction.

David F. Carroll makes a case for the historically documented Prince Arthur of Dalraida as
the
Arthur. This documentation is why I chose Arthur's story as the background for this series, while incorporating many of Norma Lorre Goodrich's observations as well. Her scholarly analysis of Arthuriana suggests that there is more than one Arthur, Guinevere, and Merlin. This, and the fact that there was no standard for dating, explains Arthur and company having to have lived for nearly a hundred years, as well as the many dating discrepancies in historical manuscripts. She, among others listed, uses geographical description and her knowledge of linguistics to place Arthur mostly in the lowlands of today's Scotland. Shortly after she suggested the location of Arthur's Grail Palace on an island near Man, the ruins of a Dark Age Christian church were discovered there.

Isabel Elder's
Celt, Druid and Culdee
provides wonderful insight into the origins of the early church in Britain and how the similarities of these three groups made them ready to make Christ their Druid or teacher/master. A must-read to understand the New Age philosophy of today. Andrew Gray's
The Origin and Early History of Christianity in Britain—From Its Dawn to the Death of Augustine
is fascinating and impacts
Thief
as it lends some credence to some of Goodrich's observations on Arthur and the church.

The oral traditions about Joseph of Arimathea and Avalon/Glastonbury are underscored by ancient place names and Roman, British, Irish, and church histories in books by Gray, Joyce, McNaught, and Taylor. They also provide a compelling case for the British church's establishment in the first century by Jesus' family and apostles. Books regarding the Davidic bloodlines preserved through Irish nobility that married into the major royal houses of western Europe, Britain in particular, include those of Allen, Capt, and Collins.

To separate magic from science from miracle, I found Charles Singer's book one of the best I've read for clarification throughout history. Kieckhefer's is also an excellent historical resource for medieval customs, superstitions, and medicine and their darker side as well.

I do not advocate the practices featured in Buckland's book on witchcraft, although reading it has helped me develop a clearer understanding of where much New Age thought comes from, that I might more effectively witness to the similarities and differences in the future in my case for Christ. After reading the above and more on my magic/miracle/science research, I found the scriptural perspective in Rory Roybal's
Miracles or Magic? Discerning the Works of God in Today's World
reassuring and spiritually grounding
.
And, of course, enough can't be said of the King James Version Bible referred to throughout
Thief.

Arthurian Works

Barber
, Richard.
The Figure of Arthur
. New York: Dorset Press, 1972.

Blake
, Steve and Scott Lloyd.
Pendragon: The Definitive Account of the Origins of Arthur.
Guilford, CT: The Lyons Press, 2002.

Carroll
, David F.
Arturius: A Quest for Camelot.
Goxhill, Lincolnshire, UK: D. F. Carroll, 1996.

De Boron
, Robert.
Merlin and the Grail: Joseph of Arimathea, Merlin, Perceval.
Translated by Nigel Bryant. Rochester, NY: D. S. Brewer, 2005.

Goodrich
, Norma Lorre.
Guinevere.
New York: HarperCollins, 1991.

———
.
The Holy Grail.
New York: HarperCollins, 1993.

———
.
King Arthur.
New York: Harper and Row, 1986.

———
.
Merlin.
New York: Harper and Row, 1988.

Holmes
, Michael.
King Arthur: A Military History.
New York: Blandford Press, 1998.

Reno
, Frank.
Historic Figures of the Arthurian Era.
Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2000.

Skene
, W. F.
Arthur and the Britons in Wales and Scotland.
Dyfed, UK: Llanerch Enterprises, 1988.

Church History

Allen
, J. H.
Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright.
Merrimac, MA: Destiny Publishers, 1902.

Capt
, E. Raymond.
The Traditions of Glastonbury.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Artisan Press, 1983.

———
.
Missing Links Discovered in Assyrian Tablets: Study of the Assyrian Tables of Israel
. Thousand Oaks, CA: Artisan Sales, 1983.

Collins
, Stephen.
The “Lost” Ten Tribes of Israel … Found!
Boring, OR: CPA Books, 1995.

Elder
, Isabel Hill.
Celt, Druid and Culdee
. London: Covenant Publishing Company, 1973.

Gardner
, Laurence.
Bloodline of the Holy Grail
:
The Hidden Lineage of Jesus Revealed.
New York: Thorsons/Element, 1996. (Used for tracing Jesus' family/apostles, not His alleged direct bloodline.)

Gray
, Andrew.
The Origin and Early History of Christianity in Britain—From Its Dawn to the Death of Augustine.
New York: James Pott & Co., 1897.

Joyce
, Timothy.
Celtic Christianity: A Sacred Tradition, A Vision of Hope
. New York: Orbis Books, 1998.

Larson
, Frank.
The Bethlehem Star
,
www.BethlehemStar.net
(accessed January 1, 2008).

MacNaught
, J. C.
The Celtic Church and the See of Peter.
Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1927.

Taylor
, Gladys.
Our Neglected Heritage: The Early Church.
London: Covenant Publishing Company, 1969.

General History

Adamnan
of Iona.
Life of St. Columba
. Translated by Richard Sharpe. New York: Penguin Books, 1995.

Alcock
, Leslie.
Arthur's Britain.
New York: Penguin Books, 1971.

————
.
Kings and Warriors, Craftsmen and Priests in Northern Britain AD 550–850.
Edinburgh: Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, 2003.

Armit
, Ian.
Celtic Scotland.
London: B. T. Batsford, Ltd., 2005.

Ashe
, Geoffrey.
A Guidebook to Arthurian Britain.
London: Aquarian Press, 1983.

Ellis
, Peter Berresford.
Celt and Saxon: The Struggle for Britain, AD 410–937.
London: Constable, 1993.

Evans
, Stephen.
The Lords of Battle.
Rochester, NY: Boydell Press, 1997. (Excellent resource for the life of a warlord and his men.)

Fraser
, James.
From Caledonia to Pictland: Scotland to 795.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2009.

Hartley
, Dorothy.
Lost Country Life.
New York: Random House, 1979. (A wonderful look at county life in Britain by the season.)

Hodgkin
, R. H.
A History of the Anglo-Saxons.
Vol 1. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1935.

Hughes
, David.
The British Chronicles
,
Book One.
Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, 2007.

Johnson
, Stephen.
Later Roman Britain: Britain before the Conquest.
New York: Charles Scribner & Sons, 1980.

Laing
, Lloyd and Jenny.
The Picts and the Scots.
Stroud, UK: Alan Sutton Publishing Ltd., 1993.

Lowe
, Chris.
Angels, Fools, and Tyrants—Britons and Anglo-Saxons in Southern Scotland, AD 450–750.
Edinburgh: Canongate Press, 1999. (Excellent illustrations.)

Marsh
, Henry.
Dark Age Britain: Some Sources of History.
New York: Dorset Press, 1987.

Martin-Clarke
, D. Elizabeth.
Culture in Early Anglo-Saxon England.
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1947.

Palgrave,
Sir Francis.
History of the Anglo-Saxons.
New York: Dorset Press, 1989.

Snyder
, Christopher.
The Britons.
Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2003.

Smyth
, Alfred.
Warlords and Holy Men: Scotland, AD 80–1000.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1989.

Magic, Miracle, and Science of the Dark Ages

Buckland
, Raymond.
Scottish Witchcraft: The History and Magick of the Picts
. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 1991.

Kieckhefer
, Richard.
Magic in the Middle Ages.
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1989.

Roybal
, Rory.
Miracles or Magic? Discerning the Works of God in Today's World.
Longwood, FL: Xulon Press, 2005.

Singer
, Charles.
From Magic to Science: Essays on the Scientific Twilight.
New York: Dover Publications, 1958.