Celtic Gods: The Cymric Hero, Howel mab Emyr Llydaw (Eminent son of Emyr of Brittany)

Howel mab Emyr Llydaw
An Arthurian Hero: Eminent son of Emyr of Brittany

Howel mab Emyr Llydaw is a Cymric (Welsh) hero known from the Welsh Histories, the Bruts where he is named as Arthur's nephew, the son of Arthur's sister. He is also named as one of the three royal knights of Arthur's court.



Synonyms:
Cym: Eminent son of Emyr of Brittany

In the histories, the Bruts (both Brut Dingestow and the Bruts from the Llyfr Coch Hergest Howel mab Emyr Llydaw is given as nei y Arthur (Arthur's nephew) and the Brut Dingestow expounds this further as uab chuaer Artur oed hwnnw o Emyr Llydaw (the son of Arthur's sister by Emyr Llydaw). He is also named in the later Romances of the Mabinogion (Breuddwyd Rhonabwy, Gereint fab Erbin, Peredur fab Efrawg). Hoever, these romances are all post-Galfridian (ie after Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae where a Duke Hoel(us) figures as Arthur's friend and ally throughout his life. As a Breton Geoffrey naturally tended to inflate the importance of Breton figures whilst skewing the native Cymric tradition. Thus in Geoffrey's account Howel takes the place of Gwalchmei in the native tradition.

The recorders of the Bruts, not having a native traditon in which to place Geoffrey's Howel include him in the tale but make him the son of emyr Llydaw (which literally means 'a certain ruler of Brittany') and an un-named sister of Arthur and it was only later that Emyr became a proper name.

He is also mentioned in appendix iv of the Trioedd Ynys Prydein as one of the 'Three Royal Knights of Arthur's Court' In peace none could refuse them on account of their beauty and in war no champion could withstand them. Howel's name is a corrupt form of Hwyel, meaning 'eminent'.



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