Bryn of Garth

Chronicle Entry

Recorded by Brother Wyn of Caermynach, Anno Domini 912
Residence: Garth, borderlands between Powys and Brycheiniog
Known For: Frequent injuries from livestock
Status: Living as of 587 BC

Bryn was a villager of Garth who sustained repeated injuries from the same ox, c. 587 BC. His wife was Beton, a woman of considerable resolve.

The Record

Bryn required medical attention twice in three months for the same injury. The healer Nest ferch Ifor set his broken fingers on both occasions, each time caused by the same ox. The injuries occurred to the same hand. Between these documented treatments, he also suffered kicked ribs and two separate fevers, either of which might have proved fatal without intervention.

His pattern of injury became notable enough that his wife pursued him with a broom through the village lanes. Beton was recorded shouting after Nest not to travel far, as her husband would likely require further treatment once she caught him. The woman referred to him as "a liability" in the hearing of witnesses.

Despite his difficulties with livestock, Bryn maintained his household and met his obligations. He paid the healer with bronze needles, rendered fat, and the promise of smoked meat at autumn slaughter. Such payment was proper for skilled medical work.

History

In the spring of 587 BC, Nest treated Bryn's broken fingers for the second time. The injury was recent enough that the bones were still swollen. She departed Garth that same morning, carrying payment in her basket.

Later that day, warriors from both Powys and Brycheiniog appeared in Garth. They positioned themselves at either end of the main lane, with Bryn standing between them. His hands hung empty at his sides. The same hands Nest had splinted twice. A chariot waited at the lane's end, already harnessed.

The circumstances of this gathering were not recorded in detail. What followed thereafter is likewise unrecorded in the church's accounts.

Final Entry

Last recorded in Garth, standing between warriors from both chiefdoms. The nature of the gathering and its outcome were not witnessed by church authorities. His fate thereafter remains unrecorded, as do the events of that day.

Category: Persons
Tags: Garth, Borderlands, Healing, Livestock