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Devon and Somerset. If so then Spanish, Milesian Celts invaded and took the sovereignty of Ireland
away from Celts who were from Gaul and Belgium. The Tuatha de Danann could be associated with the
Danes or a tribe from the Danube but as they are also associated with elves and Atlanteans we might be
stretching reality a bit.
The Scotti from Northern Ireland invaded and destroyed the Picts of modern Scotland. Very little of
Pictish culture remains as it has been wiped out by the Celts. They were possibly non-Indo-European
aboriginals of Britain and Ireland, being pushed into the mountains and wild lands when the Celts
arrived.
So obviously there are cracks appearing in the Celtic wall of self-righteousness. These cracks become
more prominent if we delve deeper into the mythology and history.
Who was King Arthur and what was his court like? There is no single answer to this question as we are
dealing with a cross over point between historical fact and myth. Around the time of King Arthur, Britain
was suffering after the Romans had pulled out of Britain in 407 A.D. the Britons had lived under the
umbrella of the Roman Empire for over four centuries. In the southeast of the country there were many
Empire citizens with a mixture of Roman and Romano- British blood. There were also the influences of
the cultures used by the Romans as auxiliary soldiers and those that traded within the Empire. The
Romano-British were soft from Roman wine and luxury, their population was low and they had many
enemies. The Roman Empire was not universally popular in Arthur's time. Sure it was respected for its
organization and military power. It was a giant trading block with a huge army at its disposal. But now it
was beginning to crumble. Internal rot had set in and its neighbours were beginning to get restless. In the
end pressure from outside barbarians would break the Empire borders and seize control of the Western
Empire.
It is probable that Britain retained many of the Roman ways even after the Empire did not protect them.
There were many factions loyal to Rome and the system of roads, Villas and fortifications were used but
not really maintained. There were also factions sympathetic to Celtic Nationalism especially in Wales
and North Britain. Perhaps there were many powerful families all with political agendas and differing
loyalties to Rome or an independent Britain. Whatever there was, the legends describe a story. A story in
which a boy called Arthur united them all.
The Britons desperately needed this. They were being attacked on all sides. Irish pirates raided Wales
and established colonies. The Scots and Picts were raiding in the north. Angles and Saxons plundered the
east. So Arthur the general of a Romano-British force must fight enemies from Ireland, Scotland and the
continent. Brythonic Celts fight against the scourge of Goidelic Celts, yet it is only the Saxon that we
normally associate as Arthur's enemies.
A united effort by Anglo-Saxons, Picts and Irish Scotti should come as no surprise to anyone familiar
with the historical record. The Romans had previously complained of a barbarian conspiracy against the
influence of Rome. It was because of repeated attacks using guerrilla hit and run tactics that Hadrian's
Wall was built. The Irish Gaelic, Pictish and Anglo-Saxon heathens had put their differences aside to
fight a common enemy: Roman colonial expansion. They must have had some success because Britain
was deemed to be too difficult to warrant continued garrisoning by Roman troops. It is more likely that
Arthur's court was heavily influenced by Roman civilization. This would have included the growing
Christian faith. Arthur may have marked some sort of transition period between Celtic paganism and
Christianity. Certainly kingship rites still had pagan elements in their symbolism. His queen Gwenhyfar
retires to become a nun at the end of the Arthurian cycle. Thus the sovereignty of Britain as symbolised
by Arthur's marriage to the land and the Queen, has become part of the Christian church. In contrast the
Anglo-Saxons were purely Heathen. They struck fear in the British because to them the Saxons were
barbarians. They had dark religious practices and could not be trusted. If we go back further in time the
tribal distinctions blur. Roman historians mapped Europe naming all those to the southwest of the Rhine
as Celts, and all those on the other side as Germanii. They did not take into account the fact that some of
tribes like the Belgae considered themselves to have Germanic and Celtic influences on their culture.
The ancient Germans and Celts had many things in common so culturally it might be more correct to
group them all together as Northwest Europeans rather than separate them politically. Seen in this
context the Arthurian legends read more like a battle between heathen Europeans and the remnants of
Christian, Romanised Europeans. If this is the case, then what side are you on? Do you support the side
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