A shapeshifting druid functioning as the tutor of the legendary king Arthur: Emrys Wledig & Myrddin Wyllt are the historical sources for the famous wizard. Latinised as Ambrosius Aurelianus, the first source appeared in different historical sources:
- According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, together with his brother Uther, he returned from Little Britain to Great Britain: They landed on the same spot as Brutus of Troy, to defeat the Saxons, restoring British rule ...
- According to Nennius of Wales, he also defeated them. Before that happened, the druid existed as Myrddin Emrys, who became an advisor of Vortigern: The "Story of Llud & Llefelys" completes this "Tale of two Dragons" ...
- According to Gildas the Wise, he was the "Last of the Romans": After the devastating passage of Hengist, this surviving warlord organised an army and took revenge. Bede the Venerable tells a similar story ...
Is any of these stories fully correct?
It seems Emrys Wledig sent his troops to Ireland for cutting stones to be used in the construction of a memorial near the place of slaughter of their nobles. However, his soldiers weren't able to dismantle the stones, so he asked Myrddin Emrys for help: Applying his magic, in one night he managed to bring them from Mount Killaraus to Salisbury Plain, although archeological research seems to pone the stones stood, at least for a while, at Preseli Hills. Even that transfer of those stones is quite challenging: Did the druid have access to technology that might be lost today?
He also led the construction of Stonehenge: Giants helped him, though Brutus of Troy already wiped them out. Did Gogmagog & his brethren resurrect, or was Brutus a duplicate of Ambrosius that killed those giants afterwards, or did some stories mix up?