Brýten-walda

Secondo il Dizionario dell'Inglese Antico:

brýten-wealda, bréten-ánwealda, an;

brýten-walda

m: brýten-weald, es; m. A powerful ruler or king; præpotens rex. It is affirmed [Kmbl. Sax. Eng. ii. 21, and note i] that the true meaning of brýten-walda, compounded of walda a ruler, and the adj. brýten, is totally unconnected with Brettas or Bretwalas, the name of the British aborigines; for brýten is derived from breótan to bruise, break, to break into small portions, to disperse; and, when coupled with walda, wealda a ruler, king, means no more than an extensive or powerful king, a king whose power is widely extended. Many similar compounds are found, thus in Exon. 88 a; Th. 331, 28; Vy. 75 we have brýten-cyning a powerful king exactly equivalent to brýten-walda. Brýten-grúnd the wide expanse of earth, 13a; Th. 22, 25; Cri. 357. Brýten-rice a spacious realm, 54 b; Th. 192, 17; Az. 107. Brýten-wong the spacious world, 13 a; Th. 24, 6; Cri. 380. The uncompounded adj. is used in the same sense. Breoton bold a spacious dwelling, Cd. 228; Th. 308, 3; Sae. 687. Turner thinks that the Bret-walda [Hist, of A. Sax. bk. iii. ch. 5, vol. i. pp. 318 and 378] was a war-king, elected by the other Anglo-Saxon kings and their nobility, as their leader in the time of war. Lappenberg [Th. Lapbg. i. 125-129] takes the same view; while Kemble [Sax. Eng. ii. 8-21] opposes both Turner and Lappenberg, asserting that there was not any general ruler or superior war-king elected by the Anglo-Saxons, and that even Bret-walda [q. in this year [A. D. 827] king Ecgbriht subdued the kingdom of the Mercians, and all that was south of the Humber, and he was the eighth king, who was Brýtenwalda. The first was Ælle [A. D. 477-514], king of the South-Saxons, who had thus much sway. The second was Ceawlin [A. D. 560-593], king of the West-Saxons. The third was Æthelbriht [A. D. 593-616], king of the men of Kent. The fourth was Rædwald [A. D. 617 ?-515], king of the East-Angles: the fifth was Eadwine [A. D. 625-635], king of the Northumbrians: the sixth was Oswald [A. D. 635-642], who reigned after him: the seventh was Oswiu [A. D. 642-670], Oswald's brother: the eighth was Ecgbriht [A. D. 800-836], king of the West-Saxons, Chr. 827; Th. 112, 16-34, col. 2, 3 : Brýten-, Th. 113, 21: Palgrv. Eng. Com. pp. CCXXXIV-V. bryten-walda

Parole correlate: ] does not refer to the Britons, that it is so written in only one MS. of the Chr. while each of the five others has the word brýten-, and therefore the word ought to be written as above, brýten-walda. Of these Brýten-waldan the Chronicle names the following eight, -- Ðý geáre ge-eóde Ecgbriht cing Myrcna ríce, and eal ðæt be súþan Humbre wæs, and he wæs eahtoða cing, ðe brýtenwalda wæs. Ærest wæs Ælle, [Súþ-Seaxna] cing, se ðus mycel ríce hæfde. Se æftera wæs Ceawlin, West-Sexna cing. Se þridda wæs Æðelbriht, Cantwara cing. Se feórþa wæs Rǽdwald. Eást-Engla cing: fifta wæs Eádwine, Norþhymbra cing: syxta wæs Oswald, ðe æfter him ríxode: seofoða wæs Ósweo, Óswaldes bróðor: eahtoða Ecgbriht, West-Seaxna cing