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86-405: The Vita Sancti Kentigerni ("Life of Saint Kentigern") is a hagiography of Saint Kentigern (also known as St. Mungo) written circa 1200 by Jocelyn of Furness . This Christianity -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Saint Kentigern Kentigern ( Welsh : Cyndeyrn Garthwys ; Latin : Kentigernus ), known as Mungo , was a missionary in
172-563: A Church of Scotland congregation is named St Kentigern's. St. Kentigern's Academy opened in Blackburn, West Lothian in September 1974. In Alloa , a chapel dedicated to St. Mungo is thought to have been erected during the fourteenth or fifteenth-century. The present Church of Scotland St. Mungo's Parish Church in Alloa was built in 1817. In Cumbernauld , there is St. Mungo's Parish Church in
258-608: A coracle in which she drifted across the Firth of Forth to Culross in Fife . There Mungo was born. Mungo was brought up by Saint Serf who was ministering to the Picts in that area. It was Serf who gave him his popular pet-name. At the age of twenty-five, Mungo began his missionary labours on the Clyde , on the site of modern Glasgow. He built his church across the water from an extinct volcano, next to
344-403: A certain point, probably during the 11th century, all the inhabitants of northern Alba had become fully Gaelicised Scots, and Pictish identity was forgotten. Henry of Huntingdon was one of the first (surviving) historians to note this disappearance in the mid-12th century Historia Anglorum . Later, the idea of Picts as a tribe was revived in myth and legend . The early history of Pictland
430-528: A descriptive term continued to the formation of the Alpínid dynasty in the ninth century, and the merging of the Pictish Kingdom with that of Dál Riata. The Latin word Picti first occurs in a panegyric , a formal eulogising speech from 297 and is most commonly explained as meaning 'painted' (from Latin pingere 'to paint'; pictus , 'painted', cf. Greek πυκτίς pyktis , 'picture' ). This
516-520: A distinctive form of the general Celtic Early Medieval development of La Tène style with increasing influences from the Insular art of 7th and 8th century Ireland and Northumbria , and then Anglo-Saxon and Irish art as the Early Medieval period continues. The most well-known surviving examples are the many Pictish stones located across Pictland. The symbols and patterns consist of animals including
602-469: A few decades until it was abandoned during the reign of Caustantín mac Áeda . Pictish society was typical of many early medieval societies in northern Europe and had parallels with neighbouring groups. Archaeology gives some impression of their culture. Medieval sources report the existence of a Pictish language , and evidence shows that it was an Insular Celtic language related to the Brittonic spoken by
688-532: A group of peoples in what is now Scotland north of the Firth of Forth , in the Early Middle Ages . Where they lived and details of their culture can be gleaned from early medieval texts and Pictish stones . The name Picti appears in written records as an exonym from the late third century AD. They are assumed to have been descendants of the Caledonii and other northern Iron Age tribes. Their territory
774-462: A love affair whilst he was still married to his wife Penarwen and that her father, King Lot, separated the pair after she became pregnant. Later, allegedly, after Penarwen died, Tenue/Thaney returned to King Owain and the pair were able to marry before King Owain met his death battling Bernicia in 597 AD. Her furious father had her thrown from the heights of Traprain Law . Surviving, she was then abandoned in
860-567: A major part of the diet of ordinary people, while the elite would have eaten a diet rich in meat from farming and hunting. No Pictish counterparts to the areas of denser settlement around important fortresses in Gaul and southern Britain, or any other significant urban settlements, are known. Larger, but not large, settlements existed around royal forts, such as at Burghead Fort , or associated with religious foundations. No towns are known in Scotland until
946-564: A much longer period. Pictland was not solely influenced by Iona and Ireland. It also had ties to churches in Northumbria, as seen in the reign of Nechtan mac Der Ilei . The reported expulsion of Ionan monks and clergy by Nechtan in 717 may have been related to the controversy over the dating of Easter , and the manner of tonsure , where Nechtan appears to have supported the Roman usages, but may equally have been intended to increase royal power over
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#17330938303751032-525: A period to go adventuring. This suggests that the works share a common source. On the spot where Mungo was buried now stands the cathedral dedicated in his honour. His shrine was a great centre of Christian pilgrimage until the Scottish Reformation . His remains are said to still rest in the crypt. A spring called "St. Mungo's Well" fell eastwards from the apse. His festival was kept throughout Scotland on 13 January. The Bollandists have printed
1118-483: A ring of authenticity about them. The year of Mungo's death is sometimes given as 603, but is recorded in the Annales Cambriae as 612. 13 January was a Sunday in both 603 and 614. David McRoberts has argued that his death in the bath is a garbled version of his collapse during a baptismal service. In a late 15th-century fragmentary manuscript generally called ' Lailoken and Kentigern', Mungo appears in conflict with
1204-639: A special mass for this feast, dating from the 13th century. His feast day in the West is 13 January. His feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church is 14 January. Mungo's four religious miracles in Glasgow are represented in the city's coat of arms . Glasgow's current motto Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of His word and the praising of His name and the more secular Let Glasgow flourish , are both inspired by Mungo's original call "Let Glasgow flourish by
1290-590: A time with Saint David at St David's , and afterwards moving on to Gwynedd where he founded a cathedral at Llanelwy (St Asaph in English). While there, he undertook a pilgrimage to Rome . However, the new King of Strathclyde, Riderch Hael , invited Mungo to return to his kingdom. He decided to go and appointed Saint Asaph/Asaff as Bishop of Llanelwy in his place. For some years, Mungo fixed his Episcopal seat at Hoddom in Dumfriesshire , evangelising thence
1376-581: A useful guide, these extend across a very large area. Relying on knowledge of pre-Roman Gaul , or 13th-century Ireland, as a guide to the Picts of the 6th century may be misleading if the analogy is pursued too far. Like most northern European people in Late Antiquity , the Picts were farmers living in small communities. Cattle and horses were an obvious sign of wealth and prestige. Sheep and pigs were kept in large numbers, and place names suggest that transhumance
1462-465: A wide following in the north in earlier times, although he was all but forgotten by the 12th century. Saint Serf of Culross was associated with Nechtan's brother Bridei. It appears, as is well known in later times, that noble kin groups had their own patron saints, and their own churches or abbeys. Pictish art is primarily associated with monumental stones , but also includes smaller objects of stone and bone, and metalwork such as brooches . It uses
1548-504: Is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on 13 January. Saint Mungo founded a number of churches during his period as Archbishop of Strathclyde of which Stobo Kirk is a notable example. At Townhead and Dennistoun in Glasgow there is a modern Roman Catholic church and a traditional Scottish Episcopal Church respectively dedicated to the saint. St Mungo's Academy
1634-496: Is a Roman Catholic , co-educational , comprehensive , secondary school located in Bridgeton, Glasgow . Another church established by the saint himself was St Kentigern's Church of Lanark , founded shortly before his death, and which now stands in ruins. Another church called St Kentigern's was built in the town in the late 19th century. It is still present but has been converted to housing and office space. In Kilmarnock ,
1720-574: Is a St. Mungo's High School. In Grinsdale , Cumbria there is a church venerated to St. Kentigern. Also in Cumbria, there are two Greek Orthodox Communities venerated to St. Mungo/Kentigern, one in Dalton-in-Furness and the other in Keswick . In Fallowfield , a suburb of the city of Manchester, a Roman Catholic church is dedicated to Saint Kentigern. St Kentigern's is a small Roman Catholic Church in
1806-602: Is based on the Old Welsh record Conthigirn(i) . Other etymologies have been suggested, including British * Kintu-tigernos 'chief prince' based on the English form Kentigern, but the Old Welsh form above and Old English Cundiʒeorn do not appear to support this. Particularly in Scotland, he is known by the pet name Mungo, possibly derived from the Cumbric equivalent of
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#17330938303751892-588: Is extinct. Evidence is limited to place-names , personal names , and contemporary records in other languages. The evidence of place and personal names appears to indicate that the Picts spoke an Insular Celtic language related to the Brittonic languages of the south. It is possible that Pictish diverged significantly from the Southern Neo-Brittonic dialects due to the lack of influence of Latin. The absence of surviving written material in Pictish, discounting
1978-462: Is generally understood to be a reference to the practice of tattooing. Claudian , in his account of the Roman commander Stilicho , written around 404, speaks of designs on the bodies of dying Picts, presumably referring to tattoos or body paint. Isidore of Seville reports in the early seventh century that the practice was continued by the Picts. An alternative suggestion is that the Latin Picti
2064-469: Is likely that the Pictish language influenced the development, grammar and vocabulary of Scottish Gaelic , which has some characteristics unique among the Goidelic languages and which, in certain cases, are more reminiscent of Brittonic languages. Toponymic evidence indicates the advance of Gaelic into Pictland; Atholl , meaning New Ireland , is attested in the early 8th century. This may be an indication of
2150-598: Is limited. Naturalistic depictions of Pictish nobles, hunters and warriors, male and female, without obvious tattoos, are found on monumental stones . These include inscriptions in Latin and ogham script, not all of which have been deciphered. The well-known Pictish symbols found on standing stones and other artefacts have defied attempts at translation over the centuries. Pictish art can be classed as " Celtic " and later as Insular . Irish poets portrayed their Pictish counterparts as very much like themselves. Early Pictish religion
2236-461: Is presumed to have resembled Celtic polytheism in general, although only place names remain from the pre-Christian era. When the Pictish elite converted to Christianity is uncertain, but traditions place Saint Palladius in Pictland after he left Ireland , and link Abernethy with Saint Brigid of Kildare . Saint Patrick refers to "apostate Picts", while the poem Y Gododdin does not remark on
2322-540: Is referred to as "Pictland" by modern historians. Initially made up of several chiefdoms , it came to be dominated by the Pictish kingdom of Fortriu from the seventh century. During this Verturian hegemony , Picti was adopted as an endonym. This lasted around 160 years until the Pictish kingdom merged with that of Dál Riata to form the Kingdom of Alba , ruled by the House of Alpin . The concept of "Pictish kingship" continued for
2408-668: Is similar to the situation with the Gaelic name of Scotland, Alba , which originally seems to have been a generalised term for Britain. It has been proposed that the Picts may have called themselves Albidosi , a name found in the Chronicle of the Kings of Alba during the reign of Máel Coluim mac Domnaill . The origin myth presented in Bede 's Ecclesiastical History of the English People describes
2494-602: Is thought to be of Pictish origin, composed around 700. Its structure is similar to the origin myths of other peoples and its main purpose appears to have been to legitimise the annexation of Pictish territories by Fortriu and the creation of a wider Pictland. A study published in 2023 sequenced the whole genomes from eight individuals associated with the Pictish period, excavated from cemeteries at Lundin Links in Fife and Balintore, Easter Ross . The study observed "broad affinities" between
2580-453: Is traditionally said to have been built on the site of Mungo's birth place. Founded in 1503, it later fell into ruin and was silted up. The site was excavated in 1926. It is now a scheduled monument . St. Mungo is mentioned in the Father Brown series of books by G. K. Chesterton , as the titular saint of Father Brown's parish. St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries is
2666-578: Is unclear whether the Mormaers were originally former kings, royal officials, or local nobles, or some combination of these. Likewise, the Pictish shires and thanages , traces of which are found in later times, are thought to have been adopted from their southern neighbours. The archaeological record gives insight into the Picts' material culture , and suggest a society not readily distinguishable from its British, Gaelic, or Anglo-Saxon neighbours. Although analogy and knowledge of other Celtic societies may be
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2752-581: Is unclear. In later periods, multiple kings ruled over separate kingdoms, with one king, sometimes two, more or less dominating their lesser neighbours. De Situ Albanie , a 13th century document, the Pictish Chronicle , the 11th century Duan Albanach , along with Irish legends, have been used to argue the existence of seven Pictish kingdoms. These are: Cait , or Cat, situated in modern Caithness and Sutherland ; Ce , situated in modern Mar and Buchan ; Circin , perhaps situated in modern Angus and
2838-544: The Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow . In Wales and England , this saint is known by his birth and baptismal name Kentigern ( Welsh : Cyndeyrn ). This name probably comes from the British * Cuno-tigernos , which is composed of the elements * cun , a hound , and * tigerno , a lord, prince, or king. The evidence
2924-541: The Celtic Britons to the south. Pictish was gradually displaced by Middle Gaelic as part of the wider Gaelicisation from the late ninth century. Much of their history is known from outside sources, including Bede , hagiographies of saints such as that of Columba by Adomnán , and the Irish annals . There has been substantial critical reappraisal of the concept of "Pictishness" over recent decades. The popular view at
3010-603: The Irish Sea , have been found. This trade may have been controlled from Dunadd in Dál Riata, where such goods appear to have been common. While long-distance travel was unusual in Pictish times, it was far from unknown as stories of missionaries, travelling clerics and exiles show. Brochs are popularly associated with the Picts. Although built earlier in the Iron Age , with construction ending around 100 AD, they remained in use beyond
3096-504: The Kingdom of York . In a major battle in 839 , the Vikings killed the King of Fortriu , Eógan mac Óengusa , the King of Dál Riata Áed mac Boanta , and many others. In the aftermath, in the 840s, Kenneth MacAlpin ( Medieval Gaelic : Cináed mac Ailpín ) became king of the Picts. During the reign of Cínaed's grandson, Caustantín mac Áeda (900–943), outsiders began to refer to the region as
3182-537: The Life of Saint Mungo , he performed four miracles in Glasgow. The following verse is used to remember Mungo's four miracles: Here is the bird that never flew Here is the tree that never grew Here is the bell that never rang Here is the fish that never swam The verses refer to the following: Mungo's ancestry is recorded in the Bonedd y Saint . His father, Owain was a King of Rheged . His maternal grandfather, Lleuddun,
3268-476: The Pictish Beast , the "rectangle", the "mirror and comb", "double-disc and Z-rod" and the "crescent and V-rod", among many others. There are also bosses and lenses with pelta and spiral designs. The patterns are curvilinear with hatchings. The cross-slabs are carved with Pictish symbols, Insular-derived interlace and Christian imagery, though interpretation is often difficult due to wear and obscurity. Several of
3354-691: The Welsh : fy nghu 'my dear (one)'. The Mungo pet name or hypocorism has a Gaelic parallel in the form Mo Choe or Mo Cha , under which guise Kentigern appears in Kirkmahoe , for example, in Dumfriesshire, which appears as ecclesia Sancti Kentigerni in the Arbroath Liber in 1321. An ancient church in Bromfield, Cumbria , is named after him, as are Crosthwaite Parish Church and some other churches in
3440-467: The 12th century. The technology of everyday life is not well recorded, but archaeological evidence shows it to have been similar to that in Ireland and Anglo-Saxon England. Recently evidence has been found of watermills in Pictland. Kilns were used for drying kernels of wheat or barley, not otherwise easy in the changeable, temperate climate. The early Picts are associated with piracy and raiding along
3526-681: The 1836 originally as a Church of Scotland, it has recently been restored for its 180th anniversary. Although secular, the English charity for the support and empowerment of the homeless, St. Mungo's , was named after the saint by its founder. The Glasgow-born Harry Stone named it in honour of the patron saint of his birth city when the charity was established in 1969. Saint Mungo's runs hostels, outreach, emergency shelters, and employment and training services. It provides an online and in-person "Recovery College" free to its students. The ruinous St. Mungo's Chapel (also known as St. Serf 's Chapel) in Culross
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3612-548: The 7th century Northumbria was the most powerful kingdom in Britain. The Picts were probably tributary to Northumbria until the reign of Bridei mac Beli , when, in 685, the Anglians suffered a defeat at the Battle of Dun Nechtain that halted their northward expansion. The Northumbrians continued to dominate southern Scotland for the remainder of the Pictish period. Dál Riata was subject to
3698-757: The 8th and 9th centuries, after Christianization, the Pictish elite adopted a particular form of the Irish Celtic brooch , preferring true penannular brooches with lobed terminals. Some older Irish brooches were adapted to the Pictish style, for example, the c. 8th century Breadalbane Brooch now in the British Museum . The St Ninian's Isle Treasure (c. 750–825 AD) contains the best collection of Pictish forms. Other characteristics of Pictish metalwork are dotted backgrounds or designs and animal forms influenced by Insular art. The 8th century Monymusk Reliquary has elements of Pictish and Irish styles. The Pictish language
3784-471: The Christian images carved on various stones, such as David the harpist, Daniel and the lion, or scenes of St Paul and St Anthony meeting in the desert, have been influenced by the Insular manuscript tradition. Pictish metalwork is found throughout Pictland (modern-day Scotland) and also further south; the Picts appeared to have a considerable amount of silver available, probably from raiding further south, or
3870-475: The Kingdom of Alba rather than the Kingdom of the Picts, but it is not known whether this was because a new kingdom was established or Alba was simply a closer approximation of the Pictish name for the Picts. However, though the Pictish language did not disappear suddenly, a process of Gaelicisation (which may have begun generations earlier) was clearly underway during the reigns of Caustantín and his successors. By
3956-607: The Mearns ; Fib, the modern Fife ; Fidach, location unknown, but possibly near Inverness ; Fotla, modern Atholl ( Ath-Fotla ); and Fortriu , cognate with the Verturiones of the Romans, recently shown to be centred on Moray . More small kingdoms may have existed. Some evidence suggests that a Pictish kingdom also existed in Orkney . De Situ Albanie is not the most reliable of sources, and
4042-570: The Molendinar Burn, where the present medieval cathedral now stands. For some thirteen years, he laboured in the district, living a most austere life in a small cell and making many converts by his holy example and his preaching. A strong anti-Christian movement in Strathclyde, headed by a certain King Morken, compelled Mungo to leave the district, and he retired to Wales, via Cumbria, staying for
4128-589: The Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa (reigned 729–761), and although it had its own kings beginning in the 760s, does not appear to have recovered its political independence from the Picts. A later Pictish king, Caustantín mac Fergusa (793–820), placed his son Domnall on the throne of Dál Riata (811–835). Pictish attempts to achieve a similar dominance over the Britons of Alt Clut ( Strathclyde ) were not successful. The Viking Age brought significant change to Britain and Ireland, no less in Scotland than elsewhere, with
4214-500: The Pictish period. Crannogs , which may originate in Neolithic Scotland, may have been rebuilt, and some were still in use in the time of the Picts. The most common sort of buildings would have been roundhouses and rectangular timbered halls. While many churches were built in wood, from the early 8th century, if not earlier, some were built in stone. The Picts are often said to have tattooed themselves, but evidence for this
4300-478: The Picts as pagans. Bede wrote that Saint Ninian (confused by some with Saint Finnian of Moville , who died c. 589), had converted the southern Picts. Recent archaeological work at Portmahomack places the foundation of the monastery there, an area once assumed to be among the last converted, in the late 6th century. This is contemporary with Bridei mac Maelchon and Columba, but the process of establishing Christianity throughout Pictland will have extended over
4386-580: The Picts as settlers from Scythia who arrived on the northern coast of Ireland by chance. Local Scoti leaders redirected them to northern Britain where they settled, taking Scoti wives. The Pictish Chronicle , repeating this story, further names the mythical founding leader Cruithne (the Gaelic word for Pict ), followed by his sons, whose names correspond with the seven provinces of Pictland: Circin , Fidach , Fortriu , Fotla ( Atholl ), Cat , Ce and Fib . Bede's account has long been recognised as pseudohistorical literary invention, and
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#17330938303754472-539: The Picts practised matrilineal succession, but because they were usually followed by their own brothers or cousins ( agnatic seniority ), more likely to be experienced men with the authority and the support necessary to be king. This was similar to tanistry . The nature of kingship changed considerably during the centuries of Pictish history. While earlier kings had to be successful war leaders to maintain their authority, kingship became rather less personalised and more institutionalised during this time. Bureaucratic kingship
4558-458: The Vikings conquering and settling the islands and various mainland areas, including Caithness , Sutherland and Galloway . In the middle of the 9th century Ketil Flatnose is said to have founded the Kingdom of the Isles , governing many of these territories, and by the end of that century the Vikings had destroyed the Kingdom of Northumbria, greatly weakened the Kingdom of Strathclyde , and founded
4644-571: The advance of Gaelic. Fortriu also contains place names suggesting Gaelic settlement, or Gaelic influences. A pre-Gaelic interpretation of the name as Athfocla meaning 'north pass' or 'north way', as in gateway to Moray, suggests that the Gaelic Athfotla may be a Gaelic misreading of the minuscule c for t. Ogham inscriptions on Pictish stones and other Pictish archaeological objects survive. These were argued by influential linguist Kenneth Jackson to be unintelligible as Celtic and evidence for
4730-482: The area, including Verturiones , Taexali and Venicones . Written history relating to the Picts as a people emerges in the Early Middle Ages . At that time, the Gaels of Dál Riata controlled what is now Argyll , as part of a kingdom straddling the sea between Britain and Ireland. The Angles of Bernicia , which merged with Deira to form Northumbria , overwhelmed the adjacent British kingdoms, and for much of
4816-431: The basis of Irish legends and a statement in Bede 's history. The kings of the Picts when Bede was writing were Bridei and Nechtan, sons of Der Ilei, who indeed claimed the throne through their mother Der Ilei, daughter of an earlier Pictish king. In Ireland, kings were expected to come from among those who had a great-grandfather who had been king. Kingly fathers were not frequently succeeded by their sons, not because
4902-422: The beginning of the twentieth century was that they were exotic "lost people". It was noted in the highly influential work of 1955, The Problem of the Picts , that the subject area was difficult, with the archaeological and historical records frequently being at odds with the conventional essentialist expectations about historical peoples. Since then, the culture-historical paradigm of archaeology dominant since
4988-665: The centre of the New Town. In the Lake District village of Caldbeck there is a church and a well named after him. The Cumbrian parish churches at Crossthwaite in Keswick, Mungrisdale, Castle Sowerby, and Irthington are also dedicated to St Kentigern. There are two Cumbrian churches dedicated to St Mungo, one at Bromfield (also a well and castle) and one at Dearham . There is a St Kentigern's school and church in Blackpool . In Falkirk, there
5074-456: The church. Nonetheless, the evidence of place names suggests a wide area of Ionan influence in Pictland. Likewise, the Cáin Adomnáin (Law of Adomnán , Lex Innocentium ) counts Nechtan's brother Bridei among its guarantors. The importance of monastic centres in Pictland was not as great as in Ireland. In areas that have been studied, such as Strathspey and Perthshire , it appears that
5160-534: The coasts of Roman Britain . Even in the Late Middle Ages , the line between traders and pirates was unclear, so that Pictish pirates were probably merchants on other occasions. It is generally assumed that trade collapsed with the Roman Empire, but this is to overstate the case. There is only limited evidence of long-distance trade with Pictland, but tableware and storage vessels from Gaul, probably transported up
5246-457: The district of Galloway . He eventually returned to Glasgow where a large community grew up around him. It was nearby, in Kilmacolm , that he was visited by Saint Columba , who was at that time labouring in Strathtay. The two saints embraced, held long converse, and exchanged their pastoral staves. In old age, Mungo became very feeble and his chin had to be set in place with a bandage. He is said to have died in his bath, on Sunday 13 January. In
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#17330938303755332-464: The enigmatic Ogham inscriptions, does not indicate a pre-literate society. The church certainly required literacy in Latin, and could not function without copyists to produce liturgical documents. Pictish iconography shows books being read and carried, and its naturalistic style gives every reason to suppose that such images were of real life. Literacy was not widespread, but among the senior clergy, and in monasteries, it would have been common enough. It
5418-482: The fourth century. The bulk of written history dates from the seventh century onwards. The Irish annalists and contemporary scholars like Bede use "Picts" to describe the peoples under the Verturian hegemony . This encompassed most of Scotland north of the Forth-Clyde isthmus and to the exclusion of territory occupied by Dál Riata in the west. To the south lay the Brittonic kingdom of Strathclyde , with Lothian occupied by Northumbrian Angles. The use of "Picts" as
5504-464: The hoard has a "Z-rod", one of the Pictish symbols, in a particularly well-preserved and elegant form; unfortunately few comparable pieces have survived. Over ten heavy silver chains, some over 0.5m long, have been found from this period; the double-linked Whitecleuch Chain is one of only two that have a penannular linking piece for the ends, with symbol decoration including enamel, which shows how these were probably used as "choker" necklaces. In
5590-455: The late nineteenth century gave way to the processual archaeology (formerly known as the New Archaeology ) theory. Moreover, there has been significant reappraisal of textual sources written, for example by Bede and Adomnán in the seventh and eighth centuries. These works relate events of previous centuries, but current scholarship recognises their often allegorical, pseudo-historical nature, and their true value often lies in an appraisal of
5676-456: The later Life , based on Jocelyn, by John of Tynemouth . Mungo's mother Teneu was a princess, the daughter of King Lleuddun (Latin: Leudonus) who ruled a territory around what is now Lothian in Scotland, perhaps the kingdom of Gododdin in the Old North . She became pregnant after being raped by Owain mab Urien according to the British Library manuscript. However, other historic accounts claim Owain and Teneu (also known as Thaney) had
5762-457: The mad prophet, Lailoken alias Merlin . Lailoken's appearance at the Battle of Arfderydd in 573 has led to a connection being made between this battle, the rise of Riderch Hael and the return of Mungo to Strathclyde. The Life of Saint Mungo bears similarities with Chrétien de Troyes 's French romance Yvain, the Knight of the Lion . In Chrétien's story, Yvain , a version of Owain mab Urien, courts and marries Laudine , only to leave her for
5848-481: The mainland Pictish genomes, Iron Age Britons and the present-day people living in western Scotland, Wales , Northern Ireland and Northumbria , but less with the rest of England, supporting the current archaeological theories of a "local origin" of the Pictish people. The area occupied by the Picts had previously been described by Roman writers and geographers as the home of the Caledonii . These Romans also used other names to refer to Britannic tribes living in
5934-408: The name, in terms of language, culture, religion and politics. The term "Pict" is found in Roman sources from the end of the third century AD, when it was used to describe unromanised people in northern Britain. The term is most likely to have been pejorative, emphasising their supposed barbarism in contrast to the Britons under Roman rule. It has been argued, most notably by James Fraser , that
6020-420: The northern part of Cumbria , for example St Mungo's Church, Dearham . The Life of Saint Mungo was written by the monastic hagiographer Jocelyn of Furness in about 1185. Jocelyn states that he rewrote the 'life' from an earlier Glasgow legend and an Old Irish document. There are certainly two other medieval lives: the earlier partial life in the Cottonian manuscript now in the British Library , and
6106-407: The number of kingdoms, one for each of the seven sons of Cruithne , the eponymous founder of the Picts, may well be grounds enough for disbelief. Regardless of the exact number of kingdoms and their names, the Pictish nation was not a united one. For most of Pictish recorded history, the kingdom of Fortriu appears dominant, so much so that king of Fortriu and king of the Picts may mean one and
6192-466: The parochial structure of the High Middle Ages existed in early medieval times. Among the major religious sites of eastern Pictland were Portmahomack, Cennrígmonaid (later St Andrews ), Dunkeld , Abernethy and Rosemarkie . It appears that these are associated with Pictish kings, which argue for a considerable degree of royal patronage and control of the church. Portmahomack in particular has been
6278-430: The payment of subsidies to keep them from doing so. The very large hoard of late Roman hacksilver found at Traprain Law may have originated in either way. The largest hoard of early Pictish metalwork was found in 1819 at Norrie's Law in Fife, but unfortunately much was dispersed and melted down ( Scots law on treasure finds has always been unhelpful to preservation). A famous 7th century silver and enamel plaque from
6364-484: The preaching of the word" . Saint Mungo's Well was a cold water spring and bath at Copgrove, near Ripon , North Yorkshire, formerly believed effective for treating rickets . Glasgow Fire Brigade also named their fireboat St. Mungo , which served the around the Clyde from 1959 to 1975. LNER Peppercorn Class A1 steam locomotive 60145 was named Saint Mungo , entering service with British Railways in 1949. Mungo
6450-582: The primary hospital of Magical Britain in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling . Kentigern Gardens is the location of a murder in The Cuckoo's Calling , a novel published under J. K. Rowling 's pseudonym of Robert Galbraith. Mungo is the main character in Young Mungo , a novel by Douglas Stuart. Name holds symbolic importance for the character's story. Picts The Picts were
6536-547: The promotion of the Bishopric of Glasgow . Some new parts may have been collected from genuine local stories, particularly those of Mungo's work in Cumbria . S. Mundahl-Harris has shown that Mungo's associations with St Asaph were a Norman invention. However, in Scotland, excavations at Hoddom have brought confirmation of early Christian activity there, uncovering a late 6th-century stone baptistery. Details of Mungo's infirmity have
6622-458: The same thing in the annals. This was previously thought to lie in the area around Perth and southern Strathearn ; however, recent work has convinced those working in the field that Moray (a name referring to a very much larger area in the High Middle Ages than the county of Moray ) was the core of Fortriu. The Picts are often thought to have practised matrilineal kingship succession on
6708-486: The subject of recent excavation and research, published by Martin Carver . The cult of saints was, as throughout Christian lands, of great importance in later Pictland. While kings might venerate great saints, such as Saint Peter in the case of Nechtan, and perhaps Saint Andrew in the case of the second Óengus mac Fergusa , many lesser saints, some now obscure, were important. The Pictish Saint Drostan appears to have had
6794-698: The term "Pict" would have had little meaning to the people to whom it was being applied. Fraser posits that it was only adopted as an endonym in the late seventh century, as an inclusive term for people under rule of the Verturian hegemony, centered in Fortriu (the area around modern-day Inverness and Moray ), particularly following the Battle of Dun Nechtain . This view is, however, not universal. Gordon Noble and Nicholas Evans consider it plausible, if not provable, that "Picts" may have been used as an endonym by those northern Britons in closest contact with Rome as early as
6880-469: The time period in which they were written. The difficulties with Pictish history and archaeology arise from the fact that the people who were called Picts were a fundamentally heterogeneous group with little cultural uniformity. Care is needed to avoid viewing them through the lens of what the cultural historian Gilbert Márkus calls the "Ethnic Fallacy". The people known as "Picts" by outsiders in late antiquity were very different from those who later adopted
6966-681: The village of Eyeries , on the Beara peninsula in West Cork, Ireland. Mungo or Kentigern is the patron of a Presbyterian church school in Auckland , New Zealand , which has two campuses: Saint Kentigern College , a secondary co-ed college in the suburb of Pakuranga , and a joint Boys School, Girls School and Pre-School in the suburb of Remuera . There is a United Church of Canada charge in Cushing Quebec Canada, Saint Mungo's United Church. Built in
7052-399: The wild. The pastoral economy meant that hides and leather were readily available. Wool was the main source of fibres for clothing, and flax was also common, although it is not clear if they grew it for fibres, for oil, or as a foodstuff. Fish, shellfish, seals, and whales were exploited along coasts and rivers. The importance of domesticated animals suggests that meat and milk products were
7138-660: Was common. Animals were small by later standards, although horses from Britain were imported into Ireland as breeding stock to enlarge native horses. From Irish sources, it appears that the elite engaged in competitive cattle breeding for size, and this may have been the case in Pictland also. Carvings show hunting with dogs, and also, unlike in Ireland, with falcons. Cereal crops included wheat , barley , oats and rye . Vegetables included kale , cabbage , onions and leeks , peas and beans and turnips , and some types no longer common, such as skirret . Plants such as wild garlic , nettles and watercress may have been gathered in
7224-540: Was derived from a native form, perhaps related etymologically to the Gallic Pictones . The Picts were called Cruithni in Old Irish and Prydyn in Old Welsh . These are lexical cognates , from the proto-Celtic * kwritu 'form', from which * Pretania (Britain) also derives. Pretani (and with it Cruithni and Prydyn ) is likely to have originated as a generalised term for any native inhabitant of Britain. This
7310-477: Was probably a King of the Gododdin ; Lothian was named after him. There seems little reason to doubt that Mungo was one of the first evangelists of Strathclyde, under the patronage of King Rhiderch Hael, and probably became the first Bishop of Glasgow . Jocelin seems to have altered parts of the original life that he did not understand; while adding others, like the trip to Rome, that served his own purposes, largely
7396-600: Was still far in the future when Pictland became Alba, but the support of the church, and the apparent ability of a small number of families to control the kingship for much of the period from the later 7th century onwards, provided a considerable degree of continuity. In much the same period, the Picts' neighbours in Dál Riata and Northumbria faced considerable difficulties, as the stability of succession and rule that previously benefited them ended. The later Mormaers are thought to have originated in Pictish times, and to have been copied from, or inspired by, Northumbrian usages. It
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