Editing Wessex (section)

==== The English tradition ====

One of the "English" traditions about the Saxon arrival concerns [[Hengest and Horsa]]. When [[Bede]] wrote his ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People'', he adapted Gildas' narrative and added details, such as the names of those involved. To the "proud tyrant" he gave the name [[Vortigern]], and the Saxon commanders he named Hengest and Horsa. 

Further details were added to the story in the ''[[Historia Brittonum]]'', which was partially written by [[Nennius]]. According to the ''Historia'', Hengest and Horsa fought the invaders of Britain under the condition of gaining the Island of [[Isle of Thanet|Thanet]]. The daughter of Hengest, Rowena, later arrived on a ship of reinforcements, and Vortigern married her. 

However, a war arose in Kent due to a dispute between Hengest and Vortigern's son. After losing several battles, the Saxons finally defeated the British by treacherously attacking them once the two parties had convened for a meeting. Some additional details of the Hengest and Horsa legend are found in the ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]''. The ''Chronicle'' then records subsequent Saxon arrivals, including that of Cerdic, the founder of Wessex, in 495.<ref>Blair 2003, pp. 14–16</ref>