I feel really stupid

[gwynhefar]

How did I not know the Tudors were originally Welsh?

I'm tracing back the Tudor line on my dad's side and I start getting all these Welsh names and Tudor begins to be spelled Tewdwr. Well, duh! So now I've got my biological father's line going back to (mythologically speaking) Odin, and my dad's line going back to Beli and Dôn. I've promised my mother I'll give her a call as soon as I find a royal and/or divine ancestor in her tree *g*

I am realising, as I go through all this stuff, just how very lacking my knowledge of British history is, however. I blame a strong American bias in my secondary history education, but I suppose I have no excuse for not learning more on my own. Must start doing that.

Comments

[gwynraven.livejournal.com]

I actually learned most of this as I was doing my research (except for the Henry VIII and the 'no hablo Cymraeg' bit - I love your phrasing!!) I read a bit about Cassivellaunus when I read a biography of Boudicca awhile back. The line I have actually claims to be descended from Nudd/Lludd, Beli Mawr's son. I include mythological figures on my tree facetiously -- I'm well aware that in most cases they were not historical personages (or if they were, the details are vastly exaggerated or invented) but I kinda like the idea of having them on there anyway :) Besides, it's often hard to tell exactly where in a supposed divine lineage the change from mythological to historical actually occurs. One of my other lines traces the Saxon kings back to Woden, and while I can say *this* person was a historical king, and *this* person was a mythological figure, I really have no idea at what point in between the change occurred.

If nothing else, my new obsession with genealogy is doing wonders for my history education.