Y Mab Darogan
Encyclopedia
Y Mab Darogan is a messianic
figure of Welsh
legend, destined to force the Anglo-Saxons
(later known as the English
) out of Britain
and reclaim it for its Celt
ic inhabitants. A number of figures have been called Y Mab Darogan in history (other titles include Y Gŵr Darogan and Y Daroganwr). An extensive corpus of medieval Welsh prophetic verse, beginning with Armes Prydain
(10th century?), is centred on the figure of Y Mab Darogan.
. Arthur was often seen as protector figure who defended the Britons
against all manner of threats. He is specifically indicated as fighting the Saxons in the 9th-century text Historia Brittonum and in works based on it. However, Arthur does not appear in the Armes Prydain and other early prophetic works.
by Dafydd Benfras
hails 'Llywelyn' as y daroganwr ("son of the prophecy"; Y Mab Darogan). The poem is difficult to date and may be addressed to either Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great
) or his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn the Last
); it is accepted with some hesitation as being an ode to Llywelyn ab Iorwerth by the most recent editor in the series Beirdd y Tywysogion, but it is noted that it might well be addressed to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Dafydd Benfras is associated with both). At the end of the ode, which praises Llywelyn as 'king of the Welsh' (brenin y Cymry), the poet declaims "Whatever is prophesised about you you shall take, / From every prophetic song you shall be blessed, / That which I have prophesised you shall possess, / Whatever I should prophesise you shall uphold, / You are the son of the prophecy in the eyes of all whom you see (about you)!'.
Another awdl to Llywelyn the Great by Llywarch ap Llywelyn
(Prydydd y Moch) declares that he is the prince who will "fulfil the ancient prophecies".
(Owain ap Tomas ap Rhodri, 1330–1378), a descendant of the princes of Gwynedd exiled in France. It was in this period that a large body of popular prophetic verse about Y Mab Darogan began to circulate, often referring to him as "Owain". Many of these poems are difficult to date and often appear in variant versions suggesting adaptation over a period of time within the oral poetic tradition. It is therefore unclear in most cases whether "Owain" refers to Owain Lawgoch or Owain Glyndŵr
or even some other, future hero. A poem attributed to Rhys Fardd refers to 'Owain' and 'fighting in Calais'. Another, attributed to Y Bergam, seems to refer to Owain Lawgoch in the lines "And there is a man in France eager for battle / who will avenge his father with a whole army."
Gruffudd ap Maredudd ap Dafydd (fl.
1352-82) composed an awdl which urges Owain to return from France to liberate Wales and conquer England. Another prophecy addressed to Owain Lawgoch is attributed to Iolo Goch
but not recognised as his work. A poem by an anonymous poet, written after the murder of Owain in France by an English agent, suggests that many Welshmen were expecting him and that steeds and arms had been prepared for his coming: "Watching the beaches in (our) youth, // Buying swift steeds... // And arms ready for battle. / But then coldness came upon us, / Though we looked for Rhodri's grandson. / We lamented when he came not: / He was slain, killed by a dastard."
The epithet llawgoch itself may be significant. It can be understood literally ('red hand') and is a suitable adjective to describe a heroic warrior, but attention has been drawn to evidence from medieval Ireland
which suggests that a red mark on the hand was regarded as a messianic symbol, e.g. in the case of Cathal Crobderg ('Red Hand'), king of Connacht
(d. 1224).
was a prince descended from the Kings of Powys who led a revolt against English
rule in Wales. His forces even pushed into England and came close to achieving his goal of Welsh independence. He was called Y Mab Darogan in his own day but was ultimately defeated and subsequently disappeared.
seizing the throne of England by defeating and slaying Richard III
at Bosworth Field in 1485, his supporters and the poets of Wales claimed him as Y Mab Darogan, a move that won the future king many supporters in Wales. He landed in southwest Wales and raised the banner of Cadwaladr
, a Welsh king often mentioned in the prophecies as returning with Cynan
to free the Brythons - before marching through the country to gather recruits on his way to Bosworth. His reign over England was believed by some to be the fulfilment of the prophecy; a belief that he actively encouraged by naming his firstborn son Arthur Tudor.
Prince Arthur came of age as Prince of Wales
in 1501 and after marrying governed the Principality
from its de facto capital
at Ludlow
and reversed some of the most oppressive laws established in Wales at the defeat of Owain Glyndwr. However, he died only one year later and Britain never saw another king named Arthur
. His younger brother Henry became Prince of Wales but this son had been brought up in London. Henry succeeded his father to the throne as King Henry VIII
: like his father, Henry VIII used the red dragon as a supporter to his royal arms and he enacted the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1543 by which Wales was annexed to the Kingdom of England and given parliamentary representation and equality under the law. Henry abolished the feudal
marcher lordships which hitherto had ruled much of Wales and the mediæval laws applying there, extending the laws of England across his realm.
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
figure of Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
legend, destined to force the Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
(later known as the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
) out of Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and reclaim it for its Celt
Celt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic inhabitants. A number of figures have been called Y Mab Darogan in history (other titles include Y Gŵr Darogan and Y Daroganwr). An extensive corpus of medieval Welsh prophetic verse, beginning with Armes Prydain
Armes Prydein
Armes Prydein is an early 10th-century Welsh prophetic poem from the Book of Taliesin.In a rousing style characteristic of Welsh heroic poetry, it describes a future where all of Brythonic peoples are allied with the Scots, the Irish, and the Vikings of Dublin under Welsh leadership, and together...
(10th century?), is centred on the figure of Y Mab Darogan.
Arthur
Some later poetry associated Y Mab Darogan with the legendary King ArthurKing Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
. Arthur was often seen as protector figure who defended the Britons
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
against all manner of threats. He is specifically indicated as fighting the Saxons in the 9th-century text Historia Brittonum and in works based on it. However, Arthur does not appear in the Armes Prydain and other early prophetic works.
Llywelyn the Great and Llywelyn the Last
An awdlAwdl
An awdl is a long poem written in Welsh in one of the twenty-four strict metres, using cynghanedd. Such poems are considered among the finest work that a poet can aim to produce, and prizes are given at eisteddfodau for the best awdl....
by Dafydd Benfras
Dafydd Benfras
Dafydd Benfras was a Welsh language court poet regarded by Saunders Lewis and others as one of the greatest of the 'Poets of the Princes' ....
hails 'Llywelyn' as y daroganwr ("son of the prophecy"; Y Mab Darogan). The poem is difficult to date and may be addressed to either Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great , full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of Wales...
) or his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn the Last
Llywelyn ap Gruffydd or Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf , sometimes rendered as Llywelyn II, was the last prince of an independent Wales before its conquest by Edward I of England....
); it is accepted with some hesitation as being an ode to Llywelyn ab Iorwerth by the most recent editor in the series Beirdd y Tywysogion, but it is noted that it might well be addressed to Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (Dafydd Benfras is associated with both). At the end of the ode, which praises Llywelyn as 'king of the Welsh' (brenin y Cymry), the poet declaims "Whatever is prophesised about you you shall take, / From every prophetic song you shall be blessed, / That which I have prophesised you shall possess, / Whatever I should prophesise you shall uphold, / You are the son of the prophecy in the eyes of all whom you see (about you)!'.
Another awdl to Llywelyn the Great by Llywarch ap Llywelyn
Llywarch ap Llywelyn
Llywarch ap Llywelyn was a medieval Welsh poet. He is also known by his bardic name, "Prydydd y Moch".Llywarch was a poet in the court of Llywelyn ab Iorwerth and is known for a number of awdlau in praise of his lord...
(Prydydd y Moch) declares that he is the prince who will "fulfil the ancient prophecies".
Owain Lawgoch
In the mid-14th century the mantle of the Mab Darogan passed to Owain LawgochOwain Lawgoch
Owain Lawgoch, , full name Owain ap Thomas ap Rhodri , was a Welsh soldier who served in Spain, France, Alsace and Switzerland. He led a Free Company fighting for the French against the English in the Hundred Years' War...
(Owain ap Tomas ap Rhodri, 1330–1378), a descendant of the princes of Gwynedd exiled in France. It was in this period that a large body of popular prophetic verse about Y Mab Darogan began to circulate, often referring to him as "Owain". Many of these poems are difficult to date and often appear in variant versions suggesting adaptation over a period of time within the oral poetic tradition. It is therefore unclear in most cases whether "Owain" refers to Owain Lawgoch or Owain Glyndŵr
Owain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
or even some other, future hero. A poem attributed to Rhys Fardd refers to 'Owain' and 'fighting in Calais'. Another, attributed to Y Bergam, seems to refer to Owain Lawgoch in the lines "And there is a man in France eager for battle / who will avenge his father with a whole army."
Gruffudd ap Maredudd ap Dafydd (fl.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
1352-82) composed an awdl which urges Owain to return from France to liberate Wales and conquer England. Another prophecy addressed to Owain Lawgoch is attributed to Iolo Goch
Iolo Goch
Iolo Goch , , was a medieval Welsh poet or bard who composed poems addressed to Owain Glyndŵr, among others.- Lineage :...
but not recognised as his work. A poem by an anonymous poet, written after the murder of Owain in France by an English agent, suggests that many Welshmen were expecting him and that steeds and arms had been prepared for his coming: "Watching the beaches in (our) youth, // Buying swift steeds... // And arms ready for battle. / But then coldness came upon us, / Though we looked for Rhodri's grandson. / We lamented when he came not: / He was slain, killed by a dastard."
The epithet llawgoch itself may be significant. It can be understood literally ('red hand') and is a suitable adjective to describe a heroic warrior, but attention has been drawn to evidence from medieval Ireland
Norman Ireland
The History of Ireland 1169–1536 covers the period from the arrival of the Cambro-Normans to the reign of Henry VIII of England, who made himself King of Ireland. After the Norman invasion of 1171, Ireland was under an alternating level of control from Norman lords and the King of England...
which suggests that a red mark on the hand was regarded as a messianic symbol, e.g. in the case of Cathal Crobderg ('Red Hand'), king of Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
(d. 1224).
Owain Glyndŵr
Owain GlyndŵrOwain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
was a prince descended from the Kings of Powys who led a revolt against English
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
rule in Wales. His forces even pushed into England and came close to achieving his goal of Welsh independence. He was called Y Mab Darogan in his own day but was ultimately defeated and subsequently disappeared.
Henry VII of England
In the lead up to the Welshman Henry TudorHenry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
seizing the throne of England by defeating and slaying Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
at Bosworth Field in 1485, his supporters and the poets of Wales claimed him as Y Mab Darogan, a move that won the future king many supporters in Wales. He landed in southwest Wales and raised the banner of Cadwaladr
Cadwaladr
Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon was King of Gwynedd . Two devastating plagues happened during his reign, one in 664 and the other in 682, with himself a victim of the second one. Little else is known of his reign...
, a Welsh king often mentioned in the prophecies as returning with Cynan
Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri
Cynan Dindaethwy ap Rhodri was King of Gwynedd . His reign was marked by a destructive dynastic power struggle with his brother Hywel, and is not otherwise notable....
to free the Brythons - before marching through the country to gather recruits on his way to Bosworth. His reign over England was believed by some to be the fulfilment of the prophecy; a belief that he actively encouraged by naming his firstborn son Arthur Tudor.
Prince Arthur came of age as Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
in 1501 and after marrying governed the Principality
Principality of Wales
The Principality of Wales existed between 1216 and 1542, encompassing two-thirds of modern Wales.It was formally founded in 1216 at the Council of Aberdyfi, and later recognised by the 1218 Treaty of Worcester between Llywelyn the Great of Wales and Henry III of England...
from its de facto capital
Capital of Wales
The Capital of Wales is a de facto designation usually applied to Cardiff since 1955. In that year, the Minister for Welsh Affairs Gwilym Lloyd-George commented in a Parliamentary written answer that "no formal measures are necessary to give effect to this decision".Cardiff is also the current seat...
at Ludlow
Ludlow
Ludlow is a market town in Shropshire, England close to the Welsh border and in the Welsh Marches. It lies within a bend of the River Teme, on its eastern bank, forming an area of and centred on a small hill. Atop this hill is the site of Ludlow Castle and the market place...
and reversed some of the most oppressive laws established in Wales at the defeat of Owain Glyndwr. However, he died only one year later and Britain never saw another king named Arthur
Arthur
Arthur is a common masculine given name. Its etymology is disputed, but its popularity derives from its being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur....
. His younger brother Henry became Prince of Wales but this son had been brought up in London. Henry succeeded his father to the throne as King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
: like his father, Henry VIII used the red dragon as a supporter to his royal arms and he enacted the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1543 by which Wales was annexed to the Kingdom of England and given parliamentary representation and equality under the law. Henry abolished the feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
marcher lordships which hitherto had ruled much of Wales and the mediæval laws applying there, extending the laws of England across his realm.