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{{short description|Father of King Arthur in Arthurian legend}}
{{Infobox character
| name = King Uther
| series = [[Matter of Britain]]
| image = Arthur-Pyle Uther-Pendragon.JPG
| image_size = 292px
| caption = ''Uther Pendragon'', by [[Howard Pyle]] from ''[[The Story of King Arthur and His Knights]]'' (1903)
| creator = 
| occupation = King of [[sub-Roman Britain]]
| title = [[Pendragon]]
| spouse = [[Igraine]]
| children = [[Madoc ap Uthyr]], [[King Arthur|Arthur]], [[Morgause|Anna]], [[Morgan le Fay]] (stepdaughter)
| family = Constantine (father)<br />[[Constans II (son of Constantine III)|Constans]] (eldest brother)<br />[[Ambrosius Aurelianus|Aurelius Ambrosius]] (older brother)<br />Moigne (brother)
}}

'''Uther Pendragon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|(|j|)|uː|θ|ər|_|p|ɛ|n|ˈ|d|r|æ|ɡ|ən}} {{respell|(Y)OO|thər|_|pen|DRAG|ən}};<ref>{{cite LPD|3|Uther", "Pendragon}}</ref> the [[Brittonic languages|Brittonic]] name; {{langx|cy|Uthyr Pen Ddraig}}, {{lang|cy|Uthyr Pendragon}} or {{lang|cy|Uthr Bendragon}}), also known as '''King Uther''' (or '''Uter'''), was a [[List of legendary kings of Britain|legendary King of the Britons]] and father of [[King Arthur]].{{r|Matthaeus 1853|p=253}}

A few minor references to Uther appear in [[Old Welsh language|Old Welsh]] [[Medieval Welsh literature|poems]], but his biography was first written down in the 12th century by [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] in his ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'' (''History of the Kings of Britain''), and Geoffrey's account of the character was used in most later versions. He is a fairly ambiguous individual throughout the literature, but is described as a strong king and a defender of his people.

According to [[Matter of Britain|Arthurian legend]], [[Merlin]] magically [[Shapeshifting|disguises]] Uther to look like his enemy [[Gorlois]], enabling Uther to sleep with Gorlois' wife Lady [[Igraine]]. Thus Arthur, "the once and future king", is an illegitimate child (though later legend, as found in [[Thomas Malory|Malory]], emphasises that the conception occurred after Gorlois's death and that he was legitimated by Uther's subsequent marriage to Igraine<ref>{{Cite book|last=Malory|first=Thomas|url=http://name.umdl.umich.edu/MaloryWks2|title=Le Morte dArthur|date=1997}}</ref>). This act of conception occurs the very night that Uther's troops dispatch Gorlois. The theme of [[illegitimacy|illegitimate conception]] is repeated in Arthur's siring of [[Mordred]] by his own half-sister [[Morgause]] in the 13th century French prose cycles, which was invented by them; it is Mordred who mortally wounds [[King Arthur]] in the [[Battle of Camlann]].

==Epithet==
Uther's epithet ''[[Pendragon]]'' literally means "head dragon" in its original Brittonic,<ref name="Matthaeus 1853">{{Cite book |last=Matthaeus (Westmonasteriensis.) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7TEIAAAAQAAJ |title=The flowers of history, especially such as relate to the affairs of Britain, tr. by C.D. Yonge |date=1853  |language=en}}</ref>{{rp|249}} though it was used figuratively to mean "highest commander; head leader; top of the command chain."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=September 2021|title="Pendragon, n.1."|url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/140052|access-date=October 9, 2021|website=OED Online}}</ref> [[Geoffrey of Monmouth]] in ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]''<ref name=":0" /> misinterpreted it as "the head of a dragon" and invented an origin to explain it away: Uther acquired the epithet when he witnessed a portentous dragon-shaped comet, which inspired him to use dragons on his [[Vexillological symbol|standards]].<ref name="Bromwich512">[[Bromwich]], ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein'', p. 512–513.</ref> According to [[Robert de Boron]]<ref>de Boron, Robert. ''Merlin and the Grail''. Tr. Nigel Bryant. Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2001.</ref> and the cycles based on his work, it was Uther's older brother (elsewhere called Aurelius Ambrosius and likely based on [[Ambrosius Aurelianus]]) who saw the comet and received the name "Pendragon", Uther taking his epithet after his death. An alternative possibility is it stems from adopting the use of the [[Draco (military standard)|draco military standard]] of the [[Roman cavalry]], but this is likely a historical conjecture.<ref name=":1" />

The title ''Pendragon'' was borrowed into [[Middle English]] from [[Welsh language|Welsh]], where it originally indicated a literal dragon of great power or size but was eventually used figuratively to mean "a great leader; the highest commander". It is composed of the [[Old Welsh]] prefix ''pen-'' "a tall hill; headlands; great heights",<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 2021|title='pen, n. 1' : Oxford English Dictionary|url=https://www.oed.com/start;jsessionid=B8B505EF7A220A2FE55046090C7F9557?authRejection=true&url=%2Fview%2FEntry%2F139977|access-date=2021-10-09|website=Oxford English Dictionary|language=en}}</ref> which is still used for place names in [[Wales]] and [[Cornwall]] (as in the famous Cornish town ''[[Penzance]]'', or "holy headland"<ref>{{Cite web|title=penzance {{!}} Origin and meaning of penzance by Online Etymology Dictionary|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/penzance|access-date=2021-10-09|website=www.etymonline.com|language=en}}</ref>) combined with the Old English ''[[European dragon|dragoun]]'' "dragon" which was borrowed from the Old French ''dragon'' (originally the Latin accusative noun ''draconem'' "a massive serpent or sea creature", which was itself based on ancient [[Dragons in Greek mythology|Greek mythological dragons]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=dragon {{!}} Origin and meaning of dragon by Online Etymology Dictionary|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/dragon|access-date=2021-10-09|website=www.etymonline.com|language=en}}</ref>).

==Early Welsh poetry==
Though the Welsh tradition of the Arthurian legend is fragmentary, some material exists through the [[Welsh Triads]] and various poems. Uther appears in these fragments, where he is associated with Arthur and, in some cases, even appears as his father.

He is mentioned in the circa-10th-century Arthurian poem "[[Pa gur]] yv y porthaur?" ("What man is the gatekeeper?"), where it is only said of him that [[Mabon ap Modron|Mabon son of Modron]] is his servant. He is also memorialised with "The Death-song of Uther Pen" from the ''[[Book of Taliesin]]''.<ref>[http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/t48.html "The death-song of Uther Pendragon"].</ref> The latter includes a reference to Arthur, so the marginal addition of "dragon" to Uther's name is probably justified. "The Colloquy of Arthur and the Eagle", a modern manuscript from the 16th century but believed to have originated from the 13th century, mentions another son of Uther named Madoc, the father of Arthur's nephew [[Eliwlod]].<ref name="Bromwich512"/>

In Triad 28, Uthyr is named the creator of one of the Three Great Enchantments of the Island of Britain, which he taught to the wizard [[Menw]].<ref>[http://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/triads1.html The Hergest Triads].</ref> Since Menw is a shapeshifter according to ''[[Culhwch and Olwen]]'', it might be that Uther was one as well. If this is so, it opens up the possibility that Geoffrey of Monmouth's narrative about Uther impregnating Igerna with [[Merlin]]'s help (see below) was taken from a Welsh legend where Uthyr changed his own shape, Merlin possibly being added to the story by Geoffrey.<ref>Bromwich, ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein'', p. 56.</ref>

Uthyr's other reference, Triad 51, shows influence from Monmouth's ''Historia''. It follows Geoffrey's description of Uther as brother of both [[Ambrosius Aurelianus|Aurelius Ambrosius]] ("Emrys Wledig") and [[Constans II (usurper)|Constans II]] ("Custennin the Younger"). However, its account of Uther's parentage differs; Triad 51 describes Uther's father to be [[Constantine III (Western Roman emperor)|Constantine III]] ("Custennin the Blessed") son of Elen,<ref name=":2">Bromwich, ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein'', pp. 132–133.</ref> while Monmouth describes Uther's father to be Constantine, brother of King [[Aldroen]] of Armorica.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Monmouth|first=Geoffrey|url=https://www.yorku.ca/inpar/geoffrey_thompson.pdf|title=History of the Kings of Britain|publisher=In Parentheses|year=1136|location=Cambridge, Ontario|publication-date=1999|pages=93–94|language=English}}</ref>

==''Historia Regum Britanniae''==
[[File:History of the Kings (f.72) Uthr Bendragon.jpg|thumb|left|Uther Pendragon in a crude illustration from a 15th-century Welsh version of ''[[Historia Regum Britanniae]]'']]

Uther is best known from Geoffrey's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' (1136) where he is the youngest son of King of Britannia, Constantine. His eldest brother Constans succeeds to the throne on their father's death, but is murdered at the instigation of his adviser [[Vortigern]], who seizes the throne. Uther and his other brother, [[Ambrosius Aurelianus|Aurelius Ambrosius]], still children, flee to [[Brittany]]. Vortigern makes an alliance with the [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxons]] under [[Hengest|Hengist]], but it goes disastrously wrong. Aurelius and Uther return, now adults. Aurelius burns Vortigern in his castle and becomes king.

With Aurelius on the throne, Uther leads his brother in arms to [[Celtic Ireland|Ireland]] to help [[Merlin (wizard)|Merlin]] bring the stones of [[Stonehenge]] from there to Britain. Later, while Aurelius is ill, Uther leads his army against Vortigern's son Paschent and his Saxon allies. On the way to the battle, he sees a comet in the shape of a dragon, which Merlin interprets as presaging Aurelius's death and Uther's glorious future. Uther wins the battle and takes the epithet "[[Pendragon]]", and returns to find that Aurelius has been poisoned by an assassin. He becomes king and orders the construction of two gold dragons, one of which he uses as his standard.

He secures Britain's frontiers and quells Saxon uprisings with the aids of his retainers, one of whom is [[Gorlois]], [[Duke of Cornwall]]. At a banquet celebrating their victories, Uther becomes obsessively enamoured of Gorlois' wife Igerna (Igraine), and a war ensues between Uther and his vassal. Gorlois sends Igerna to the impregnable castle of [[Tintagel]] for protection while he himself is besieged by Uther in another town. Uther consults with Merlin who uses his magic to transform the king into the likeness of Gorlois and thus gain access to Igerna at Tintagel. He spends the night with her and they conceive Arthur, but the next morning it is discovered that Gorlois had been killed. Uther marries Igerna and they have a daughter called Anna (in later romances she is called [[Morgause]] and is usually Igerna's daughter by her previous marriage). Morgause later marries [[King Lot]] and becomes the mother of [[Gawain]] and [[Mordred]].

Uther later falls ill and the wars against the Saxons begin to go badly. He insists on leading his army himself, propped up on his horse. He defeats Hengist's son [[Octa of Kent|Octa]] at [[Verulamium]] ([[St Albans]]), despite the Saxons calling him the "Half-Dead King". However, the Saxons soon contrive his death by poisoning a spring which he drinks from near Verulamium.<ref name=":0">[[Geoffrey of Monmouth]], ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' [[Wikisource:History of the Kings of Britain/Book 6#5|6.5–9]], [[Wikisource:History of the Kings of Britain/Book 8#1|8.1–24]].</ref>

Uther's family is based on some historical figures; Aurelius Ambrosius is Ambrosius Aurelianus, mentioned by [[Gildas]], though his connection to Constantine and Constans is unrecorded. It is possible that Uther himself is based at least partially on Tewdrig, a historical king of Glywysing in the sixth century, given the strong similarities between their death stories. Depending on the source, Uther may either be the son of [[Constantine III (Western Roman emperor)|Constantine III]], as is related in the Welsh Triad 51,<ref name=":2" /> or he may be the son of [[Constantine (Briton)|Constantine]] of Dumnonia, as related in Monmouth's ''History of the Kings of Britain''.<ref name=":3" />

==Other medieval literature==
In [[Robert de Boron]]'s ''[[Merlin (Robert de Boron poem)|Merlin]]'', Uther Pendragon kills Hengist after an assassination attempt by the Saxon leader and Merlin creates the [[Round Table (Camelot)|Round Table]] for him. In the ''[[Lancelot-Grail|Prose Lancelot]]'', Uther Pendragon claims to have been born in [[Bourges]]. He takes an army to Brittany to fight against King [[Claudas]] at Bourges, a situation resembling that of the historical ruler [[Riothamus]] who went to Brittany to fight ravagers based in Bourges. Uther also appears in the [[chivalric romance]] ''[[Sir Cleges]]'' as the king to whom Sir Cleges brings the Christmas cherries, obtained by miracle.<ref>Laura A. Hibbard, ''Medieval Romance in England''. New York Burt Franklin, 1963. p.79.</ref>

There is an alternative account of Uther Pendragon's background in [[Wolfram von Eschenbach]]'s ''[[Parzival]]''. A certain Mazadân went with a [[fairy]] named Terdelaschoye to the land of Feimurgân. (This looks like a garbling of some source that told of Mazadân's alliance with the [[Morgan the Fay|Fay Morgan]] in Terre de la Joye; the "Land of Joy".) Mazadân becomes father of two sons, Lazaliez and Brickus. Brickus becomes father of Utepandragûn, father of Arthur, while the elder son, Lazaliez, becomes father of Gandin of [[County of Anjou|Anjou]], father of Gahmuret, father of Parzival ([[Percival]]). Uther Pendragon and Arthur here appear as the scions of the junior branch of an unattested House of [[County of Anjou|Anjou]]. Early German literature's motif of Uther's descent from fairies, believed to have relied on some now lost Celtic material, may have been meant to explain Arthur's connection with [[Avalon]]. Since, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, [[Caliburn]] was a gift from Avalon, and Arthur was taken to Avalon to be healed. [[Layamon]] in his ''[[Layamon's Brut|Brut]]'' also said that Arthur was given various blessings by fairies.

[[Richard Carew (antiquary)|Richard Carew]]'s ''Survey of Cornwall'' (1602) drew on an earlier French writer, Nicholas Gille, who mentions Moigne, brother of Uther and Aurelius, who was [[List of legendary rulers of Cornwall|duke of Cornwall]], and "governor of the Realme" under Emperor [[Honorius (emperor)|Honorius]]. Carew's brief account of Arthur's birth also mentions a sister, Amy, also born to Uther and Igraine.<ref>{{Cite book | first=Richard | last=Carew | author-link=Richard Carew (antiquary) | title=The Survey of Cornwall. And An Epistle concerning the Excellencies of the English Tongue | url=https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/9878/pg9878.html | year=1769 | orig-date=1602 | publisher=E. Law and J. Hewett | page=78 }}</ref>

==Modern works==
[[File:Pelleas and Igraine.jpg|thumb|Uther, on horseback and disguised as Pelleas, watches [[Igraine]] picking flowers in ''Uther and Igraine'' by [[Warwick Deeping]], illustrated by [[Wladyslaw T. Benda]]]]

Uther Pendragon remains a widely used character in modern [[List of books about King Arthur|Arthurian literature]] and other fiction.

*In [[T. H. White]]'s ''[[The Once and Future King]]'', Uther the Conqueror is the Norman King of England.
*[[Mary Stewart (novelist)|Mary Stewart]]'s first two books in her Arthurian saga, ''[[The Crystal Cave]]'' and ''[[The Hollow Hills]]'', feature Uther Pendragon as [[Merlin]]'s uncle, Merlin being his brother [[Ambrosius Aurelianus|Ambrosius]]' illegitimate son. Uther is depicted as a mostly decent but rather oversexed character, who becomes impotent in later life because of a groin injury, a [[Fisher King]] figure. 
*In [[Bernard Cornwell]]'s ''[[The Warlord Chronicles]]'', Uther is the King of [[Dumnonia]] as well as the High King of Britain. In these novels, Arthur is his illegitimate son and Morgan is his illegitimate daughter. At the start of the trilogy's first novel ''[[The Winter King (Cornwell novel)|The Winter King]]'', Uther is old and in failing health. His son Mordred has been killed during a battle with the Saxons, leaving behind a pregnant wife. Uther blames Arthur, who was at the battle, for his son's death and banishes him to [[Armorica]]. His daughter-in-law, Princess Norwenna, gives birth to a son, whom Uther names Mordred after his father, and who he proclaims his heir. However, the decision is controversial as the child will not come of age before Uther's death and has a [[clubfoot]], a bad omen for the superstitious British. Uther dismisses these concerns and proclaims that Mordred will succeed him, enlisting the support of the other kings of Britain to ensure it. However, in response to his allies' concerns and his own people's demand, he reluctantly appoints Arthur to be Mordred's guardian until he comes of age. Uther dies soon after and, although he only appears at the start of the first novel, his final decision is the catalyst for most of the conflicts of the trilogy.
*In [[Jack Whyte]]'s ''[[The Camulod Chronicles]]'', Uther is King of the [[Pendragon]], the Celtic people of South Cambria, cousin to Caius Merlyn Britannicus and Ambrose Ambrosianus Britannicus. Whyte's novel ''Uther'', written in 2000, revolves around a fictionalised version of Uther's life.
*In contrast to traditional versions, [[Stephen R. Lawhead]]'s ''[[Pendragon Cycle]]'' makes Uther's brother [[Ambrosius Aurelianus|Aurelius]], whose widow ([[Igraine|Ygerna]]) he marries, Arthur's true father.
*In [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]'s ''[[Mists of Avalon]]'', Uther is the nephew of [[Ambrosius Aurelianus|Aurelianus]] instead of his brother; while Aurelianus is the son of a [[List of Roman Emperors|Roman Emperor]], Uther has no Roman blood. 
*In [[Valerio Massimo Manfredi]]'s ''[[The Last Legion]]'', Uther is himself the last Roman Emperor, [[Romulus Augustus]]. While the real Romulus Augustus disappeared from history after being deposed by [[Goths]], in the novel he escapes to Britain, where he adopts the name Pendragon and eventually sires Arthur.
*In D. J. MacHale's ''Pendragon'' series, the main character, Bobby Pendragon, is the reincarnation of either Uther or his son Arthur.
*In [[John Boorman]]'s film ''[[Excalibur (film)|Excalibur]]'', [[Gabriel Byrne]] plays an ambitious but somewhat obtuse Uther Pendragon, whose uncontrollable lust for Igrayne, while necessary for the birth of Arthur, proves also his own undoing.
*In the [[BBC]] television series ''[[Merlin (TV series)|Merlin]]'', Uther, played by [[Anthony Head]], has banned magic in Camelot and slaughtered any who openly practise the art. It is revealed his wife Ygraine was unable to conceive, so [[Nimueh]], a sorceress and friend, helped in the conception of Arthur. However, to keep balance in the world, a life had to be taken in exchange. Thus, Ygraine died at Arthur's birth, and Uther's guilt spurred him to purge all magic from Camelot. His wanton cruelty eventually causes his ward [[Morgan le Fay|Morgana]], who possesses magic herself, to turn against him. She is later revealed as his illegitimate daughter, and covets control of Camelot from then on. In series 4, Uther is wounded during an assassination attempt on Arthur. Merlin tries to heal him but due to Morgana's meddling, the spell instead kills him.
*In the television series ''[[Camelot (TV series)|Camelot]]'', Uther is poisoned by his daughter Morgana in the first episode.
*In [[Guy Ritchie]]'s 2017 film ''[[King Arthur: Legend of the Sword]]'', [[Eric Bana]] plays Uther Pendragon, betrayed and murdered by his brother [[Vortigern]] for control over Camelot.
*[[Sebastian Armesto]] plays Uther Pendragon in the 2020 Internet TV series ''[[Cursed (2020 TV series)|Cursed]]''.

==See also==
{{commons category}}
* [[King Arthur's family]]
* [[List of legendary kings of Britain]]
* [[Pendragon Castle]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* [[Rachel Bromwich|Bromwich, Rachel]] (2006). Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain. [[University of Wales Press]]. {{ISBN|0-7083-1386-8}}.

==External links==
*[https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/theme/uther-and-igraine.html Uther] at The Camelot Project

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{{s-bef | before = [[Ambrosius Aurelianus|Aurelius Ambrosius]] }}
{{s-ttl | title  = [[List of legendary kings of Britain|King of Britain]] }}
{{s-aft | after  = [[King Arthur|Arthur]] }}
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{{Arthurian Legend}}
{{Geoffrey of Monmouth}}

[[Category:Uther Pendragon| ]]
[[Category:Arthurian characters]]
[[Category:Deaths by poisoning]]
[[Category:Family of King Arthur]]
[[Category:Legendary British kings]]
[[Category:British male characters in television]]