07-25-2008, 04:34 AM
Ron,
Sorry for getting back to you two days late. I know what you mean. Robert Vermaat and Chilperic seem to believe that there was a negligible or non-existant East Germanic or Alanic presence in late Roman Britain. I believe there was; and if you find that "tantalizer" in the Nottia Dignitatum let me know. It seems to me that if an ala of Equites Taifali reenactors are presently riding in Britain, then there must be a historical foundation for their penchant... and I cannot believe that the original Taifali horsemen were actual Romans from old Roman families. In Britain, we did have men like Agricola and Marcellus active against the Saxons and Scots, but I believe they were Romano-Britons, not "Romans."
I guess I'm championing an old, out of style, notion that "Arthur's men" extended culturally from the Roman cavalry, a position proposed by Rhyes, Collingwood, and later by Ashe. One of the problems, as you note, is the Latinization and also Welshifying of Germanic names. Most interesting is the term "Wledig," defined by Wilson and Blackett, two of the biggest nut-cases in the "field" (WAY OUT in the field!!), as meaning "Legate." I think they are correct... because, even if you are crazed you cannont be all wrong all of the time, and the interpretation makes sense. And it also helps explain the Arthur phenomenon with a link to Theudebald, called "Theithfallt Wledig" in Welsh. According to Rice Rees, his son Tewdrig (Theodoric) was active from 440 to 470, and this puts Theudebald back far enough to have led Roman cavalrymen, perhaps not a probability but a possibility he was the legate in charge of the Equites Taifali. This is conjecture, but it explains the name Uther Pendragon-- aka in Gothic as Ufar Pandraco, "Chief dragonman." The name survives in modern German as "uber."
But this is not the forum for this type of theory. Original Germanic names are pretty much buried under a pile of Latin and Welsh, as you say, and I doubt there is any way to retrieve them beyond speculation.
gooten tag,
Alanus
A.J. Campbell, Speculative Old Geezer
Sorry for getting back to you two days late. I know what you mean. Robert Vermaat and Chilperic seem to believe that there was a negligible or non-existant East Germanic or Alanic presence in late Roman Britain. I believe there was; and if you find that "tantalizer" in the Nottia Dignitatum let me know. It seems to me that if an ala of Equites Taifali reenactors are presently riding in Britain, then there must be a historical foundation for their penchant... and I cannot believe that the original Taifali horsemen were actual Romans from old Roman families. In Britain, we did have men like Agricola and Marcellus active against the Saxons and Scots, but I believe they were Romano-Britons, not "Romans."
I guess I'm championing an old, out of style, notion that "Arthur's men" extended culturally from the Roman cavalry, a position proposed by Rhyes, Collingwood, and later by Ashe. One of the problems, as you note, is the Latinization and also Welshifying of Germanic names. Most interesting is the term "Wledig," defined by Wilson and Blackett, two of the biggest nut-cases in the "field" (WAY OUT in the field!!), as meaning "Legate." I think they are correct... because, even if you are crazed you cannont be all wrong all of the time, and the interpretation makes sense. And it also helps explain the Arthur phenomenon with a link to Theudebald, called "Theithfallt Wledig" in Welsh. According to Rice Rees, his son Tewdrig (Theodoric) was active from 440 to 470, and this puts Theudebald back far enough to have led Roman cavalrymen, perhaps not a probability but a possibility he was the legate in charge of the Equites Taifali. This is conjecture, but it explains the name Uther Pendragon-- aka in Gothic as Ufar Pandraco, "Chief dragonman." The name survives in modern German as "uber."
But this is not the forum for this type of theory. Original Germanic names are pretty much buried under a pile of Latin and Welsh, as you say, and I doubt there is any way to retrieve them beyond speculation.
gooten tag,
Alanus
A.J. Campbell, Speculative Old Geezer
Alan J. Campbell
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
member of Legio III Cyrenaica and the Uncouth Barbarians
Author of:
The Demon's Door Bolt (2011)
Forging the Blade (2012)
"It's good to be king. Even when you're dead!"
Old Yuezhi/Pazyrk proverb
