The Arthurian legends do not often talk about King Arthurs brothers. Most of the time, Arthur is presented as the only son of his parents, although he does often have sisters. However, even in the case of his sisters, Morgause and Morgan le Fay, these are most famously presented as his older half-sisters, with Arthur being the only child of Igerna and Uther. Nevertheless, there are some obscure texts which do provide Arthur with brothers. In this article, we will examine what we know about these obscure figures from the Arthurian legends.Madoc ap Uthyr: Madoc Son of UtherJesus College MS 20, folio 1r, showing Eliwlod calling himself son of Madawc, Welsh, c. 14th century. Source: Bodleian Library, OxfordThe very earliest source that mentions a brother of King Arthur is a poem entitled Madawg drut ac Erof, which dates to roughly the 9th to 11th century. Incidentally, this date would also make it one of the earliest Arthurian sources. This poem, which is found in the Book of Taliesin, is an elegy or death song dedicated to a figure known as Madoc ap Uthyr. His name is also written as Madog or even Madawg. The Uthyr mentioned as his father is evidently the Uthyr Pendragon of Arthurian tradition.This is confirmed by a later poem, dated to c. 1150 at the earliest, usually known as Arthur and the Eagle. This presents a conversation between King Arthur and the spirit of his nephew, Eliwlod, who appears to Arthur in the form of an eagle. They have a conversation in which his nephew educates Arthur on religious matters. The nephew is called the son of Madoc ap Uthyr, confirming that Madocs father, Uthyr, is identical to Arthurs father by that same name.Church of St Madoc, Llanmadoc, Swansea, possibly dedicated to Madoc ap Uthyr. Source: Colin Smith via GeographNot much is known about Madoc. Aside from his elegy and the poem involving his nephew, there are only a few isolated references to him in Welsh poetry, none of which provide useful information. The single most useful source is his grave elegy, which provides us with a brief overview of who he was.The opening of the elegy strongly implies that Madoc had a position of power, being a ruler of some kind. However, the poem focuses on Madocs downfall. It refers to his downfall being caused by a certain Erof, whose identity is unclear. It is possible that this is a name given to some kind of natural disaster since the poem refers to the earth quaking and a shadow falling on the world. Furthermore, an adjacent poem in the Book of Taliesin refers to Erof in its title, and the poem itself refers to its subject in apocalyptic terms. Still, very little is known for sure about who or what Erof was and how exactly he, or it, caused Madocs downfall.The Curious Case of Gormant ap RiccaCulhwch and Olwen in Jesus College MS 111 folio 202r, showing Gormant ap Ricca on the third and fourth lines, Welsh, c. 1382-1425. Source: Bodleian Library, OxfordAnother example of one of King Arthurs brothers from Welsh tradition is seen in Culhwch and Olwen, which is the earliest Welsh prose Arthurian tale. This dates from c. 1100. It tells the story of Arthur engaging in a series of dramatic and difficult adventures to aid his cousin, Culhwch, in his efforts to win the hand of Olwen. At one point, Culhwch refers to Arthurs many allies. What follows is an incredibly long list of names. One of them is as follows:Gormant the son of Ricca (Arthurs brother by his mothers side; the Penhynev of Cerniw was his father).According to this, Arthur had a half-brother. His mother, unnamed here, had evidently been married to the Penhynev (Chief Elder) of Cerniw prior to being married to Arthurs father, Uthyr. Interestingly, this provides strong independent support for the story recorded by Geoffrey of Monmouth about Uther taking Igerna, the wife of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall. Notably, Cerniw is a Welsh place name that can mean Cornwall.Gorlois (Gwrlais) shown in the center of a manuscript of Brut Tysilio, from the Jesus College MS 28, Welsh, 1695. Source: Bodleian Library, OxfordAccording to many modern commentators, this text names Arthurs half-brother as Gormant. This would mean that Ricca was the Penhynev of Cerniw, the former husband of Arthurs mother. However, this would lead to a conflict with other aspects of Arthurian tradition. In Geoffreys account, he names the first husband of Arthurs mother, Igerna, as Gorlois. In Welsh translations of Geoffreys work, the Welsh scribes often changed the names used by Geoffrey for names that were more familiar to their native traditions. Yet, in the case of Gorlois, they did not exchange it for the name Ricca. Rather, they simply wrote it as Gwrleis or Gwrlais. This suggests that they did not recognize Geoffreys Gorlois as equivalent to the Ricca from Welsh tradition.An alternative possibility is that the parenthetical statement about Arthurs half-brother is not actually a reference to Gormant. Since it comes immediately after the patronymic, it could instead be a reference to Gormants father, Ricca. In other words, it was Ricca who was the half-brother of Arthur and the son of the Penhynev of Cerniw, whose name is simply not included in the text.Artegall: Arthurs Brother in The Faerie QueeneA depiction of Britomart viewing Artegall, by Walter Crane, c. 1896. Source: Folger Shakespeare LibraryAnother figure who appears as the brother of King Arthur in the Arthurian legends is Artegall. He is a character in Edmund Spensers The Faerie Queene, written in 1590. He appears as Arthurs half-brother, the son of Gorlois rather than Uthyr. He is a champion of justice and engages in adventures, being saved at one point by his lover, Britomart.Of course, Edmund Spensers text comes from long after the medieval Arthurian texts. Normally, Thomas Malorys 15th-century Le Morte dArthur is viewed as the latest text that can be classed as part of medieval Arthurian tradition. However, this does not mean that Spenser made up the character of Artegall. In fact, there is clear evidence that he did not. There is general agreement that this character is merely Spensers adapted version of a character who appears in several Arthurian sources prior to Spenser, going all the way back to Geoffrey of Monmouth. There is also evidence that Spenser did not invent the idea that he was a brother of Arthur.The title page of Richard Graftons A Chronicle at Large, 1569. Source: Wikimedia CommonsOne source close to Spensers own time is Richard Graftons A Chronicle at Large, written about 30 years before The Faerie Queene. In this source, Grafton provided a brief overview of King Arthurs reign. Immediately after this, he discussed the figure of Arthgal, an important person from Arthurs time. While not providing very much information about him, he says that he was the first Earl of Warwick.This character of Arthgal, Earl of Warwick, appears in Geoffrey of Monmouths Historia Regum Britanniae, written in c. 1137. He appears as one of Arthurs many allies who attend his special coronation. While Geoffrey does not call Arthgal the brother of Arthur, there is evidence for this connection.As mentioned earlier, the Welsh translations of Geoffreys work often exchanged names with different ones to better align with native Welsh tradition. Fascinatingly, in the Welsh Brut Tysilio, the name Arthgal is replaced with Madoc. The only Madoc associated with King Arthur in Welsh tradition is his brother. This suggests that the Welsh understood Geoffreys Arthgal (and, by extension, Spensers Artegall) to be Madoc, the brother of Arthur.Were Any of These Brothers Historical?Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff, Wales. Source: Tom Pennington via GeographSo far, we have seen that Arthurian tradition provides Arthur with more than one brother. However, were any of them historical? After all, other family members of Arthur in the legends are known to have really existed. For example, the famous Saint David of Wales, who definitely existed, was said to have been Arthurs uncle. Therefore, each family member needs to be assessed on their own merit.In the case of Madoc, the fact that he appears so early in Welsh tradition supports the conclusion that he may have really existed. Interestingly, a figure with this same name, spelled Matuc, appears in the medieval Book of Llandaff as a witness to a land grant. The grant in question was overseen by King Meurig of Gwent, son of Tewdrig. While many scholars date Meurig to the 7th century, many others date him to the 6th century. If this latter suggestion is correct, then this would place this apparently historical Matuc in exactly the right time period to be Madoc. It would also place him in the right location since early Arthurian tradition closely associated him with the region of Gwent.The Legendary Brothers of King ArthurA folio of Brut Tysilio showing Madoc of Caer Wair (Warwick) on the fourth line, in the place of Geoffreys Arthgal, in Jesus College MS 28, Welsh, 1695. Source: Bodleian Library, OxfordIn conclusion, what do we know about the legendary brothers of King Arthur? Arthurian tradition assigns him at least two brothers. The earliest is Madoc, seen in a poem dating to potentially as early as the 9th century. He is best remembered for his death, which appears to have been connected in some way with dramatic natural events. Another brother was a half-brother who was either Gormant or his father Ricca. In view of Welsh tradition not replacing Geoffrey of Monmouths Gorlois with Ricca, it is likely that Ricca, and not Gormant, was Arthurs half-brother.A much later legendary brother was Artegall, from Edmund Spensers The Faerie Queene. Although this is a very late Arthurian text, there is clear evidence that the character of Artegall already existed in the Arthurian legends and had done so since at least c. 1137. He was Geoffreys Arthgal, Earl of Warwick. Welsh translations of Geoffreys work indicate that he was viewed as identical to Madoc.