Caradoc Vreichvras (Welsh pronunciation:[kʰaˈɾɑːdak];[a][1][2] ModernWelsh:Caradog Freichfras,lit. 'Caradoc Strongarm') was a semi-legendary ancestor to thekings of Gwent. He may have lived during the 5th or 6th century. He is remembered in theMatter of Britain as aKnight of the Round Table, under the namesKing Carados andCarados Briefbras (French for "Carados Shortarm").
Though the name "Caradoc" and its various forms were by no means uncommon during the Middle Ages, it is probable some of the Caradocs referred to inWelshgenealogies andhagiographies such theLife of St.Tatheus are the same person.
Due to the name's prevalence considerable confusion exists about Caradoc's identity, both historical and literary. He may have become confused with theBritish heroCaratacus (theLatin form of Caradoc),Cerdic of Wessex and any number of British history's later Caradocs. His parentage varies from text to text; he is called the son of Llŷr Marini (possibly implyingLlŷr) several times in theMabinogion, and a probably-Breton legend found in the firstPerceval continuation has a certain Caradoc the Elder as the father, furthering the obfuscation.
Some archaeologists interpret Caradog Freichfras as a plausible historical figure, also known asCaradoc ap Ynyr, who may have been the ruler ofGwent around the 6th century, and was based atCaerwent, the earlier Roman town ofVenta Silurum. They interpret his name as a remembrance of the earlier hero Caratacus, implying a continuity of tradition from the pre-Roman culture of theSilures who occupied the same area in what is now south-east Wales, and which is also suggested by other material.[3]
Caradoc appears in theWelsh Triads, where he is described asArthur's chief elder atCelliwig inCornwall and one of the three knights of the island of Britain; his horse is named as Lluagor ('Host-Splitter').[4] The same title—chief elder of Cornwall—is also given inCulhwch and Olwen, which lists "Gormant the son of Ricca (Arthur's brother byhis mother's side; the Penhynev [chief elder] of Cornwall was his father)",[5] a parallel to later stories ofGorlois of Cornwall. This can be read either with Ricca as the son of the chief elder, or the chief elder's name.[6]
InGeoffrey of Monmouth'sHistoria Regum Britanniae,Caradocus is ruler of Cornwall underOctavius, who died during the reign of EmperorMagnus Maximus (383–388). The connection with Cornwall in the Triads may indicate that Monmouth used Caradoc as the basis for this character. Cornish antiquaryRichard Carew instead places Caradocus as duke of Cornwall later, in 443, saying that Octavius tasked him with founding theUniversity of Cambridge, and listing him as the predecessor of Gorlois.[7]
Caradoc appears frequently in Arthurian literature. His wife,Tegau (teg: 'pretty';eurfron: 'golden-breast'), is described as Caradoc's wife in theLivre de Carados (The Book of Caradoc) andLe Manteau Mal Taillé (The Badly Tailored Mantle), short stories dated to the end of the 12th century.
In the later prose cycles of Arthurian romance, Caradoc is said to have been a knight of theRound Table duringUther Pendragon's time who joins other kings in rebellion when Arthur takes the throne but is eventually reconciled with the young king and become one of his most trusted allies. In theVulgateMerlin, he even marries one of Arthur's five half-sisters; their son is King Aguisant of Scotland.[8] In the VulgateMort Artu, Caradoc himself dies heroically inArthur's final battle when he is killed by the Mordred-appointed lord of Scotland, Heliades, whom he also kills after leading the rout of Irish mercenaries.[9]
Other, unrelated characters named Caradoc[10] or Carados[11] also appear in the French Arthurian prose romances and later works inspired by them.
Caradoc stars in his own minor romance, theLife of Caradoc included in the First Continuation ofChrétien de Troyes'sPerceval, the Story of the Grail. The story, probably based onCeltic Briton tradition, seems created to explain how Caradoc got his nickname of 'Short Arm'.
Caradoc the Elder marries the beautiful Ysave, but she is soon seduced by an enchanter named Eliavres. Eliavres casts a spell over Caradoc to make him mistake various farm animals for his wife, while the wizard is busy fathering a son. Caradoc the Elder names the son after himself, and the boy grows up to be a worthy young squire. Caradoc the Younger goes off to King Arthur's court and is made a Knight of the Round Table like his father. Before long, Eliavres enters the hall and asks for a beheading test (a Celtic motif first appearing in theOld Irish textFled Bricrenn ("Bricriu's Feast") and subsequently in a number of Arthurian texts, of which the best-known is theMiddle EnglishSir Gawain and the Green Knight). Eliavres asks for a knight to lop off his head, the only catch being that if he survives, he may take the knight's head in return. Caradoc takes up the challenge, and dutifully offers his own neck when the sorcerer magically replaces his head. Eliavres declines to kill young Caradoc, but reveals that he is his natural father. Caradoc the Younger is understandably chagrined at the news. He embarks on a number of knightly adventures, whereupon he meets his best friend SirCador, travelling with his sister Guinier. Back in his kingdom, he reveals his father's cuckoldry, and Caradoc the Elder and Younger exact humiliating vengeance upon Eliavres, forcing him to mate with a female hound dog,[b] a sow, and a mare, producing as offspring themastiff[c] Guinalot, the boar Tortain and the horse Lorigal.[12] Eliavres is locked away from his mistress Ysave. All goes well until the wizard attempts to escape. When Caradoc the Younger tries to stop him, Eliavres summons a serpent that entwines itself around Caradoc's arm, crippling it and draining his life energy away. Cador and Guinier travel throughout the country trying to find how to remove the snake, and finally return with the solution. Caradoc will sit in a tub of vinegar while Guinier sits in a vat of milk with her supple breasts exposed. The serpent loathes the vinegar and leaps towards Guinier, but Cador kills it with his sword. Unfortunately he slices off Guinier's nipple in the process (it is later replaced with a magical gold one). Though Caradoc is freed from the snake, his arm is permanently damaged, leaving him with his nickname, "Caradoc Short Arm". Guinier and Caradoc are married, and after a fidelity test involving adrinking horn, they live happily ever after.
The tale exists in all three redactions of the First Continuation and is embedded, in abridged form, in one of theReynard romances. Though it does not appear before the last decade of the 13th century, it is most likely based on a Welsh version, allusions to which can be found in the Welsh Triads. The Triads note Caradoc's wife,Tegau, for her love and fidelity, and her sobriquet "Eurfron" ("Gold-Breast") would suit Guiner from theLife of Caradoc. Additionally, there is mention of Tegau's fidelity-testingmantle, which is a common substitute for the drinking horn in chastity test stories.
Several versions of the Mantle of Chastity test involving Caradoc's wife were translated into Norse during the reign of KingHakon Hakonarson, and a version of the chastity test fromThe Book of Caradoc in theFirst Continuation of the Old French Perceval is found in the NorseMöttuls saga. The story survives in the traditional English folk balladThe Boy and the Mantle, collected byBishop Thomas Percy inPercy's Reliques. The chastity test involving the drinking horn was narrated in theLai du cor [fr] (1160) by the jongleur Robert Biket, who claimedCirencester was awarded to Caradoc for winning the drinking horn through the fidelity of his wife, and that the horn was on display there.
In 1698,Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force rewrote the tale under the titleL'Enchanteur ("The Enchanter"). The story was essentially the same, despite a few changes, including the renaming of several characters: Caradoc the Younger, Cador, Guinier and Ysave became Carados, Candor, Adelis and Isène.
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