Nennius is no longer considered to be the author of Historia Brittonum, penned in the 8th century we know not where.
Morte Darthur was not written in Wales. Malory was writing in a prison that had access to numerous French romances, both prose and verse. It has been suggested that he was in Newgate across from Greyfriars monastery, which had an extensive French library.
The historical Arthur was most likely either a Welshman or a Cornishman fighting invading Saxons in the 5th century AD, but to call the massive collection of traditions that includes literature in French, Middle English, Welsh, Irish, Spanish, Danish, Icelandic, Swedish, German and Latin "Welsh Legends" is a bombastic reductive statement. The earliest source material we have mentioning Arthur is not Welsh. If he was a Welshman in history, he became ever so much more in the literary tradition.
The character Merlin (as he became starting with Geoffrey of Monmouth) is indeed a conflation of two characters--Myrddin, a Welsh figure who seems to have prophecied and composed poetry, and Ambrosius (whose first appearance is in the Historia Brittonum originally attributed to Nennius)--who prophecies to Vortigern over the classic scene of the fighting dragons.
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A couple of responses to the last comment.
Nennius is no longer considered to be the author of Historia Brittonum, penned in the 8th century we know not where.
Morte Darthur was not written in Wales. Malory was writing in a prison that had access to numerous French romances, both prose and verse. It has been suggested that he was in Newgate across from Greyfriars monastery, which had an extensive French library.
The historical Arthur was most likely either a Welshman or a Cornishman fighting invading Saxons in the 5th century AD, but to call the massive collection of traditions that includes literature in French, Middle English, Welsh, Irish, Spanish, Danish, Icelandic, Swedish, German and Latin "Welsh Legends" is a bombastic reductive statement. The earliest source material we have mentioning Arthur is not Welsh. If he was a Welshman in history, he became ever so much more in the literary tradition.
The character Merlin (as he became starting with Geoffrey of Monmouth) is indeed a conflation of two characters--Myrddin, a Welsh figure who seems to have prophecied and composed poetry, and Ambrosius (whose first appearance is in the Historia Brittonum originally attributed to Nennius)--who prophecies to Vortigern over the classic scene of the fighting dragons.