Gwythyr, Father-in-Law of King Arthur
Gwythyr is not a very prominent character in the Arthurian legends, but he is important for being the father-in-law of King Arthur. He also appears in some legends of his own, rather than only being known through association with the famous king. What exactly are the records which mention Gwythyr, and what do we really know about him? Might there be evidence that he was a real person?
Who Was Gwythyr?
Gwythyr appears in the Arthurian legends as the father-in-law of King Arthur. He is known almost exclusively through Welsh tradition, although there is some evidence that he is featured in non-Welsh Arthurian tales as well (but with a different name).
The most important source for Gwythyr as respects his connection to King Arthur is the collection of medieval traditions known as the Welsh Triads. This is a collection of triads, or groups of threes, regarding all sorts of different aspects of the early medieval era. Many of them are about people or events known to have been historical, while others are about people or events without any independent support.
Gwythyr appears in a triad known as Arthur’s Three Great Queens. Interestingly, all three of these queens are named ‘Gwenhwyfar’ (Guinevere). This strongly suggests that this name was actually some kind of throne name.
The second entry in this triad reads:
“Gwenhwyfar daughter of Gwythyr ap Greidiwal.”
According to this source, Gwythyr was the father of Gwenhwyfar, one of Arthur’s queens. Although she is the second of the three Gwenhwyfars mentioned in this triad, it is worth noting that this is not necessarily in chronological order.
Name
There are a variety of different manuscripts containing versions of the Welsh Triads. Many of these spell Gwythyr’s name somewhat differently. These are the main variations seen across the manuscripts:
Gwythyr
Gwythur
Vthyr
Vthr
Yther
Uthr
On the surface, it looks as if this is a variant of the name of King Arthur’s own father, Uther Pendragon (also spelt ‘Uthyr’, or sometimes ‘Ythr’). However, the name of Arthur’s father is never spelt with a ‘G’ on the beginning. Furthermore, the Welsh poem Elegy of Uthyr Pendragon appears to be about Arthur himself, suggesting that Arthur was alternatively known as ‘Uthyr’. This strongly indicates that it was a title (evidently one also used by Arthur’s father).
This being the case, the ‘name’ of Arthur’s father would appear to be the Welsh word ‘uthr’, meaning ‘fearsome’. This makes sense as part of a title.
In contrast, the name of Arthur’s father-in-law is distinctly different from this Welsh word, as the spellings ‘Gwythyr’ and ‘Gwythur’ demonstrate. This name is actually the Welsh form of the Latin name ‘Victor’. This suggests that it was his genuine personal name, not a title.
The spellings which look similar to ‘Uthyr’ are evidently just shortened and perhaps slightly corrupted versions of this name.
Gwythyr’s Family
What do we know about Gwythyr’s family? Aside from his daughter Gwenhwyfar, the only close relative about whom we know anything worth noting is his father.
Gwythyr’s Father, Greidiawl
As we can see from the quotation from the Welsh Triads, he was the son of a certain Greidiawl. This man’s name is also spelt ‘Greidyavl’, ‘Greidyawl’, ‘Gredawyal’, ‘Gredawgol’, and other variations.
Some manuscripts give him the epithet ‘Gallouyd’ (perhaps ‘Gallofydd’ in modern Welsh orthography). This title is not uncommon in medieval Welsh texts, but its exact meaning is obscure. It may mean something along the lines of ‘Lord of hostility’. Rachel Bromwich favoured the meaning ‘Enemy-Subduer’.
Not much is known about this figure. However, he does appear elsewhere in the Welsh Triads. He appears in the triad known as Three Enemy-Subduers of the Island of Britain. He appears as the first one listed, where he again has the epithet ‘Gallouyd’ (the same word used in the title of the triad).
Evidently, Gwythyr’s father Greidiawl was a notable warrior. Whether he was actually a king or not is unknown. However, he was of noble lineage.
Imperial Descent
The aforementioned triad calls Greidiawl the son of ‘Enfael Adrann’. In a genealogical record known as Bonedd yr Arwyr, Gwythyr ap Greidiawl appears and Greidiawl’s father is named Enfael Addian. This latter word is evidently a corruption of the ‘Adrann’ of the triad, or vice versa.
This genealogical record is very helpful, for it makes Greidiawl the fifth-generation descendant of Magnus Maximus. The entire line of descent from Maximus to Gwythyr, according to this record, is as follows:
Maxen (that is, Magnus Maximus)
Ednyfet (usually spelt ‘Ednyfed’)
Dyfynwal (usually spelt ‘Dyfnwal’)
Deigyr
Enfael Addian
Greidiawl Galonyd (a corruption of ‘Galouyd’)
Gwythyr
Earlier records place another generation, Anthun (also known as Dimet or Dynod), between Maxen and Ednyfed. Therefore, Greidiawl actually came six generations after Maximus, not five.
In any case, we can see that Gwythyr was supposedly a descendant of Magnus Maximus, the Roman Emperor who was declared emperor by his troops in Britain in 383 and successfully conquered much of the Western Roman Empire, holding onto it for several years.
While this might seem remarkable, this was not an uncommon claim in the medieval records. The kings of South Wales in general, as well as at least one northern dynasty, claimed descent from Maximus.
The line from Maximus’ great-grandson Dyfnwal was the line that ruled in Galloway in the North. However, the subsequent generations are to be found in records concerning South Wales, suggesting that Deigyr moved his family south. With this being the case, it may well be significant that we find the name ‘Victor’ on an inscription from Dyfed, southwest Wales, dating to the sixth century.
Gwythyr in Other Arthurian Records
The Welsh Triads are not the only Arthurian source in which Gwythyr appears. He also appears in the earliest Welsh prose Arthurian tale, Culhwch and Olwen. This was written in approximately 1100 (his father, Greidiawl, also appears in The Dream of Rhonabwy, written in perhaps around 1300).
Gwythyr has a fairly prominent role in Culhwch and Olwen.
First Appearance
First, he is listed as one of King Arthur’s many allies helping him during the adventures in the story. The main adventure is the hunt for a monstrous boar named Twrch Trwyth, although various other small adventures and challenges are completed throughout the story.
This tale seems to be set in the year immediately after the Battle of Badon.
Second Appearance
Gwythyr next appears at the very end of the list of Arthur’s allies. This time, it is in a parenthetical statement that comes after a reference to a woman named Creiddylad. The statement in question is:
“She was the most splendid maiden in the three Islands of the mighty, and in the three Islands adjacent, and for her Gwythyr the son of Greidawl and Gwynn the son of Nudd fight every first of May until the day of doom.”
Other translations render this final phrase as ‘doomsday’. This statement shows that Gwythyr was remembered for having a continual struggle against a figure named Gwynn (also spelt ‘Gwyn’) the son of Nudd.
This is part of a legend which is explained in more detail later in the narrative. We shall examine that legend in full shortly, but first, let us consider Gwythyr’s next appearance in Culhwch and Olwen.
Third Appearance
Gwythyr is described as walking over a mountain, when he heard a distressed sound. He went to investigate and found that it was an anthill in danger of being burned by a fire. He used his sword to save the ant colony.
To show their gratitude, the ants assisted in completing one of the difficult challenges that Arthur was attempting to perform. This was to take a large quantity of flax seed from a tilled field and transport it to a different location and sow it there.
While a momentous task for Arthur, the ants were able to complete it without too much trouble.
Fourth Appearance, the Legend of Gwythyr and Gwyn
Finally, we come to Gwythyr’s most prominent appearance in Culhwch and Olwen, the legend of his conflict with Gwyn ap Nudd.
This passage is set at some unspecified point before the main story. It explains that Gwythyr had been betrothed to Creiddylad, the daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint. However, before they were able to be married, a man named Gwyn ap Nudd appeared and kidnapped Creiddylad.
Gwythyr gathered an army and set off to attack Gwyn and rescue his bride. However, Gwyn was victorious in the battle. He defeated Gwythyr’s host and took many of his most prominent men as prisoners. He treated them harshly, even making one prisoner eat the heart of his father.
After Arthur learned of this, he marched to the North, called Gwyn before him, and demanded that the prisoners be released. He then made ‘peace’ between Gwythyr and Gwyn by establishing an agreement.
Creiddylad would return to her father’s house and live there, away from both Gwythyr and Gwyn. The two men would then engage in a fight every first of May. Similar to what we saw in the previous quotation, this was to happen continuously,
“until the day of doom, and... whichever of them should then be conqueror should have the maiden.”
While meaning that Gwythyr and Gwyn would still have to fight each other, this would at least mean that their conflict would be limited to just one day of the year. The fact that both Gwythyr and Gwyn are presented as allies of Arthur in this tale is consistent with this.
When Did Gwythyr Live?
The question of when Gwythyr lived is enlightened by looking at his contemporaries. For example, his conflict with Gwyn ap Nudd means that Gwythyr’s career must have overlapped at least partially with that of Gwyn.
The Date of Gwyn ap Nudd
Interestingly, Gwyn is most commonly associated with figures of the mid- to late-sixth century. For example, one record calls him the half brother of Gwallog ap Lleenog. Another says that he was present for the death of this warrior, as well as that of Gwenddoleu, a king who died at the Battle of Arthuret in c. 573.
Therefore, it is evident that Gwyn’s conflict with Gwythyr could not have occurred near the very beginning of the sixth century. Gwyn was almost certainly not born before 500. Given his association with the mid- to late-sixth century figures, his birth should probably be placed no earlier than c. 520.
On the other hand, it could not have occurred too far into the sixth century either. The reason for this is that Gwrwst Ledlwm is presented as one of the warriors who were captured by Gwyn during his conflict with Gwythyr. A son of Gwrwst named Dyfnarth is also mentioned.
Based on a comparison of various genealogical records, none of which appear to present the full line, it appears that Gwrwst was the son of Masguid, son of Mar. He was the father of Arthwys and great-grandfather of the Peredur and Gwrgi who died in 580.
On the basis of this evidence, it is very likely that Gwrwst Ledlwm was born in approximately 480. Therefore, it is unlikely that the episode of Gwythyr’s conflict with Gwyn, in which Gwrwst was involved, occurred any later than 550.
Gwrwst’s son, Dyfnarth, would presumably have been born between 505 and 520. Since he was apparently an adult at the time of this conflict, being one of the warriors taken prisoner by Gwyn, we should date the conflict to after 525 at the very earliest. It may well have occurred much later, and this is consistent with the estimate of c. 520 for Gwyn’s birth.
With these facts in mind, it is evident that the conflict between Gwythyr and Gwyn should be placed at some point between approximately 540 and 550.
Gwythyr’s Chronology
This reveals that at least part of Gwythyr’s career extended into that decade. The fact that he was betrothed at the time suggests, all other things being equal, that he was relatively young. Of course, this may well not have been his first marriage, just as Arthur himself is recorded as having at least three wives and three concubines.
On the other hand, we also have to bear in mind the fact that Gwythyr was the father-in-law of King Arthur. Since Arthur had three wives, he may well have taken each one at completely different stages of life, meaning that Gwythyr need not necessarily be understood as being older than the king.
Arthur’s Third Father-in-Law
Interestingly, there is some reason to believe that Gwythyr was the father of Arthur’s third and final wife.
The reason is that all of Arthur’s children recorded as serving him during his reign appear to have died before the end of that reign. This includes Amhar, Gwydre, Llacheu, and Duran.
A document known as Le Petit Bruit claims that Arthur was succeeded by several sons. The information provided makes them late-sixth, early-seventh century figures, meaning that they must have been born right at the end of Arthur’s reign.
This strongly suggests that Arthur remarried after all his other sons had died, the last of whom (Llacheu and Duran) appear to have died at about the time of the Battle of Camlann.
A Scottish tradition (which we will examine in more detail later) strongly supports this scenario. The wife assigned to Arthur at this late point in his life is described as the daughter of the king of France. Of all three fathers-in-law given to Arthur in the Welsh Triads, Gwythyr is the only one who could have been described as the king of France.
Thus, there is good reason for concluding that Gwythyr was the father of Arthur’s final wife, the one he married after his other sons had died, leaving him in need of an heir.
What This Means for Gwythyr’s Chronology
Based on this information, what can we conclude regarding the chronology of Gwythyr? It would mean that his daughter, evidently the third Gwenhwyfar, was of marrying and child-bearing age right around the time of the Battle of Camlann.
Therefore, her birth would probably have occurred some fifteen to twenty-five years before that battle. Gwythyr, in turn, is most likely to have been born another twenty to thirty years earlier – in other words, a full thirty-five to fifty-five years before the Battle of Camlann.
The weight of Welsh tradition indicates that the Battle of Camlann occurred in c. 570. This accommodates the fact that Mordred was the nephew of Urien Rheged, a mid- to late-sixth century king, as well as numerous other supporting details.
The date in the Annales Cambriae of 537 is in stark contrast to all the other evidence from Welsh tradition. Therefore, it is most likely a result of the date mistakenly being pushed back thirty-three years due to confusion between the death and birth of Jesus. This is demonstrably seen in some other examples of medieval dates.
We also need to bear in mind the evidence that the conflict between Gwythyr and Gwyn occurred between 540 and 550.
Therefore, we can most likely place the birth of Gwythyr in approximately 520. The birth of his daughter, ‘Gwenhwyfar’ (likely a throne name), can thus be placed about thirty years later, in c. 550. She would therefore have been about twenty years old at the time of the Battle of Camlann, when Arthur took her as a bride to provide an heir.
Gwythyr in Scottish Tradition
Let us now consider in more detail the aforementioned Scottish tradition. This is found in documents concerning the ancestry of Clan Campbell in Scotland. Scottish tradition speaks of Arthur having a son named Smerbe, although the earliest spelling of this name appears as ‘Meirbi’. Another early spelling is ‘Mervin’.
Various details indicate that this figure from Scottish tradition should be identified with the Morgan son of Arthur who appears in Le Petit Bruit.
The earliest document to provide a proper overview of the tradition is Duncanson’s seventeenth century An Accompt of the Genealogie of the Campbells.
According to this document, King Arthur married a woman named Elizabeth, the daughter of the king of France. This would appear to be a trace of the real, personal name of Arthur’s final wife.
Despite being the king of France, his daughter Elizabeth gives birth to Smerbe in Scotland. This is significant.
Based on a comparison of various different sources, including the Welsh Triads, the weight of evidence suggests that Arthur did not die at Camlann. Rather, he apparently continued his campaign through to Mordred’s territory in southern Scotland, after defeating Mordred himself at Camlann.
Duncanson explains that Arthur married Elizabeth because his previous wife died barren, which is probably a recollection of the fact that all of Arthur’s previous sons had died by that point, as per Welsh tradition.
The fact that his wife is said to have given birth to Smerbe at Dumbarton Rock in Scotland supports the conclusion that she was already there at the time. Arthur evidently met her there and settled with her in the aftermath of his campaign against Mordred’s forces, before heading back down to Wales only at a later date.
How could Arthur’s wife have been the daughter of the king of France and have been found by Arthur in Scotland? This apparently unusual spread of locations is satisfactorily explained by identifying her father as Gwythyr.
The King of France Who Was Active in Scotland
As we will see in the last section of this article, Gwythyr was most likely a ruler of Leon in Brittany, France. Therefore, he fits the criteria of being the ‘king of France’ (for comparison, King Ionas of Brittany also appears in Arthurian tradition as ‘king of France’).
However, we saw earlier how Gwythyr is said to have taken an army up to the North. This was the region around the border of England and Scotland. As per the agreement between him and Gwyn, the two men would battle each other every year.
Therefore, Gwythyr is recorded as having a connection with southern Scotland. The exact extent and manner of this connection is never revealed, but if he was able to travel to that region every year to challenge Gwyn, the connection obviously would have become well established.
Out of the three fathers-in-law of King Arthur, Gwythyr is the only one recorded as having a connection to both France and Scotland. Therefore, the Scottish tradition of Arthur’s son Smerbe being born to the daughter of the king of France in Scotland is best explained in the context of Gwythyr.
Gwythyr in Later Arthurian Romance
Gwythyr does not explicitly appear by this name in later Arthurian romance tales, such as those from England or the continent. However, it goes without saying that Arthur’s wife Guinevere appears in those sources, and her father is frequently mentioned.
Of course, the obvious problem is that Welsh tradition speaks of three Gwenhwyfars, each one with their own father. Therefore, the identity of the father of Guinevere in non-Welsh tradition is not automatically clear. Since Welsh tradition speaks of three Gwenhwyfars, there is a thirty-three percent chance that it is supposed to be Gwythyr, all other things being equal.
It is likely that Leodegrance is somewhat of a combination of the three fathers-in-law from Welsh tradition. Since Gwenhwyfar the daughter of Gogfran appears to have been the most prominent in Welsh tradition, it is likely that Leodegrance is primarily based on her father.
However, one of Leodegrance’s most prominent cities – his capital, in fact – was Carhaix. This is a city in Brittany. There is no known association of Gogfran with Brittany. He is firmly associated with Wales.
Almost nothing is known about Cywryd Ceint (or Gwent), the father of one of the other Gwenhwyfars, other than that his epithet likely associates him with Gwent.
However, regarding Gwythyr, there is a medieval record which references a contemporary and identically-named figure as a ruler in Brittany. We will go on to examine this source in the following section.
Therefore, the balance of probability suggests that Leodegrance’s association with Carhaix in Brittany comes from legends of Gwythyr.
Was Gwythyr a Real Person?
Is there any evidence that Gwythyr was a real person? Firstly, it should be noted that we have already seen how Gwythyr has a relatively large presence within the Welsh texts. He appears in Culhwch and Olwen, one of the earliest prose Welsh tales. He also appears in the Welsh Triads, as well as in several other pieces of Welsh poetry.
Therefore, although all of this evidence is late, he is a reasonably well-attested figure. This favours the conclusion that he may have been a real person, although obviously this is not enough to prove the case by itself.
The Victor Inscription
As we noted earlier, there is a stone inscription from southwest Wales which contains the name ‘Victor’. What else can we say about this inscription?
For one thing, it was found in Clydai, Pembrokeshire. Also, it is actually a duel inscription, containing both Latin and Ogham. The Latin inscription reads:
‘Etterni fili Victor’
The Ogham inscription reads:
‘Etterni maqi Victor’
Both of these inscriptions mean ‘Eternus son of Victor’. Could this, perhaps, be a reference to a son of the legendary Gwythyr, father-in-law of King Arthur?
Put simply, it might be, although we cannot be sure. The stone was dated by one scholar to between 400 and 533. However, a slightly more recent estimate placed it between 500 and 533. As we saw earlier, Gwythyr himself should be dated to the mid-sixth century. It is unlikely that his son, even if he died fairly young, would have died before c. 550.
The problem is that there is no convincing basis with which we can date short stone inscriptions so precisely. We do not have a large corpus of explicitly-dated inscriptions from this era, nor do we have a large corpus of securely-dated literature which we could potentially use to compare spellings or syntax.
Therefore, there is no real objection to placing this inscription somewhat later in the sixth century. In any case, it is a reasonable approximate fit for the era of Gwythyr, even if we cannot confirm that it is a perfect fit.
The fact that the inscription was found in Pembrokeshire, allegedly the ancestral home of Gwythyr, offers notable support to the conclusion that this really is a reference to this legendary figure.
In the worst case scenario, this stone inscription demonstrates that the name ‘Victor’ was used in this era in this region, whereas it is generally unknown in later periods. Therefore, this supports the historicity of Gwythyr whether this stone is actually in reference to him or not.
The Life of St Paul Aurelian
There is an interesting piece of documentary evidence in favour of Gwythyr’s historicity. A hagiography known as the Life of St Paul Aurelian was written in approximately the year 900, making it one of the earliest of the British hagiographies. Some scholars give it a slightly later date, though in either case, it is still a fairly early record.
In this hagiography, the titular religious figure, Paul Aurelian, travels to Brittany. There, he meets a count of Leon. The count is named Withur. The account specifically notes that he came from South Wales.
Identifying Gwythyr with Withur
The correspondence between Gwythyr and Withur is obvious. Both names are alternate spellings of ‘Victor’. This was not a common name. In fact, Gwythyr the father-in-law of King Arthur is possibly the only figure with that name in traditions concerning the Arthurian period. Therefore, the fact that we find two figures with the same name at the same time is very interesting.
Of course, the simple fact that they had the same name does not prove that they were the same person. However, the fact that both Gwythyr and Withur are presented in their respective traditions as coming from South Wales strongly supports the conclusion that they are the same.
This is further supported by the non-Welsh material about the father of Guinevere. As we have already seen, they made Leodegrance a king of a kingdom within Brittany. While there is no guarantee that this figure was supposed to represent Gwythyr, we have already seen that the available evidence supports this identification.
In other words, not only did Gwythyr come from South Wales, but there is also reason to associate him with Brittany. When we take this into consideration, in conjunction with the evidence from the name and the chronology of the matter, it is very likely indeed that Gwythyr and Withur should be understood as identical.
There is nothing in the Life of St Paul Aurelian which suggests that Withur was a legendary or mythical figure. Given that this record is an early one, and it displays no obviously legendary material concerning Withur, he can almost certainly be accepted as a historical figure. This, in turn, means that Gwythyr the father-in-law of King Arthur really existed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Gwythyr was the father-in-law of King Arthur in the Arthurian legends. In fact, he was one of three main fathers-in-law, since Arthur had three queens. Gwythyr appears in the Welsh Triads, as well as Culhwch and Olwen and several other Welsh texts. According to Welsh legend, he fought against Gwyn ap Nudd for a lover named Creiddylad.
It is likely that Gwythyr can be identified as the principal figure behind Leodegrance, the father of Guinevere in later, non-Welsh tales. And it is very likely indeed that Gwythyr can be identified with Withur, the count of Leon in the Life of St Paul Aurelian. Since Withur himself seems to have been a historical figure, this would mean that Gwythyr was probably real. It is also entirely possible that a stone inscription from Clydai, Pembrokeshire, mentions Gwythyr.
Sources
Bartrum, Peter, A Welsh Classical Dictionary, 1993
Bromwich, Rachel, Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain, 2014
Howells, Caleb, King Arthur: The Man Who Conquered Europe, 2019
