Editing Historia Brittonum (section)

===Mirabilia===
Attached to the ''Historia'' is a section called ''De mirabilibus Britanniae'' (or simply ''Mirabilia'' for short, a Latin word meaning 'marvels, miracles'). It gives a list of 13 topographical marvels, or wonders of Britain,<ref>The count might be fourteen (see the English translation of the full ''Mirabilia'' in {{harvnb|''Cambrian Quarterly''|1830|pp=60 ff.}}) it is thirteen in the Irish version, {{Harvnb|Todd|1848}}, cf. p.114n, where Todd makes comparison with the "[[Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain|Thirteen tlysau]], i.e. jewels".</ref>{{efn|The original Latin text proper only counts up to the fourth "Quartum miraculum", and thereafter just keeping adding "another miracle (Aliud miraculum)". Note that in Mommsen's edition, the text of the so-called ''Nennius interpretatus'' (Zimer's Latin translation of the Irish ''Historia Brittonum'') is given on a parallel column.}} followed by a few marvels of [[Anglesey]] (''Menand insulae'' or Mona) and of Ireland.<ref>For English translation of the full Mirabilia including the Anglesey and Irish wonders, see {{harvnb|''Cambrian Quarterly''|1830|pp=60 ff.}}</ref> The ''Mirabilia'' section is thought to not be part of the original work, but to have been composed shortly after (early 9th cent.).{{Refn|G. Ashe's entry under "Nennius", {{harvnb|Lacy et al. edd.|1986}} (Reprint 1987), ''Arth. Ency.'', p. 406<ref name="ArthEncy-Nennius"/> and {{harvnb|Lacy et al. edd.|1991}}, ''New Arth. Ency.'',{{URL|1=https://archive.org/details/newarthurianency00lacy/page/342/mode/2up?q=%22paw-print%22 |2=p. 343}}: "An appendix of ''Mirabilia'' ("Marvels") may be a little later than the rest of the book, but not much".}}{{Better source needed|reason=For such a broad statement, more modern sources are needed ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=May 2024}}

Two of the marvels are Arthurian lore (Chapter 73 of the ''Historia'').<ref name="higham2018" /> Old editions give "Troynt" as the name of the great boar and "Anir" as the name of Arthur's tragic son in the Harleian manuscript, but Fletcher suggested the variant readings "Troit" and "Amr" be preferred<ref>"Two names in the ''Mirabilia'' should be replaced by better variant readings, Troynt by Troit, and Anir by Amr" {{Harv|Fletcher|1906|p=320 fn.}}.</ref> since they are closer to the Welsh forms of those names.
 
The first concerns Arthur's dog, Cabal ([[Cavall]] in Welsh) and the footprint it left while chasing the boar Troynt (→Troit) [[Twrch Trwyth]]:
{{blockquote|There is another marvel in the region which is called [[Buellt|Buelt]]. There is a mound of stones there and one stone placed above the pile with the pawprint of a dog in it. When Cabal, who was the dog of Arthur the soldier, was hunting the boar Troynt, he impressed his print in the stone, and afterwards Arthur assembled a stone mound under the stone with the print of his dog, and it is called the Carn Cabal. And men come and remove the stone in their hands for the length of a day and a night; and on the next day it is found on top of its mound.<ref name="History of the Britons: Chapters 73">{{cite wikisource 
|last=Nennius (Traditional attribution) 
|authorlink=Nennius 
|translator=Alan Lupack 
|title=History of the Britons: Chapter 73 
|wslink=History of the Britons#1:73 
|origyear=after A.D. 830
}} ([http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/nennius.htm Alternative source]) 
— See also a slightly different annotated translation quoted at [[Twrch Trwyth]].</ref>{{efn|A text and translation of this passage was given in Lady [[Lady Charlotte Guest|Charlotte Guest]]'s notes to her translation of [[Culhwch ac Olwen|Kilhwch ac Olwan]], and her book ran a facsimile of the Latin text of the above passage from Harley MS 3859.}}
}}
 
The second concerns Arthur's son Anir or Amr ([[Amhar]] in Welsh) and his sepulchre:
{{blockquote|There is another wonder in the region which is called [[Ergyng|Ercing]]. A tomb is located there next to a spring which is called Licat Amr; and the name of the man who is buried in the tomb was called thus: [[Amhar|Amr]](←Anir). He was the son of Arthur the soldier, and Arthur himself killed and buried him in that very place. And men come to measure the grave and find it sometimes six feet in length, sometimes nine, sometimes twelve, sometimes fifteen. At whatever length you might measure it at one time, a second time you will not find it to have the same length—and I myself have put this to the test.<ref name="History of the Britons: Chapters 73"/>}}