Dr Mary Bateman

And for a Briton, he doesn't really big up his own team very much. The text is called On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain, De excedio et conquestae Britanniae. It basically describes Britain as being kind of a muddled mess at this time.

And for a Briton, he doesn't really big up his own team very much. The text is called On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain, De excedio et conquestae Britanniae. It basically describes Britain as being kind of a muddled mess at this time.

He thinks that Britain's downfall is due to a series of just not very nice, very ungodly, immoral rulers. He does say that there is a British victory at the Battle of Baden, which sounds exciting and, oh, you know, it could match up, but he doesn't connect it with Arthur. He connects it with another victor, another figure, called Ambrosius Aurelianus, which is another wonderful title.

He thinks that Britain's downfall is due to a series of just not very nice, very ungodly, immoral rulers. He does say that there is a British victory at the Battle of Baden, which sounds exciting and, oh, you know, it could match up, but he doesn't connect it with Arthur. He connects it with another victor, another figure, called Ambrosius Aurelianus, which is another wonderful title.

It means the golden immortal in Latin. Ambrosius Aurelianus.

It means the golden immortal in Latin. Ambrosius Aurelianus.

A Romano-Briton, yeah.

A Romano-Briton, yeah.

Yeah, there are still military commanders, we think, in Britain after the Romans have left because they've left lots of skills and training and things in place.

Yeah, there are still military commanders, we think, in Britain after the Romans have left because they've left lots of skills and training and things in place.

That's great, yeah, a mabinogion. And actually that's a collection of texts, a mabinogion. Within this collection of tales, there are some interesting Arthurian examples. The mabinogion, it doesn't appear, as with my other example, until quite late in manuscript form. We're talking sort of 14th, 15th century manuscripts.

That's great, yeah, a mabinogion. And actually that's a collection of texts, a mabinogion. Within this collection of tales, there are some interesting Arthurian examples. The mabinogion, it doesn't appear, as with my other example, until quite late in manuscript form. We're talking sort of 14th, 15th century manuscripts.

But we think the texts contained within them were actually probably first written down as a collection much earlier in the 11th or 12th century. And here's the kicker, they probably have oral origins, some of them that are even earlier than that.

But we think the texts contained within them were actually probably first written down as a collection much earlier in the 11th or 12th century. And here's the kicker, they probably have oral origins, some of them that are even earlier than that.

I would say so, yeah. The stories themselves seem to have much earlier roots, a bit like a Godothan, really. There's a few of them that mention Arthur, but one of my favourites and one of the earliest is a tale called Coluch a Colwen. You sometimes hear it in English called How Coluch Won Olwen. This seems to have really quite early roots.

I would say so, yeah. The stories themselves seem to have much earlier roots, a bit like a Godothan, really. There's a few of them that mention Arthur, but one of my favourites and one of the earliest is a tale called Coluch a Colwen. You sometimes hear it in English called How Coluch Won Olwen. This seems to have really quite early roots.

It doesn't bear any resemblance to the other kind of big Geoffrey of Monmouth tradition Arthur texts. And Arthur is most definitely a king in this story. At last! Yes, he's got there. And it's just a fantastic story. So basically, Arthur has a cousin called Culloch, or Killoch, who's a young man. And he's fallen in love, potentially through a curse, but never mind, with a young woman called Olwen.

It doesn't bear any resemblance to the other kind of big Geoffrey of Monmouth tradition Arthur texts. And Arthur is most definitely a king in this story. At last! Yes, he's got there. And it's just a fantastic story. So basically, Arthur has a cousin called Culloch, or Killoch, who's a young man. And he's fallen in love, potentially through a curse, but never mind, with a young woman called Olwen.

And her father is a terrible giant called Isbav Arden, chief of all giants. In order to win Olwen's hand, Killoch is given a series of tasks, impossible tasks, 40 of them he has to complete. He can't do this on his own, you know, he's just a weedy young guy. So he goes off to King Arthur's court and enlists the help of Arthur and his kind of almost superhuman knights, his superhuman retinue.

And her father is a terrible giant called Isbav Arden, chief of all giants. In order to win Olwen's hand, Killoch is given a series of tasks, impossible tasks, 40 of them he has to complete. He can't do this on his own, you know, he's just a weedy young guy. So he goes off to King Arthur's court and enlists the help of Arthur and his kind of almost superhuman knights, his superhuman retinue.