Post by Falcom Director of Fanservice on May 1, 2006 1:25:33 GMT -5
In this thread, I am not talking about our beloved Falcom games, but rather about the legendary city storied about and reputed to be in the Brittainy region of France.
This is my main source on it, as of right now. =(
It seems that it was suppositely located in the bay at the site of the present-day city of Douarnenez. It seems that Ys' destruction is very tentatively dated in the 5th century, if it were based on a real city.
If I read this legend right, it sees that Ys was established by King Gradlon of Cornouaille for his daughter. Curiously, it doesn't seem the name Cornouaille appeared in any written documents until about the 850's.
As the story goes, it claims there was a dam made to keep the waters of the bay from overwhelming the city, and that only the royals had the key to it. However, the daughter was compelled, either by Satan or by her lover, to open the floodgate and destroy the city. The only survivors were King Dradlon and St. Guénolé; the latter warning the former about the bad times to come.
Naturally, I'm fairly curious about Ys. As noted in the article, it does seem there is a fair deal of specific data about where the city was supposed to be, and several Roman roads that lead into the sea, and suppositely toward Ys if folklore is to be believed. While I am fairly skeptical toward any actual existance of this city, I am interested in the folklore around it. However, being the sleeper what that I am, I would like to put that folklore into some historical context.
Presuming Ys did exist in the 5th century, the people (whom I am going to call the Brenton Celts because it's easy) there would have been, well, Celts. I admit, my knowledge of Celts is...lacking. Did they have the engineering knowhow to make a dam with a floodgate? Might their have been Roman influences on this place? More importantly, what would life in Ys have been like? How did the daily Ys-ite make his living? How many people might have lived there?
I intend to explore this over the next several months (my research is relaxed and sluggish, like noble molassess). What I am hoping is that perhaps some of you know some good printed sources to examine? Stuff on Brenton Legends, and Ys in particular, would be nice. good histories on Roman and Celtic area France would be nice, stuff on Brittainy in that era would be downright sexy. I'd also love to find out if we have any knowledge of flooding in that region during this era, but I wouldn't have a clue where to find it.
And as always, straight up knowledge and theorizing is encouraged. So are corrections, we all know Wikipedia isn't that accurate sometimes =(
EDIT: I am horribly amused that my self description got changed to sleeper! =D
EDIT 2, ELECTRIC BOOGALOO!: Has anyone read that series of novels based on the legend? Are they any good?
This is my main source on it, as of right now. =(
It seems that it was suppositely located in the bay at the site of the present-day city of Douarnenez. It seems that Ys' destruction is very tentatively dated in the 5th century, if it were based on a real city.
If I read this legend right, it sees that Ys was established by King Gradlon of Cornouaille for his daughter. Curiously, it doesn't seem the name Cornouaille appeared in any written documents until about the 850's.
As the story goes, it claims there was a dam made to keep the waters of the bay from overwhelming the city, and that only the royals had the key to it. However, the daughter was compelled, either by Satan or by her lover, to open the floodgate and destroy the city. The only survivors were King Dradlon and St. Guénolé; the latter warning the former about the bad times to come.
Naturally, I'm fairly curious about Ys. As noted in the article, it does seem there is a fair deal of specific data about where the city was supposed to be, and several Roman roads that lead into the sea, and suppositely toward Ys if folklore is to be believed. While I am fairly skeptical toward any actual existance of this city, I am interested in the folklore around it. However, being the sleeper what that I am, I would like to put that folklore into some historical context.
Presuming Ys did exist in the 5th century, the people (whom I am going to call the Brenton Celts because it's easy) there would have been, well, Celts. I admit, my knowledge of Celts is...lacking. Did they have the engineering knowhow to make a dam with a floodgate? Might their have been Roman influences on this place? More importantly, what would life in Ys have been like? How did the daily Ys-ite make his living? How many people might have lived there?
I intend to explore this over the next several months (my research is relaxed and sluggish, like noble molassess). What I am hoping is that perhaps some of you know some good printed sources to examine? Stuff on Brenton Legends, and Ys in particular, would be nice. good histories on Roman and Celtic area France would be nice, stuff on Brittainy in that era would be downright sexy. I'd also love to find out if we have any knowledge of flooding in that region during this era, but I wouldn't have a clue where to find it.
And as always, straight up knowledge and theorizing is encouraged. So are corrections, we all know Wikipedia isn't that accurate sometimes =(
EDIT: I am horribly amused that my self description got changed to sleeper! =D
EDIT 2, ELECTRIC BOOGALOO!: Has anyone read that series of novels based on the legend? Are they any good?