The Tale of Arthursus:
When Arth was a man he stood tall, taller still than most of the other tall Pict highlanders. He was also imbued with powerful limbs and such ferocity in battle that, after he had fought for the first time beside his elder brothers, they called him ‘bear’ in the Pict tongue. Yet as ferocious and fearless as he was in battle, he was of a good heart and a calm spirit during times of peace. He was also very honourable and well liked.
As talented a warrior and as well liked as he was all of his family were very happy to have him among them, all except one. Once Arth had become a man and had proven himself in battle several times, it began to look as though he was already a better warrior than the eldest. He was also a better speaker and a more clever tactician. When in times of war his father often took Arth’s advice before all others. His eldest brother, he who was to inherit, became jealous of this and fearful that perhaps his position would be usurped. This jealousy lead to quarrelling and with his father grew old and his days as chief numbered, Arth began to feel that he would be unwelcome to stay in the home where he grew up.As fate would have it however, this was the time when Ambrosius sent retainers across the lands looking for brave warriors, and leaders of men to fight for him. One of Ambrosius’ retainers went to Gaul, one to Brittany, one to Ireland, and one to the Lands of the Picts Arthursus met the one who came to the land of the Picts, and though that in Arthursus he had indeed found a worthy man to fulfill his purposes. They talked late into the night, and before they went to bed the Briton asked Arthursus to come back with him to Britain, he promised that the rewards that would go towards the right man would be great.
Arth was interested by this offer. Ambrosius was a famous British king that even the Picts had learned about. Yet to serve him he would have to leave his people, leave his home, leave his friends and leave his family. Yet he feared that with the passing of his father he would be forced to leave his family anyway, thus after considering it a short time he agreed.When Arth met with Ambrosius both men instantly became friends. There were others who had come also hoping the serve Ambrosius staying in Ambrosius’ palace; one from each of the places Ambrosius had sent his retainers. All were strong men both of body and of spirit but none was the equal to Arthursus. After a day or so had passed, Ambrosius took Arthursus aside to speak to him privately. Ambrosius offered Arthursus not only a place at his table and a place in his army, but offered Arth him to become his protégé, and heir.
He said that he needed a warlord who could unite all of the Bretons. He wanted someone who was neither of Roman decent nor of British decent for neither political faction of Britain would follow a man of the wrong race. And only an outsider could truly unite as a common force.The imperialists did not wish to follow the old blood of the Celtic Chiefs as Vortigern had failed them, inviting Saxon mercenaries onto the isle who had turned into their bitterest of enemies. They looked back on the past days of peaceful and prosperous Roman rule as something they would strive to reach again. They wanted a leader who represented Imperial power and who did not wish to go back to the old gods and the old ways.
The nationalists however refused to follow a leader who was of Roman stock. Even one of partial Roman stock such as Ambrosius, they would not follow. They said that this was the time for the true British people to return to power for they had served the Romans for too long. And to the supporters of Ambrosius they said, is there one victory he has lead you to that has not been won with British hands, and British blood?It was then that Ambrosius told Arthursus what he wanted of him. “I want you to become Arthursus.” For Arth, was the Gaelic word for bear and Ursus was the Latin, and Thus Arthursus would be the melding from his title into Gaelic and Latin. One who was an outsider such as Arthursus would not be categorized as an imperialist or nationalist so quickly. One such as he, who was of Celtic blood but who later took on the mantle of Roman authority might appeal to both factions. As long as he could bring them victory. Ambrosius told him that he thought he was just such a man.
Arthursus agreed Ambrosius arranged for him to wed his eldest Daughter, for he had no son, and this would assure that with his passing Arthursus would become King. He also placed Arthursus in Command of his armies supplying him with his own former lieutenants, who were experienced in the war that was being fought.Word of Arthursus spread among the British chiefs. Some were unsure if they should ally with him, as they wished to become the high king of the Britons themselves. Others however, were eager to unite against their long-term foes, and thought that under him their dream of a united Briton without a King from at least their own island might become a reality. And as he gained more support, it became more and more clear who would inevitably become the King of the Britons. Soon all of Cornwall pledged to fight with Arthursus and under his command.
The Saxon and Angle kingdoms had grown divisive and none by themselves could stand up to such a strong army with such a strong leader and by the end of the first year Mercia, a kingdom on the Saxon frontier had fallen back into British hands under Arthursus. And Arthursus was proclaimed far and wide as the greatest warlord the British people had ever had. No more did the Bretons fear the encroachment of the Saxons would mean their eventual yet inescapable demise. This smashing victory gave them new hope that victory could indeed be attained, and that one day they would again be masters of their own island.But with the passing of that year, the invaders too began to notice Arthursus. They began to see the rising danger in the west, a united British force that could defeat them one by one. And so it was that their leaders began to think it might be best for them also to have a warlord or high king. Their only problem was that they all wanted to be that high king, yet none was yet strong enough to force the others to follow. They never the less formed an uneasy alliance due to this new threat, yet without one warlord or centralized leadership they were still at a disadvantage.
In the spring Ambrosius’ wife died in childbirth, and he, seeking to escape his sadness joined Arthursus on the battlefield. The Lords of Cornwall, seeing Ambrosius at the head of his armies decided to maintain an alliance, however they fought under their own chief that year. Without the benefit of the Cornwall Britons to add to their forces Arthursus and Ambrosius had a smaller army than they had had during the previous year. Still they continued to push the border further and further east, town by town, and river by river. Yet in this year the Saxons began to solidify their alliances and by the end of the year they were in a stalemate situation again.It was that fall that Myrdwen, a bard and advisor to Ambrosius made a proposal to the King that would break this stalemate. He proposed that instead of living in solitude morning the passing of his wife Ambrosius take a new wife. Further he proposed that fighting year after year with the Saxons was inferior to creating a long-term peace with them. No longer, he said were they invaders from distant lands, for the former invader’s sons and daughters had been born on British soil. He proposed that Ambrosius take a Saxon or Angle noblewoman as his next wife to create a treaty.
A wedding was arranged during the winter to Hengest’s youngest Daughter Eopa. It was arranged that Octha, Hengest’s eldest son and Eopa’s older brother would thus enter an alliance with Ambrosius. With this alliance it was thought that Octha would become the chief of the Saxons and that Arthursus could concentrate on defeating the Angles to the north. It was hoped that the Angles would surrender to Arthursus and hopefully the alliance would allow the Saxons and Britons to coexist in relative peace.All did not occur as planned however. Ambrosius drank poisoned wine given to him as a wedding present from an old personal enemy. His murderer, Paschent fled to the protection of Octha. Octha himself had been personally bound by his word to be the protector of Paschent, his cousin, thus it was that the alliance never came to be.
When Arthursus demanded that Octha hand over Paschent, and Octha refused, Octha gained popularity among the other Saxon chiefs. Octha was also the eldest son of the Greatest of Saxon chiefs, Hengest, and was a mighty warrior in his own right. Octha was also now old enough to be taken very seriously as a chief. And so it was that the other chiefs offered to unite under Octha in order to defeat this new Arthursus. Octha agreed and gathered the army quickly to head west intending to begin by taking back the Kingdom of Mercia.Octha’s army was indeed great, made up of seasoned warriors from all of the Saxon lands. Many wore hauberks of mail and carried iron-tongued spears hewn of ash wood. They were footmen as the Saxons were not in the custom of fighting on horseback, but they had large linden wood shields in order to stop clouts of arrows, and many archers of their own. They moved west in great columns and met with little resistance until the city of Bath.
Octha did not wish to leave this fortress in the hands of his foes behind him. An army of his size would have difficulty living off of the land. They needed supply wagons to bring them food from their homelands. If he left Bath undefeated the soldiers in the fort could come out and threaten to cut off those supplies. He also wanted Bath as a stronghold from which to launch further attacks. So it was that he had the town surrounded. He knew that inside the fort they only had so many arrows and only so much food, but his army had wood from which to cut new arrows and supply wagons to bring them food, and so it was that he ordered his men to stay back and to sometimes fire arrows when the inhabitants’ guard might be lowered.
By chance Arthursus was already on the road towards Bath and encountered a rider hearing of this army they increased the speed of their march. And ‘ere long they came upon the Siege of Bath. Seeing the Army Arthursus was surprised by it’s numbers and apparent strength. Indeed it looked to him as though the army he faced was greater than his own. Yet if he moved quickly he would have the element of surprise, and to retreat would be to surrender this stronghold.Arthursus ordered his Cavalry to charge forward and his archers fire arrows arcing over their heads to land among the enemy who still had their back turned. The arrows landed among their foes whose shields were turned the wrong way killing many, archer and spearman alike. And before Octha’s army could react The Horsemen lead personally By Arthursus assaulted a portion of his army from the rear killing his men by the hundreds. And behind them the British footmen with swords and spears, and axes and shields and with woad upon their brows charged closing quickly with their foemen! Some of Octha’s men sought to escape the slaughter yet most turned to face their new attackers.
Arthursus and his cavalry having lost their initial momentum pulled away letting the footmen rush to take their place, and rode around their foes routing groups of archers and striking at the flanks of Saxon shield walls. The archers fired now at any area where their friends were not. And the general melee grew as the Briton fighters ran in among the Saxons with great battle fervour striking at those who they passed.From the walls of the fort at Bath the defenders spied Arthursus’ force already arrived and assaulting their foes. Given heart by the apparent ides of the battle the soldiers inside charged out crying out “Victory!” and “Arthursus!”. Now their attackers had turned their attention to face Arthursus’ main force and the Soldiers from within the walls of Bath took them again by surprise.
Octha’s army was reeling from the chaos and the quick secession of blows, and indeed many were beginning to route thinking that perhaps victory was out of reach this day and knowing full well that their very lives were in grave danger. Many of the Saxon chiefs who were leading their men decided that the time to retreat had come and were beginning to gather their men in to leave the rest of the army and retreat. Octha seeing this knew that if the other chiefs withdrew their men he would be finished. Thus he rode from group to group ordering them, and challenging their honour as warriors to regroup instead of retreat. Each commander who faced him was made to realize his cowardice and obeyed.Arthursus saw Octha riding from group to group and realized what was occurring. Even with what he had begun Octha’s army was still close to his army’s equal. If Octha could re-muster his men and they fought on, victory would only come at the cost of hundreds of his men, and that was if victory came at all. Thus it was that he charged his horse at Octha’s alone to challenge him to single combat. Arthursus, confident in his prowess as a warrior was certain that he would prevail and that with Octha’s defeat there would be nothing to hold Octha’s army together.
When Octha saw Arthursus charging at him alone he realized he meant to challenge him to single combat, confident in his own abilities and eager to inspire his men with a victory over his foe in single combat he rode towards Arthursus readying his sword. And thus it was that all of the gathered warriors saw their warlords charging towards one another to meet in single combat to decide the fate of the day. As they drew close the fighting around them slowed as men were more interested in what was to occur in the battle of their commanders than in killing or being killed themselves.Arthursus held in his hands Cadiburn, forged of the steel of a star that had fallen from the heavens and forged into a masterful blade longer and stronger than other swords of his age. He also wielded a shield and wore fine armour. Arthursus himself was tall and formidable and was known to be courageous and skilled with the blade.
Octha however wielded a fine sword of his own. It was heavy and was known to keep a keen edge in battle, and never break. He also wielded a shield and wore a fine hauberk of mail. Octha himself was a great man, well muscled and standing as tall as Arthursus. He was said to be fearless and strong and indomitable.The pair of warriors well matched rounded carefully on one another, assessing their foe and looking for an opening. Yet with each passing they grew closer to one another. Now Cadiburn, as I have mentioned was longer than the other blades of that age, and Arthursus managed to take Octha by surprise with his great reach. Cadiburn flashed out like lightning at Octha’s helmeted brow. Octha not expecting this was still not slow in reacting and moved his shield up in time to catch a portion of the blow. Cadiburn still bit into Octha’s helm, denting it and causing Octha great pain, but he would not be defeated so easily. Indeed a lesser man might have fallen, but he did not.
Instead of falling in pain, Octha stepped boldly forward and threw his great strength into a mighty blow aimed at Arth’s own head. Arth moved his shield to block, yet the very force and fury of the blow was enough to send him to the earth with splinters falling from his shield! Octha did not waste any time in taking advantage of the situation and laid upon Arth with ferocity showering him with blows from his heavy and keen edged blade!With each blow that fell Arth’s shield splintered a broke more and more until all that was left were useless and broken planks and through the shield Arth’s arm was injured and void of feeling from the blows! Octha raised his sword to strike down a mighty blow intended to cleave through the remains of the shield and though Arth’s body. Seeing his imminent death, Arth prepared to swing his sword to deflect the blow at the last possible moment. When Octha began to bring his blade down, Arth began to swing his sword to deflect it, yet Octha saw it too quickly, and then stopped his blow in place.
Arth’s sword not meeting another sword swung through air and then clattered to the ground uselessly as Octha began to bring his sword down again. Now caught completely off guard Arth realized his sword was in no position to defend him, and his shield arm could not do either. All he had left to ward off this blow was his legs and feet, and use them he did! As the blow came down he raised his feet and between them caught Octha’s cross guard. This surprised Octha, and before he recovered his wits, Arth recovered his sword into position and stabbed at Octha’s belly, breaking through the links of his mail and drawing forth blood.Octha took a trembling step back, yet regained his strength as Arth rose to his feet. Octha could feel horrible pain causing though his belly, and knew that he would not likely recover from such a gut wound. But still he took courage, for he wanted to win this fight to give his men heart and at least he would have victory in death. And thus it was that the two injured warriors faced each other down once again.
Arth now had dropped the remains of his shield and wielded Cadiburn in two hands, though favouring his right, simply using his left to cradle the pommel is it was still numb from the battering it had taken. Octha raised his shield once again and brought his sword up to strike again at his foe.Arth thinking his foe almost defeated sought to finish him and struck a slashing blow at Octha’s head. Octha however surprised him with the strength he still held and blocked the blow easily with his shield. Octha now seeing his chance to strike a clean blow stepped forward to attack and swung at Arth, yet Arth recovered his sword to deflect the blow quickly and deftly, then stepped out to the side.
As Octha turned to face him Arth saw a small opening and struck a blow rapidly at Octha’s leg. The blow struck true. Octha now losing his footing stumbled towards Arth, ignoring his shield but striking with his blade. Arth Stepped back to gain the distance he needed parrying the blow and moving the tip of his sword to Octha’s head thrusting forward. The tip of the sword Pierced Octha’s mouth and that was the end of Octha.It was also the end of Octha’s army as they, seeing their leader defeated dispersed into the countryside seeking to return to their homes.
Arth also went on to defend the peoples of Brittany from the Vandals who threatened them and though he lived many years finally met his end in battle on his return from such a campaign. And he was remembered long and far as the greatest warrior king Briton had ever known.
The fate of the Britons was not always as grand as the days of Arthursus, but they as a people did survive. Their Ancestor kingdoms of Wales, and Brittany maintained a strong British Celtic character though the passing of the centuries, and the Kingdom of England, though it owes as much to it’s Anglo-Saxon inhabitants, as well as it’s Danish colonists, not to mention it’s later Norman conquerors. Still carries much of the blood and a cultural influence from the ancient Britons to this day as well, and so it was that the struggles of Arthursus and all those who fought with him, or before him or after were not in vein.
*************************************************************************
to return to the story index click here .