THE OPENING OF THE PROPHECIES:
We begin in the 5th century (CE) with the opening verses uttered by the boy Merlin to king Vortigern:
1 Woe to the Red Dragon, for his banishment hastens on. His lurking holes shall be seized by the White Dragon, which signifies the Saxons whom you (Vortigern) invited over; but the Red denotes the British nation, which shall be oppressed by the White. Therefore shall its mountains be leveled as the valleys and the rivers of the valleys shall run with blood.
V1 Refers to the invasion of the Saxons and the conflict between Celts (Britons) and Saxons (The tyrant Vortigern invites Saxon mercenaries to support him, in approximately 450 CE) The same image of Red and White Dragons is used often in the Prophecies to indicate conflict, transformation, and the subtle energies of the Land working through People. Thus the historical theme of Celts and Saxons is a primary example or model, based upon the deeper theme of the Red and White Dragons as polarized powers (positive/negative, creative/destructive, and so forth)
2 The exercise of religion shall be destroyed, and churches be laid open to ruin. At last the oppressed shall prevail, and oppose the cruelty of foreigners. For a Boar of Cornwall shall give his assistance, and trample their necks under his feet.
3 The islands of the ocean shall be subject to his power, and he shall possess the forests of Gaul (France). The house of Romulus shall dread his courage, and his end shall be uncertain. He shall be celebrated in the stories of the people, and his exploits shall be as meat and drink to those who relate them.
V2-3 Refers to the resurgence of the Celts, and to the legendary history Aurelius and Uther Pendragon, sons of Constantine. Verse three refers to story of King Arthur, probably based upon the life of a historical leader during the "Dark Ages". Traditional history states that Arthur defeated the Saxons at Mons Badonicus (Bath Mountain, possibly Solsbury Hill near Bath/Badon in Somerset) in the early sixth century)
4 Six of his heirs shall sway the scepter, but after them shall arise a German Worm. This worm shall be exalted by a Sea wolf, whom the woods of Africa shall accompany.
V4 tells of the legendary kings succeeding Arthur, and the substantial Saxon invasion of the late sixth century, when the West Saxons defeated the British at the battle of Dyrham (577 CE).
5 Religion shall again be abolished, and there shall be a movement of the metropolitan Sees. The dignity of London shall adorn Dobernia, and the seventh Pastor of York shall be visited in the kingdom of Armorica.
Menevia shall put on the pall of the City of Legions, and a Preacher of Ireland shall be dumb on account of an infant growing in the womb.
V5 refers to emigrations of the Welsh Britons to Armorica, Brittany. The centers of authority of the old British Church were relocated : Menevia (St. Davids) moved to Caerleon (City of Legions) in South Wales, and the bishopric of London was moved to Canterbury (Dobernia).
6 A shower of blood shall rain, and a raging famine shall afflict mankind. When these things happen, the Red Dragon shall grieve, but when his fatigue is over he shall recover his strength. Then shall misfortunes hasten upon the White Dragon, and the buildings of his gardens be pulled down.
6(A) Seven who hold the Scepter shall be killed, one of them shall become a saint.
V6 refers to plague and famine in the 6th century CE, and to the Saxon incursions into Wales which were halted by the Britons towards the end of the century.
V6(A) refers specifically to the Saxon kings Cynewulf (ascended to the throne in 757 CE), Brihtric, Egbert, Ethewulf, Ethelbald, Ethelbert, and Ethelred. Ethelred came to the throne in 866 CE, and was canonized as a saint after his death.
7 The bellies of mothers shall be ripped up, and infants be aborted. There shall be a most grievous punishment of men, that the natives may be restored. He that shall do these things shall be The Man of Bronze and upon a Brazen Horse shall guard the gates of London for a long time.
8 After this the Red Dragon shall return to his proper manners, and turn his rage upon himself .Therefore shall the revenge of The Thunderer show itself, for every field shall disappoint the husbandman. Death shall snatch away the people, and make a desolation over all the lands.
9 The remainder shall quit their native soil, and make foreign plantations.
10 A blessed King shall prepare a fleet, and be reckoned twelfth in the court among the Saints.
V7-10 bring us into the Saxon era, referring to King Alfred recapturing London from the invading Danes (866 CE) who wrought extensive damage in northern and eastern England. Alfred was also known as a fleet-builder.
11 There shall be a miserable desolation of the kingdom, and the threshing floors shall become again forests. The White Dragon shall rise again, and invite over a daughter of Germany. Our gardens shall again be replenished with foreign seed and the Red Dragon shall pine away at the end of the pool.
12 After that shall the German Worm be crowned, and the Brazen prince will be buried. He has his bounds assigned to him which he shall not be able to pass. For a hundred and fifty years shall he continue in trouble and subjection, but shall bear sway three hundred.
13 Then shall the North Wind rise against him, and shall snatch away the flowers which the West wind has produced. There shall be gilding in the temples, but the cutting edge of the sword shall not cease to work.
V11-13: The Danes increase their holdings in England, defeating the Saxons. During the latter part of King Alfred’s reign the Danelaw as created, a Danish territory from the River Thames in the south, to the River Tweed in eastern Scotland. The dates are traditional history, found in several sources, with the Saxons present in Britain for 300 years, with 150 years of destruction and war: from c 560-890 CE "bearing sway", and 150 years of conflict with the Danes. The German Worm who is crowned is king Canute, coming to the throne in 1016 CE.
14 The German Dragon will hardly get to his lair, because the revenge against his treason will overtake him. At last he shall flourish for a little time, but the decimation of Neustria (Normandy) will hurt him. For a people in wood and iron coats shall come and will take vengeance for his wickedness.
15 They shall restore the ancient inhabitants to their dwellings, and there shall be an open destruction of foreigners. The seed of the White Dragon shall be swept out of our gardens, and the remainder of its generation shall be decimated. They shall bear the yoke of slavery and shall wound their mother with spades and ploughs.
V14-15 Refers to the Norman invasion. The short phase of peace (v14) refers to the reign of Edward the Confessor, succeeded in January of 1066 by Harold, who was slain by the Normans at the battle of Hastings.
William the Conqueror introduced a new feudal (slave) system into England, subjugating both Saxons and Britons.
16 After this shall succeed two dragons, whereof one shall be killed with the sting of envy, but the other shall return under the cloak of authority. Then shall succeed a Lion of justice at whose roar the towers of Gaul and the island dragons shall tremble. In those days gold shall be squeezed from the lily and the nettle, and silver shall flow from the hooves of bellowing cattle.
v16 brings us to the killing of William Rufus in 1100 CE, which brought Henry 1 from Normandy to take the throne. He ruled for 35 years, an extensive kingdom in England and Europe. Scotland remained independent at this time.
17 Those who have frizzled hair shall put on various fleeces, and the outward habit shall denote the inward parts. The feet of barkers shall be cut off. Wild beasts shall enjoy peace, but mankind will bewail its punishment.
v17 refers to the legal reforms of Henry 1, and to the issue of royal hunting rights and reserves. This verse is a satire on the legal profession (sheep on outside, sheep on the inside).
18 The form of commerce shall be divided, and the remaining half shall be round. The ravenousness of kits shall be destroyed, and the teeth of wolves blunted. The Lion's whelps shall be transformed into sea fishes, and an eagle shall build her nest upon mount Aravius.
v17 Currency is devalued, and a new jury system introduced (to blunt the teeth of wolves). In 1120 Henry’s son William and many nobles were lost in the sinking of the White Ship, between England and France. The last line about mount Aravius (Snowdon in North Wales) may refer to a resurgence of Celtic Welsh nationalism at the news.
NOTE:: We are coming into the time period of Geoffrey of Monmouth, who set out the Prophecies of Merlin in Latin. Thus we find a focusing on what were, for Geoffrey, contemporary and recent events. Within a few verses, we will be moving into Geoffrey’s future, our past. Towards the close of the Prophecies, the verses reach into our future, the 21st century.
19 Venodotia shall grow red with the blood of mothers, and the house of Corineus kill six brethren. The island shall be wet with night tears so that all shall be provoked to all things. Woe to you Neustria (Normandy) because the lion's brain shall be poured upon you, and he shall be banished with shattered limbs from his native soil.
v19 refers to the death of Henry at Rouen (Normandy) in 1135
20 Posterity shall endeavor to fly above the highest places; but the favor of newcomers shall be exalted. Piety shall hurt the possessor of things got by impiety, till he shall have put on the raiment of his Father. Therefore, being armed with the teeth of the boar, he shall ascend above the tops of mountains and higher than the shadow of the Helmeted Man.
v20 refers the successes of Henry, for with his invasion of Normandy in 1106, he ascended higher than William the Conqueror, the Helmeted Man. William invaded England as a duke, but Henry invaded Normandy, where William had begun one hundred years before, as a king.
21 Albania shall be enraged, and assembling her neighbors, shall be employed in shedding blood. There shall be put into her hands a bridle that shall be made on the coast of Armorica. The eagle of the broken covenant shall gild it over and rejoice in her third nest.
22 The roaring whelps shall watch, and leaving the woods, shall hunt within the walls of the cities. They shall make great slaughter of those that oppose them, and shall cut off the tongues of bulls. They shall load the necks of roaring lions with chains, and restore the times of their ancestors.
v21-22 After the death of Henry the Lion, the English throne is disputed. Stephen claims the crown, but the Scots (Albanach or Albania) invade to support the claim of Matilda. The ensuing civil war ruins the country. After Matilda retires to Normandy in 1145CE , her son, Henry II, becomes king, in 1154.
v22 refers to the rebellion against Henry II by his sons, Henry, Geoffrey, and Richard, in 1174. He died in France in 1189.
NOTE: Geoffrey is writing in around 1135 CE, so the civil war was a contemporary issue. By verse 22, however, we are finding material that comes from Geoffrey’s future. In verse 23 a remarkable sequence leads us through several centuries.
The source verses for the Prophecies, and predictions of conflict between the Red and White Dragon all predate Geoffrey, and were not fabricated by him. Many indications in the text suggest that he is translating oral verses from Breton or Welsh into Latin, using a preexisting source for his version . Thus he "wrote up" events of his own time, but the bulk of the Prophecies came from bardic (Welsh or Breton) poetic tradition.
23 Then from the first to the fourth, from the fourth to the third, from the third to the second, the thumb shall roll in oil.
v23 is a pivotal verse, with a time-sequence encapsulated within the reigns of several kings. This is our first clear indication of accurate prediction in the text, for this verse predicts events after the life of Geoffrey of Monmouth. From this stage on, we are in his future. As it is our past, we are able to interpret and assess the verses according to history.
" ...the thumb shall roll in oil" refers to the anointing of kings with consecrated oil. Thus v23 takes us through the following reigns:
Richard 1- Henry IV, 1189-1413 " from the first to the fourth"
Henry IV- Richard III, 1413-1485 "from the fourth to the third"
Richard III-James II, 1485-1689 "from the third to the second"
This is the succession of monarchs through five hundred years, expressed within one prophetic verse.
24 The Sixth shall overturn the walls of Ireland, and change the woods into a plain. He shall reduce several parts to one, and be crowned with the head of a lion. His beginning shall lay open to wandering affliction, but his end shall carry him up to the blessed who are above.
25 For he shall restore the seats of saints in their countries, and settle pastors in convenient places. Two cities shall he invest with two funeral palls, and shall bestow virgin gifts upon virgins. He shall merit by this the favor of the Thunderer and shall be placed among the saints.
V24-25: James VI the Sixth of Scotland comes to the English throne, as James I of England. This is the beginning of the Stuart line on the throne of Britain. James drastically pacified and decimated Northern Ireland. Ancient oak trees in Ireland were felled to build English ships (v24). The Lion is the heraldic beast of Scotland. James spent his early years as a virtual hostage of Scottish factions, taken from place to place: despite his wandering affliction he became a prudent and capable ruler.
V25: James reformed tithing and church authority, especially in Wales and Ireland. The funeral palls could refer to several incidents, but the execution of the Gunpowder plot conspirators in 1605, and of the rioters in Kettering (1607) are the most dramatic.
Virgin gifts upon virgins: The first English colony in Virginia was settled in 1607, and was expanded during the reign of James VI/I. Many religious dissenters were settled there.
26 From him shall proceed a lynx penetrating all things, who shall be bent upon the ruin of his own nation for through him Neustria shall lose both islands and be deprived of its ancient dignities. Then shall the natives return back to the island for there shall arise a dissension among foreigners.
V26 Charles I is the lynx bent upon ruin: by asserting Divine Right and interfering with both Church and Parliament, he provoked the English Revolution and Civil War. By 1660 the Commonwealth had collapsed, and Charles II was invited to return and take the throne. Neustria’s loss reminds us that during this time Dunkirk was sold to the French, thus the English Crown lost one of the last possessions in France that had come from Neustrian/Norman times.
(©) R J Stewart, 1986, 1999-2007. Worldwide copyright