BATTLE 6
Battle No 6 at The River Bassas.
This is one battle for which there is an unquantifiable number of claimed sites across the length and breadth of Great Britain.
Apparently any place-name starting with the letters 'Bas' qualifies as the site of Arthur's Battle No 6, some of which we listed earlier. As Battles Nos 2, 3, 4, and 5 were against Twrch Trwyth and his Irish Goedel pirates we have already placed them in Lynwys and we now know exactly where that Goedel region, in their language 'Glynwys', was situated.
It can be, therefore, no surprise that Battle No 6 was in the same wide region. It was a battle in which Arthur with his 2nd in command, Urien, became the aggressors by way of responding to the assistance the resident Goedels, of that part of Lynwys, had given to the invader Trwyth.
The battle started along the east bank of the River Tywi (today's Towy) from where Urien and his men chased the Goedels of the hill region towards Arthur encamped west above Pontardulais.
Between them they forced the Goedels further into the hills towards today's Brecon and Cardigan, to where Twrch's son Gwrych had escaped with his multitude of men after Battle No 4.
A romantic perception of this event is outlined in that Perlesvaus story by Chretien Des Troyes. We can link fact and that folklore together to make greater sense than the pure fiction that has become accepted as traditional history. Chretien introduced us to the Black Knight and the Black Castle just outside Pontardulais via the lecture notes of Dr Arbour Stephens.
The story describes the journey taken by Sir Gawain where he proceeds to the top of the hill above Pontardulais there he espies 'a foison of tents stretched in the middle of the lands, 'that would be at the place today named Penlle'r bebyll, meaning the 'chief place of tents' Beyond it at Llandybie was 'Maes Gwaed '(the Field of Blood).
For our sins the site, in its original state, was dug up to allow the extraction of coal via an open cast mine so the ghosts of that battle now haunt in distant places. Maes Gwaed has been restored as parkland. There was however a claim in the last century to the effect that the bones of some ancient warriors, complete with the remains of some of their arms, were found in a nearby cave.
Chretien also led us to believe that there was a cemetery surrounded by a high hedge at 'Forest' just above Pontardulais. Chretien, within his story 'Perlesvaus' , had taken the folklore of the region of Gwrhir (the wider Gower of the 6th Century) then imposed it into the 12th Century; Dr Stephens restored it to its correct place in the 6th Century such that we have been able to link it to the rest of Arthur's activities, and in particular to the list of battles given to us by Nennius.
Battle No 6 was said, in Latin, to have been fought on the banks of the River Bassas; more appropriately it was on the River Lassas that today is the River 'Las' at Gors Las', near Cross Hands all in the then region 'Lynwys'.
Compare the proximity of these first six battle-sites of Arthur to your own selection of 7 battles from the list provided earlier. I have included Battle No 7 as it is in the same general area, not in Lynwys , but in its foothills. Then for your choice measure the square mileage of the area that would be needed to encompass all seven of that choice.
My choice would fit within an area approx. 18 miles by 18 miles which statement leads us nicely into Battle No 7 and how each of Arthur's Twelve Battles, as listed by Nennius, were more inter-related than usually assumed.
This is one battle for which there is an unquantifiable number of claimed sites across the length and breadth of Great Britain.
Apparently any place-name starting with the letters 'Bas' qualifies as the site of Arthur's Battle No 6, some of which we listed earlier. As Battles Nos 2, 3, 4, and 5 were against Twrch Trwyth and his Irish Goedel pirates we have already placed them in Lynwys and we now know exactly where that Goedel region, in their language 'Glynwys', was situated.
It can be, therefore, no surprise that Battle No 6 was in the same wide region. It was a battle in which Arthur with his 2nd in command, Urien, became the aggressors by way of responding to the assistance the resident Goedels, of that part of Lynwys, had given to the invader Trwyth.
The battle started along the east bank of the River Tywi (today's Towy) from where Urien and his men chased the Goedels of the hill region towards Arthur encamped west above Pontardulais.
Between them they forced the Goedels further into the hills towards today's Brecon and Cardigan, to where Twrch's son Gwrych had escaped with his multitude of men after Battle No 4.
A romantic perception of this event is outlined in that Perlesvaus story by Chretien Des Troyes. We can link fact and that folklore together to make greater sense than the pure fiction that has become accepted as traditional history. Chretien introduced us to the Black Knight and the Black Castle just outside Pontardulais via the lecture notes of Dr Arbour Stephens.
The story describes the journey taken by Sir Gawain where he proceeds to the top of the hill above Pontardulais there he espies 'a foison of tents stretched in the middle of the lands, 'that would be at the place today named Penlle'r bebyll, meaning the 'chief place of tents' Beyond it at Llandybie was 'Maes Gwaed '(the Field of Blood).
For our sins the site, in its original state, was dug up to allow the extraction of coal via an open cast mine so the ghosts of that battle now haunt in distant places. Maes Gwaed has been restored as parkland. There was however a claim in the last century to the effect that the bones of some ancient warriors, complete with the remains of some of their arms, were found in a nearby cave.
Chretien also led us to believe that there was a cemetery surrounded by a high hedge at 'Forest' just above Pontardulais. Chretien, within his story 'Perlesvaus' , had taken the folklore of the region of Gwrhir (the wider Gower of the 6th Century) then imposed it into the 12th Century; Dr Stephens restored it to its correct place in the 6th Century such that we have been able to link it to the rest of Arthur's activities, and in particular to the list of battles given to us by Nennius.
Battle No 6 was said, in Latin, to have been fought on the banks of the River Bassas; more appropriately it was on the River Lassas that today is the River 'Las' at Gors Las', near Cross Hands all in the then region 'Lynwys'.
Compare the proximity of these first six battle-sites of Arthur to your own selection of 7 battles from the list provided earlier. I have included Battle No 7 as it is in the same general area, not in Lynwys , but in its foothills. Then for your choice measure the square mileage of the area that would be needed to encompass all seven of that choice.
My choice would fit within an area approx. 18 miles by 18 miles which statement leads us nicely into Battle No 7 and how each of Arthur's Twelve Battles, as listed by Nennius, were more inter-related than usually assumed.
