Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd |
|
|---|---|
| "The Descent of the Men of the North" | |
| Author(s) | anonymous |
| Language | Middle Welsh |
| Principal manuscript(s) | NLW, Peniarth MS 45, fos. 291v-292r (late 13th century) |
| Genre | genealogy |
| Personages | pedigrees of Coel Hen and Dyfnwal Hen |
Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd (which means "The Descent of the Men of the North" in English) is a short text written in Middle Welsh. It lists the family trees, also called pedigrees, of twenty rulers from the 6th century. These rulers lived in a place called the Hen Ogledd. This was a Brittonic-speaking area. It covered parts of southern Scotland and northern England.
This text can be found in several old handwritten copies. The oldest one is called NLW, Peniarth MS 45. It was made in the late 13th century. Experts think the original text might have been written in the 12th century. While it shares some details with older family records, much of the information might not be completely accurate. The text tries to connect many famous rulers and heroes from other stories. One example is Llywarch Hen, a prince from Rheged.
Contents
What's Inside Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd?
This text mainly has two parts. Each part traces the family lines of 6th-century rulers back to one main ancestor. It's like a big family tree showing who was related to whom.
The Family of Coel Hen
The first part focuses on the "Coeling." These were the descendants of a figure named Coel Hen. This group included important families like those from Rheged and Eidyn.
The Family of Dyfnwal Hen
The second part traces families back to Dyfnwal Hen. This text says he was the grandson of the Roman emperor Magnus Maximus. There's also a confusing family line for Áedán mac Gabráin. He was a ruler of Dál Riata, a Gaelic kingdom. In this text, Áedán is shown as the father of Gabrán mac Domangairt. However, other old Welsh writings often show Gabrán as Áedán's father.
Special Items: The Three Weapons
Between the two main family lists, the text also includes a Welsh triad. A triad is a group of three related things. This triad talks about three special items of weaponry and armor that never failed in battle.
- The 300 swords of the Cynferching (descendants of Cynfarch Oer).
- The 300 shields of the Cynwydion (descendants of Cynwyd).
- The 300 spears of the Coeling (descendants of Coel Hen).
The text ends with a short note about Huallu. He was the son of Tudfwlch Corneu, a prince of Cornwall, and Dywanw, the daughter of Amlawd Wledic.
