Vortiporius information

Map showing Dyfed, after the late 7th century, showing its seven cantrefi.

Map showing the location of Dyfed in southwesternmost Wales.

Vortiporius or Vortipor (Old Welsh: Guortepir, Middle Welsh: Gwrdeber or Gwerthefyr)^[1] was a king of Dyfed in the early to mid-6th century. He ruled over an area approximately corresponding to modern Pembrokeshire, and Carmarthenshire, Wales. Records from this era are scant, and virtually nothing is known of him or his kingdom. The only contemporary information about Vortiporius comes from the Welsh ecclesiastic Gildas, in a highly allegorical condemnation from his De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae (English: "On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain"). At the time the work was written (c. 540), Gildas says that Vortiporius was king of Dyfed, that he was grey with age, that his wife had died, and that he had at least one daughter.^[2]^[3]

As a legendary king in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 12th-century treatment of the Matter of Britain, the Historia Regum Britanniae, Vortiporius was the successor of Aurelius Conanus and was succeeded by Malgo. He is not mentioned in the 9th-century Historia Brittonum attributed to Nennius. Vortiporius appears in the Irish genealogy given in the 8th-century work The Expulsion of the Déisi, in which his name is given as Gartbuir.^[4] The pedigree given in the Harley MS 5389, written c. 1100, is nearly identical, with his name given as Guortepir.^[5] In the Jesus College MS. 20, he is called Gwrdeber.^[6] The genealogy in Expulsion says he was a descendant of Eochaid Allmuir (English: "Eochaid the Foreigner" [literally (from) Overseas]),^[7] who is said to have led a sept of the Déisi in their settlement of Dyfed c. 270.^[8]

A memorial stone was discovered in 1895 near the church of Castell Dwyran in Carmarthenshire bearing a Christian cross and with inscriptions in both Latin and in ogham.^[9] Dedicated to Voteporigis in the Latin inscription and Votegorigas in ogham, it was immediately assumed that this referred to Vortiporius. However, this assumption is refuted by modern linguistic analysis, which notes that the missing 'r' in the first syllable of 'Voteporigis'/'Votegorigas' is significant, and so the stone must be dedicated to a different person.^[10] The Latin genitive clearly implies a nominative Voteporix.

^ Koch, John, Celtic Culture: a historical encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 864: "In Old Welsh sources, the name Guortepir, corresponding to the Vorteporius of Gildas...is kept distinct from Guorthemir, but in Middle Welsh texts the two tend to fall together as Gwerthefyr, the former unhistorically taking the form of the latter."
^ Giles 1841:27–28, De Excidio, section 31 (in English)
^ Giles 1847:246–279, De Excidio, section 31 (in Latin)
^ Meyer 1901:112–113, The Expulsion of the Dessi. The Irish form is given as "Tualodor mac Rigin maic Catacuind maic Caittienn maic Clotenn maic Naee maic Artuir maic Retheoir maic Congair maic Gartbuir maic Alchoil maic Trestin maic Aeda Brosc maic Corath maic Echach Almuir maic Arttchuirp". Meyer's translation is "Teudor son of Regin, son of Catgocaun, son of Cathen, son of Cloten, son of Nougoy, son of Arthur, son of Petr, son of Cincar, son of Guortepir, son of Aircol, son of Triphun, son of Áed Brosc, son of Corath, son of Eochaid Allmuir, son of Artchorp".
^ Phillimore 1888:171, Harleian MS. 3859, "... Teudos map Regin map Catgocaun map Cathen map Cloten map Nougoy map Arthur map Petr map Cincar map Guortepir map Aircol map Triphun ...".
^ Phillimore 1887:86, Pedigrees From Jesus College MS. 20. "... Teudos M. Gwgawn M. Cathen M. Eleothen M. Nennue M. Arthur M. Peder M. Kyngar M. Gwrdeber M. Erbin M. Aircol lawhir M. tryphun M. Ewein vreisc M. Cyndwr bendigeit ...". Ewein vreisc is given here for Áed Brosc given elsewhere, and Erbin is inserted between Gwrdeber and Aircol, where he is not listed elsewhere.
^ Dictionary of the Irish Language, Compact Edition, Royal Irish Academy, 1998; allmuir, p. 37, column 289, line 078
^ Meyer, Kuno (1896), "Early Relations Between Gael and Brython", in Evans, E. Vincent (ed.), Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, Session 1895–1896, vol. I, London: Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, pp. 55–86
^ Laws, Edward (1895), "Discovery of the Tombstone of Vortipore, Prince of Demetia", Archaeologia Cambrensis, Fifth Series, vol. XII, London: Chas. J. Clark, pp. 303–306
^ Sims-Williams, Patrick (2003), The Celtic Inscriptions of Britain: Phonology and Chronology, c. 400 – 1200, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, pp. 342, 346–347, ISBN 1-4051-0903-3

[1] Koch, John, Celtic Culture: a historical encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, 2006, p. 864: "In Old Welsh sources, the name Guortepir, corresponding to the Vorteporius of Gildas...is kept distinct from Guorthemir, but in Middle Welsh texts the two tend to fall together as Gwerthefyr, the former unhistorically taking the form of the latter."

[Giles_1841_27_–_28-2] Giles 1841:27–28, De Excidio, section 31 (in English)

[ReferenceA-3] Giles 1847:246–279, De Excidio, section 31 (in Latin)

[4] Meyer 1901:112–113, The Expulsion of the Dessi. The Irish form is given as "Tualodor mac Rigin maic Catacuind maic Caittienn maic Clotenn maic Naee maic Artuir maic Retheoir maic Congair maic Gartbuir maic Alchoil maic Trestin maic Aeda Brosc maic Corath maic Echach Almuir maic Arttchuirp". Meyer's translation is "Teudor son of Regin, son of Catgocaun, son of Cathen, son of Cloten, son of Nougoy, son of Arthur, son of Petr, son of Cincar, son of Guortepir, son of Aircol, son of Triphun, son of Áed Brosc, son of Corath, son of Eochaid Allmuir, son of Artchorp".

[5] Phillimore 1888:171, Harleian MS. 3859, "... Teudos map Regin map Catgocaun map Cathen map Cloten map Nougoy map Arthur map Petr map Cincar map Guortepir map Aircol map Triphun ...".

[6] Phillimore 1887:86, Pedigrees From Jesus College MS. 20. "... Teudos M. Gwgawn M. Cathen M. Eleothen M. Nennue M. Arthur M. Peder M. Kyngar M. Gwrdeber M. Erbin M. Aircol lawhir M. tryphun M. Ewein vreisc M. Cyndwr bendigeit ...". Ewein vreisc is given here for Áed Brosc given elsewhere, and Erbin is inserted between Gwrdeber and Aircol, where he is not listed elsewhere.

[7] Dictionary of the Irish Language, Compact Edition, Royal Irish Academy, 1998; allmuir, p. 37, column 289, line 078

[8] Meyer, Kuno (1896), "Early Relations Between Gael and Brython", in Evans, E. Vincent (ed.), Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, Session 1895–1896, vol. I, London: Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, pp. 55–86

[9] Laws, Edward (1895), "Discovery of the Tombstone of Vortipore, Prince of Demetia", Archaeologia Cambrensis, Fifth Series, vol. XII, London: Chas. J. Clark, pp. 303–306

[Sims-10] Sims-Williams, Patrick (2003), The Celtic Inscriptions of Britain: Phonology and Chronology, c. 400 – 1200, Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, pp. 342, 346–347, ISBN 1-4051-0903-3

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