VORTIGERN'S FORTRESS

 

Vortigern's Fortress

One of the stories of the Welsh Mabinogen tells us that long ago, many years before the time of Arthur, the King of Britain was a man named lludd. He was a fine warrior, generous and kind. Britain prospered under his reign with the excception of three plagues. One of these plagues was a terrible scream heard every May Eve throughout the realm. It was so chilling a sound that it caused people to lose their senses and stripped the land of her fruits.

 Llefe;us. brother of Lludd, told the king that the only way to rid the people of this horror was to find the center of the land, dig down into the earth, and there he would find two fighting dragons, the source of the scream. These dragons would then have to be subdued with the finest mead, and once asleep, transported and hidden, buried deep beneath the earth in the strongest place in the land. Lludd did all that Llefelys had instructed and buried the sleeping dragons in Snowdoniain a strong place that would come to be known as Dinas Emrys. Just as his brother had assured, the land was left in peace.

 Five hundred years passed and again the people of the land lived in terror. Vortigern, the usurper, sat upon the throne. He had hired Saxon mercenaries to drive back teh northern raiders, but the Saxons took a liking to the lush lands of Britain and thought to claim it for themselves. Vortigern had opened the door to invaders.

 He took refuge in Wales. There, under the council of his magi, he prepared to build his fortress in what seemed a fitting spot--Dinas Emrys.

 The labour of Vortigern's men proved to be in vain, as each morning they found their achievements of the preceding day in ruins. The fortress would not stand. The confounded Vortigern turned to his magi who then advised him to sacrifice a fatherless boy and sprinkle his blood upon the foundations; only then would the structure hold.

 Vortigern's men found such a boy in south Wales. He and his mother were then brought before teh king at Dinas Emrys. The boy told Vortigern that his name was Ambrosius (or Merlin, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth's account). Sensing the nature of Vortigern's plans, the young Ambrosius/Merlin dated to confront the druids, asking if they knew the reason fot the nightly destruction. Having confessed to their ignorance, merlin turned to face Vortigern, explaining that he were to dig down beneath the site he would reach a pool of water which had undermined his forthress; within the pool he would find two dragons, one red, the other white. This was done, and once the dragons were unearthed they began to fight.

 Merlin spoke, blaming the destruction of the fortress on the fierce nocturnal battles of the dragons. Vortigern was clearly impressed with the talents of the youth. But Merlin had more yet to say. Turning his gaze to the battling dragons, he told all present that the red dragon represented the Britons while the white represented teh Saxons. The crowd looked on teh symbolic battle in horror as the white dragon seemed to overpower the defending red dragon. Merlin prophesized that the rivers of the land would run redwith blood before Britain recovered and drove back the Saxon tide. But Vortigern would not be the king to lead his country to victory. Merlin foretold that Vortigern's life would be taken by either the Saxons. Aurelius Ambrosius, or Uther. Vortigern's enemies were many--his end was enar.

 

 

From Ferguson, Anna-Marie. Keeper of Words. 1995 Llewellyn Publications. St. Paul, Minnesota. (94-95)

 

 

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