'An Alternative Intepretation of Preideu Annwfyn, lines 23-8', in Studia Celtica, 43 (2009), pp. 207-13.  
A new interpretation and translation of the third awdl (lines 23-28) of the Book of Taliesin poem Preideu Annwfyn, in which a raid on the Otherworld by Arthur is narrated by the legendary Taliesin figure. It is argued that the third awdl of this early poem could reflect a concept of a far-northern, frozen Otherworld island-fort, and that an Arthurian raid on such a fort would have analogues in later medieval Arthurian tales. [Get Published Version] [Download PDF from Arthuriana]

Arthuriana: Early Arthurian Tradition and the Origins of the Legend (Lindes, 2009).  
This book collects together the academic and popular articles which have appeared on this website since 1998. It includes ‘The Historicity and Historicisation of Arthur’, an extensive review article which gathers together and critiques scholarship on the sources for a ‘historical Arthur’; ‘A Bibliographic Guide to Welsh Arthurian Literature’, which offers a discussion of virtually every piece of early Welsh Arthurian literary material; and ‘A Gazetteer of Arthurian Onomastic and Topographic Folklore’, which looks at the early evidence for Arthur and his companions appearing in local folklore and provides a gazetteer of such occurrences. [Further Details/Buy Book] [Download PDF from Arthuriana]

'The British Kingdom of Lindsey', in Cambrian Medieval Celtic Studies, 56 (2008), pp. 1-43.
A detailed study of the historical, archaeological, literary and linguistic evidence for a post-Roman British kingdom having been based at the former Late Roman provincial capital of Lincoln through the fifth century and into the sixth. It is argued that there is now a significant quanitity of evidence that points to the existence of such a polity, and that this polity was probably able to control Anglo-Saxon activity in the surrounding region for several generations. This study also looks at its lasting historical significance of such a British territory in this region. [Get Published Version] [Download PDF from Arthuriana]

Concepts of Arthur (Tempus, 2007).
This monograph examines all of the early Brittonic Arthurian sources in order to establish the nature and development of the early Arthurian legend. It is contended that by analysing the entire body of early Arthurian material, rather than just those sources which refer to a supposedly ‘historical Arthur’, significant advances are possible in our understanding of this legend. For further details and reviews of Concepts of Arthur, follow the link. [Further Details/Buy Book]

 'A Note on Aladur, Alator and Arthur', in Studia Celtica, 41 (2007), pp. 237-41.
A study of the Arthurian links and implications of the Book of Taliesin poem Kadeir Teyrnon.  It is suggested that  Arthur is the subject of the first part of this poem, and that the description of this subject as o echen aladur should be read as a indicating that he (Arthur) was ‘from the stock/lineage/family/tribe of (Mars) Alator’, a Romano-British deity.  The exact import of this description is unclear, but it could have a significance beyond the merely laudatory. [Get Published Version] [Download PDF from Arthuriana]

'Tom Thumb and Jack the Giant Killer: Two Arthurian Fairytales?', in Folklore, 118.2 (2007), pp. 123-40.
This study examines the chapbook tales of Tom Thumb and Jack the Giant-Killer.  The earliest recorded forms of these stories are discussed and it is contended that the common dismissal of their Arthurian elements as unimportant background—Arthur’s Britain as a variant of “Once upon a time”—is unhelpful.  Rather, both arguably embody and illustrate important points about the nature of the Arthurian legend in an era in which interest in this had declined considerably.  It is suggested that the Arthurian element in Tom Thumb is, while not central, significant, and that it is best viewed in the context of an established pattern of development and expansion of the international Arthurian cycle which meets the needs and interests of different audiences.  Jack the Giant-Killer, in contrast, seems to owe a noteworthy debt to the Arthur of Welsh and/or Cornish folklore rather than to the roi fainéant of the international legend, perhaps reflecting the decline in importance of the latter since the time of the History of Tom Thumbe. [Get Published Version]

'Trade, Gift-Giving and Romanitas: A Comparison of the Use of Roman Imports in Western Britain and Southern Scandinavia', in The Heroic Age: A Journal of Early Medieval Northwestern Europe, 10 (May 2007).
Superficial comparison of Roman artifacts found in Southern Scandinavia with those of Britain demonstrates that different items were valued in the two areas. However, the Roman artifacts in both areas can be viewed as high-status luxury items. The essay argues that a comparison of the distribution of Roman artifacts in Britain and Scandinavia sheds light on their use and value within the respective importing societies. High-status Roman goods were used by local elites in both Britain and Scandinavia to help bolster their claims to authority and power. [Get Published Version] [Download PDF from Arthuriana]

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