The Royal Title that No One Can Remember
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- Опубликовано: 17 май 2024
- What makes something untranslatable? How about a royal title, or epithet, given to kings and fictional characters for two centuries... before vanishing without a trace.
What it left behind was a bizarre metaphor, whose direct translation means nothing, and that hasn't been figured out in over 200 years.
Welsh history is full of oddities, but it is rare to find something that cannot even be conveyed in English. In this Cambrian Chronicles video, I'll be taking a deep dive into one of the strangest aspects, not only of the history of Wales, but of all of royal history.
This is Gwledig, or wledig. This is the royal title that no one can remember, this is the untranslatable.
Chapters:
0:00 - The Untranslatable
0:34 - A Word
2:22 - The Monarchs
5:15 - Dr War
6:32 - Big Man
8:47 - Uh-Oh
11:14 - Hello
13:21 - Literary Gwledig-nificance
15:58 - Who Is? Who Isn't?
Sources (turn on captions):
Bartrum, P.C. (1993). A Welsh Classical Dictionary: People in History and Legend up to about A.D. 1000. The National Library of Wales.
[1] p.14,
[2] 84,
[3] 122,
[4] 141,
[5] 172-173,
[6] 183,
[7] 190,
[8] 281-282,
[9] 295,
[10] 300,
[11] 308, 601,
[12] 364,
[13] 384-389,
[14] 407-408,
[15] 494-495,
[16] 640-641,
[17] 706.
Bromwich, R. (2014). Trioedd Ynys Prydein. 4th ed. University of Wales Press.
[18] pp.443-444.
Charles-Edwards, T.M. (2013). Wales and the Britons, 350-1064. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[19] p.321.
Deansley, M. (1943). Roman Traditionalist Influence among the Anglo-Saxons. The English Historical Review, 58(203).
[20] p.1.
Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru: www.geiriadur.ac.uk/gpc/gpc.html
[21] gwledig 1
[22] gwledig 2
[23] gwlad
[24] -ig 2
Higham, N.J. (1992). Medieval ‘overkingship’ in Wales: the Earliest Evidence. Welsh History Review, 16(2).
[25] pp.154-159
Jones, W.L. (1911). King Arthur in History and Legend. Cambridge University Press.
[26] p.17.
MacNeill, E. (1924). The Native Place of St. Patrick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Section C: Archaeology, Celtic Studies, History, Linguistics, Literature, 37.
[27] p.135.
McClure, E. (1877). On Irish Personal Names. Dublin: Ponsonby and Murphy.
[28] p.312.
Meyrick, T. (1878). Life of St Wenefred. London: R. Washbourne.
[29] p.22.
Moffat, A. (2015). Scotland: A History from the Earliest Times. Edinburgh: Birlinn.
[30] p.CCXII
Newell, W.W. (1905). Doubts Concerning the British History Attributed to Nennius. Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, 20(3).
[31] p.649
Pryce, H. (1998). Owain Gwynedd and Louis VII: the Franco-Welsh Diplomacy of the First Prince of Wales. Welsh History Review, 19(1).
[32] pp.1-28.
Pugh, W.O. (1803). A Dictionary of the Welsh Language, Explained in English. London: E. Williams.
[33] Gwledig, a. (gwlâd)
Rhys, J. (1882). Early Britain, Celtic Britain. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
[34] p.116-118
Wade-Evans, A. (1909). Welsh Medieval Law. Clarendon Press.
[35] p.XXIX-X
Willis-Bund, J.W. (1892). The Early Welsh Monasteries. Archaeologia Cambrensis, 5(33).
[36] p.30.
----------
Music courtesy of the RUclips Audio Library:
Heaven and Hell - Jeremy Blake
Average - Patrick Patrikios
Blast From The Past - Jeremy Black
Castlevania - Density & Time
Fast Times - Quincas Moreira
Cloud Wheels, Castle Builder - Puddle of Infinity
Gas Giant - I Think I Can Help You
Cosmic Drift - DivKid
Black Swan - Quincas Moreira
Fortress Europe - Dan Bodan
----------
Images of, and from:
Y Ddraig Goch: Tobias Jakobs, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
all other images are public domain, via the National Library of Wales, the British Library, the Wellcome Collection the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Yale Center for British Art
Thanks for watching, everyone. If you’ve seen anything on this channel before, then you know I love a good mystery, and it’s hard to find something more mysterious than a title that can’t be translated.
Can’t wait for my next video, going over the dozens of epithets that actually can be translated.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who voted on this topic, I think there were about 4,000 votes in total!
And thank you for all of the comments, I try my best to get to all of them, but it's usually tricky when the video first comes out, I will catch up eventually!
I'd love for you to dive into the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki assuming they Must mention Himiko. 😂
But I know you won't because it's not your field so what about dissecting the origins of tropes regarding medieval or fantasy fiction including the first to use it or be associated with it?
Or perhaps Celtic Christianity and the origins and development and what was unique?
Is it possible that it refers to non-Welsh rulers or non-pureblood? Meaning like "He's an outsider but he's like us, he's country-like" meaning of Wales even if they're not if Welsh blood?
That cave entrance keeps coming back at 11:12 . Also at 0:40 you briefly showed that the original release date for the video was in 2038.
This isn’t the first video I’ve seen you use that image of the cave entrance, always with ominous music and ominous words.
You’ve had a long-brewing scheme going with several repeating themes, what’s the meaning of that pal?
@@enclavesoldier8893Nice catch!
@@enclavesoldier8893He's setting up another freaking unfiction/ARG story... 🙄🙄🙄
I can't wait to let other people solve it and then watch it all later! 😁👍🏻
"the last time I met fifteen people, I crashed into a bus."
love how deadpan that joke was
lol thank you, I'm glad you liked it
It got even better when he said something like "but I didn't learn anything from that incident" in the same breath 😂
@@derrickstorm6976😮😊😅😂
I was assuming that the whole video was an April fools joke at that point, but a very elaborate one.
thats one of my favorite parts about this channel, the jokes that come out of nowhere like CC's 2002 honda and smash into the side of your bus
Speaking of epithets reminds me of playing Crusader Kings 2, and having a ruler called "Leo the Chaste" who had 10 children
Not having any bastards is pretty chaste in any CK game though. "Chaste" is really something relative.
Early medieval epithets were sarcastic jokes at the expense of the person upon whom it was bestowed. The Carolingians were infamous for receiving such nicknames. Charles the Bald had a full head of hair. Charles the Fat was very skinny and so on and so forth.......
@@petergray2712 wasnt the bald something to do with his lack of a crown when his other family all had kingdoms of their own, nothing to do with his hair?
"the sword of jesus" *has every single sin*
@@qhu3878Well he received West Francia in the end after Pepin died. Interesting, the last son (from his second wife) of Louis the Pious inherit France.
Oh I learn from a video from Empire Builders about the Carolingian Empire. The Early Middle Ages are brutal compared to other Middle Ages.
One of my first thoughts when you were going over the people it's applied to was how many are notable for being ancestors. I started thinking that it could be something akin to "patriarch". Maybe it deontes someone who is seen as establishing a noteworthy lineage. The fact that there is an instance of someone who wasn't originally called gwledig, but was given the epithet in later genealogies, could indicate that it wasn't until later on that his line achieved importance enough for him to be deemed gwledig.
Exactly what I was thinking.
Wow thats genius I didnt even think of that you are right
Great thought!
@@Swindle1984 yes, me too
I feel like that does reasonably tie in to the "country like" translation too, as being the progenitor of a "noteworthy lineage" may be like being "the father of a country" or a family that in some way particularly defines some aspect of that country.
My theory is that the reason these rulers are being nicknamed “ country like” is for their exceptional taste in country music.
Here's my own theory:
In Welsh there's also the word 'gwladol' ('national, civil') related to 'gwlad', and in Breton there's a cognate 'glad', which currently means 'arable land' but in older texts had the meaning of 'fiefdom'. This indicates that gwlad - or the Old Welsh equivalent - had a meaning more akin to 'country' or 'realm', with an implication of sovereignty or legitimacy. This would parallel a similar lexical development in latin, where 'pāgus' originally meant 'district' but eventually shifted to meaning 'countryside' (it's where the word pagan comes from!)
It could be that 'gwledig' was an epithet used for individuals viewed as especially legitimate, or those with more extensive power over their subjects than was the norm. I'm not particularly familiar with the biographies of those rulers with the epithet though, so I'm not sure how valid this theory is.
Once again thank you so much for the great video!
this theory has some legs man i am interested in this idea
Here is mine with no actual knowledge I was thinking in the direction of many a ruler of barbarian or peasant descent, which could fit into the meaning of country like or rural today.
I was going to suggest that maybe it was like "pagan".
This is a good idea, I just want to add that the irish word that was mentioned flaith is commonly translated to English as lord but it doesn't actually mean lord that much. Flaith could refer to anyone with lots of power and sovereignty.
I have absolutely zero relevant linguistic background, but my immediate reaction was that it had to be something like this.
Regarding your "legitimacy" proposition, perhaps it was an epithet for one who had successfully assumed the position when there was an initial dispute as to the successor. As in, "Macsen, the guy who was _definitely in charge of that place."_
Welsh character creator:
Select your class [Tall, Bald, Greasy-Beard, From Gwynedd, Wledic (DLC)]
Can I multi class?
@@trombonegamer14 Only if your main class is Bald.
@@guinevereemilysummers9945il can
imagine historians in the future trying to decipher our slangs today lol
Fr that would be so fanum tax skibidi 💀
"Based? BASED ON WHAT???" - Future historians trying to cross-reference
@@psycholol4855 Man... when did I get these gray hairs and body aches??
I guess having to google internet slang ages you 10 more years...
@@michaels.3709that’s not very sigma
Stick out your gyatt for the rizzler
Bro, the production value is getting better with every video and the information is so engaging. The dry jokes add so much personality to the videos. For being on such a narrow topic, this is one of the best history channels…
The fact that the video uses Cambria as it's font of choice is pretty meta. I love it.
Yes haha only one other person has ever noticed that!
Wow I never would've noticed that
@@CambrianChronicles I do not know fonts well enough to recognize them but I appreciate the easter egg
This channel is criminally underrated
Thank you, hopefully will reach 10 billion subscribers by April 1st 🙏
@@CambrianChroniclesgood luck, i believe in you 🙏
I wish there was an Irish version too
@@CambrianChronicles *subscribes* Well, you're one subscriber closer, you can do it!
@@CambrianChronicles Only then will it stop being criminal - glad I'm already subscribed
Made me think about an unoficial adjective given to former king of Spain, John Charles I, "campechano". It means somebody down to earth and not as distant in appearance as kings are. And as Gwledig it has the same semantic root, from "campo" meaning field.
I just wanted to say, I do not think they are related at all as Gwlad is mostly pronounced as 'Wlad with a slight G noise added, and when pronounced is incredibly far from "Campo"
not to mention the fact the Spanish language is no where close to anything of Brittonic origin.
but stay theorising you seem smart
i see campechano, i hear gwledig, all i feel is george
My initial thought was "down to Earth" as well, and by extension: "man of the people".
I like this idea. It also kind of lines up, as it's not a hereditary trait. Humility, especially with those who have authority, is not terribly common in general, and especially not in those who are younger. This would explain why fathers and grandfathers are given the name more often in the stories. It's also something one could gain later life, which would explain why Cunedda didn't have it applied to his until a later genealogy.
I love your editing style, but I miss it when your videos went a little slower. I loved how it gave me the feeling of unravelling a mystery, slowly finding and deciphering clues. The eerie music really contributed to it as well.
I agree
I agree in the sense that I do miss the slower mysterious kinda dark music
I went to 0.75 speed and I like it that way. Easier to listen to. The normal speed is too fast, especially because of the music.
@@MarienoelleOUABI oh yeah all the nice artifacts of slow playback only bc content creators more and more give in to high speed talking and obnoxious music to completely sensory overload their audience and making it way harder to connect to the topic presented.
I have an idea - could it mean "patriotic?" Patriot is derived from "patris," e.g. homeland, and "-otic" e.g. something that has the nature of the root word - e.g., country-like. That would explain why it's seemingly given both to certain great warlords but also poets and writers; like in the US, being patriotic doesn't necessarily denote power, just someone that loves and serves their country. In the US there is also a sense that men of the past were more patriotic than men of the present.
This was also my thought. Perhaps related to a kind of “father of the nation” vibe.
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Latin “Patria” literally means “Land of the Fathers” or “Fatherland,” and a “Patriot” is someone who loves their fatherland. Maybe Gwledig could mean something like “FATHER of the country?” ie a “Founder”? Hence why it would be given to figures from a time when Wales was young but not after, and why it would be applied to some figures the writer saw as foundational but not others?
This was my idea too. Though I'm wondering if the connotation was closer to "old guard" than to "founder".
Yeah, I got the feeling that it was a personal trait, not necessarily related to any titles a man may have held. Given that warlords and chancellors are both included in this category, and that it’s more applied to older men, I’m leaning towards it being the Welsh version of “ornery old cuss”, y’know, someone with a more… rural way of expressing themselves.
Would post-Roman Britons have cared about that though? From what I gather they saw themselves as more Roman than Welsh in this period so why would they call themselves “Welsh Patriots”? Not to mention this is about 1200 years before nationalism as an idea even emerges.
I love this channel's weird blend of early medieval imagry, 90s editing techniques, and scifi techno music
Word.
How high are you?
@@sempi8159I'm fine thank you!
And also the weird humor hahaa. When he mentions crashing into a bus. I was like wait what?!?😂
@@sempi8159 If there was ever a channel to get high to it is this one
I had a feeling that "country like" could mean the person in some way had the same properties as the country, like "wide reaching". Or is similar to the modern "Down to earth", "grounded".
Taking into consideration the possibility of it making both lord and country it could mean a lord closely tired to their country in some way. Maybe forging closer ties to rural people in their land?
Those are my two cents but i trust the people who have spent decades learning about Welsh history to have more likely ideas lmao :P
Amazing video! Keep it up
So... Wise man?
A classic history channel with Jon Bois-style edits is so obviously a great combo. Subscribed and excited to watch the backlog
If you like the editing style I'd also recommend BobbyBroccoli, who has a few physics and chemistry videos in a Boisian style.
I didn't have getting sucked into Welsh philology on my 2024 bingo card. Fascinating, even hypnotic video. Bravo, sir.
Thank you!
I've been here since 2023, welcome sir!
I love how much you’ve increasingly leaned on a kind of “Welsh X-Files” theme with your editing!
thanks for putting citations in your captions! Love to see good historiography practiced here
‘Of the land”, an honorary title for a ruler, emphasising the national aspect
That stunning and detailed depiction of Syr Thomas Williams really caught me off guard
Me too, whoever drew it must definitely be a very talented artist
"1604 depiction" too late for lunch and too early for dinner.
Handsome guy!
timestamp?
@@Maxzes_01:49
You're on the right track. It seems to come from the Proto-Celtic word “wlati-” meaning “sovereignty”. In Old Irish it is indeed “flaith”, which appears cognate with the Old Breton word “guletic” meaning “prince”. The Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic entry also says to see “walo-” which is the Proto-Celtic meaning “prince, chief”. This is cognate with the Latin “ualeo”, to be strong.
What would be interesting is to look up the Indo-European then look at the various definitions of the words and create a perspective guess at the words definition, also would be interested to see the English cognate if there is one, I suspect that there isn't one due to the word being of Welsh origin.
My first legitimate thought was the word simply meant "country like", as in a rural person. Since many kings often were explicitly NOT rural, having lived on tended land in large castles maybe the implication (like in it's modern usage) is that they were hard workers, as in independent, hard working, resourceful and or hardened "hard" in modern vernacular. To me this would make sense given how even in modern usage there is a tendency to refer to our forefathers as hardened or tougher (as in the way of living was harder back in the day), and maybe the word specifically took on a meaning that referred to the rural sort of hard working toughness of our forefathers in the past? I also was thinking it referred to smalltime land owners so Lords but who weren't rulers of the country, but since it's an adjective that wouldn't fit the description. Maybe a landowner who worked his own land? Using it as a contrast to the newer rulers who didn't work their own land.
"Princely" or "kingly" were my guesses as well
I kept getting the sense of "down to earth", a type of wise and stable way of thinking.
Adding to my first comment: Further down the rabbit hole one might even find an example or possible explanation for the shift in meaning that seems to have occured in "gwledig". The infamous german word "Reich" is related to the english "reach" (in german: erreichen). A Reich is somebodys dominion, the land he can literally "reach" with his power ("Gewalt", cf. my other comment). Maybe we shouldn't think too much about farming and more about administration when we talk about "rural" rulers.
In Slavic languages, there is a semingly cognate to these words. 'Wlada' means 'Power' in Ukrainian, and can be found in names Władysław (king of Poland, lit. 'Lord of Glory') or Volodymyr / Vladymir (king of Rus, lit. 'Lord of the world'). As @sebastianscherzer8263 noted, there is similar word in German as well, so probably the original word is lost in the depths of prehistory when the Indo-European was still commonly spoken.
Your videos are so good and so interesting! They’re topical yet so broad about the matter i feel thrilled every time I watch your newest upload. Please, keep doing them! 🤗
I've fallen in love with this channel. Like many others, I have no idea why I recommended this channel had almost no interest in Wales other than my one trip there years ago but im love this and the history that you explain.
I appreciate a lot that you post your sources. All history channels should.
Thank you, I couldn’t agree more. Everyone has sources, unless they just make it up off the top of their heads, so there’s no reason not to disclose them
@@CambrianChronicles "it was revealed to me in a dream"
@@CambrianChronicles You mean, like the flag of Cadawalladr being the red dragon...?
If people actually posted sources, then "I do my own research" would not have the conspiratorial connotations it currently does.
He also post the music credits unlike many RUclipsrs, praised be the Music God
babe wake up new cambrian chronicles video
Always worth waking up for, more than a fire alarm at least
@@CambrianChronicles funny u say that in my college dorm ive had THREE fire alarms in the middle of the night this semester alone
Your videos make learning about Welsh history so interesting. Thank you for the amazing work and research!
A channel so niche and narrow in theme yet so rich in information is fascinating. Every time I watch your videos I am amazed at how much just early medieval wale can fill for video topic.
It means "Burger King".
So it was the guy that held burgers? 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Wait burgers originated in Britain
Makes perfect sense, from the well known connection between Humburg and Wales.
Have it your way
100%
Perhaps overly simplistic, but I've always thought of it as meaning something like 'landed', in the sense of having many lands. In this way it could equally apply to a usurping Roman emperor, a conquering king out of the north, and less notorious people who still have the distinction having many fiefs or ruling a wide realm.
The connection you make with a sense of the past is interesting, though. Perhaps Cynan Wledig once held a similar significance for Powys as Cunedda did for Gwynedd - some sort of founding hero.
That was my thoughts too.
But I also thought that maybe it just means country like, like modern Welsh, but that it had a cultural meaning that we just don't understand
I love your videos! I built an entire campaign in pathfinder around the concept of a missing island after your video on the aforementioned topic, history is fascinating and I love your presentation!!
This is the Jon Bois type beat of medieval history. Fantastic visual production, and fantastic conclusion. Truly captivating video!!
love the powerpoint transitions ngl
Haha thank you, I remembered the flapping bird one existed and I knew I had to incorporate them somewhere
Feels like I'm in a lecture.
Honestly, if every lecture was anything like Cambrian's videos, I'd probably be top of my class.
@@CambrianChroniclesbro as soon as you said that the scene with the bird came up😃
You mentioned it was, in at least one instance, applied retroactively and it's pretty clear that it implies the past. Is it possible then, that it's a title that either means "in the past" or "having some trait [such as honor] in the past" or even just "honored ancestor." It's obviously a meaning that died out a long, long, long time ago but this idea also seems to fit with the word's modern definition, as being "country-like" generally implies being "in the past," at least in English.
Or I'm just full of shit, idk.
Maybe
Being “honoured ancestor” would make sense with quite a few of them since they were in several royal genealogies!
Perhaps the “lordly” or “ruler-like” translation, then, is connected to being revered, i.e. a lord should be revered and these Gwledig men were revered. It would certainly explain why someone like Vortigern, seen as giving away Britain to the Saxons, is not given this name despite his overlordship of Britain. Different authors could of course have different ideas of which rulers they revered. It’s not perfect but it’s a different angle to look at it through
@@CambrianChronicles In the Texts where the title is mentioned, is it possible to see if it was given during their reign or after and by whom it was given?
I had a similar thought while watching, so I think you idea isn't crazy. Implying some lost noble quality that rulers of the past had sounds very plausible
I like the idea that it's just slang for something so vague and subjective, like "important person" or "person who knows a lot"
As soon as you hit with the word count and ‘this is my video and that’s how it is’ I was subscribed 😂 gold, can’t wait to go through your work!!
It feels similar to something like "Great" in a way. It's not attributed to every notable figure in history, just some, and there is bias in who becomes "Great" in the eyes of those who write about them. Pretty interesting nonetheless, doubtful we will ever know.
This is the same conclusion I came to... That it wasn't a formal title with specific criteria which was always applied to all qualified persons. But something more steeped in opinion. More arbitrary in its application.
That’s what I personally had in mind, like an old fashioned form of “fawr” (the great), which stopped being used so prestigiously very early on.
It also sounds like the dutch word ¨geweldig¨. The original meaning of geweldig is something like: to invoke awe, respect, admiration or fear. "geweld" means violence, so geweldig is like "to use viololence" or with violence. Today its meaning is simular to great or awesome.
They look similar, but there is a massive difference in pronunciation, the dutch "geweldig" would be spelt something like "chefeldych" in Welsh.
Compare the pronunciation in this video, to the Dutch here: en.wiktionary.org/wiki/File:Nl-geweldig.ogg
@@CambrianChronicles someone else suggested that it is connected to the proto-celtic walo- meaning prince or chief which could come from the same root, in german we have a similar word to the durch, Gewalt (violence or power, the latter is used for example in Staatsgewalt meaning the power of the state), the word gewaltig means very big/powerful. it could come from the same PIE root. I would suggest the meaning of "the noble", since the word could also be translated as lord-like.
Thank you for the video!
I am surprized that none of theories suggested that this word may just mean 'Pagan'.
Latin word 'paganus' literally means 'rural' and seems as a direct translation. Also, in other languages which trace to pre-Christian past, the words like 'rural', 'simple', 'people-like' often depicts the ancient religions, contrary to 'sacred' or 'temple-like' Christianity.
It is even better when you think why that title may be used mostly for mythical characters or ancestors, and for enemies, just like it was used for Penda the Pagan of Mercia.
The problem with it meaning pagan is that Magnus Maximus was Christian!
@@CambrianChroniclesit could mean pagan in the sense of paganus, as in, rural-like, countryside-like, and that in itself would fit many of the descriptions from what i got, specially the association with older people.
in the modern day there still are stereotypes about people from the countryside, that could be true back then as well.
the conotation of someone who's "big" could come from that
@@CambrianChronicles The question, however, is did the chroniclers know that? Depending on the term was first applied, it could've been already that its religious connotations were starting to be lost and was just "I dunno, that's what they say all the Romans were, so I guess he was too."
@@CambrianChronicles pagan used to mean peasant, not the meaning used today
@@CambrianChronicles I'd wonder, barking up this particular tree, if before he confessed Christianity he had been a noted pagan. Legendary Christianity boasts conversion stories of this kind.
I have learned so much history from this channel its incredible, as an American i wouldn't have ever learned as much as i have without this channel. Not a single bit of this is taught in USA schools unfortunately
It brings to mind the terms "statesman-like" and "presidential" and as we've seen, the implied meaning for the latter can swing WILDLY between regimes
My hypothesis, which would need research beyond my ability to undertake to determine if it be plausible or not, is that perhaps it indicates a person who isn't identified with a particular locale, but instead the whole "country". That is, a Dylan Wales rather than a Dylan Gwynedd or Dylan Cardiff.
I had a similar idea except that it would be an epithet similar to Germanicus or Africanus. However, not necessarily given because of their conquests but Individuals who, through some means, became attributed as uniquely Welsh, uniquely of the land. Maybe through their respected status as mediators, men of authority, who represented "welshness" or that were uniquely married/part of many leading families across Wales.
I had a similar thought. Someone who is exceptionally patriotic who becomes a near personification of Wales.
@@FerriteCrowethat was my exact idea, and it would make sense that it’s modern day meaning is just a more literal meaning of the word
Two theories
1. It could mean "of a distinguished family or lineage". This theory hinges that the old roman elites lived in the countryside, or had vast estates. It could mean "of a good family" to "a native nobleman". Maybe denoting descent from pre roman nobility or magnates that came to power under Imperial rule.
2. It could mean pagan, its a long shot but its the same as the latin "Pagus" so it could mean "Pagan". Since it really only applies to ancestors and something that isnt really passed down, it could denote a ruler that wasn't Christian (at least the authors definition of the word)
The pagan theory is what I was thinking. Country folks are usually slower to adopt new religions.
The editing here does seem clunky and it glitches out sometimes but something about it is just really intriguing to me. It’s not like anything else I’ve seen and I think it does a very good job of moving from point to point and then stepping back just keeping track of where the explanation is going. Keep up the good work.
This channel is so interesting, very good investigative work and entertaining
11:25 and 16:01 Cadwaladr’s cave has made its return it seems! What is it doing there indeed…
I was wondering about that picture, is it an inside joke of the channel?
@@riccardozeta1470 Yeah! It originated from his “The Internet’s Flag that Doesn’t Exist” video.
Perhaps more correctly Llywelyn’s Cave.
Quick Wiktionary search has ‘gwlad’ coming from proto Celtic ‘wlatis’ meaning ‘sovereignty’. If this is correct it suggests, at least, the possibility that both ‘gwlad’ and the Irish ‘flaith’ are cognates. Yet another fascinating enquiry, CC! Thanks for being there to take us by the hand and lead us into the murky depths of British history.
So, if the story of the Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle is true... then what women want most is a man whose wledig?
The cave photo, the tight, but otherwise vertically accessible cave photo youve been putting in at the end of the videos, or in the middle, sometimes along with some unusually unrelated and slightly unnerving dialogue seems to mean something, it is spanning several videos and is placed with different context. Don't know what it is, might be a code or something wlse. Or im just going mental like you from all yhe studying i got recently. But it does add to the ambience of the video and it looks cool so well done.
I choose to believe it meant "no one could think up a good nickname for him".
easily the most fascinating stories on the internet. you are fr putting wales on the map for so many people
Thank you, I really hope so!
This channel, the editing, the delving into British and Welsh history in such a fascinating time keeps me coming back every single time. I just love the depth of the topics you choose to discuss the history of this island I call home. Keep up the amazing work!
Thank you, I’m really glad you’ve enjoyed the channel!
Thank you for your videos. I'm looking forward to watching your next one.
A great video as always. Thanks for your work on these. I wanted to bring to your attention that while the Welsh have been overshadowed by the English in recent centuries, there is a place where the Welsh became the most common populous in the New World: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The land between Philadelphia County and West Goshen Township (where I'm from) was settled primarily by Welsh Quakers and other Protestants in the early years of the colony due to a verbal agreement between a group of upper-class Welshmen and their fellow Quaker, William Penn. They wanted a place where they could worship, govern, and congregate for themselves in their native tongue. They were successful for a few decades, and while the language was eventually lost in the area, so many of the towns on the Philly Main Line are Welsh, such as Malvern, Berwyn, Uwchlan, Bryn Mawr, Bala Cynwyd, Upper and Lower Gwynedd, etc. As a kid, I was curious as to why the towns in my area had such weird names with all they y's and w's. More recently, I discovered that my mother's side has significant Welsh ancestry, and that I descend from those same Welshmen who came to Penn's Woods in the 17th century. I thought you might find this period of history interesting!
the way you just sneak in such funny and chaotic jokes and just continue on with the history lesson like nothing ever happened is absolutely hilarious! the dead-pan and random "crashing in a bus" joke had me laughing for far longer than it should have
Yeah I was wondering what it could be, does anyone know?
@@Wes_Bluemarine It is a picture of what is called Llewelyn's cave, which is said to be the place where the last independent prince of wales spent his final night before dying. Maybe Cambrian Chronicles is planning a follow up video to the prince of wales video he did. Either way he has used that exact image randomly in several videos already so he is definitely planning something in regards to it. Or it is the biggest red herring ever.
I love the idea of cyborgs in year 3000 trying to translate gen z phrases like "Rizzing up someone"
My first instinct is that it might mean something along the lines of ‘patriot’ or one who might overtly exemplify traits unique to their country. I know it’s a stretch, but I feel like we over complicate things by digging way past the layer we needed to look at. I mean country-like -> like-country??? Idk I’m not a linguist or historian, just a human who has an appreciation for language of all forms, verbal, audible, or otherwise. The fact that there are separate entities in the universe that have a need/desire to communicate information of any sort is pretty wild. Thanks for making this video, it was interesting and informative. Just like the comment section lol. So many people focused on the production aspect and you’re presentation shows more general interest in the quality of the content they’re consuming (probably too much of you’re developing a palette for it lol) and not much commenting about the actually contents. I’ve read one or two that imply they were here for the information rather than the entertainment. No hate, just interesting. Teach on.
I love that you are careful to keep track of your sources and post them in the description. Tbh, I don’t really have time to check them out myself, but I’m glad that they’re there for if we ever want to learn more (and possibly double check your work). I wish more creators would do the same.
Old titles can be painful, particularly since they can evolve with time.
For instance the title "Jarl" was very different in the 700s and the 1200s. In the 700s it seems to have been a generic Norse noble title for people with powers but by the 1200s it was only used in Sweden and was something more similar to the hand of the king in Game of thrones. The last Jarl was Birger Jarl who more or less ruled Sweden for his Nephew who had health issues since birth. So it originally was something similar to a Baron but turned into some kind of Co-ruler later.
In this case it is very possible that the title could mean something like controlling a certain place or that a certain ritual was performed by them (like being crowned in a certain place for instance). It could mean they were good at a specific thing, had a specific physical attribute or something different. It is really hard to figure out sadly. I think the Roman title is out though, as you said, that some people have the title and others lack it is pretty telling there.
The Hungarian term 'jobbágy' transformed from our early middle ages to early modern from 'royal soldier' to 'serf' and everyone treated that as a completely normal course of nature.
@@Vizivirag Wow, that is harsh. But yeah, words and titles can change meaning with time which can be very confusing.
If a Victorian dude said "What a gay day" that would have a very different meaning then if someone said it today.
Looking it up, it seems that Norway had the title of jarl throughout the 13th century, with the last one being appointed in 1295. After that, the title seems to have been replaced with hertug, which means duke and probably ultimately came from Germany through Denmark.
Dude your transition game is on point
I really like your editing style
This is the only real instant click channel i have right now, absolutely amazing work every time
Thank you, I appreciate that, hope you enjoyed it!
Editing already going hard 🙏🏽🙏🏽
Haha thank you
I ŵatch too many reaction videos that are little more than watching some passingly telegenic soul saying , "Wow". All well and good in itself, I suppose. Yours was such a refreshing approach. Very insightful, thoughtful and honest.
Hey, completely unrelated to the subject, but your videos actually help me on my quest to learn welsh, given the amount of different names and places you bring up, It’s really helpful to hear the different pronunciations and try to piece together how different syllables and letters are pronounced, so uh, thanks :), or Diolch I suppose.
Idk much about the Welsh language, so it's only speculation. But from what you told, it feels like a personal trait, like having a commanding presence, that can apply to any, regardless if he/she was a military personnel or not.
That's my uninformed theory. It means something about their personality or physical appearance or some other characteristic. So maybe it means one of the below:
- left handed
- walks with a limp
- married twice
- likes to eat mutton
- runs fast
- knows how to read
- likes to gamble
- doesn't wear hats
Means ugly
And a commanding presence often develops with age, which would explain why so many of them were older men.
I like the lord-like theory.
It implies they are like a lord, but somewhat different.
Aurelius had a co-emperors, which would be somewhat different than what one may expect.
The very warlord-like figures may have rules not by what would’ve been seen as how a lord should rule but by violence, whilst the warlords that didn’t get the epithet may have had enough normal leadership to be regarded as “real lords” instead of lord-like.
It doesn’t entire hold up with being something of the past, although a status quo being reached and accepted could explain why a child or grandchild might lose the lord-like description, or it could just be they had the leadership skills expected by society at the time that their parents/grandparents didn’t have
Just stumbled upon this video and channel and I'm glad I did ❤
My humble suggestion would be that Gwledig could mean "landlord" not as in a pub, but as the lord of the land. That could explain why older generations have the title, but the youngest did not yet receive the title.
glad to see I’m here 14 years early apparently according to that intro montage thingy lol
Always good to be early!
Me too!
I'm often late so it's nice being this early.
I have been to Wales but once in my life, and that was years ago, but your stories of medieval Wales are gripping, so apt for a country of such myth and legend and story-telling prowess - and the production values are immaculate, despite (or maybe because of) the fact you use no video clips or pictures of Wales as it is today, relying on pictures of ancient manuscripts, drawings and paintings. Your narrative voice is just right, and the music - together making these wonderfully cosy videos to watch on a wet rainy evening.
I only found your channel recently but I'm absolutely loving it - the oh-so-wonderfully Welsh names, the very much Welsh history and that it is so closely and intrinsically linked with English history of a period I know really very little about.
Looking forward to your next video, and all the ones that will come after it, and in the meantime, I think I might go watch the Pengwern one again. And the king who doesn't exist - and not forgetting the flag that doesn't exist either.
Thank you, I really appreciate that, and I’m really glad you’re enjoying the channel, and there are many more videos to come!
I'm so happy I found this channel because I love the more obscure history. I hope this channel finds so much more success!
That was really interesting! I love hearing about mysteries like this!
Loving how comedy and psychological horror are entering my Welsh history media!
On the topic at hand, if we thin of the english translation of 'gwledig' as being 'of the country', perhaps it is a sign of national significance, or assigned historical importance? As powerful as other rulers had been, Macsen and Emrys might be tied to the welsh identity, like how Macsen's name is invoked in 'yma o hyd'? Emrys fighting against the saxons might also be a similar situation, though this is still weird for the mythological figures. Perhaps those mythological figures are generically given the attribute of wledic to likewise show historical or cultural importance. I also reckon some semantic shift is involved, especially where you mention the irish cognate 'flaith'.
Really interesting video though! Love your vids and how you shed more light on welsh history.
I really love the humor on this channel. The early bit about a word from you put the video on a great start. Your content is fantastic, keep it up!
I swear this channel is 1 part Welsh, 1 Part Welsh History and 2 Parts Welsh Linguistics.
Anyway, I've been watching this channel for months and its even helped me write out the history of a Fictional kingdom for my DnD game. Names, language, influence, myths and history have a strong welsh influence. I even put Mynydd Du with folk stories about stuff ontop of it in (Black Mountain) and even used the Mabinogions' story about the ressurecting cauldron that stole the voice during an endless war between two lords and was destroyed by a grandson climbing inside and breaking it.
I even put a joke on the map i made, though i relied on Google Translate. I put a river with the name "Afon Ag Enw Hir Iawn" to make fun of both literal names for rivers (River Afon being River River) and how welsh can have seemingly long names. (The infamous welsh town). What is the translation? "The River with a very long name"
Thanks, Cambrian Chronicles, you've been such a cool influence on me and my writing.
I can see the connection between the people mentioned with the title, this is my little theory:
1) the title relates to land and landownership, making it a prestigious, although probably still a low ranking title (compare the germanic title 'landgrave' and its similar association with land)
2) the land, together with the title is inherited throughout a dynasty, linking the word with forefathers and the past
3) the title takes on a broader meaning of 'lord', a general term for a person holding power
4) the title gets transfered onto foreign leaders of uncertain status (compare how we still call the Japanese monarch 'emperor', when the portuguese arrived in Kongo they called the local leaders the 'count of Soyo' and the 'king of Kongo')
The question is why other people of similar status were left out. Are the texts where the term is used maybe from a specific region in Wales, specific time period?
Very good video, I enjoyed theorising with you
No regrets setting up notifications for your channel. It's just so good! So much history is packed in that bit of land, it's crazy!
Thank you, I appreciate that! I couldn’t agree more, and there’s much more to come
I love these channels that are deeply in a particular topic or subject, like yours is the Welsh history and culture. I highly prefer a niche channel like yours than a mainstream channel that speaks about lots of topics, but on a superficial level of analysis. Quality before quantity is the motto behind your work, my friend. A hug from Brazil. Diolch!
Thank you very much! I always enjoy more specific channels too, especially since it lets people talk about subjects they’re knowledgeable in
The interesting thing about the evolution of words is that they can end up meaning the opposite of their original meaning, such as with "awesome"
This is the first video I've seen from this channel, and I'm definitely going to look at more, this is super interesting and I've never been really exposed to Welsh history. But, question, what's up with the weird cave(?) picture that keeps popping up?
This man is the reason I'm learning Welsh
Haha I’m glad to hear! Happy to have added an odd word to your vocabulary
Pob lwc! Wyt ti'n dysgu gyda athro neu yn annibynnol?
@@EmyrDerfel Diolch yn fawr iawn! I'm studying independently, as there aren't so many Welsh speakers in Spain😂
As everybody else is having fun speculating: maybe it does simply mean something like "lord", but was only applied to people to stress that they held that status when it might not be apparent in later years. Thus it is never applied to those whose status is otherwise clear to the contemporary audience. So Macsen Wledig receives it because he was an usurper. Emrys because his lordship no longer existed: though Arthur's status was obvious in comparison? In myths it might simply be to stress the "noble" descent of characters?
(Also, bonus theory: bad poets just used "wledig" to fill in the meter when they lacked the requisite feet.)
Gwledig would certainly help a lot in cynghanedd, with few other epithets (gwynedd excepting, which Malegwn had) I can think of have /Gw/. Too bad there is not that much preserved poetry, as an oral bardic tradition.
Based on it being largely reserved for older characters in that one story, I was thinking that it might roughly translate to "lordly," indicating someone who particularly displays traits associated with a ruler.
Just found your channel and you will definitely have a new subscription.
I am by no means a historian, but given that the title was used for grandfathers and fathers in the stories, could it mean " wise "? In relation to the term "country-like," at least where I'm from, it would almost mean a veneration as those who live in the country tend to be more observant and wise in ways such as farming, problem solving, etc. without knowing much more about the actual true historical figures, not just the fathers and grandfathers in the stories, this is just more of an idea based on the title being used with the father and grandfathers in the story.
How did you remember it 💀
Every time I see a new upload from this channel I literally drop everything to watch!!! (much to the detriment of my toe)
Hahahahahahaha
Just gonna spew words a lot less eloquently:
Could mean something like Statesman or nation-builder.
Fits the less warlike Gwledigion of the Mabinogi and such.
A gwlad is a state, slap an -ig on it, a man of (or who builds/protects &c) the state.
The semantic shift from Gwledig (a mess) to Gwledig (rural) could also be a matter of people simply adding a different suffix to Gwlad. I.e. rural can be either Gwledig or Gwladaidd.
Also worth looking at cognates in Breton and Cornish. The Bretons used the word (guletic or gloedig, in Old Breton) to mean prince, leader or earl, which is weird because Breton and Cornish don't use the word Gwlad as often or in the same way as Welsh. Iirc, B and C use their equivalents of Gwlad to mean Countryside, as opposed to a state- a country. They prefer to use Bro or (in Cornish) Pow to mean Country. Bro, in Welsh, denotes a smaller administrative area, I.e. Bro Morganwg. Cornish Pow (cognate with Welsh Pau, as in Bur hoff bau) is super rare in Welsh.
There's also the title Pendefig, which is another can of rotten worms.
Probably means something like an owner of towns/villages, since it comes from the word for "rural, country".
I did not expect the music to go so hard. Great video!
Yeah, "gwlad" is a cognate to irish "flaith", and in Common Celtic is often reconstructed as wlatis*, with the meaning of "sovereignty".
You do find this word attached, sometimes as Flaith na hÉireann: Sovereignty of Ireland, mostly attributed to a goddess who can bestow kingship to a chosen individual. So, maybe, in a very distant past, gwlad was, possibly, a title given to local war-chieftains who claimed this sovereignty. But words change, meanings change, and in Wales the meaning is now: country. Still preserving its ancient idea that the country, of the land, is tied to a lord, or a regional king.
The Welsh national anthem
"Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi" translates in my mind to " the land of my Fathers is precious to me" and then goes on to praise the minstrels and warriors in equal measure.
I think the person who saw Gwledig as meaning Patriotic was spot on. A Motherland is something to cherish and be nurtured by, a Fatherland is something to fight and die for.
"Don't ask what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country" Gwledig.
whats with the FANTASTIC background music? this guy has good taste AND good content!
Wales is a real oddity, we discuss it as Celtic (as we should) , but The Welsh are the remnant Romano Britons. Which also makes Welsh and Welsh culture weirdly Romantic. The Latin influence is strong, anecdotally I'm learning Spanish and its so much easier to translate from Welsh rather than English, I also tend to slip a welsh word in sometimes. The Welsh and Latin connection would be a fun video I reckon, make the case for Welsh as a Romance language.
Every time I watch a video from this channel I come away having learned something very interesting but also feeling a strange existential dread/horror with the spooky editing in some places - I especially felt it last video, but it's also here too. Great stuff
That last line really hit.
You just earned a subscriber mate
I always appreciate the hard work you put into your videos. I was hoping you'd figured out the meaning of Gwledig as a title, but for now it appears it remains somewhat of a mystery.
Your use of humor is much appreciated! And your choice of background music is eerie but very cool!
Crazy background music for a history video, love it
Perhaps it's something like, "Ruler who provides a good example of what rulers should be, who are beneficial to the countryside, and that others should emulate."
One of the best history channels out there!
Thank you, I appreciate that!