associated with a Merlin and one associated with an Arthur, one in 573 and one in 574—and both named after pastures? This struck me as unlikely.
Why would the main hillfort in Argyll, the hillfort that dominated the most important land route in Argyll, be named the “hillfort of the high pasture”? Why were there so many Ard Airigh /high pasture names in Arthur Mac Aedan’s Argyll? Why was a battle fought far from Argyll, on the Scotland–England border in P-Celtic speaking lands, given a Q-Celtic Gaelic, Ard Airigh name? How could these things be just coincidences?
There was no reason why pastures, high or otherwise, should have been connected to Arthur Mac Aedan. There were no especially high pastures in Argyll or on or near the battlefield of Arderydd—there were just, well, pastures.
Even if all the Ard Airigh place-names in Argyll meant “high pasture,” despite the fact that they were not attached to places that were particularly high or pasture-like, there was no reason to believe that such a bland Q-Celtic place-name would have been given to a fort as important as Dunardry or to a battle as important as Arderydd. The “high pasture” meaning of Ard Airigh had always puzzled me and it had always been a dead-end. Until I found the Airigh entry in O’Brien, I had been unable to understand why so many places in Argyll had “high pasture” names.
O’Brien’s definition of Airigh enabled me to make a sensible, albeit initially tentative, connection between the Ard Airigh place-names in Arthur Mac Aedan’s Argyll and Merlin-Lailoken’s Battle of Arderydd. (Merlin was the name used by his enemies. His friends called him Lailoken, Chief of Song. I will on occasion use Merlin-Lailoken from now on.)
“A prince, a nobleman,” said O’Brien. It is now generally accepted that the legendary Arthur was not a king but a prince. I also knew that the historical Arthur Mac Aedan was a prince, the descendent of Scots warlords who had arrived in Argyll some sixty years before he was born; he died years before his father Aedan, king of the Scots. This was only a beginning but at least O’Brien’s Airigh definition, “prince or nobleman,” was relevant to both the legendary Arthur and Arthur Mac Aedan, while the “pasture” definition was not.
The Britons of southern Scotland spoke P-Celtic. Their neighbors, the Scots of Dalriada-Ireland and Dalriada-Scotland, spoke Q-Celtic. The words ard and airigh , from which Arderydd is derived, are Q-Celtic Irish-Scots-Gaelic words. Airigh is especially relevant to Ulster, the part of Ireland from which Arthur Mac Aedan’s family came to Scotland at the turn of the fifth century. If Ard Airigh meant high prince or high nobleman it would not be surprising if the warriors who came to Scotland from Ireland at the turn of the fifth century gave the places they found there Ard Airigh names.
Of course, Arthur Mac Aedan was only one among many sixth-century warlords of Dalriada, and so it did not necessarily follow that he was the high lord or even one of the high lords who inspired the Ard Airigh place-names of Argyll. But Arthur Mac Aedan did live in Argyll and so directly or indirectly there was some connection. Arthur Mac Aedan was also a contemporary of Merlin-Lailoken and Merlin-Lailoken fought at the Battle of Arderydd and so there was another connection. This was, of course, provided that the legendary Arthur (who was connected with a man called Merlin) and Arthur Mac Aedan were one and the same man. If they were not, then this was a most amazing coincidence. Two Arthurs both connected with a Merlin at different times and in different places—an amazing coincidence indeed.
How many other Arthurs lived at the same time as a man calledMerlin and shared Ard Airigh associations? None. In legend there was a Merlin and an Arthur. In history there was a Merlin-Lailoken in 573 (at the Battle of Arderydd) and an Arthur, Arthur Mac Aedan, in 574 (at Dunardry). The simplest
Why would the main hillfort in Argyll, the hillfort that dominated the most important land route in Argyll, be named the “hillfort of the high pasture”? Why were there so many Ard Airigh /high pasture names in Arthur Mac Aedan’s Argyll? Why was a battle fought far from Argyll, on the Scotland–England border in P-Celtic speaking lands, given a Q-Celtic Gaelic, Ard Airigh name? How could these things be just coincidences?
There was no reason why pastures, high or otherwise, should have been connected to Arthur Mac Aedan. There were no especially high pastures in Argyll or on or near the battlefield of Arderydd—there were just, well, pastures.
Even if all the Ard Airigh place-names in Argyll meant “high pasture,” despite the fact that they were not attached to places that were particularly high or pasture-like, there was no reason to believe that such a bland Q-Celtic place-name would have been given to a fort as important as Dunardry or to a battle as important as Arderydd. The “high pasture” meaning of Ard Airigh had always puzzled me and it had always been a dead-end. Until I found the Airigh entry in O’Brien, I had been unable to understand why so many places in Argyll had “high pasture” names.
O’Brien’s definition of Airigh enabled me to make a sensible, albeit initially tentative, connection between the Ard Airigh place-names in Arthur Mac Aedan’s Argyll and Merlin-Lailoken’s Battle of Arderydd. (Merlin was the name used by his enemies. His friends called him Lailoken, Chief of Song. I will on occasion use Merlin-Lailoken from now on.)
“A prince, a nobleman,” said O’Brien. It is now generally accepted that the legendary Arthur was not a king but a prince. I also knew that the historical Arthur Mac Aedan was a prince, the descendent of Scots warlords who had arrived in Argyll some sixty years before he was born; he died years before his father Aedan, king of the Scots. This was only a beginning but at least O’Brien’s Airigh definition, “prince or nobleman,” was relevant to both the legendary Arthur and Arthur Mac Aedan, while the “pasture” definition was not.
The Britons of southern Scotland spoke P-Celtic. Their neighbors, the Scots of Dalriada-Ireland and Dalriada-Scotland, spoke Q-Celtic. The words ard and airigh , from which Arderydd is derived, are Q-Celtic Irish-Scots-Gaelic words. Airigh is especially relevant to Ulster, the part of Ireland from which Arthur Mac Aedan’s family came to Scotland at the turn of the fifth century. If Ard Airigh meant high prince or high nobleman it would not be surprising if the warriors who came to Scotland from Ireland at the turn of the fifth century gave the places they found there Ard Airigh names.
Of course, Arthur Mac Aedan was only one among many sixth-century warlords of Dalriada, and so it did not necessarily follow that he was the high lord or even one of the high lords who inspired the Ard Airigh place-names of Argyll. But Arthur Mac Aedan did live in Argyll and so directly or indirectly there was some connection. Arthur Mac Aedan was also a contemporary of Merlin-Lailoken and Merlin-Lailoken fought at the Battle of Arderydd and so there was another connection. This was, of course, provided that the legendary Arthur (who was connected with a man called Merlin) and Arthur Mac Aedan were one and the same man. If they were not, then this was a most amazing coincidence. Two Arthurs both connected with a Merlin at different times and in different places—an amazing coincidence indeed.
How many other Arthurs lived at the same time as a man calledMerlin and shared Ard Airigh associations? None. In legend there was a Merlin and an Arthur. In history there was a Merlin-Lailoken in 573 (at the Battle of Arderydd) and an Arthur, Arthur Mac Aedan, in 574 (at Dunardry). The simplest
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