There has been much speculation about whether or not King Arthur was based on a real person. The person who inspired the Arthurian legend might have been a Roman officer who led a British army against Saxon invaders in the 5th and 6th centuries C.E. However, historian Gildas recorded the Saxon invasion in his text The Ruin and Conquest of Britain, and he did not mention an Arthur. Aneirin created the Welsh epic poem The Gododdin, in which a heroic Arthur is mentioned. It is unclear whether Arthur was a part of the original story since it was shared orally rather than on paper. Taliesin also refers to a courageous Arthur in one of his works. One more idea maintains that 'Arthur' was a bear deity with the same name, who was honored through mythology.