A few depictions of Arthwys.

A few artistic renderings of Arthwys/Arthur.

Wanted to share a few new pieces depicting Arthwys that I have finished recently.

When the noblemen came from Din Eidyn's meadow,
the chosen men of every enlightened domain,
in contention with Lloegr’s mixed hosts,
180 around each mailed warrior,
masses of horses and armour and silken clothes,
Gwaeddnerth used to safeguard what was his due from the battle.

Our warriors made embroilment around Catraeth.
Fallen multicoloured cloth and gore were trampled.

The mighty Forth is blood around a new grave.
It was armour that he has over his red garments.
The armoured trampler used to trample on armour.

Silken clothes and multicoloured cloth, far from the grim mud and grime of modern depictions of the dark ages. Joseph Clancy’s translation even notes ‘Gold-bordered garments.’ Included is a ‘crossbow’ brooch, common in the late-Roman period, and the belt buckle is a horse-head buckle common of late-Roman military kit. I believe many of the late 5th and early 6th century chieftains would have worn as much Roman kit as possible to emphasize their legitimacy and Romanitas, especially amongst the Coeling, with the Coeling High-Kings acting as Pseudo-Dux Britanniarum of their day. I have included the ‘multi-colored’ plaid tunic for local flair, plaid textiles are common amongst the various Celtic peoples (and Germanic) of Europe throughout the Iron Age. He also wears a torc of Eastern-Roman origin ‘Before Catraeth there were swift gold-torqued men;’. His white cloak is gleaned from the epithet of a warrior at Catraeth, ‘bratwen’ probably Brath-wenn ‘of the white mantle/cloak'