Conomor
Encyclopedia
Conomor also known as Conomerus or Conomor the Cursed, was an early medieval ruler of Brittany
. His name, which has the Welsh cognate Cynfawr, means "Great Dog", but could also indicate "Sea Dog" in early Brythonic. Conomor was notorious for his cruelty, becoming a legendary villain in Breton culture. He is widely regarded as one of the probable sources for the myth of Bluebeard
and possibly also of Tristan
's uncle King Mark of Cornwall
. The wife-beating giant Cormoran
may also retain a garbled folk memory of the same character.
Conomor was king of Domnonée, and Prince of Poher; Domnonée was, at this time, expanding to claim control over all Brythonic territory in Armorica
(Brittany). It is difficult to disentangle the Conomor of legend from the historical ruler. As with other early Breton rulers most written information about him comes from the lives of Breton saints.
. He is mentioned by Gregory of Tours
as a Breton count; he is listed as "prefectus du roi des Francs" in the life of Saint Tugdual and in the life of Saint Paul Aurelian
he is called ruler of "different peoples of four languages", which may suggest that his territory included both Brittany and Cornwall. Conomor is said to been count of Carhaix and to have become king by murdering his predecessor Jonas. He married Jonas' widow, but she later fled from him to seek asylum in the Frankish court with her son Judael. He is later said to have come into conflict with Waroch
, count of Vannes
, whose daughter Tréphine
he had married after his first wife's death. In unclear circumstances he is said to have murdered Tréphine and later his son by her, Trémeur.
Eventually the local bishops were persuaded by Saint Samson
to excommunicate Conomor. Samson also prevailed on the Frankish king Childebert I
to abandon his support for Conomor as protector of the English channel
and to release Judael. Judael gathered an army supported by Childebert's brother Chlothar I and killed Conomor in a battle in the Monts d'Arrée
near Le Relecq, Plounéour-Ménez
, which is named from the relics of the victims.
The Tristan
Stone near Fowey
records the burial of a 'Drustanus son of Conomorius' - see below.
The Cynfawr (Conomor) of medieval Welsh tradition is probably unrelated. An obscure figure with the epithet "Cadgaddug" ("Battle-winner"), he appears in the genealogies and one of the Welsh Triads
as a descendant of Coel Hen from the Hen Ogledd
. It is also unclear whether Cornish evidence points to the same individual as the Breton leader, or to an earlier relative with the same name.
Both Tréphine and her son Trémeur are deemed saints in Brittany, and there are many churches dedicated to them. The village of Sainte-Tréphine
is named for the former. It has been suggested that the story of Bluebeard derives from this myth.
argues that Conomor probably held sway in both Britain and Brittany:
The writer Jean Markale
developed this argument, suggesting that the Tristan legend originated in Ireland, but that the names of the characters derive from actual people in Cornish history whose lives involved "the rivalry of a father and son for the same woman", the father being Conomor/Mark and the son Tristan. However, it has also been argued that this Cornish Conomor was probably the Breton leader's great grandfather.
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
. His name, which has the Welsh cognate Cynfawr, means "Great Dog", but could also indicate "Sea Dog" in early Brythonic. Conomor was notorious for his cruelty, becoming a legendary villain in Breton culture. He is widely regarded as one of the probable sources for the myth of Bluebeard
Bluebeard
"Bluebeard" is a French literary folktale written by Charles Perrault and is one of eight tales by the author first published by Barbin in Paris in January 1697 in Histoires ou Contes du temps passé. The tale tells the story of a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives and the...
and possibly also of Tristan
Tristan
Tristan is one of the main characters of the Tristan and Iseult story, a Cornish hero and one of the Knights of the Round Table featuring in the Matter of Britain...
's uncle King Mark of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
. The wife-beating giant Cormoran
Cormoran
Cormoran , also recorded as Cormilan, Cormelian, Gormillan, or Gourmaillon, was a legendary Cornish giant said to live in a cave on St Michael's Mount and terrorize the people of Penwith . He is best known as the first giant killed by Jack in the fairy tale "Jack the Giant Killer"...
may also retain a garbled folk memory of the same character.
Conomor was king of Domnonée, and Prince of Poher; Domnonée was, at this time, expanding to claim control over all Brythonic territory in Armorica
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
(Brittany). It is difficult to disentangle the Conomor of legend from the historical ruler. As with other early Breton rulers most written information about him comes from the lives of Breton saints.
Historical record
Conomor is mentioned in Cornish genealogies, and may have established himself in Brittany after a youth in Cornwall, i.e. DumnoniaDumnonia
Dumnonia is the Latinised name for the Brythonic kingdom in sub-Roman Britain between the late 4th and late 8th centuries, located in the farther parts of the south-west peninsula of Great Britain...
. He is mentioned by Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
as a Breton count; he is listed as "prefectus du roi des Francs" in the life of Saint Tugdual and in the life of Saint Paul Aurelian
Paul Aurelian
Paul Aurelian is a 6th century Welsh saint, who became one of the seven founder saints of Brittany....
he is called ruler of "different peoples of four languages", which may suggest that his territory included both Brittany and Cornwall. Conomor is said to been count of Carhaix and to have become king by murdering his predecessor Jonas. He married Jonas' widow, but she later fled from him to seek asylum in the Frankish court with her son Judael. He is later said to have come into conflict with Waroch
Waroch
Waroch was an early Breton ruler of the Vannetais. Waroch gave his name to the traditional Breton province of Broërec . However, it is possible that there were several successive local leaders with this name....
, count of Vannes
Vannes
Vannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago.-Geography:Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 km northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west...
, whose daughter Tréphine
Saint Tryphine
Saint Tryphine is a semi-legendary Breton saint whose life is often considered to be the basis of the story of Bluebeard. In Brittany she is widely revered as a patron saint of sick children and those whose birth is overdue...
he had married after his first wife's death. In unclear circumstances he is said to have murdered Tréphine and later his son by her, Trémeur.
Eventually the local bishops were persuaded by Saint Samson
Samson of Dol
Saint Samson of Dol was a Christian religious figure who is counted among the seven founder saints of Brittany. Born in southern Wales, he died in Dol-de-Bretagne, a small town in north Brittany.-Life:...
to excommunicate Conomor. Samson also prevailed on the Frankish king Childebert I
Childebert I
Childebert I was the Frankish king of Paris, a Merovingian dynast, one of the four sons of Clovis I who shared the kingdom of the Franks upon their father's death in 511...
to abandon his support for Conomor as protector of the English channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and to release Judael. Judael gathered an army supported by Childebert's brother Chlothar I and killed Conomor in a battle in the Monts d'Arrée
Monts d'Arrée
The Monts d'Arrée are an ancient mountain range in western Brittany which forms part of the Armorican massif. Historically it marked the border of the regions of Cornouaille and Léon....
near Le Relecq, Plounéour-Ménez
Plounéour-Ménez
Plounéour-Ménez is a commune in the Finistère department in Bretagne in northwestern France.-Population:Inhabitants of Plounéour-Ménez are called Énéouriens.-References:** -External links:*...
, which is named from the relics of the victims.
The Tristan
Tristan
Tristan is one of the main characters of the Tristan and Iseult story, a Cornish hero and one of the Knights of the Round Table featuring in the Matter of Britain...
Stone near Fowey
Fowey
Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...
records the burial of a 'Drustanus son of Conomorius' - see below.
The Cynfawr (Conomor) of medieval Welsh tradition is probably unrelated. An obscure figure with the epithet "Cadgaddug" ("Battle-winner"), he appears in the genealogies and one of the Welsh Triads
Welsh Triads
The Welsh Triads are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a rhetorical form whereby objects are grouped together in threes, with a heading indicating the point of likeness...
as a descendant of Coel Hen from the Hen Ogledd
Hen Ogledd
Yr Hen Ogledd is a Welsh term used by scholars to refer to those parts of what is now northern England and southern Scotland in the years between 500 and the Viking invasions of c. 800, with particular interest in the Brythonic-speaking peoples who lived there.The term is derived from heroic...
. It is also unclear whether Cornish evidence points to the same individual as the Breton leader, or to an earlier relative with the same name.
Myth of Tréphine and Trémeur
In legend Conomor's villainy is extended to include the murders of three wives before Tréphine. Tréphine refuses to marry him because of his reputation, but when he threatens to invade her father's lands she agrees, to spare the lives of her father's people. While Conomor is away Tréphine finds a secret room containing relics of the deceased wives. She prays for their souls, and their ghosts appear to her warning her that Conomor will kill her if she becomes pregnant, since a prophecy states that he will be killed by his own son. When he returns he discovers that she is pregnant. Tréphine escapes with magical aid from the dead wives and gives birth in a forest. She hides her son before Conomor catches her and beheads her. However Saint Gildas finds her and miraculously restores her to life. She and her son both live lives of saintly retirement, but after Tréphine's death Conomor eventually finds Trémeur and kills him.Both Tréphine and her son Trémeur are deemed saints in Brittany, and there are many churches dedicated to them. The village of Sainte-Tréphine
Sainte-Tréphine
Sainte-Tréphine is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Bretagne in northwestern France. It is named for Saint Tryphine.-External links:*...
is named for the former. It has been suggested that the story of Bluebeard derives from this myth.
Myth of Tristan
An inscription in Cornwall which includes the names of Conomor and Tristan has led to the suggestion that Conomor is the origin of the figure of King Mark in the Tristan legend. It states "Drustanus hic jacit cunomori filius" (here lies Tristan, son of Conomor). The historian Léon FleuriotLéon Fleuriot
Léon Fleuriot was a French academic specializing in Celtic languages and in history, particularly that of Gallo-Roman Brittany and of the Early Middle Ages....
argues that Conomor probably held sway in both Britain and Brittany:
He is often presented as a vassal of Childebert: a praefectus, said the Chronicle of Saint Brieuc: "Comorus tyrannus, praefectus Francorum regis." Comonor appears to have been a Britto-Roman. The Life of St. Paul refers to "king Marc", or princeps Marc, or, in his full name, Marcus Quonomorius.
The writer Jean Markale
Jean Markale
Jean Bertrand' directs here. You may have been looking for the Haitian politician Jean-Bertrand Aristide.Jean Markale was the pen name of Jean Bertrand, a French writer, poet, radio show host, lecturer and high school French teacher who lived in Brittany.He published numerous books about Celtic...
developed this argument, suggesting that the Tristan legend originated in Ireland, but that the names of the characters derive from actual people in Cornish history whose lives involved "the rivalry of a father and son for the same woman", the father being Conomor/Mark and the son Tristan. However, it has also been argued that this Cornish Conomor was probably the Breton leader's great grandfather.