Around 470, Riothamus, the epithet for Ambrosius Aurelianus, crossed to the continent upon Emperor Anthemius’s request to aid in quelling the onslaught of barbarians in Gaul, but in the end, Anthemius was assassinated, Riothamus was defeated by Euric the Visigoth, and the Western Empire was doomed to fall. BRITTANY Note: all material from King Arthur: The Pendragon Legacy is copyrighted March 23, 2004. Please give appropriate citations when quoting excerpts, which are in black print. Photos (4) In The Historic King Arthur I begin Chapter 10 on Riothamus (Rigotamos) by writing The history of Riothamus is as brief as a shooting star, but in spite of this instantaneous flash, he plays an indispensable role in the Arthurian saga. His niche in history on the continent, spanning only about ten years, lies between the earlier era of Ambrosius Aurelianus and later escapades attributed to Arthur. Of the antiquarians, only Jordanes, Gregory of Tours, and Sidonius record his actions, and each does it very briefly. As with Vortimer, most modern scholars have nothing to contribute about Riothamus. John Morris makes passing references to him in his history, but he writes nothing of the name being an epithet. Instead, he identifies Riothamus as a commander named John Reith, who was also called "Regula" and "Riatham," fighting for southwestern Brittany. Fletcher is another of the few researchers who alludes to Riothamus in a roundabout way. Uriscampum, a chronicler in 1175, interpolated the manuscripts of Sigebert Gembloux, whose genuine work contained no Arthurian material. Uriscampum, who usually wrote summaries related essentially to Geoffrey of Monmouth, often interpolated, altered, and added to the Sigebert material, using a manuscript that had already been slightly interpolated (between 1138 and 1147) by a monk of Beauvais. The value of the Uriscampum manuscript is not that he distorted historical information. But by questioning Geoffrey's authority rather than blindly accepting the History of the Kings of Britain as fact, this obscure monk, as early as 1175, makes the suggestion that Riothimir (one of the many variants of the name) should be identified with Arthur. Geoffrey Ashe, however, supplies the most information in contemporary times, and he asserted that "Maybe Riothamus was Arthur." In 1991, when he was a dinner guest in my home, we informally chatted about his theory of Riothamus in The Discovery of King Arthur. I was in the process of writing The Historic King Arthur and mentioned that I was carrying his theory one step further: since I was of the opinion that the term "Arthur" was not a proper name but some kind of a derivative epithet, Riothamus was Arthur, but Arthur was a conflation for Ambrosius Aurelianus. We both agreed that the term Riothamus was indeed an epithet, and that he was a king of the Brittones who came into the state of the Bituriges by way of Ocean. In structuring my novel King Arthur: The Pendragon Dynasty, the chronology covers a span from 410 to 502, 92 years, and Riothamus fits into the slot when Anthemius becomes Emperor of the West, covering the years from 467 to 472. Euric the Visigoth routed Riothamus's army in 470, when Ambrosius would have been approximately 49 years old. Toward the end of the novel, Ambrosius is at dinner with the Grand Druid Ambigat. The Grand Druid tells him that The emblem for your soul's destiny, the dragon, embodies power and change. Like the snake which sheds it skin and is renewed, you, as dragon, have also changed. Love, hate, and denial are the skins you've discarded. Your soul is now ready to acknowledge the spiritual quest it accepted when you returned on the wheel of life and death. Every soul enters with a purpose which is not always reawakened until one embraces life and its experiences. Most often we come to our chosen path during mid-life, and when the awareness occurs, our spiritual guides assist us while we achieve our destiny. You are now ready to release your birth name and other titles. You, called Merlinus, Emrys, Uter, Ambrosius, will tonight sing your names to the winds. The moon is vanishing in the west and after you depart this mountain, your agnomen in this land will be Rigotamos.   

Photo ©  Frank D. Reno

Photo ©  Frank D. Reno

Photo ©  Frank D. Reno