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Cador
Cador (Latin: Cadorius) is a legendary Duke of Cornwall, known chiefly through Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical Historia Regum Britanniae and previous manuscript sources such as the Life of Carannog. In Welsh genealogical records, he appears as Cado (Cadwr), the son of Cornish king Geraint. Early sources present him as a relative of King Arthur, though the details of their kinship are usually left unspecified.
Many stories involving Arthurian figures were told orally, leading to many interpretations and versions of the people, events, and characters. Scholars question the historical accuracy of these tales and most have been discredited, so the people associated with him could conceivably have been added by later storytellers.
One such figure was Arthur's close associate Cador, successor to Geraint ab Erbin, described by genealogist Peter Bartrum as "perhaps the invention of Geoffrey of Monmouth." According to legendary accounts, Cador the Duke of Cornwall was summoned to Arthur's court and may have been a real historical figure, but the diversity of interpretations and stories that include him make it difficult to understand his true context. According to the book King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend Arthurian events mix fact and fiction, and while many people and events could not have been real,
[t]he Arthurian saga is nevertheless much more than a hotchpotch of tales made up by medieval minstrels, and it is essential to try to separate the Arthur of the romances—the Arthur of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Thomas Malory and the medieval troubadours—from the historical Arthur—the dark age warrior on whom all the rest of the super-structure was built.
The factuality of many details is debatable. Arthur gave his crown to Constantine, son of Cador Duke of Cornwall, as he died May 21, 542 AD, which sets the time period in which Cador could have lived.
Cador is described as the son of a Dumnonian king named Gerrens, whom he succeeded as monarch.[citation needed] Traditionally, he was Arthur's good friend and even shared his throne in the Vita Sanctus Carantoci (Life of St. Carantoc). He seemed to have a good relationship with King Caradoc of Gwent.
Four hillforts all named "Cadbury"—one near Clevedon, one in Congresbury, one in Sparkford in Somerset, and one by the Exe in Devon north of Crediton—may have been named after Cador since the name may mean "Cado's fort". Similarly, Cadson Bury hillfort lies just outside Callington and is also known as "Celliwig" in Cornwall.
The name Cador does not match any early Welsh sources, so the name itself stems from a misinterpretation of either the name Catgur in the Harley genealogy, or the British Catigern. These names are similarly interpreted: Cador means 'battle notable' or 'fighter' since cat means 'battle' and gur means 'man' or 'warrior', and Tigern means 'leader'. While the name is not found in early Welsh sources, letters could easily have dropped out of Catgur or Catigern, leaving the name Cador.
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Cador
Cador (Latin: Cadorius) is a legendary Duke of Cornwall, known chiefly through Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical Historia Regum Britanniae and previous manuscript sources such as the Life of Carannog. In Welsh genealogical records, he appears as Cado (Cadwr), the son of Cornish king Geraint. Early sources present him as a relative of King Arthur, though the details of their kinship are usually left unspecified.
Many stories involving Arthurian figures were told orally, leading to many interpretations and versions of the people, events, and characters. Scholars question the historical accuracy of these tales and most have been discredited, so the people associated with him could conceivably have been added by later storytellers.
One such figure was Arthur's close associate Cador, successor to Geraint ab Erbin, described by genealogist Peter Bartrum as "perhaps the invention of Geoffrey of Monmouth." According to legendary accounts, Cador the Duke of Cornwall was summoned to Arthur's court and may have been a real historical figure, but the diversity of interpretations and stories that include him make it difficult to understand his true context. According to the book King Arthur: The Truth Behind the Legend Arthurian events mix fact and fiction, and while many people and events could not have been real,
[t]he Arthurian saga is nevertheless much more than a hotchpotch of tales made up by medieval minstrels, and it is essential to try to separate the Arthur of the romances—the Arthur of Geoffrey of Monmouth, Thomas Malory and the medieval troubadours—from the historical Arthur—the dark age warrior on whom all the rest of the super-structure was built.
The factuality of many details is debatable. Arthur gave his crown to Constantine, son of Cador Duke of Cornwall, as he died May 21, 542 AD, which sets the time period in which Cador could have lived.
Cador is described as the son of a Dumnonian king named Gerrens, whom he succeeded as monarch.[citation needed] Traditionally, he was Arthur's good friend and even shared his throne in the Vita Sanctus Carantoci (Life of St. Carantoc). He seemed to have a good relationship with King Caradoc of Gwent.
Four hillforts all named "Cadbury"—one near Clevedon, one in Congresbury, one in Sparkford in Somerset, and one by the Exe in Devon north of Crediton—may have been named after Cador since the name may mean "Cado's fort". Similarly, Cadson Bury hillfort lies just outside Callington and is also known as "Celliwig" in Cornwall.
The name Cador does not match any early Welsh sources, so the name itself stems from a misinterpretation of either the name Catgur in the Harley genealogy, or the British Catigern. These names are similarly interpreted: Cador means 'battle notable' or 'fighter' since cat means 'battle' and gur means 'man' or 'warrior', and Tigern means 'leader'. While the name is not found in early Welsh sources, letters could easily have dropped out of Catgur or Catigern, leaving the name Cador.