Vortigern
Studies Index
|
|
| |
click here
|
Caer Guorthegirn
Robert
Vermaat |
click here for
maps of
Foel Fenlli
|
Foel Fenlli
Hillfort
Clwyd |
  |
Foel Fenlli is rather a
dubious candidate for a 'Caer Guorthigirn', but as the
hillfort is very often associated with Vortigern (at this
site in a guest-article by Michael Veprauskas), I'll try
and dig into those connections to see what remains. The
story, as related by the Historia Brittonum, goes like this:
 'Nennius', the supposed author,
related much about Vortigern, from his rise to power, his
disastrous dealing with the Saxons, his moral
disqualification by St Germanus, his flight across Wales
and his death in various ways. Famous is the story of how
Vortigern, in vain attempting to build a tower when beset
by his enemies, sends for a boy whose blood must
strengthen it. That boy is the later Merlin, who finds
two dragons of which the red one is still the symbol of
Wales.
Benlli the
tyrant
However, there is
another story, very similar to elements in those told
about Vortigern, which lies at the base of a probable
misidentification of Foel Fenlli with a stronghold of
Vortigern. This is how the Historia Brittonum
relates the story:
Historia
Brittonum, chapter 32-5
32.
At that time St. Germanus, distinguished for his
numerous virtues, came to preach in Britain: by
his ministry many were saved; but many likewise
died unconverted. Of the various miracles which
God enabled him to perform, I shall here mention
only a few: I shall first advert to that
concerning an iniquitous and tyrannical king,
named Benlli.[10] The holy man, informed of his
wicked conduct, hastened to visit him, for the
purpose of remonstrating him. When the man of
God, with his attendants, arrived at the gate of
the city, they were respectfully received by the
keeper of it, who came out and saluted them. Him
they commissioned to communicate their intention
to the king, who returned a harsh answer,
declaring, with an oath, that although they
remained there a year, they should not enter the
city. While waiting for an answer, the evening
came on, and they knew not where to go. At
length, came one of the king's servants, who
bowing himself before the man of God, announced
the words of the tyrant, inviting them, at the
same time, to his own house, to which they went,
and were kindly received. It happened, however,
that he had no cattle, except one cow and a calf,
the latter of which, urged by generous
hospitality to his guests, he killed, dressed and
set before them. But holy St. Germanus ordered
his companions not to break a bone of the calf;
and, the next morning, it was found alive
uninjured, and standing by its mother.
|
|
in tempore illius uenit
sanctus germanus ad praedicandum in brittannia et
claruit apud illos in multis uirtutibus et multi
per eum salui facti sunt et plurimi perierunt.
aliquanta miracula, quae per illum fecit deus,
scribenda decreuei. primum miraculum de miraculis
eis. erat quidam rex iniquus atque tyrannus
ualde, cui nomen erat benli. illum uir sanctus
uoluit uisitare et properare ad iniquum regem, ut
praedicaret illi. at cum ipse homo dei uenisset
ad ostium urbis cum comitibus suis, uenit
portarius et salutauit eos qui miserunt eum ad
regem et rex durum responsum dedit illis et cum
iuramento dixit: si fuerint uel si manserint
usque ad caput anni, non uenient umquam in medio
urbis meae. dum ipsi expectarent ianuatorem, ut
nuntiaret illis sermonem tyranni, dies declinabat
ad uesperum et nox appropinquabat et nescierunt
quo irent. inter ea uenit unus de seruis regis e
medio urbis et inclinauit se ante uirum dei et
nuntiauit illis omnia uerba tyranni et inuitauit
illos ad casam suam et exierunt cum eo et benigne
suscepit eos. et ille nihil habebat de omnibus
generibus iumentorum excepta una uacca cum
uitulo, et occidit uitulum et coxit et posuit
ante illos. et praecepit sanctus germanus, ut non
confringeretur os de ossibus uituli et sic factum
est et in crastino uitulus inuentus est ante
matrem suam sanus et uiuus incolumisque. |
33.
Early the same day, they again went to the gate
of the city, to solicit audience of the wicked
king; and, whilst engaged in fervent prayer they
were waiting for admission, a man, covered with
sweat, came out, and prostrated himself before
them. Then St. Germanus, addressing him, said
"Dost thou believe in the Holy
Trinity?" To which the man having replied,
"I do believe," he baptized, and kissed
him, saying, "Go in peace; within this hour
thou shalt die: the angels of God are waiting for
thee in the air; with them thou shalt ascent to
that God in whom thou has believed." He,
overjoyed, entered the city, and being met by the
prefect, was seized, bound, and conducted before
the tyrant, who having passed sentence upon him,
he was immediately put to death; for it was a law
of this wicked king, that whoever was not at his
labour before sun-rising should be beheaded in
the citadel. In the meantime, St. Germanus, with
his attendants, waited the whole day before the
gate, without obtaining admission to the tyrant.
|
|
iterum
de mane surrexerunt, ut impetrarent salutationem
tyranni. at ipsi, cum orarent et exspectarent
iuxta portam arcis, et ecce uir unus currebat et
sudor illius a uertice usque ad plantas pedum
distillabat. inclinabat se ante illos et dixit
sanctus germanus: credis in sanctam trinitatem?
et respondit ille: credo, et baptizatus est et
osculatus est et dixit illi: uade in pace: in
ista hora morieris et angeli dei in aere
expectant te, ut gradieris cum illis ad deum, cui
credidisti. et ipse laetus intrauit in arcem et
praefectus tenuit illum et alligauit et ante
tyrannum ductus et interfectus est, quia mos erat
apud nequissimum tyrannum, nisi quis ante solis
ortum peruenisset ad seruitutem in arce,
interficiebatur. et manserunt tota die iuxta
portam ciuitatis et non impetrauerunt, ut
salutarent tyrannum.
|
34.
The man above-mentioned, however, remained with
them. "Take care," said St. Germanus to
him, "that none of your friends remain this
night within these walls. Upon this he hastily
entered the city, brought out his nine sons, and
with them retired to the house where he had
exercised such generous hospitality. Here St.
Germanus ordered them to continue, fasting; and
when the gates were shut, "Watch," said
he, "and whatever shall happen in the
citadel, turn not thither your eyes; but pray
without ceasing, and invoke the protection of the
true God." And, behold, early in the night,
fire fell from heaven, and burned the city,
together with all those who were with the tyrant,
so that not one escaped; and that citadel has
never been rebuilt even to this day.
|
|
solito
ex more supradictus adfuit seruus et dixit illi
sanctus germanus: caue, ne unus homo maneat de
hominibus tuis in ista nocte in arce. et ipse
reuersus est in arcem et deduxit filios suos,
quorum numerus erat nouem, et ipsi ad supra
dictum hospitium cum ipso reuersi sunt. et
praecepit sanctus germanus manere eos ieiunos et
clausis ianuis dixit: uigilantes estote et si
quid euenerit in arce, nolite aspicere, sed orate
indesinenter et ad deum uestrum clamate. et post
modicum interuallum noctis ignis de caelo cecidit
et combussit arcem et omnes homines, qui cum
tyranno erant, et nusquam apparuerunt usque in
hodiernum diem, et arx non aedificata est usque
hodie.
|
35.
The following day, the hospitable man who had
been converted by the preaching of St. Germanus,
was baptized, with his sons, and all the
inhabitants of that part of the country; and St.
Germanus blessed him, saying, "a king shall
not be wanting of thy seed for ever." The
name of this person is Catel Drunlue[11]: "from hence- forward thou
shalt be a king all the days of thy life."
Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of the Psalmist:
"He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and
lifteth up the needy out of the dunghill."
And agreeably to the prediction of St. Germanus,
from a servant he became a king: all his sons
were kings, and from their offspring the whole
country of Powys has been governed to this day.[12]
|
|
in
crastino die ille uir, qui hospitalis fuit illis,
credidit et baptizatus est cum omnibus filiis
suis et omnis regio cum eis, cui nomen erat
catel. et bendixit ei et addidit et dixit: non
deficiet rex de semino tuo. ipse est catell
durnluc, et tu rex eris ab hodierna die. et sic
euenit; et impletum est, quod dictum est per
prophetam dicentem: ‘suscitans de puluere
egenum, et de stercore erigens pauperem, ut
sedeat cum principibus et solium gloriae
teneat.’ iuxta uerba sancti germani rex de
seruo facti sunt, et a semine illorum omnis regio
pouisorum regitur usque in hodiernum diem.
|
This is, no less,
a foundation-legend of the Cadelling dynasty which ruled
Powys in the ninth century, the time when the Historia
Brittonum was written down. This and other clues make
a very good case for supposing that 'Nennius', who wrote
from Gwynedd, supported this dynasty against the
descendants of Vortigern, whose claim to these parts of
Powys are stated on the Pillar
of Elise, which stands at Valle Crucis near
Llangollen.
 Germanus and Benlli
This is not far south of
Foel Fenlli, which in any case is the most probable
candidate of being the 'citadel of Benlli'. Though such a
bias (which was very common in those days) would explain
the style of writing when portraying Vortigern as a bad
character (like the claim of incest made against him), it
does not explain the persons and elements in this tale,
not to mention the apparent similarities between
Vortigern and Benlli.
A late gloss in the Historia
Brittonum adds a localization for Benlli: in
regione Iāl. The commote of Iāl is indeed
a prime region for the worship of Germanus, or rather the
local saint St Harmon or Garmon. Garmon
place-names are clustered in Denbighshire, but can also
be found in Radnorshire, Montgomeryshire and
Carnarvonshire, and even in south Wales. It may not cause
wonder that a Garmon place-name accompanies almost every
candidate for the elusive Caer Guorthegirn. It
seems therefore likely that the story of Germanus and
Bennli was intended to explain the place-name of Foel
Fenlli, not far distant from Llanarmon-yn-Iāl. But
is it also meant to denote that Benlli IS Vortigern?
Vortigern/Benlli
There are many
similarities between the stories of Vortigern and Benlli
that have caused beople to believe that Germanus is after
one and the same person here. St Germanus hunts
Vortigern, he hunts Benlli as well. Benlli is called a
tyrant, so is Vortigern. The dynasty of Cadell, which
comes to power over those of Benlli in this tale, claimed
overlordship in northern Powys over the dynasty of
Vortigern. Benlli dies in his burning castle, which is
also the most famous death of Vortigern when Geoffrey of
Monmouth is done with the legend. So, is Benlli therefore
the same as Vortigern?
Not
necessarily. As we have seen above, the dynastic rivalry
could be stripped from the tale immediately, since the
tale is a foundation-legend; the claim is made over all
of Wales, which we know was never true. Furthermore,
Vortigern shows a very different attitude towards St
Germanus (we cowers and runs from the saint), while
Benlli is rude and steadfast - the saint is excluded from
the fort for a year, and accepts that. Also, Benlli dies
in the flames, while 'Nennius' tells at least two
different versions of Vortigern's death. Benlli has his
own legends, being a 'hoary giant' called Enlli Gawr in
one, attempting to drown himself in the river Alun in
another. In this tale (a Cywydd to St Cynhafal by Grufydd
ap Ieuan ap Llywelyn Fychan), the river refused him three
times, after which his bones burned up on the banks. Such
a tale is not known of Vortigern.
More so,
the exact manner of his death through the prayers of St
Germanus are related in the Historia Brittonum
separately:
Historia
Brittonum, chapter 47
Again Vortigern ignominiously flew from
St. Germanus to the kingdom of the Dimetę,
where, on the river Towy[61], he built a castle, which he
named Cair Guothergirn[62]. The saint, as usual, followed
him there, and with his clergy fasted and prayed
to the Lord three days, and as many nights. On
the third night, at the third hour, fire fell
suddenly from heaven, and totally burned the
castle. Vortigern, the daughter of Hengist[63], his other wives, and all the
inhabitants, both men and women, miserably
perished: such was the end of this unhappy king,
as we find written in the life of St. Germanus.
|
|
et
iterum guorthigirnus usque ad arcem
guorthigirni, quae est in regione demetorum iuxta
flumen teibi, ignominiose abscessit. et solito
more sanctus germanus eum secutus est et ibi
ieiunus cum omni clero tribus diebus totidemque
noctibus causaliter mansit et in quarta nocte arx
tota mediae circa noctis horam per ignem missum
de caelo ex improuiso cecidit ardente igne
caelesti; et guorthigirnus cum omnibus, qui cum eo
erant, et cum uxoribus suis defecit. hic est
finis guorthigirni, ut in libro beati
germani repperi.
|
Was 'Nennius' that
forgetful, that he spoke of St Germanus and Benlli before
the dealings of Vortigern with the Saxons, and then again
of that same story, but now between St Germanus and
Vortigern? I think not.
 It looks like we have a few separate
intentions here. The support of Gwynedd for the
Cadellings I have mentioned above. Another may be a
support for the 'home'-saint Germanus, whose
ecclesiastical foundations litter northern Wales. Of
course, this was never St Germanus of Auxerre, no matter
what the Historia Brittonum wants us to believe,
for that saints biographer, Constantius of Lyon, would certainly have included
that kind of success-stories in his book. It is far more
likely that 'Nennius' sings the praises of the regional
St Garmon, whose name one comes across very often in the
region. Apparently, this was another, or maybe the
success-story of the saint, so it probably made the books
twice.
Concluding, I would
propose that the Benlli-version is the original one, as
Cadell's dynasty could very well have originated here,
while Vortigern's is usually located to the south, in
Gwent, Built and Gwrtheyrnion. His death was probably
different, but the duplication of Benlli's demise onto
him has really stuck, certainly after Geoffrey of
Monmouth made Ambrosius and Uther the persecutors,
locating the burning fortress at Ganarew, north of Monmouth, Geoffrey's
home-town.
However, can I be
absolutely sure that the hillfort of Foel Fenlli belongs
to the tale of Benlli instead of Vortigern? No, that I
cannot. The claim on the Pillar of Eliseg shows that both
dynasties, that of Cadell as well as that of Vortigern,
could make a claim for Flintshire. Therefore I have
included Foel Fenlli, just for the sake of theoretical
possibility, in the list of 'Cities of Vortigern'.
The burning
fortress
A last note on the
historicity of this tale, and another comparison to
Vortigern. Another indicator is the part of the story
where Vortigern perishes because of an immense blaze,
started by fire from heaven. This fate is shared by Craig
Gwrtheyrn in South Wales, which included in the
legends about St Germanus, describing Vortigern as a
similar tyrant who died by a heavenly ordeal which was
instigated by the saint. The elements of this story as
told by Nennius are very similar to this version of
Benlli’s fate, so that a link may be found here
(there’s also a Finnon Yarmon close to Craig
Gwrtheyrn).
But there is more to
link the two in ordeal and in time. Curiously, the Annales Cambriae tell us of the destruction by
lightning of the hillfort of Degannwy in 812:
| 812 |
|
The fortress of Degannwy is
struck by lightning and burnt. |
an. Decantorum arx ictu
fulminis comburit. |
Is this a mere
coincidence? Nennius wrote the Historia Brittonum
around that time, and he probably lived close enough to
have heard of it from witnesses. Did this catastrophe
influence his writing enough for him to use it for his
dramatisation of the Vortigern legend – twice? Maybe
the hillfort discussed here did also burn to the ground
(hence maybe the lack of finds) and so acquired its
connection to Vortigern and St Garmon, and even its name!
Of course, the name could have been original and the
legend travelled there afterwards. The burning of
Degannwy is also a late one, and Nennius is most probably
not the one responsible for the naming of Craig Gwrtheyrn
or Foel Fenlli. After all, Nennius is honest enough to
tell us of other versions of Vortigern’s death, and
his grave is also claimed elsewhere in Wales.
 Foel Fenlli today
Along the crest of the
Clwydian hills are a chain of Iron Age hillforts which
can be approached by public footpaths. Some lie within
the Moel Famau Country Park. Foel Fenlli lies towards the
southern end of the Clwydians and its peak is 1676 ft
high. The car park below the hillfort makes this a good
starting point for exploring a number of the hillforts.
Foel Fenlli hillfort is
defended by a series of banks and ditches enclosing an
area of ca 9.7 hectares, which in places measure 35 ft
from bank top to ditch bottom. The fort has strong
ramparts on all sides, double or treble as the nature of
the (more gradual eastern) hillside requires. The
ramparts may have originally been more simple and rebuilt
several times. The only entrance is on the western side
of the fort, the gap on the south is likely to be modern.
The western entrance has an inturned bank to give added
protection to the defenders. Excavations in 1879 revealed
a road surface running through the west gate. The
interior of the fort has two dozen round hut platforms on
which wooden or stone houses would have been built. these
platforms are not easily seen because of the heather.
There is also a spring near the centre of the fort
(around which was an embankment) and a cairn of pre-Iron
Age date in the eastern end. Moel Fenlli continued to be
occupied during the Romano-British period. Roman finds
consist of coins and pottery from as late as the 5th
century AD were found during the excavations of 1879.
There has been no modern excavation.
 Access to Moel Fenlli is on a
minor road between Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd and
Tafarn-y-Gelyn.
From Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd, turn off the A494 just after
the church and climb steeply to Moel Famau country park.
There are two car parks, one on each side of the road,
just below Moel Fenlli hillfort. The hillfort lies to the
south of the road. Access is also possible by turning
north off the A494 at Tafarn-y-Gelyn and approaching the
car parks from the east. This route is less steep. Car
parks/road suitable for minibuses/cars, but not for
coaches. The footpath to Moel Fenlli is clearly
signposted from the end of the easternmost carpark. The
path is obvious although steep. The footpath northwards
along the Clwydians is signposted on the other side of
the road. Time required for climb to Moel Fenlli hillfort
approximately 20 to 30 minutes each way. Distance between
Moel Fenlli and Pen-y-Cloddau about 6 km. Good shoes or
boots required.
Bibliography 
- Berresford Ellis,
Peter: A
guide to early Celtic Remains in Britain,
(Constable 1991).*
- Clwyd Powys
Archaeological Trust: A short guide to Moel Fenlli and
other Clwydian hillforts, at: http://www.cpat.demon.co.uk/educate/guides/clwydhil/clwydhil.htm
- Dumville, David N. (1977b): Celtic-Latin
texts in northern England, c.1150-1250, in: Celtica
12, pp. 19-49.*
- Dyer, James (1981): The Penguin
Guide to Prehistoric England and Wales,
(Penguin).*
- Nennius: British History and the
Welsh Annals, Latin and trans. John Morris, History
from the Sources VIII, (Chichester 1980).*
- Wright, Christopher
John (1989):
A Guide to Offa's Dyke Path, (London 1989).*
|
