Roman Emperors, proper Welsh Indie and stuff, The Rough Guide To Wales

The 7th in Miwsig’s summer festival series takes in Carmarthen’s Gwyl Macs

Gwyl Macs Festival, Three Counties Show Ground, Nant y Ci, Carmarthenshire

1st & 2nd September, 2007

So the fantastic summer of festivals continues at the weekend with a nice little curiosity called Gwyl Macs, to be held in the Carmarthenshire countryside. A little cartoon flyer I picked up a while ago had a certain charm about it, and with a line-up featuring some great underground indie acts, some inspired choices from the worlds of folk and hip hop and other miscellaneous events, it could be a cracker.

There’s a great tale about the festival being born from a disparaging quote about Carmarthen, the ‘Rough Guide to Wales’ describing it as “a place with an undeniably down at heel and cheerless atmosphere which doesn’t encourage you to stay for long…” Suitably riled, two local promoters took on the challenge, putting their passions together to etch out a celebration with what seems like a genuine alt lustre.

Folk/hip hop pioneers Genod Droog, acoustic troubadour Gwyneth Glyn, glamorous pop-rocker Swci Boscawen, folk legend Meic Stevens, and the burgeoning talents of Radio Luxembourg and Mr Huw lead a great fleet of Welsh acts, while Brighton indie
heroes Brakes and The Magic Numbers, who headline the Saturday, are a nice choice of more popular bands..

A few random names and outsiders also jump out from the list, and if you’ve never seen the raw concoction of melody and attitude that is Manic Cough, be sure you’re down the front along with their Panther Girl dancers to see them writhing like a sexy art-punk beast. Ebony Bones are another to catch with their writhing and pioneering African-beat indie party songs, and The Swimming Costumes will be worth a plunge for their name alone.

The festival also boasts the essential onsite camping, the only downside being a ｣3 fee on top of the original ticket price (｣45), an agricultural tour of the countryside taking in the smallest pub in Wales, organic food traders, a cinema tent and some nocturnal DJing, so if you’re up for a real feast of Welshism of the informed, visionary kind, make sure you pop along.

© 2007 Neil Jones

Why is it called Macs Festival? Who was Macsen Wledig?

The Welsh Emporer of Rome and King of the Britons by marriage to Elen Luyddog/Saint Helen of Caernarvon/St. Elen Luyddog of the Hosts each are immortalized in the Welsh book of tales, the Mabinogion

Magnus Maximus (Welsh: Macsen Wledig), also Maximianus, (c. 335 July 28, 388) was emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 383 until his death in 388. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, he was also a king of the Britons following the death of Octavius and a nephew of King Coel through his brother Ioelinus. A Spanish Celt, Maximus was proclaimed emperor by his troops in 383, while serving with the army in Britain.

According to the Mabinogion, Magnus Maximus took as his wife Helen or Elen, daughter of a chieftain based at Segontium (Caernarfon). This agrees with the story Geoffrey tells that Octavius, the king of the Britons, wanted to wed his daughter to a powerful half-Roman, half-Briton and give the kingship of Britain as a dowry to that husband. Although the story of their meeting is undoubtedly fictional, there is some evidence for the basic facts. Caradocus, the Duke of Cornwall, supported the marriage between Octavius’s daughter and Maximus. Maximus accepted and left Rome for Britain.

Geoffrey claims further that Maximus gathered an army as he sacked Frankish towns along the way. He invaded Southampton unintentionally and nearly fought the army of the Britons before a truce was made. Following further negotiations, Maximus was given the kingship of Britain and Octavius retired.
Welsh legend also claims that he was responsible for the withdrawal of Roman troops from Wales, twenty years before the rest of Britain was left to govern itself.

Five years into his kingship, Magnus Maximus assembled a vast fleet and invaded Gaul leaving Britain in the control of Caradocus. Upon reaching the kingdom of Armorica, he defeated the king and killed thousands of inhabitants. Before departing, he summoned Conanus (Welsh: Kynan Meriadec, French: Conan Meriadoc), the rebellious nephew of Octavius, and asked him to rule as king of the land, which was renamed Brittany, or ‘Little Britain.’

Following his destruction of Gaul, Maximus went out to meet his main opponent, Gratianus, who he defeated near Paris. Gratianus, after fleeing, was killed at Lyons on August 25, 383. Soon after, he managed to force Valentinian II out of Rome after which he fled to Theodosius I, the Eastern Roman Emperor. Maximus made his capital at Augusta Treverorum (Treves, Trier) in Gaul. He became a popular emperor, although also a stern persecutor of heretics.

Maximus was defeated, captured and executed by Theodosius I, along with his son. Valentinian II was restored to the emperorship of Rome while Dionotus, the brother of Caradocus, became king of the Britons. THE DREAM OF MACSEN WLEDIG.

One version of the tale of Macsen Wledig is given in the Mabinogion which is ‘The Dream of Macsen Wledig’ and is related below:

MACSEN WLEDIG was emperor of Rome, and he was a comelier man, and a better and a wiser than any emperor that had been before him. And one day he held a council of kings, and he said to his friends, “I desire to go to-morrow to hunt.” And the next day in the morning he set forth with his retinue, and came to the valley of the river that flowed towards Rome. And he hunted through the valley until mid-day. And with him also were two-and-thirty crowned kings, that were his vassals; not for the delight of hunting went the emperor with them, but to put himself on equal terms with those kings.
And the sun was high in the sky over their heads, and the heat was great. And sleep came upon Macsen Wledig. And his attendants stood and set up their shields around him upon the shafts of their spears to protect him from the sun, and they placed a gold enamelled shield under his head; and so Macsen slept.

And he saw a dream. And this is the dream that he saw. He was
journeying along the valley of the river towards its source; and he
came to the highest mountain in the world. And he thought that the
mountain was as high as the sky; and when he came over the mountain,
it seemed to him that he went through the fairest and most level
regions that man ever yet beheld, on the other side of the mountain.
And he saw large and mighty rivers descending from the mountain to
the sea, and towards the mouths of the rivers he proceeded. And as he
journeyed thus, he came to the mouth of the largest river ever seen.
And he beheld a great city at the entrance of the river, and a vast
castle in the city, and he saw many high towers of various colours in
the castle. And he saw a fleet at the mouth of the river, the largest
ever seen. And he saw one ship among the fleet; larger was it by far,
and fairer than all the others. Of such part of the ship as he could
see above the water, one plank was gilded and the other silvered
over. He saw a bridge of the bone of the whale from the ship to the
land, and. he thought that he went along the bridge, and came into
the ship. And a sail was hoisted on the ship, and along the sea and
the ocean was it borne. Then it seemed that he came to the fairest
island in the whole world, and he traversed the island from sea to
sea, even to the furthest shore of the island. Valleys he saw, and
steeps and rocks of wondrous height, and rugged precipices. Never yet
saw he the like. And thence he beheld an island in the sea, facing
this rugged land. And between him and this island was a country of
which the plain was as large as the sea, the mountain as vast as the
wood. And from the mountain he saw a river that flowed through the
land and fell into the sea. And at the mouth of the river he beheld a
castle, the fairest that man ever saw, and the gate of the castle was
open, and he went into the castle. And in the castle he saw a fair
hall, of which the roof seemed to be all gold, the walls of the hall
seemed to be entirely of glittering precious gems, the doors all
seemed to be of gold. Golden seats he saw in the hall, and silver
tables. And on a seat opposite to him, he beheld two auburn-haired
youths playing at chess. He saw a silver board for the chess, and
golden pieces thereon. The garments of the youths were of jet black
satin, and chaplets of ruddy gold bound their hair, whereon were
sparkling jewels of great price, rubies, and gems, alternately with
imperial stones. Buskins of new cordovan leather on their feet,
fastened by slides of red gold.

And beside a pillar in the hall, he saw a hoary-headed man, in a
chair of ivory, with the figures of two eagles of ruddy gold thereon.
Bracelets of gold were upon his arms, and many rings were on his
hands, and a golden torque about his neck; and his hair was bound
with a golden diadem. He was of powerful aspect. A chess-board of
gold was before him, and a rod of gold, and a steel file in his hand.
And he was carving out chess-men.

And he saw a maiden sitting before him in a chair of ruddy gold. Not
more easy than to gaze upon the sun when brightest, was it to look
upon her by reason of her beauty. A vest of white silk was upon the
maiden, with clasps of red gold at the breast; and a surcoat of gold
tissue upon her, and a frontlet of red gold upon her head, and rubies
and gems were in the frontlet, alternating with pearls and imperial
stones. And a girdle of ruddy gold was around her. She was the
fairest sight that man ever beheld.

The maiden arose from her chair before him, and he threw his arms
about the neck of the maiden, and they two sat down together in the
chair of gold: and the chair was not less roomy for them both, than
for the maiden alone. And as he had his arms about the maiden’s neck,
and his cheek by her cheek, behold, through the chafing of the dogs
at their leashing, and the clashing of the shields as they struck
against each other, and the beating together of the shafts of the
spears, and the neighing of the horses and their prancing, the
emperor awoke.

And when he awoke, nor spirit nor existence was left him, because of
the maiden whom he had seen in his sleep, for the love of the maiden
pervaded his whole frame. Then his household spake unto him. “Lord,”
said they, “is it not past the time for thee to take thy food?”
Thereupon the emperor mounted his palfrey, the saddest man that
mortal ever saw, and went forth towards Rome.

And thus he was during the space of a week. When they of the
household went to drink wine and mead out of golden vessels, he went
not with any of them. When they went to listen to songs and tales, he
went not with them there; neither could he be persuaded to do any
thing but sleep. And as often as he slept, he beheld in his dreams
the maiden he loved best; but except when he slept he saw nothing of
her, for he knew not where in the world she was.

One day the page of the chamber spake unto him; now, although he was
page of the chamber, he was king of the Romans. “Lord,” said he, “all
the people revile thee.” “Wherefore do they revile me?” asked the
emperor. “Because they can get neither message nor answer from thee
as men should have from their lord. This is the cause why thou art
spoken evil of.” “Youth,” said the emperor, “do thou bring unto me
the wise men of Rome, and I will tell them wherefore I am sorrowful.”
Then the wise men of Rome were brought to the emperor, and he spake
to them. “Sages of Rome,” said he, “I have seen a dream. And in the
dream I beheld a maiden, and because of the maiden is there neither
life, nor spirit, nor existence within me.” “Lord,” they answered,
“since thou judgest us worthy to counsel thee, we will give thee
counsel. And this is our counsel; that thou send messengers for three
years to the three parts of the world, to seek for thy dream. And as
thou knowest not what day or what night good news may come to thee,
the hope thereof will support thee.”

So the messengers journeyed for the space of a year, wandering about
the world, and seeking tidings concerning his dream. But when they
came back at the end of the year, they knew not one word more than
they did the day they set forth. And then was the emperor exceeding
sorrowful, for he thought that he should never have tidings of her
whom best he loved.

Then spoke the king of the Romans unto the emperor. “Lord,” said he,
“go forth to hunt by the way thou didst seem to go, whether it were
to the east, or to the west.” So the emperor went forth to the hunt,
and he came to the bank of the river. “Behold,” said he, “this is
where I was when I saw the dream, and I went towards the source of
the river westward.”

And thereupon thirteen messengers of the emperor’s set forth, and
before them they saw a high mountain, which seemed to them to touch
the sky. Now this was the guise in which the messengers journeyed;
one sleeve was on the cap of each of them in front, as a sign that
they were messengers, in order that through what hostile land soever
they might pass no harm might be done them. And when they were come
over this mountain, they beheld vast plains, and large rivers flowing
there through. “Behold,” said they, “the land which our master saw.”
And they went along the mouths of the rivers, until they came to the
mighty river which they saw flowing to the sea, and the vast city,
and the many-coloured high towers in the castle. They saw the largest
fleet in the world, in the harbour of the river, and one ship that
was larger than any of the others. “Behold again,” said they, “the
dream that our master saw.” And in the great ship they crossed the
sea, and came to the Island of Britain. And they traversed the island
until they came to Snowdon. “Behold,” said they, “the rugged land
that our master saw.” And they went forward until they saw Anglesey
before them, and until they saw Arfon likewise. “Behold,” said they,
“the land our master saw in his sleep.” And they saw Aber Sain, and a
castle at the mouth of the river. The portal of the castle saw they
open, and into the castle they went, and they saw a hall in the
castle. Then said they, “Behold, the hall which he saw in his sleep.”
They went into the hall, and they beheld two youths playing at chess
on the golden bench. And they beheld the hoary-headed man beside the
pillar, in the ivory chair, carving chessmen. And they beheld the
maiden sitting on a chair of ruddy gold.

The messengers bent down upon their knees. “Empress of Rome, all
hail!” “Ha, gentles,” said the maiden, “ye bear the seeming of
honourable men, and the badge of envoys, what mockery is this ye do
to me?” “We mock thee not, lady; but the Emperor of Rome hath seen
thee in his sleep, and he has neither life nor spirit left because of
thee. Thou shalt have of us therefore the choice, lady, whether thou
wilt go with us and be made empress of Rome, or that the emperor come
hither and take thee for his wife?” “Ha, lords,” said the maiden, “I
will not deny what ye say, neither will I believe it too well. If the
emperor love me, let him come here to seek me.”

And by day and night the messengers hied them back. And when their
horses failed, they bought other fresh ones. And when they came to
Rome, they saluted the Emperor, and asked their boon, which was given
to them according as they named it. “We will be thy guides, lord,”
said they, “over sea and over land., to the place where is the woman
whom best thou lovest, for we know her name, and her kindred, and her
race.

And immediately the emperor set forth with his army. And these men
were his guides. Towards the Island of Britain they went over the sea
and the deep. And he conquered the Island from Beli the son of
Manogan, and his sons, and drove them to the sea, and went forward
even unto Arfon. And the emperor knew the land when he saw it. And
when he beheld the castle of Aber Sain, “Look yonder,” said he,
“there is the castle wherein I saw the damsel whom I best love.” And
he went forward into the castle and into the hall, and there he saw
Cynan the son of Eudaf, and Adeon the son of Eudaf, playing at chess.
And he saw Eudaf the son of Caradawc, sitting on a chair of ivory
carving chessmen. And the maiden whom he had beheld in his sleep, he
saw sitting on a chair of gold. “Empress of Rome,” said he, “all
hail!” And the emperor threw his arms about her neck; and that night
she became his bride.

And the next day in the morning, the damsel asked her maiden portion.
And he told her to name what she would. And she asked to have the
Island of Britain for her father, from the Channel to the Irish Sea,
together with the three adjacent Islands, to hold under the empress
of Rome; and to have three chief castles made for her, in whatever
places she might choose in the Island of Britain. And she chose to
have the highest castle made at Arfon. And they brought thither earth
from Rome that it might be more healthful for the emperor to sleep,
and sit, and walk upon. After that the two other castles were made
for her, which were Caerlleon and Caermarthen.

And one day the emperor went to hunt at Caermarthen, and he came so
far as the top of Brefi Fawr, and there the emperor pitched his tent.
And that encamping place is called Cadeir Macsen, even to this day.
And because that he built the castle with a myriad of men, he called
it Caerfyrddin. Then Helen bethought her to make high roads from one
castle to another throughout the Island of Britain. And the roads
were made. And for this cause are they called the roads of Helen
Luyddawc, that she was sprung from a native of this island, and the
men of the Island of Britain would not have made these great roads
for any save for her.

Seven years did the emperor tarry in this Island. Now, at that time,
the men of Rome had a custom, that whatsoever emperor should remain
in other lands more than seven years, should remain to his own
overthrow, and should never return to Rome again.

So they made a new emperor. And this one wrote a letter of threat to
Macsen. There was nought in the letter but only this. “If thou
comest, and if thou ever comest to Rome.” And even unto Caerlleon
came this letter to Macsen, and these tidings. Then sent he a letter
to the man who styled himself emperor in Rome. There was nought in
that letter also but only this. “If I come to Rome, and if I come.”
And thereupon Macsen set forth towards Rome with his army, and
vanquished France and Burgundy, and every land on the way, and sat
down before the city of Rome.

A year was the emperor before the city, and he was no nearer taking
it than the first day. And after him there came the brothers of Helen
Luyddawc from the Island of Britain, and a small host with them, and
better warriors were in that small host than twice as many Romans.
And the emperor was told that a host was seen, halting close to his
army and encamping, and no man ever saw a fairer or better appointed
host for its size, nor more handsome standards.

And Helen went to see the hosts, and she knew the standards of her
brothers. Then came Cynan the son of Eudaf, and Adeon the son of
Eudaf, to meet the emperor. And the emperor was glad because of them,
and embraced them.

Then they looked at the Romans as they attacked the city. Said Cynan
to his brother, “We will try to attack the city more expertly than
this.” So they measured by night the height of the wall, and they
sent their carpenters to the wood, and a ladder was made for every
four men of their number. Now when these were ready, every day at
mid-day the emperors went to meat, and they ceased to fight on both
sides till all had finished eating. And in the morning the men of
Britain took their food, and they drank until they were invigorated.
And while the two emperors were at meat, the Britons came to the
city, and placed their ladders against it, and forthwith they came in
through the city.

The new emperor had no time to arm himself when they fell upon him,
and slew him, and many others with him. And three nights and three
days were they subduing the men that were in the city and taking the
castle. And others of them kept the city, lest any of the host of
Macsen should come therein, until they had subjected all to their
will.

Then spake Macsen to Helen Luyddawc. “I marvel, lady,” said he, “that
thy brothers have not conquered this city for me.” “Lord, emperor,”
she answered, “the wisest youths in the world are my brothers. Go
thou thither and ask the city of them, and if it be in their
possession thou shalt have it gladly.” So the emperor and Helen went
and demanded the city. And they told the emperor that none had taken
the city, and that none could give it him, but the men of the Island
of Britain. Then the gates of the city of Rome were opened, and the
emperor sat on the throne, and all the men of Rome submitted
themselves unto him. The emperor then said unto Cynan and Adeon,
“Lords,” said he, “I have now had possession of the whole of my
empire. This host give I unto you to vanquish whatever region ye may
desire in the world.”

So they set forth and conquered lands, and castles, and cities. And
they slew all the men, but the women they kept alive. And thus they
continued until the young men that had come with them were grown
grey-headed, from the length of time they were upon this conquest.
Then spoke Cynan unto Adeon his brother, “Whether wilt thou rather,”
said he, “tarry in this land, or go back into the land whence thou
didst come forth?” Now he chose to go back to his own land, and many
with him. But Cynan tarried there with the other part and dwelt
there.

And they took counsel and cut out the tongues of the women, lest they
should corrupt their speech. And because of the silence of the women
from their own speech, the men of Armorica are called Britons. From
that time there came frequently, and still comes, that language from
the Island of Britain.

And this dream is called the Dream of Macsen Wledig, emperor of Rome.
And here it ends.

© Miwsig