WI: Cymbro-Saxon?

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I know i said i wouldn't, but i did anyway because i couldn't get this out of my head.

The central conflict of the norse world is between the rival families of the Æsir (gods) and the Jotuns (giants), with the Álfr (elves) having little at all said of them to the point that they have become synonymous with the Dvergar (dwarves).


In the Anglisc world, the conflict between the Ése (gods, singular Ós) and the Ettin (giants, singluar Eoten) only makes up the first two ages of the world, while in the third the gods have defeated the ents, but not their creations, the Aglæca (calamities; monsters).

Events in the Eboraci is divided into ages(Eldu), based on the lifetime of certain individuals or peoples.

The first age is the age of Ysmir, the first living thing. This age ends when the Ése battle and slay him.

The second is the age of the Ettin, born from sweat Ysmir shed during his fight with the Ése. Many things are created at this time, including the seven worlds and the elves. This age ends when the last and most cunning of the Ettins, (loki) begets the four Aglæca (calamities): a horse (sleapor; slippery), a wolf (felwulf; foul wolf)), a drake (Erđefretende draca/ Erđe Wyrm; World-devouring dragon/Earth Wyrm), and a living corpse (Hella). As his final act, the eoten binds them with the wyrd (fate) of the gods.

The Third age is the age of men. It is only after the calamities are born that men are created by the gods to be warriors against the calamities in the final battle against Ysmir’s descendants. This is the current age according the Anglisc, and it is in this section of eboraci that the deeds of their heroes are recorded.

After this is a collection of miscellaneous poems in praise of the gods, perhaps intended as a pagan book of psalms.

A fourth age is alluded to, but no poem or story deal with it in any great detail. What is known is that mankind will be saved “with in thunors’ oak”, and for this reason thunor is honored most among men.

 

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These are senses as listed in wiktionary for bregdan: to move quickly, pull, shake, swing, throw (wrestling), draw (sword), drag; bend, weave, braid, knit, join together; change color, vary, be transformed; bind, knot; move, be pulled; flash. All pretty much describe Loki. "Bewi(g)lere" (beguiler) also fits, so you'd get kennings like "bregdende bewilere" braiding beguiler.

Sounds good to me.
I feel like talking about those calamities a bit.

It always struck me odd that, despite being a child of loki, sleipnir is simply "the best of horses", no strings attached.

So given his name means 'slipery', I've elected to have him throw his rider at the hour of their greatest need. Once he learned the destiny of bregdende's brood, Woden has the elves craft him a special binds for each of them, a saddle in the case of Sleapor. But when Ésewyrde (fate of the gods) comes, the girth of the saddle will snap, and Woden will fall into felwulf's waiting jaws. Sleapor was the first of the calamities to be bound, and he will be the last to break free.

Felwulf was the second to be bound. Basically the same tale as Fenrir, although with a twist. Rather than a ribbon around his legs, its around his neck as a collar, and Tiw uses him as his hunting dog. thus ursa minor becomes felwulf on his leash, held by the north star (which is associated with tiw).

Hella (or Helle), being older and smarter than sleapor and felwulf, would not be bound so easily. Instead she was lured into a dark cave deep in the earth with the promise of marriage to Ingwe(freyr), and then a magical gate was put over the entrance. The living can pass through it freely, but the dead can only enter. As she's a corpse, she cannot leave. There she gathers the inglorious dead; oathbreakers, murderers, thieves, and the improperly buried. There she uses her magic to twist them into monsters, the orcþyrs, and they shall be her army when Ésewyrde comes. She is fated to slay Ingwe for his lies.

 

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Moving away from subjects heathen...

The Kingdom of Gododdin is perhaps the mightiest kingdom in the Old North. They are inheritors of the the legacies of the Votadini, of Coil Hen (Coel the Old), and his descendants Eidyn Adeiladu (Eidyn the builder), and Bran Godebog (Bran the Protector, also Bran the 3rd). Like most of the cumbrians, they follow a patronymic naming system, unlike their southern cousins who favor a tria nomina, though they do have a similar clan system. The most prominently Lwith are, to barrow the Rhegedian style, the MabEidyns, the MabBrans, and the MabGwrgi.

They have a deep seated rivalry with the Angles of Beornice to their south, but more recently Rhinnydd has become a thorn in their side. They get along fairly well with Rheged, all things considered.

As for Brythain, that's...complicated. If nothing, else, they respect their power. In the distant past they recognised the Auriadh as Comes Britainniarum, always with the understanding that their own king was the Dux Britanniarum. But when Bran Hen (Bran the First) died at the miraculous old age of 115, the then Âlt Rî, Andras, declared himself the sole Dux of Britannia. They were outraged and as a result, they refused to join his campaign against Beornice, allowing the angles to keep Andras South of the river Tees.

More recently, relations have warmed after they combined forces to drive King Ósric "Godsbane" out of Rheged. At the battle of Urengwic in 746, Leûn and Custennin, princes of Brythain and Gododdin respectively, trapped Ósric between their two forces. The pagan army was destroyed. Since then, there have been talks between the two of them about unification.

 

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Dál Riata. Technically speaking, Dál Riata is an overkingdom composed of numerous lesser kings under a single High King. The reality is that there are two High Kings, with one being the ceremonial head of the whole kingdom. This situation came about when, due to intermarriage with the the rulers of Airgíalla, they came to be ruled by the same king; Áengus Mac Áedán. With the combined strength of both kingdoms, and extensive use of the Dál Riatan navy, Áengus was able to conquer the neighboring kingdoms of Dál Araidi, Dál Fiatach, and Echach Cobo, and also forced tribute from the isle of Monau. He had several sons, whom he arranged marriages to across his wide kingdom. This proved disastrous as after his unexpected death, as they all fought to be the High King.

The Dál Riatan civil war came to an end six years later, when a compromise was struck. One would be king over the Eirean (Irish) part of the kingdom and the the other over the Alban (Scottish) part. The later would also be High King over the whole, but the former would always be his tanaiste(heir). This relationship gets a further twist whenever the Eirean king is made the King of Tara, and thus (symbolically at least) The High King of the Irish. Such is the case in 803.

So far at least it has not caused any unrest, but high king Fionn Mac Cináed (Fionn the 2nd) is a paranoid bastard. So much so, in fact, that he has made hostages of all the heirs of his underlings, and of his allies as well...

 

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Caledonia. The Northern portion of Insula Britannia, designated by the rather rueful roman rampart of Antoninus, is a deeply divided place. A long planned strike at the heart of their newest foe was preempted by the brutal invasion of Áengus Mac Áedán, and though the man died of cold mid-campaign, his aim of breaking the back of their confederation was accomplished. The once mighty Fortriu were laid low, and if any kin of that tribe yet lives, they are more hidden than the thoughts of women are to men.

Five score and five years hence, and the Picts are as disunified as ever:

The tribe of Fib are Gododdin dogs, the Fotla find comfort under their Dál Riatan yokes, The Fidach are a shadow of what they once were, and the Cait are too occupied cowering in their cairs. But Ce and Circind remain true; their spears are sharp and their memories are long, and they forget not that an eye is repaid for an eye, and a tooth for tooth.

 

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The Dûîreinwir. The Dûîreinwir are the descendants from the many tribes that were settled in the southeast of Brythain, and their history has become intimately liked with the whole of Brythain.

They were first settled on island by the Comes Britanniarum, Pro Tempore, Gûtheîrn. They were to be Foederati, allies pledged to service of the empire.

Lead astray by the impious Horse Lords, a conniving Gûtheîrn focused on usurping his rightful ruler, and these tribes grew in size and power. As time drew on, they demanded more and more land, and Gûtheîrn was all too happy to agree, so long as he got something out of it.

Gûtheîrn’s first reward for his part in this treachery was the Horse lord’s daughter. Thus he dismissed his wife in the eyes of the one true God for the temptress pledged to the demon Ingwe. The last reward he received when the the long knives of the impious seisniks slit the throats of his councilors and they declared an open rebellion.

Two generations passed before Arthur, son of Uther, son of Embrys (Ambrosius), drove them from Linnuis(roughly Lincolnshire), and finally ended their rebellion at the battle of Badhon.

Arthur marched south to Maûr Karn with the captive Dûîreinwir leaders in tow. There Ælle, who commanded the tribes of the Dûîrwir came to the fore, and placing his hand upon the stones of Maûr Karn, swore upon the whole of Brythain, that until it was sunk below the waves, the Dûîrwir would serve Arthur and his kin loyally and obediently.

To this day they play a key role in the machina of the Brythonic legions, many serving as heavy infantry, but also providing stout riders and horses. Lunden, though no longer the capital, remains one of the more importan trade hubs of the mare germania(north sea).

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As you guys may have noticed, I've had to make a slight tweek in the Arthurian genealogy to make it work. Embrys/Ambrosius is still Maximus' son, but Uther is now his son by Gûtheîrn's former wife, Constantia, daughter of Constantine iii. (Her first marriage is annulled because of Gûtheîrn's apostasy)

Maûr Karn would be stone henge. I couldn't find any latin or brythonic name specifically for them, so great cairn will have to do. Alternatively, one could call it old cairn (Hen Karn), or the historically inaccurate druid cairn (Dryû Karn).

 

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The Duchy of Armorica. The Brytôns of Armorica have deep ties to their insular cousins that stretch back centuries, predating even Caesar's campaigns in Gallia and Britannia. Its most important ties, however, are the ties between their ruling houses.

After Maximus had secured the purple for himself, he settled many of his brittonic veterans in Armorica. Of particular note was was the family of his lieutenant Andragathius, as well Maximus’ own Brittonic family (his son from a previous marriage, Victor, ruled with him in Treverorum).

Maximus and Victor were later murdered by the eastern emperor, though his pregnant wife Elen and daughter Maxima were spared and taken in by Andragathius’ family. Later, she gave birth to a son whom she named Ambrosius Aurelianus (Embrys Auriadh), as his father's name had been condemned. Maxima had by that time married to Andragathius’ son, Regulus, and bore him an heir named Riothamus(Riotam).

Riothamus and Ambrosius were grew to be near as brothers, and when Ambrosius took his place as Comes Britanniarum, he made his nephew Dux Tractus Armorica.

The two families have remained close to the present day, numerous wars having been fought to keep Armorica out of the hands of the Franks, and even the occasional marriage. The current Dux, Kynwyg ii, is a distant cousin to Imerâdôr Leûn.

 

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If there was one thing Macsen knew, it was that he would rather die than rot in a godforsaken Scotic prison.

Thirteen months ago he was the annoying but respectable heir to a kingdom, sent to Dún At to ensure the delivery of their tribute to the Dal Riatans.

Nine months ago Fionn the Mad had locked him away on an island, and held him there under suspicion of conspiracy.

Six months ago he had tried, and failed, to escape his little island. They shipped him north to yet another island, where it rained like god was trying to sink the island back into the sea.

Three months ago he broke out of that soggy pit, only to be caught again. The third island they brought him to seemed like a nail, for constantly it was being hammered by hail.

Two weeks ago, he found the key to his escape, and had been hatching a plan to use it.

He had overheard his ever-so-compassionate guards that they'd have his head for his next stunt. Well, third time's the charm, innit?

His plan was either genius, or the daftest idea man had yet known, and it all revolved around the Caer's dunny. The thing was hung over a slippery rockslope that went straight into the sea, conveniently next to the docks. From his estimation, the wood holding the seat was rather poor. It wouldn't take much effort to bust it wide enough for a man to go where he ought not. From there he could commandeer the single ship that lay moored to the docks, and make for the mainland. The deed would have to be done before dawn, when most of the guards would wake, and tonight would be the night.

If he was successful, he doubted he would ever look at a shitter the same way ever again.

 

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Just a visual reference for/of the different sounds in Brythônik. If you see any issues, let me know

 

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Additionally, I've redone that language tree from before. I tried to roughly position them according to their age (ie: the closer to the top, the older it is, relative to the others)

 

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The pole was stained deeply, all crimsons and ruddy browns from head to foot, given a likewise stained crown. It was a raw monument to anger and scorn, and it would remain in Hrafen’s memories to the end of the age.

A niđstang.

The pole had been taken from the temple of this settlement, and planted deeply into the earth facing the mainland. The little mare that had been in the stables had its throat slit, its sanguine life-water applied liberally to the pole. It was only after that the head had been torn from the body and placed upon it, skull, spine and all. Ásvald had not yet finished, and drawing his knife, he carved out his curse.

Hrafen hadn't a clue what wrongs this land had done to Ásvald, but it was not something Hrafen cared to ask of. Scorn-poles were a rare and serious thing, never had he heard of a man who raised one without cause or justice, and it was not the place of a carpenter's son to challenge a jarl so.

Instead, he turned his mind towards the treasures they had pilfered. He had never seen such wealth amassed in a single place with not a guard to speak of. Oh a few of the brown-cloaked men of the settlement had resisted, but they proved little challenge. Many had completely fled, but a few had been caught, enough that one man in two could have a thrall. A share of gold and a pair of hands would put Hrafen well off indeed, enough give Kelda the first of many golden bands.

And with winds to their backs now, the return would be somewhat easier, though they would be weighed down by the gold and thralls. Nothing that the ships could not bear across the whale-road, it would only add a day or so.

 

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Kingdom of Mhumhain
Mhumhain (Munster) is ruled by the various clans of the Eóganachta, named for their legendary ancestor Eógan, who won the southern half of Eireann from Conn, the ancestor of the Connachta clans in the north.

Political realities being what they are, Eóganachta clans technically only rule in Mhumhain, but they have much influence beyond their boarders.

The Eóganachta have worked to build a strong relationship with the church, and by that same connection have built ties with the Imerâdôr of Brythain. The most visible of these being the Eóganachtan wife of Imerâdôr Leûn.

It was with the support of the Imerâdôr and the Archbishop of Liathdroim that Rían Mac Máel was crowned High king of Ireland in St.Padriac's cathedral.

The ceremony was held at the same time as the Dál Riatans were crowning Conrí Mac Ardghal the king of Tara. This was deliberate, as Rían wanted to see clearly which clans supported who. As expected, the northern Ui'Neill fell in behind Conrí, but the Southern Ui'Neill followed their bishop and Backed Rían, as did Laighin and a number of the Connachta clans.

 

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The Insular Cycle (sometimes called the Brythonic or Bardic Cycle) is the accumulated works of numerous professional court bards in Brythain, Cumbria, and Amorica. Although only high medieval manuscripts remain (circa 1100), linguistic evidence shows that a number date as far back as the seventh and sixth century, and one in particular (the Lament of Kamlann) claims to be composed shortly after the death of Arthur Maûr (Arthur the Great; Arthur I Pendraig Auriadh)

The roughly speaking, two thirds of the poems in the cycle are writen in the verse in the Brythonic Bardic Style, a sixth are prose, and a sixth in the englisc Scoptic style.

The poems come from several different manuscripts, although modern translators tend to publish them together.

The englisc poems are especially intriguing to Norse and Anglisc scholars, as they contain poems that the Codex Eboraci does not contain, such as the tragedy of baeldaeg, related to the norse god baldur.