Bri Leith
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural

Bri  was a Tuatha De Danann princess/queen and the daughter of King Midhir and Queen Fuamnach. Bri and her sister Blathnat were and raised in Tir Tairngiri, the Land of Promise, but later relocated with their father to his crystal mansion in the fairyland burgh called Bri Leith [Grey Hill].

Bri was the eldest sister, so she inherited the throne when her father and mother abdicated, but she always shared the sovereignty of her kingdom with her baby sister Blathnat, who was one of the flower faes. She loved a Tuatha De Danann Prince named Liath, but they never married because her father's guards would not let him enter Bri Leith.

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Selif Sarffgadau: "The Serpent of Battle"
Category: School, College, Greek

Selyf (Solomon) 'Serpent of Battle' (Sarffgadau) son of Cynan Garwyn, King of Powys died in about 613 at the battle of the City of the Legions (Chester) fighting against King Æthelfrith of Bernicia and Deira (Northumbria). His death is recorded in the Annals Cambriae and the Irish annals. According to Welsh poetry attributed to Taliesin, his father Cynan Garwyn had been a major over-king in Wales in the previous generation. The Battle of Chester took on a life of its own in Welsh legend and was elaborated in both Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Welsh triads.

The dragon or serpent has been associated with Welsh kings since the earliest post-Roman reports of Britain. Gildas refers to king Maglocunus (Mailcun/Maelgwyn of Gwynedd) as the head serpent of the isles, ie. pendragon (literally pen = head, dragon) in c545. Selyf Sarffgadau ('Serpent of Battle' / Battle Serpent) is one of the best recorded of the dragon kings. Cadwallon of Gwynedd, Selyf's reputed nephew, best known for killing Edwin of Deira, was also referred to as dragon of the isles in a fragmentary death song. Of course, in Welsh legend the ultimate Pendragon dynasty is that of Arthur son of Uther Pendragon.

In the Welsh Triads, Selyf is listed as one of the three "Battle-Leaders of the Isle of Britain". In the Black Book of Carmarthen's triad 43 he is the owner of one the three great pack horses, which may be an allusion to his ability to move a large army over great distances. However, this horse is credited to his father Cynan Garwyn in triad 39. In Taliesin's poetry, Cynan Garwyn is credited with very wide ranging victories throughout what is today Wales. The name of Selyf's bard, Arofan, is also remembered in the triads. Selyf ap Cynan is also mentioned as a companion of Owen ap Urien in the Arthurian tale the Dream of Rhonabwy. Bartrum notes that Selyf and Owen would have been contemporaries — both opponents of Æthelfrith– but not with the Arthurian setting or Arthur himself. In Welsh poetry, Arthur is usually outside of time, or almost in Welsh version of Valhalla where all the greatest heroes of all eras are part of his retinue. The poet Cynddelw also refers to Selyf in his poem Breineu Powys (Priviledges of Powys) in the line "Kananwon Selyf seirff cadeu" (Descendants of Selyf, serpents of battles).

According to the welsh pedigrees and hagiography, Selyf had four sons, none of whom succeeded him. The Life of St. Beuno claims that it was Beuno's curse that prevented their succession. It seems just as likely that the utter destruction of Powys by Æthelfrith blocked his lineage from the throne. Under consistent Northumbrian pressure, Powys seems to have been ruled by multiple small dynasties in the early seventh century. Some of these dynasties appear to have allied themselves with Mercia against Northumbria. Most of the territory of Powys was probably annexed by Mercia to their immediate east. It seems likely that Selyf was the last Powysian king to rule over a large midlands kingdom that dominated the whole region, east and west. It is possible that the Brochwel/Brocmail who Bede reports abandoned the monks of Bangor-Is-Coed to Æthelfrith's forces was one of Selyf's kinsmen; Brochwel is a name common in his dynasty.

When a single dynasty emerges again in Powys it does claim descent from Selyf's kindred. Most claims are to a brother Eiludd but other lineages claim descent from a Beli ap Selyf, Eiludd ap Selyf, or Beli ap Mael Myngan ap Selyf. It is possible that none of them were truly related to Selyf but felt the need to claim a link to his lineage. In the Bonedd y Sant (Pedigrees of the Saints), Selyf ap Cynan is claimed to be the father of St. Dona.

Selyf's chief defended cities at the time are believed to have been Chester and the hill fort at the Wrekin above Wroxeter, probable namesake of the Wreconsaete of the tribal hinge. Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter) was the civitas capital for the Cornovii, Powys likely tribal orgins, while Chester had been a legionary base during the Roman occupation.

Selyf's dominance in Wales is suggested by the role his main monastery, Bangor-Is-Coed, played in negotiations with Augustine of Canterbury. After the initial meeting at Augustine's Oak, the Annals Cambriae records a Synod of City of the Legions (Chester) in 601 that may be the conference Bede refers to in between the first and second meeting with Augustine. The fact that the synod was held in Selyf's primary city suggests that he was the dominant king who did not want to associate with the Canterbury mission. The slaughter of the monks of Bangor-Is-Coed, under Powy's protection, was said by Bede to have been a fulfillment of Augustine's prophecy.

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Song of Amergin

I am a stag: of seven tines, I am a wind of the sea,
I am a flood: across a plain, I am a wave of the sea,
I am a wind: on a deep lake, I am a sound of the sea,
I am a tear: the Sun lets fall, I am a stag of seven tines,
I am a hawk: above the cliff, I am a hawk on a cliff,
I am a thorn: beneath the nail, I am a tear of the sun,
I am a wonder: among flowers, I am fair among flowers,
I am a wizard: who but I, I am a boar,
Sets the cool head aflame with smoke? I am a salmon in a pool,

I am a lake on a plain,
I am a spear: that roars for blood, I am a hill of poetry,
I am a salmon: in a pool, I am a battle-waging spear,
I am a lure: from paradise, I am a god who forms fire for a head.
I am a hill: where poets walk,
I am a boar: ruthless and red, Who makes clear the ruggedness of the mountains?
I am a breaker: threatening doom, Who but myself knows where the sun shall set?
I am a tide: that drags to death, Who foretells the ages of the moon?
I am an infant: who but I, Who brings the cattle from the House of Tethra
Peeps from the unhewn dolmen arch? and segregates them?

On whom do the cattle of Tethra smile?
I am the womb: of every holt, Who shapes weapons from hill to hill?
I am the blaze: on every hill,
I am the queen: of every hive,
I am the shield: for every head,
I am the tomb: of every hope.

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Amber - Part II
Category: Religion and Philosophy

Simulating the Amber into Celtic mythology probably got a represetation of Ogmios in a form of an elder man who lead a crowd of men and who got attached by ears for an amber chains who put out through their tongues.

The catives, however, can escape in reason of fragility of this link, but the followers of Ogmios, obvisously rather track it . The link that match them to Ogmios is a from spiritual order and here is bounded to eloquence, that is a Bardic-Druidic attribute: All wiseman is eloquent and disturbing.. In the Christianism all saints got the face of Amber as a reflex of bound with Holy Spirit.

In fact, amber is a significative element. I may do some intertexts in a mythological perspective, doing a good research about, Relate it to Alchemy and to Christian esoterism (Holy Grail), to Celtic mythlogy is a magic caldron interlinked with everything presumptive to Western Culture or rather to Euroasian.

Throughout the Amber we can access in several mythologies, and reflect more about the illud tempus or mythological age.

This image illustrates the Ogmio: The god of Eloquence

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Amber - Part I
Category: Religion and Philosophy

I got a hypothese about amber in relation with Celts, but I have not found materials that exactly mentions or suggest this argument. When I read about Celts I got some insights about "Amber", and I'm sure it was a significative element for old civilizations and mainly Celts had a sort of sacred meaning, I suggest to reflect that amber was a sort of stone that symbolized the 'ortherworld' for Celts, we know that amber is a fossilized stone, and cover insects, maybe these insects could be 'mumyfied' and preserved their body and may be for Celts, they acknowledge this to explain the life after death and this stone as sacred element. 

Etimologically, 'amber' is a Greek word that means 'elektron' in first meaning, and another meaning 'immortal', I do to know that these stones have a magnetic power, and could explain this quest about energy and attraction for 'otherworld' (thinking in cultural-religious rites), Perhaps, much coincindence because in Greek, "amber" remind me 'ambrosia' which is a sort of food for gods and symbolizes strengh and immortality.

Some coincidences are relevant in Arthurian Studies, for example, Ambrosius Aurelianus, a strong contender for "real" King Arthur, and in another versions of legend, his 'identity' is ascribed to Merlin, he is called the "Guardian of Ambra", and for Celts, "ambra" was a sort of camara or court for druids casta, this word Ambra / Amber is much similar in its etimologically branch, and in another view, this "Guardian of Ambra" got a  tittle as 'the Guletic' or the Pendragon - Pen Draco Insularis, the Great Warlike of island.

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Celtic Pantheon
Category: School, College, Greek

Britain

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The Search for King Arthur
Category: School, College, Greek

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Britain AD: King Arthur’s Britain
Category: School, College, Greek

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The Literary Archetypal in King Arthur
Category: School, College, Greek

In the antiquity, people did not obtain to explain the phenomena of the nature, through scientific explanations, however, created the myths, whose purpose was to give sensible the things of the world and the life. The myths also served as a form to pass knowledge and to alert to the people about dangerous or defects and qualities of the human being. Therefore, it has, a difference between legend and myth, while legends look for to give explanations to the mysterious events or supernatural things, the myth, consists in a strict symbolic component of narration.
On the other hand, it fits to unmask the archetypal figure of the dragon, called "the divine serpent", which brings the mark of the "uruboros", being about the primordial cohesion of the unconscious one, symbolized by the circle, the egg, the ocean, the divine serpent, mandala and the first essence that the alchemycal "uroboros" appraises. Being thus, the fertile womb of the Great Mother is expressed through the images of the day, the sea, the source, the land and the cave.
In this period of training, it would correspond to the rejourney of the child in the maternal womb, the death and the birth have fight every night, and the existence before and after the death is identical. However,it corresponds to the incestuous union between Arthur and Morgan his half-sister verifying that in the Celtic Tradition it could be interpreted not aslike an "incestuous delivery" but a 'delivery' or 'offer' to the Great Mother. Therefore Morgan/Morgana, drift of the celtic word morgans that means "fairies of the water" or "daughters of the sea". Thus, I perceive, that the "uroboros" and its sovereignty is strictly on the matriarcal question, or either, the matriarchy while been psychic, associates to the land and absolutely relationed to unconscious nature, in contraposition of the culture.
In turn, the child "rising I" is presented however as vulnerable, however as accompanying to the Holy Ghost of the Great Mother, as loving its, detainer of an existence not properly individual, but ritualistic. The occurrence of the removal of the parents (in the direction of the child disconnect itself of them), after whom properly the world appears, the conscience and the culture if oppose. The moving on of "conscientious I" from the unconscious one is express for archetypal of the fight. The separation of the parents that occurs to the son is analogous to the fight with the dragon. Anyway, "I" if it becomes the hero as first personality, that if he bases as the archetypal precursor of the humanity as a whole.
The reasons of the fight against the dragon and the fights against the monsters and the sorcerers occupy an important place in the story of the magic. Thus, the basic facts of the heroes result in the attainment from the Ctonic world, of cultural or natural objects, in the construction of the human world, as prohibited of the cosmos, constituted against the forces of the chaos and as defence of state-tribe.
Thus, Vladimir I. Propp (2006) has arrived to interpret the story of the magic as clarifying myth of the iniciatic rite or neophyte. The initiation implies in the temporary of the community, contacts with other demonic worlds and its inhabitants, painful provations, temporary death and subsequent resurrection.
In addition, it fits to point out the alegoric present in Arthur's Death, the 'death' of Arthur is an alegoric personificated in the speech, and fits to emphasize a dealing associated to a visible neophyte rite,  which can assign as a Triad. This triad unfolds in:

1/ The conception of Arthur through the magic;
2/ Arthur himself becomes King when he is is fifteen years old, pulling a sword of the stone, Excalibur, the "Sword of the power" that also its forges is supernatural;
3/ The love-affair triangle that involves Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot and consequently breakdown the kingdom of Camelot and culminates in tragedy;
4/ The present ambiguity in the 'death' of Arthur, a death that does not exist body, estimating the resurrection and the return of only King Arthur to govern Britain. Constructed this triad, I explain that number three is sacred and perfect, represents the sides of a triangle representing the beginning, the middle and ending.Being this base, it is the Holy Ghost  in principle, whichever represents the Son, the return to the community, it is the Holy Trinity, it is the sign of the return and the purification of the inner forms. It fits to remember that this triad produces what Gilbert Durand (1988) defines as mythlogems of the imaginary, whichever are mythical redundances in determined culture, motifs that are replaced through the times. Being thus, Gilbert Durand considers four mythlogems:
1/ The founder hero;
2/ The seek for the impossible, in the medieval narratives, treating itself to find the "paradise lost", in Arthurian myth would be the Isle of Avalon or 'Island of the Apple-trees', that in the Malory's book is placed in the quagmires of Glastonbury, such as, this  intertext sends us to the 'Fortunate Island' as shown in Greek mythology;
3/ The occult rescuer;
4/ The transubstanciation or transmutation, the 'wait' for a body, hope for a king, the death/ressurrection of Arthur, in which fulfills to the prophecy who Sir Thomas Malory said: "King Arthur was King and he will always be King".
The myth emphasizes the subject of the death as necessity of 'changings' and transformations of state. In truth, the death does not exist and the iniciatic death purposes moralize. In this way, conserving the nucleus of the archetypal image of the hero, the chivalry romance not only "civilizes it", but it opens to the Epic hero an "inner content"  to the "special" man.

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Mayor Exhibition of Arthurian Tales
Category: School, College, Greek

So France is about to become the centre of the Arthurian World when this month Rennes will be the home for a series of events on the legend of King Arthur. On July the 15th, A major exhibition on Arthurian tales will run for six months and will be called "King Arthur: A Legend in the Making".

"The earliest fragments of the tales can be traced back to Wales in the seventh century," Sarah Toulouse, one of the exhibitions curators, told AFP. "But by the 13th century stories based on the Arthurian legends were being told right across Europe."

According to Toulouse she said that "King Arthur is a mythical character who was invented at a certain point in history for essentially political reasons." ."If he had really existed there would be more concrete historical traces of him."

On the Same day as the start of the Exhibition, the International Arthurian Society begins it's 22nd Annual Congress at Rennes University. The society brings together experts on Arthurian tales from across the world and is open to both Arthurian academics and amateur enthusiasts. Formed in the Breton city of Quimper in 1948, it meets every three years. For more info on the society's history go to

 http://www.uhb.fr/alc/ias/version_ang/ang_historic.htm.

The Congress was last held in Britain in 2002 when it visited Bangor. The Congress is well worth attending and runs from the 15th to the 20th of July. For more info go to

http://www.uhb.fr/alc/ias/version_ang/ang_congresrennes.htm.

Keep up to date with the progress of Warner Bros. film production of 'The Once And Future King' but you can also visit the main page -

http://www.thependragon.co.uk/OnceAndFutureKingFilm.htm.

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Vortipor
Category: School, College, Greek

According to Gildas Vortipor "tyrant of the Demetae" (Dyfed), it presents a suggestion about Arthur of Dyfed as Vortipor, if Artuir of Dyfed was the son of Pedr, a direct descendant of Vortipor, the Irish version "Gartbuir" brings similarities with the warlord suggested in Y Gododdin "Gwarddur" being compared to Arthur, searching for some similarities to Vortipor (Protector), some genealogies establishes a pedigree for Coel (coincidently a theory which King Arthur is a Coel's descendent, just suggestion), identifying a descendent from Caswallon.

Some genealogies identify his father as Guotepauc or Godebog, what in Brythonic language means "Protector"; "defender". Could be Guotepauc as Vortipor? About Vortigern, he had three sons: the eldest was Vortimer (Gwerthefyr) known as St. Madrun, the second was Categirn or Brydw (Brittu), Categirn is another epithet meaning "war lord", "battle king", the third was Pascent who reigned in the two provinces Builth and Guorthegirnaim, after the death of his father.

The fourth was Faustus born of an incestuous marriage with his suppose daugher or probably "step daughter", who was brough up and educated by St Germanus.

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Arthwys ap Mor/Mar versus Arthuis ap Masgwid
Category: School, College, Greek

The second son of Mor/Mar was Arthwys c. 455 or 460, known as Arthur of the Pennines. Arthwys had two sons, St.Pabo Post Prydain c.470 – 530, whose daughter Arddyn Penasgell (Wing Headed) c.510 married Brochfael Ysgythrog of the family line.

The second son was Cynfelyn c.474. The next son of Mor was Morydd , who in turn fathered Morfryn Frych (the Freckled), who after marrying Alden was later to become a king in the Gwynedd area.

Ceneu's second son Gwarst is known to have fathered two sons, Meirchion Gul (the Lean) c.422 and Masgwid Gloff c.444, King of Elmet. Meirchion Gul had three sons, which caused the Rheged kingdom to be split. The first was Cynfarch Oer (the Dismal) c.461, King of North Rheged, and the second Elidyr Llydanwyn (the Stout and Handsome) c.464. They married two sisters Nyfain and Gwawr, the daughters of Brychan. The third was Idno c.466 who had no offspring. Masgwid Gloff had five sons, Llaennog c.475, King of Elmet and his brothers Einion c.477, Arthwys c.479, St. Cynllo c.481 and Ceredig c.483, none of whom became kings or had family.

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Sojourn to Stonehenge: Summer Solstice 2008
Category: Religion and Philosophy

The summer solstice at Stonehenge is a spiritual experience for some, a fantastic festival for others and undoubtedly one of the most significant celebrations in the UK each year. Otherwise, the event that brings people together and provides a touchstone, or a circle of them, for spiritual connection.

Four times a year, the ropes are down and men can stand next to monoliths. English Heritage, the historical society that oversees Stonehenge, will open the stones to the public Saturday for the summer solstice.

"[It's people] getting together as sort of a democracy of celebration to welcome the summer sunrise," Ronald Hutton, a professor of History at Brixton University and a specialist in modern Paganism said.

For Maurice Bower, a co-founder of the Wight Druids, a group of a few dozen individuals living on England's Isle of Wight, the solstice, the longest day of the year, is a time of reverence and celebration.

"It's the high point of the year; it's when the day is at its longest, light at its strongest. It's a seasonal turning point; sometimes I call it the hinge of the year," Bower said.

Druids are one of the most prominent spiritual groups that travel to Stonehenge for the summer solstice.

"I regard it as a temple and I have no doubt it was such in the past," Bower said. "We have no doubt that Druids did not build Stonehenge; it still has significance to us as a temple, a monumental temple, and one of the great ones of the world."

Mysterious heritage

Stonehenge was built in three stages by three cultures, Windmill