Esla Gewisson (411 - 490)

Born 0411 in Ancient Saxony, Northern, Germany

Died 0490 at about age 79 in Ancient Saxony, Northern, Germany

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Biography

Pedigree in Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

In its entry for the year 552, following a note that Cerdic's son Cynric fought with the Britons at Sarum and put them to flight, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle adds in a pedigree reaching from Cerdic back to the god Woden: Cerdic was the son of Elesa, Elesa of Esla, Esla of Gewis, Gewis of Wye, Wye of Frewin, Frewin of Frithgar, Frithgar of Brand, Brand of Balday, Balday of Woden. ^[1] In pedigree order, these names, many of which are legendary in character, have the following profiles:

1. Woden. The first name in the pedigree is a god. Woden, or Odin, has no WikiTree profile, but has a page on Wikipedia: Odin.
2. Balday or Baeldaeg.
3. Brand or Brandor
4. Frithgar or Frithogar
5. Frewin or Nfn
6. Wye or Wig
7. Gewis or Geuuis
8. Esla
9. Elesa
10. Cerdic of Wessex

Current Theories on Origins of the Pedigree

A tradition earlier than the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle referred to as the Anglian Collection, contains four fewer generations than the Chronicle. In 1953, Anglo-Saxon scholar Kenneth Sisam presented a theory now widely accepted: With the additional generations, the names contain doublets containing the triple alliteration characteristic of Anglo-Saxon poetry, making the pedigree easy to recite: Freawine/Wig or Friðgar; Brand/Bældæg; Giwis/Wig; Elesa/Esla. While facilitating poetry, these duplications would have been difficult for a family to maintain over generations of actual naming, suggesting that the shorter pedigree was the original. Sisam suggested that the Wessex pedigree went no farther back than Cerdic, and that a political alliance with Bernicia in the 7th century resulted in Wessex adopting the Bernician pedigree almost intact. ^[2]

Gewisse/Giwis may be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as the great-grandfather of Cerdic of Wessex. ^[3]

Life of King Alfred

Bishop Asser's Life of King Alfred places Gewis as the grandfather of Cerdic. ^[4]

Motivation for Legends

The appearance of Giwis or Gewis as an ancestor for Cerdic of Wessex may be the result of the insertion of an eponymous ancestor into the pedigree of the West Saxons, for the sake of integrating earlier generations with the pedigree for Ida of Bernicia, descended from Woden. ^[5]

Both Bede and Asser link Gewisse with a people later known as the West Saxons; 8th C. charters may be found in which kings of Wessex are described "rex Gewisorum" ^[6]

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Geoffrey of Monmouth refers to the Gewissi as a people in Britain in Roman days; referring to them in the territory later known as that of the West Saxons. ^[7]

Elesa in Popular Genealogies

NOTE: FATHERS NEED TO BE MERGED ALSO: WEST SAXON-3 and SAXONY-187

Elsaa was born before 0418. Elsaa Saxony ... died after 0450. ^[8]

Esla of the Saxons was a West Saxon king. He was born about 411 in Sachsen.

Sources

1. ↑ Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Everyman Press Edition, London, 1912, translated from the Anglo-Saxon by Rev. James Ingram, London, 1823. Page 27 Accessed 9/14/2019 jhd
2. ↑ Wikipedia: Anglo-Saxon_royal_genealogies Accessed 9/15/2019 jhd
3. ↑ A. 552. This year Cynric fought against the Britons at the place which is called Searo-byrig [Old Sarum], and he put the Britons to flight. Cerdic was Cynric's father, Cerdic was the son of Elesa, Elesa of Esla, Esla of Gewis, Gewis of Wig, etc. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle ed: J.A.Giles pub: London 1914
4. ↑ Asser (1983), "Life of King Alfred", in Keynes, Simon; Lapidge, Michael, Alfred the Great: Asser's Life of King Alfred & Other Contemporary Sources, Penguin Classics
5. ↑ see genealogical tables & discussion based on the research of Kenneth Sisam in Wikipedia : Anglo-Saxon Royal Genealogies
6. ↑ "Ethelulf res parlem terre Gewisorum" in Patrologiae cursus completus: sive Bibliotheca universalis Migne pars: 5 p:1651
7. ↑ Histories of the Kings of Britain - Geoffrey of Monmouth by Sebastian Evans pub: Read Books 2014
8. ↑ First-hand information as remembered by Patton McHenry, Thursday, November 20, 2014. Replace this citation if there is another source.

See also:

1. Anglo-Saxon Bishops, Kings & Nobles, Eng. 104, p. 255

2. The Royal Line of Succession, A16A225, p. 5

3. Hist. of the Anglo-Saxons, Eng. 36, v. 1, p. 238

4. Keiser und Koenig Hist., Gen. Hist. 25, pt 1, p. 93

• Title: Royal Line, The. Author: Albert F Schmuhl. Publication: Orig. March, 1929 NYC, NY - Rev. March 1980. Type: Manuscript

Genealogical lineages may not always be from father to son, especially Houses of Kings

• Ancestry Family Trees https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/21525863/person/1596301535/facts
• Ancestry Family Trees https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/21525863/person/1572821558/facts
• Ancestry Family Trees https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/21525863/person/1572787927/facts
• Ancestry Family Trees https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/21525863/person/1535818508/facts
• Ancestry Family Trees https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/21525863/person/1596303424/facts
• Ancestral File Number: G70F-6R

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Tayler Mccormick for creating Esla-6 on 23 Jul 13.
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