Clydno Eidyn was a ruler of Eidyn, the district around modern

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, in the 6th century. Eidyn was a district of the Gododdin kingdom in the

Hen Ogledd Yr Hen Ogledd (), in English the Old North, is the historical region which is now Northern England and the southern Scottish Lowlands that was inhabited by the Brittonic people of sub-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages. Its population spo ...

, or "Old North", the Brittonic-speaking parts of Northern England and southern Scotland in the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

. Clydno became a figure in Welsh tradition.

History

The

Harleian genealogies __NOTOC__ The Harleian genealogies are a collection of Old Welsh genealogies preserved in British Library, Harley MS 3859. Part of the Harleian Library, the manuscript, which also contains the ''Annales Cambriae'' (Recension A) and a version of th ...

give Clydno's pedigree. He is said to be the son of a certain Cinbelim or Cynfelyn, the son of

Dumnagual Hen Dyfnwal Hen or Dumnagual Hen ("Dyfnwal the Old") was a ruler of the Brittonic kingdom of Alt Clut, later known as Strathclyde, probably sometime in the early 6th century. His biography is vague, but he was regarded as an important ancestor figure ...

, an early ruler of Alt Clut (later known as Strathclyde). The later genealogy '' Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd'' gives an altered version of this genealogy; here Cynfelyn is Clydno's grandfather, and the family is attached to the line of the ancestor figure Coel Hen.Bromwich, pp. 256–257. An attack by Clydno and several other northern rulers on

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

is recounted in the Gwynedd version of the Welsh laws preserved in the ''

Book of Chirk The ''Black Book of Chirk'' ( cy, Llyfr Du o'r Waun) is a 13th-century Welsh-language manuscript, known also as the Chirk Codex. It is Peniarth 29 of the National Library of Wales, and deals with legal and historical matters. It contains also an el ...

''.Bromwich, p. 491 According to the story, after Elidir Mwynfawr, a prince of the North, had been slain in Gwynedd, Clydno joined with

Rhydderch Hael Rhydderch Hael ( en, Rhydderch the Generous), Riderch I of Alt Clut, or Rhydderch of Strathclyde, (floruit, ''fl.'' 580 – c. 614) was a ruler of Alt Clut, a Britons (Celtic people), Brittonic kingdom in the ''Hen Ogledd'' or "Old North" of Brita ...

and two other kings called Nudd Hael and Mordaf Hael to avenge him. They proceeded to raid and burn Arfon until

Rhun ap Maelgwn Rhun ap Maelgwn Gwynedd (died c. 586), also known as Rhun Hir ap Maelgwn Gwynedd ( en, Rhun the Tall, son of Maelgwn Gwynedd), sometimes spelt as 'Rhûn', was King of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd (reigned c. 547 – c. 586). He came to the throne on ...

and the armies of Gwynedd forced them out. Clydno's name also appears in lists of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain. According to these lists, Clydno possessed a magical halter, the ''Cebystr Clydno Eiddin''. The explanatory note attached to later versions of the lists explain the halter's property: when he affixed it to a staple at the foot of his bed, he would find whatever horse he wished in it.Jones, Mary
"Tri Thlws ar Ddeg Ynys Prydain"
From maryjones.us. Retrieved 16 June 2009. Clydno's son Cynon was also a figure of Welsh tradition. The poem '' Y Gododdin'' names him as one of the Britons who fought against the Angles at the disastrous Battle of Catraeth; at one point the poem identifies him as the only survivor. Later works mention Cynon's great love for

Morvydd Morfydd ferch Urien (Middle Welsh orthographical variations include ''Morvydd verch Urien''; "Morfydd daughter of Urien") is a figure of Welsh Arthurian legend. She is the daughter of Urien Rheged by Modron, and twin sister to Owain. Morfydd appears ...

, daughter of Urien Rheged, and he appears in the prose tale '' Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain'', taking the role given to Calogrenant in other versions of the story.

Notes

References

* Bromwich, Rachel (2006). ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain''. University Of Wales Press. . Arthurian characters Britons of the North {{fantasy-char-stub