Nennius ( Latin: Nennius ) is a Welsh historian of the 8th – 9th centuries , the author of History of the Britons ( Latin: Historia brittonum ), which describes the history of Britain from the settlement of the island to the era of King Arthur ( 6th century ) and provides some data on later periods.
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Biography
The name and biography of the Welsh scholar Nennius are controversial: in the preface he calls himself a student of Bishop Elvodug (Elvod), whose death in 809 was reported by the Welsh annals.
The History of the Britons came in several editions: lengthy, concise with a preface and short without a foreword. The work of Nennius remains one of the main written sources on the history of early medieval England.
"The History of the Britons" tells of Roman rule , the Picts and Scott raids and their struggle with the Britons , the emergence of Germanic tribes of Angles and Saxons in Britain, and the Anglo-Saxon conquest of Britain . In fact, The History of the Britons is a compilation of Jerome , the Irish and Anglo-Saxon annals, epic poems of the Britons; in addition, it contains one of the earliest versions of the story of the origin of the Irish, which was later developed in the "Book of the Captures of Ireland . " The narrative is unsystematic, with little credibility. For the first time, the legend of " King Arthur " appears, whom Nennius calls the Roman name Arthorius, considering him the leader of the Britons, having gained twelve victories over the Germans. The last among them is at Mount Badon . The legendary tradition connects Arthorius with Ambrosius Aurelian . Nenny tells in detail the legend of Hengest and Horse . In addition, the History of the Britons sets out the genealogy of the Anglo-Saxon kings until 796.
The medieval Irish translation of Nennius (the so-called Lebor Breatnach ) is also a valuable historical source.
Britons Stories Editions
- Historia Brittonum cum additamentis Nennii // MGH AA T. XII. Chronica minora saec. IV. V. VI. VII. Vol. 3 / Ed. T. Mommsen. Berolini, 1891. P. 111—222
- Leabhar Breathnach annso sis: The Irish version of the Historia Britonum of Nennius / Ed. with transl. and notes by JH Todd. Dublin, 1848 [1]
- Lot F. Nennius et l'Historia Brittonum. Etude critique suivie d'une edition des diverses versions de ce texte. Paris, 1934.
- Nennius. British history and The Welsh Annals / Ed. and transl. by J. Morris. London and Chichester: Phillimore, 1980.
- Nenny. History of the Britons / Per. A.S. Bobovich // Galfrid of Monmouth. History of the Britons. Merlin's life. M., 1984. C. 171-193.
- “The History of the Britons” translated by A. S. Bobovich (1984) online
Literature
- Chadwick NK Early Culture and Learning in North Wales, in: Studies in the Early British Church, 1958.
- Dumville DN Nennius and the Historia Brittonum // Studia Celtica, 10/11 (1975/76), p. 78-95.