History Of The Britons (Historia Brittonum) by Nennius
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Genealogy of the kings of Bernicia.*
* These titles are not part of the original work, but added in
the MSS. by a later hand.
57. Woden begat Beldeg, who begat Beornec, who begat Gethbrond,
who begat Aluson, who begat Ingwi, who begat Edibrith, who begat
Esa, who begat Eoppa, who begat Ida. But Ida had twelve sons,
Adda, Belric, Theodric, Ethelric, Theodhere, Osmer, and one queen,
Bearnoch, Ealric. Ethelric begat Ethelfrid: the same is Aedlfred
Flesaur. For he also had seven sons, Eanfrid, Oswald, Oswin,
Oswy, Oswudu, Oslac, Offa. Oswy begat Alfrid, Elfwin, and Egfrid.
Egfrid is he who made war against his cousin Brudei, king of the
Picts, and he fell therein with all the strength of his army, and
the Picts with their king gained the victory; and the Saxons never
again reduced the Picts so as to exact tribute from them. Since
the time of this war it is called Gueithlin Garan.
But Oswy had two wives, Riemmelth, the daughter of Royth, son of
Rum; and Eanfled, the daughter of Edwin, son of Alla.
The genealogy of the kings of Kent.
58. Hengist begat Octa, who begat Ossa, who begat Eormenric,
who begat Ethelbert, who begat Eadbald, who begat Ercombert, who
begat Egbert.
The origin of the kings of East-Anglia.
59. Woden begat Casser, who begat Titinon, who begat Trigil, who
begat Rodmunt, who begat Rippa, who begat Guillem Guercha,* who
was the first king of the East Angles. Guercha begat Uffa, who
begat Tytillus, who begat Eni, who begat Edric, who begat Aldwulf,
who begat Elric.
* Guercha is a distortion of the name of Uffa, or Wuffa, arising
in the first instance from the pronunciation of the British writer;
and in the next place from the error of the transcriber--Palgrave.
The genealogy of the Mercians.
60. Woden begat Guedolgeat, who begat Gueagon, who begat Guithleg,
who begat Guerdmund, who begat Ossa, who begat Ongen, who begat
Eamer, who begat Pubba.* This Pubba had twelve sons, of whom two
are better known to me than the others, that is Penda and Eawa.
Eadlit is the son of Pantha, Penda, son of Pubba, Ealbald, son of
Alguing, son of Eawa, son of Penda, son of Pubba. Egfert, son of
Offa, son of Thingferth, son of Enwulf, son of Ossulf, son of
Eawa, son of Pubba.
* Or Wibba.
The kings of the Deiri.
61. Woden begat Beldeg, Brond begat Siggar, who begat Sibald,
who begat Zegulf, who begat Soemil, who first separated[1] Deur
from Berneich (Deira from Bernicia.) Soemil begat Sguerthing, who
begat Giulglis, who begat Ulfrea, who begat Iffi, who begat Ulli,
Edwin, Osfrid and Eanfrid. There were two sons of Edwin, who fell
with him in battle at Meicen,[2] and the kingdom was never renewed
in his family, because not one of his race escaped from that war;
but all were slain with him by the army of Catguollaunus,[3] king
of the Guendota. Oswy begat Egfrid, the same is Ailguin, who
begat Oslach, sho begat Alhun, who begat Adlsing, who begat Echun,
who begat Oslaph. Ida begat Eadric, who begat Ecgulf, who begat
Leodwald, who begat Eata, the same is Glinmaur, who begat Eadbert
and Egbert, who was the first bishop of their nation.
[1] V.R. Conquered.
[2] Hatfield, in the West Riding of Yorkshire. See Bede's Eccles.
Hist.
[3] Cadwalla, king of the Western Britons.
Ida, the son of Eoppa, possessed countries on the left-hand side
of Britain, i.e. of the Humbrian sea, and reigned twelve years,
and united* Dynguayth Guarth-Berneich.
* V.R. United the castle, i.e. Dinguerin and Gurdbernech, which
two countries were in one country, i.e. Deurabernech; Anglice
Diera and Bernicia. Another MS. Built Dinguayrh Guarth Berneich.
62. Then Dutgirn at that time fought bravely against the nation
of the Angles. At that time, Talhaiarn Cataguen* was famed for
poetry, and Neirin, and Taliesin and Bluchbard, and Cian, who is
called Guenith Guaut, were all famous at the same time in British
poetry
* Talhaiarn was a descendant of Coel Godebog, and chaplain to
Ambrosius.
The great king, Mailcun,* reigned among the Britons, i.e. in the
district of Guenedota, because his great-great-grandfather, Cunedda,
with his twelve sons, had come before from the left-hand part, i.e.
from the country which is called Manau Gustodin, one hundred and
forty-six years before Mailcun reigned, and expelled the Scots
with much slaughter from those countries, and they never returned
again to inhabit them.
* Better known as Maelgwn.
63. Adda, son of Ida, reigned eight years; Ethelric, son of Adda,
reigned four years. Theodoric, son of Ida, reigned seven years.
Freothwulf reigned six years. In whose time the kingdom of Kent,
by the mission of Gregory, received baptism. Hussa reigned seven
years. Against him fought four kings, Urien, and Ryderthen, and
Guallauc, and Morcant. Theodoric fought bravely, together with
his sons, against that Urien. But at that time sometimes the enemy
and sometimes our countrymen were defeated, and he shut them up
three days and three nights in the island of Metcaut; and whilst
he was on an expedition he was murdered, at the instance of Morcant,
out of envy, because he possessed so much superiority over all
the kings in military science. Eadfered Flesaurs reigned twelve
years in Bernicia, and twelve others in Deira, and gave to his wife
Bebba, the town of Dynguaroy, which from her is called Bebbanburg.*
* Bambrough. See Bede, iii. 6, and Sax. Chron. A.D. 547.
Edwin, son of Alla, reigned seventeen years, seized on Elmete, and
expelled Cerdic, its king. Eanfled, his duaghter, received baptism,
on the twelfth day after Pentecost, with all her followers, both
men and women. The following Easter Edwin himself received baptism,
and twelve thousand of his subjects with him. If any one wishes
to know who baptized them, it was Rum Map Urbgen:* he was engaged
forty days in baptizing all classes of the Saxons, and by his
preaching many believed on Christ
* See Bede's Eccles. Hist. From the share which Paulinus had in
the conversion of the Northumbrian king, it has been inferred
that he actaully baptized him; but Nennius experssly states, that
the holy sacrament was administered by Rhun, the son of Urien.
The Welsh name of Paulinus is Pawl Hen, or Polin Eagob.
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