Cynog son of

Brychan Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales. Life According to Celtic hagiography Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach, son of Coronac, and h ...

( cy, Cynog ap Brychan; born c. 434), better known as Saint Cynog ( owl, Kennauc), was an early

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

saint and martyr. His shrine is at

Merthyr Cynog Merthyr Cynog is a hamlet and a community in the modern county of Powys, Wales, in the historic county of Brecknockshire. The population of the community at the 2011 Census was 245. The Welsh name signifies the 'shrine of Cynog'. The grade II* li ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and his feast day is observed on 7 or 9Tristam, Simon K.
Exciting Holiness
'. Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd, 2007. Accessed 9 Feb 2013. October. Cynog was reputedly a son of

, a powerful

prince of the British Dark Ages. Cynog's mother was reputedly Benadulved, daughter of Benadyl, a prince of

Powys Powys (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh succession of states, successor state, petty kingdom and princi ...

, whom Brychan seduced while a hostage at the court of her father.Vision of Britain: Gerald of Wales, The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales, Chapter 2
/ref> He is said to have been murdered on the mountain called ''the Van'' ( Bannau Brycheiniog). His relics are housed at

. In 1188,

Gerald of Wales Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and English historians in the Middle Ages, historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and w ...

wrote that there still existed a certain relic purported to be a royal

torc A torc, also spelled torq or torque, is a large rigid or stiff neck ring in metal, made either as a single piece or from strands twisted together. The great majority are open at the front, although some had hook and ring closures and a few had ...

that had once been worn by Cynog, presumably as an item of

royal regalia Regalia is a Latin plurale tantum word that has different definitions. In one rare definition, it refers to the exclusive privileges of a sovereign. The word originally referred to the elaborate formal dress and dress accessories of a sovereig ...

. Gerald encountered this relic while travelling through

Brycheiniog Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans be ...

. He wrote of this relic: The detailed description, which, though not easy to interpret, points, in the opinion of Sir T. D. Kendrick, to its probably being Welsh or Irish work of the Viking period, i.e. the 10th or the 11th century. He is chiefly commemorated in Brycheiniog, where Defynnog,

Ystradgynlais Ystradgynlais (, ) is a town on the River Tawe in southwest Powys, Wales. It is the second-largest town in Powys and is in the historic county of Brecknockshire. The town has a high proportion of Welsh language-speakers. The community includes ...

, Penderyn, Battle,

Llangynog Llangynog (; ) is a village and community at the confluence of the Afon Eirth and the Afon Tanat at the foot of the Berwyn range in north Powys (previously Montgomeryshire), Wales. It lies at the foot of the Milltir Cerrig mountain pass on t ...

, and Merthyr Cynog, are all named after him, the last being reputed his place of burial.Lloyd, John Edward. "Welsh Biography Online", National Library of Wales
/ref>

References

External links

*

at Early British Kingdoms {{DEFAULTSORT:Cynog ap Brychan Monarchs of Brycheiniog Medieval Gaels 5th-century Irish monarchs 5th-century Welsh monarchs Medieval Welsh saints Children of Brychan Torcs History of Powys 5th-century Christian saints