Bledri ap Cydifor (fl. 1116–1130) was a Welsh chieftain who ruled

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

. He was the son of Cydifor (or Cedifor) Fawr ("the great"), a previous ruler of the same region. Bledri's sister, Ellylw, was one of the many lovers of

Cadwgan ap Bleddyn Cadwgan ap Bleddyn (1051–1111) was a prince of the Kingdom of Powys ( cy, Teyrnas Powys) in north eastern Wales. Cadwgan (possibly born 1060) was the second son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn who was king of both Kingdom of Powys and Gwynedd. The Anglo ...

, the prince of Powys, and was said to have had a child by him. Bledri ap Cydifor is sometimes confused with an earlier Bledri, who was Bishop of Llandaff in the late 10th century. In 1113, Bledri became keeper of the "Castle of Abersafwy". According to a record in the Cartulary of Carmarthen Priory he was a "Latemeri" (interpreter), which would suggest that he (having the skills to negotiate with invaders) was a notable Welshman in the area. During the Welsh revolt of 1116 it is believed that the Normans entrusted him with the castle of Robert Courtemayn, near

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

. His descendants were also prominent landowners, and may be traced to Cil Sant, Pwll Dyfach, Motlysgwm, and Picton. Bledri donated four

carucate The carucate or carrucate ( lat-med, carrūcāta or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different forms ...

s of land to the priory church of St John at Carmarthen, and the gift was confirmed by King Henry I of England in 1125. According to

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography ...

, who, although his contemporary, also identified him with a legendary ruler of prehistoric times called "Bledgabred", Bledri was a man famous for his wit and skill as a story-teller. He has been touted as the possible author of early Arthurian tales in the Welsh language, including ''Y Seint Greal'', which is thought to have been written in the 1130s. He is the only Welsh story-teller of the period who is known by name. It has been suggested that Geoffrey's description of the birth of Merlin was intended as a joke at the expense of Bledri, who was closely associated with the church at

, where he claimed Merlin had been conceived. Bledri is also referred to, under the name "Bledhericus", by

Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and wrote extensively. He studied and taugh ...

, writing later in the century.

References

12th-century Welsh monarchs Interpreters {{DEFAULTSORT:Bledri ap Cydifor