Urien
Urien von Rheged , also Uryen , is the name of a historical / mythical ruler of the north-west English kingdom of Rheged from the late 6th century.
history
Urien is reported in the Historia Brittonum ("History of the British") that he fought with three other kings, including Rhydderch Hael of Strathclyde , against the Angles that were resident in Northumbria . He was said to have been ambushed during the successful siege of the island of Medgawdd (now Lindisfarne ). His cousin is said to have been Llywarch Hen , who fought for him and tried to save his severed head.
The Llyfr Taliesin ("The Book of Taliesins") contains eight prize poems on Urien. The poet Taliesin is considered to be the author , he calls the king a "much- sung , famous man" ( kerdglyt clot uawr , Xth song), with whom "always metful drinking horns were present" (IXth song). In Llyfr Coch Hergest ( "The Red Book of Hergest") and other manuscripts more poems have been found for him. Once the poems have been constructed, it is assumed that they assume older prose stories are known. The longest with 14 stanzas is Pen Urien ("The Head of Uriens"), in which the author reports that he recovered the severed head from the battlefield. Another, Celein Urien ("The corpse of Urien") describes the funeral ceremonies and Aelwyd Rheged ("The hearth fire Rhegeds") describes the decay of the king's hall, which once saw lavish festivities.
Urien is named in the Trioedd Ynys Prydein (“The Triads of the Isle of Britain”) one of the “three battle leaders of the Isle of Britain”, his death as one of the “three unfortunate murders”. He is also mentioned in the Englynion y Clyweid ("The Proverbs of the Wise"). His father is Cynfarch and in the triads it is reported that he and Modron fathered the two children Owein fab Urien and his sister Morfudd ferch Urien . According to the Trioedd, Morfudd is said to have been the great love of Prince Cynon fab Clydno . In the Arthurian legend he is mentioned as the husband of King Arthur 's sister Morgan le Fay (sometimes by Morgause ), who later had him murdered.
See also
literature
- Helmut Birkhan : Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1997, ISBN 3-7001-2609-3 .
- Helmut Birkhan: Celtic stories from the emperor Arthur. Part 2, Lit-Verlag, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-8258-7563-6 .
- Bernhard Maier : Lexicon of Celtic Religion and Culture (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 466). Kröner, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-520-46601-5 .