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Nennius (also known as Nemnius or Nemnivus) was a Welsh monk of the 9th century. He has traditionally been attributed with the authorship of the ''Historia Brittonum'', based on the prologue affixed to that work,〔J. A. Giles (translator), ''Nennius: The History of the Britons'', in ''Six Old English Chronicles'' (1847)()〕 This attribution is widely considered a secondary (10th century) tradition.〔e.g. David Dumville, quoted at: http://www.britishhistoryclub.com/bhc/sources/nennius_hb.html 〕 Nennius was a student of Elvodugus, commonly identified with the bishop Elfodd who convinced British ecclesiastics to accept the Continental dating for Easter, and who died in 809 according to the ''Annales Cambriae''. Nennius is believed to have lived in the area made up by present day Brecknockshire and Radnorshire counties in Powys, Wales. He lived outside the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, isolated by mountains in a rural society.〔Gransden, Antonia. ''Historical Writing in England''. Ithaca, New York: Cornell UP, 1974. 12〕 Because of the lack of evidence concerning the life of Nennius he has become the subject of legend himself. Welsh traditions include Nennius with Elbodug and others said to have escaped the massacre of Welsh monks by Ethelfrid in 613, fleeing to the north.〔Lee, Sidney, ed. "Nennius." ''Dictionary of National Biography''. XL. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1894. 221〕 ==Authorship of Historia Brittonum== (詳細はHistoria Brittonum'' c. 830.〔Gransden, Antonia. ''Historical Writing in England''. Ithaca, New York: Cornell UP, 1974. 6〕 The ''Historia Brittonum'' was highly influential, becoming a major contributor to the Arthurian legend. It also includes the legendary origins of the Picts, Scots, St. Germanus and Vortigern, and documents events associated with the Anglo-Saxon invasion of the 7th century as contributed by a Northumbrian document.〔Marsh, Henry. ''Dark Age Britain: Some Sources of History''. Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books, 1970. 84〕 Evidence suggests that this medieval literature was a compilation of several sources, some of which are named by Nennius while others are not. Some experts say that this was not the first compiled history of the Britons and that it was largely based on Gildas' ''De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae'' written some two centuries before.〔Gransden, Antonia. ''Historical Writing in England''. Ithaca, New York: Cornell UP, 1974. 7〕 Scholarship indicates that other sources included a ''Life of St Germanaius'' and a number of royal pedigrees.〔Stenton, Frank. ''Anglo Saxon England''. New York: Oxford UP, 1971. 75–76〕 Most other sources have not survived and therefore cannot be confirmed. The surviving manuscripts of the ''Historia Brittonum'' appear to be redacted from several lost versions: information about Nennius contained in the ''Prologue'' and in the ''Apology'' differs, the ''Prologue'' containing an expanded form of the ''Apology'' that is only found in editions copied during the 12th century, leading experts to believe that later versions of the document were altered.〔Lee, Sidney, ed. "Nennius." ''Dictionary of National Biography''. XL. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1894. 218-19〕 The largest known edition contains seventy-six sections including the ''Prologue'' and the ''Apology''. The work was translated into Irish by Giolla Coemgin in c. 1071 and is the earliest example of the original ''Historia Brittonum'',〔Lee, Sidney, ed. "Nennius." ''Dictionary of National Biography''. XL. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1894. 219〕 but includes the author’s name, Nennius.〔Gransden, Antonia. ''Historical Writing in England''. Ithaca, New York: Cornell UP, 1974. 9〕 Originally written as a history of the Britons in an attempt to document a legitimate past, the ''Historia Brittonum'' contains stories of legend and superstition alike.〔Gransden, Antonia. ''Historical Writing in England''. Ithaca, New York: Cornell UP, 1974. 11〕 The historical accuracy of the ''Historia Brittonum'' is at best questionable, but the document is internally consistent and provides information from and indirectly about Nennius' sources.〔 Some historians argue that the ''Historia Brittonum'' gives good insight into the way 9th century Britons viewed themselves and their past.〔Marsh, Henry. ''Dark Age Britain: Some Sources of History''. Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books, 1970. 8〕 Nennius makes several attempts to trace the history of the Britons back to the Romans and Celts through his empirical observations of what he refers to as ''"The Marvels"'' or ''"Wonders of Britain"''.〔 These include ruins, landmarks and other aspects of the British countryside that Nennius deems worthy of documentation. His explanation of the physical landmarks and ruins take on a very mystical interpretation despite Nennius being a Christian monk. Within the writing of Nennius is a sense of pseudo-nationalist pride attempting to legitimise the people of Britain and embellish the past through legend much as the Romans used the story of ''Romulus and Remus'' to legitimise the founding of Rome.〔Gransden, Antonia. ''Historical Writing in England''. Ithaca, New York: Cornell UP, 1974. 8〕 One such example of Nennius stressing legend is in his accounts of Arthur and his twelve battles. The ''Historia Brittonum'' would come to be the basis on which later medieval authors such as Geoffrey of Monmouth would write the romantic histories of King Arthur.〔Marsh, Henry. ''Dark Age Britain: Some Sources of History''. Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books, 1970. 65〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nennius」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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