Lludd Llaw Eraint
| Lludd Llaw Eraint | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Nudd Llaw Ereint |
| Major cult center | Wales |
| Abode | Possibly Nuada |
Lludd Llaw Ereint ("Lludd of the Silver Hand") son of
History of the Kings of Britain.[3]
In the Mabinogion tale of Lludd and Llefelys, which influenced Geoffrey of Monmouth's work, he is the ruler of Britain while his brother Llefelys ruled Gaul. Lludd calls on Llefelys to rid Britain of three plagues then afflicting the kingdom. Philological connection suggests that there was once a memorial to Lludd at the site of St Paul's Cathedral, London, near Ludgate, which is named after him.[3]
The plagues of Lludd’s reign
- The first plague was that of the Coranians a race of dwarfs 'from Asia' who may represent the Romans.
- The second was that of the Lludd found to be the exact centre of the island when he measured the island of Britain. The pit had a satin covering over it and a cauldron of mead in it at the bottom. First, the dragons fought by the pit in the form of terrific animals. Then they began to fight in the air over the pit in the form of dragons. Then exhausted with the fighting, they fell down on the pit in the form of pigs and sank into the pit drawing the satin covering under them into the cauldron at the bottom of the pit whereupon they drank the mead and fell asleep. The dragons were then wrapped up in the satin covering and placed in the pit to be buried at Dinas Emrys.
- The third plague was the plunder committed by a giant who wore strong, heavy armour and carried a hamper. His nocturnal entrance was heralded by soporific illusions and musical sounds which lulled the members of Lludd's Court to sleep. Once the court was asleep, he would put all the food and provisions of meat and drink of Lludd's Court into his commodious hamper and take it away with him. This recurring theft constituted the third plague of Lludd's reign. Lludd was only able to stop the recurring theft by confronting the intruder. He was able to avoid falling asleep to the soporific illusions and musical sounds by frequently dipping his head in a vessel of cold water by his side. Upon confronting the magician, a fierce encounter ensued in which glittering fire flew out from their arms until Lludd overcame the magician. Thereupon, Lludd granted him mercy and made him his loyal vassal.
Etymology
The name Nudd,
Celtic stem *noudont- or *noudent-, which J. R. R. Tolkien suggested was related to a Germanic root meaning "acquire, have the use of", earlier "to catch, entrap (as a hunter)", and together with the "silver hand" epithet detects "an echo of the ancient fame of the magic hand of Nodens the Catcher".[4] Similarly, Julius Pokorny derives the name from a Proto-Indo-European root *neu-d- meaning "acquire, utilise, go fishing".[5]
The name Nudd Llaw Ereint probably assimilated and shifted to Llud Llaw Ereint through
The byname "Llaw Ereint" or "llawereint" is glossed as "of the Silver Hand" or "Silver-handed".[6] Welsh eraint is listed as meaning "a round body; a ball; a bowl, a cup; a pear", probably related to the adjective erain "abounding with impulse", but ereint has been defined as "silver cup", no doubt owing to Welsh arian "silver".[8][9]
See also
References
- Citations
- ^ a b c d d'Este, Sorita; Rankine, David (2007). The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages. Avalonia. p. 179.
- ^ ISBN 0-19-280120-1
- ^ a b Rhys (1888), p. 129.
- Wheeler, R. E. M.; Wheeler, T. V. (eds.), "Appendix I: The Name Nodens", Report on the excavation of the prehistoric, Roman and post-Roman site in Lydney Park, Gloucestershire, Reports of the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London, London: Society of Antiquaries, p. 132–137, reprinted Tolkien Studies 4 (2007) pp. 177–183.
- ^ Pokorny, Julius, Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, p. 768
- ^ a b Rhys (1888), p. 125.
- ISBN 9783851241730
- ^ Pughe, William Owen (1873), A Dictionary of the Welsh language, vol. 2, Denbigh: Thomas Gee, pp. 31–32
- ^ Pott, A. F. (1861), "Zur kulturgeschichte (Schluss)", Beiträge zur vergleichenden Sprachforschung auf dem Gebiete der arischen, celtischen und slawischen Sprachen, 2: 420
- Bibliography
- d'Este, Sorita; Rankine, David (2007), The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages, Avalonia, p. 179
- ISBN 0-19-508961-8
- , Williams and Norgate
- Wood, Juliette (2002), The Celts: Life, Myth, and Art, Thorsons Publishers, ISBN 0-00-764059-5