![King Lud and his sons (22498675543)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/King_Lud_and_his_sons_%2822498675543%29.jpg)
Lud ( cy, Lludd map Beli Mawr), 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 historiograph ...
's legendary ''
History of the Kings of Britain
''Historia regum Britanniae'' (''The History of the Kings of Britain''), originally called ''De gestis Britonum'' (''On the Deeds of the Britons''), is a pseudohistorical account of British history, written around 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth. I ...
'' and related medieval texts, was a king of
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
in pre-
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
times who founded
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and was buried at
Ludgate
Ludgate was the westernmost gate in London Wall. Of Roman origin, it was rebuilt several times and finally demolished in 1760. The name survives in Ludgate Hill, an eastward continuation of Fleet Street, Ludgate Circus and Ludgate Square.
Ety ...
. He was the eldest son of Geoffrey's King
Heli Heli, also ''heli'', ''heli-'' may refer to:
People
*Heli, King of Britain (mythical)
*Heli (Bible), listed as an ancestor of Jesus
*Heli (name)
Places
* Heli, Tangyuan County (鹤立镇), town in Tangyuan County, Heilongjiang, China
* Heli, Funi ...
, and succeeded his father to the throne. He was succeeded, in turn, by his brother
Caswallon
Cassivellaunus was a historical British military leader who led the defence against Julius Caesar's second expedition to Britain in 54 BC. He led an alliance of tribes against Roman forces, but eventually surrendered after his location was revea ...
(Latinised as 'Cassibelanus'). Lud may be connected with the
Welsh mythological figure
Lludd Llaw Eraint Lludd Llaw Ereint, "Lludd of the Silver Hand", son of Beli Mawr, is a legendary hero from Welsh mythology. As Nudd Llaw Ereint (the earlier form of his name, cognate of the Irish Nuada Airgetlám, derived from the pre-Roman Celtic god Nodens) he ...
, earlier Nudd Llaw Eraint, cognate with the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
Nuada Airgetlám, a king of the
Tuatha Dé Danann
The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu (Irish goddess), Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deity, ...
, and the Brittonic god
Nodens
*''Nodens'' or *''Nodons'' ( reconstructed from the dative ''Nodenti'' or ''Nodonti'') is a Celtic healing god worshipped in Ancient Britain. Although no physical depiction of him has survived, votive plaques found in a shrine at Lydney Park ...
. However, he was a separate figure in Welsh tradition and is usually treated as such.
His name appears in the words
Ludgate
Ludgate was the westernmost gate in London Wall. Of Roman origin, it was rebuilt several times and finally demolished in 1760. The name survives in Ludgate Hill, an eastward continuation of Fleet Street, Ludgate Circus and Ludgate Square.
Ety ...
,
Ned Ludd
Ned Ludd is the legendary person to whom the Luddites attributed the name of their movement.
In 1779, Ludd is supposed to have broken two stocking frames in a fit of rage. When the "Luddites" emerged in the 1810s, his identity was appropriated ...
, and subsequently in '
luddite
The Luddites were a secret oath-based organisation of English textile workers in the 19th century who formed a radical faction which destroyed textile machinery. The group is believed to have taken its name from Ned Ludd, a legendary weaver s ...
'.
In literature
Lud's reign is notable for the building of cities and the refortification of
Trinovantum
Trinovantum is the name in medieval British legend that was given to London, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', when it was founded by the exiled Trojan Brutus, who called it ''Troia Nova'' ("New Troy"), which was gr ...
(
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
), which he especially loved. Geoffrey explained the name "London" as deriving from "''Caer Lud''", or Lud's Fortress. When he died, he was buried at
Ludgate
Ludgate was the westernmost gate in London Wall. Of Roman origin, it was rebuilt several times and finally demolished in 1760. The name survives in Ludgate Hill, an eastward continuation of Fleet Street, Ludgate Circus and Ludgate Square.
Ety ...
. His two sons,
Androgeus and
Tenvantius, were not yet of age, so he was succeeded by his brother
Cassibelanus.
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 historiograph ...
, ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' 3.20
In the Welsh versions of Geoffrey's ''Historia'', usually called ''
Brut y Brenhinedd
''Brut y Brenhinedd'' ("Chronicle of the Kings") is a collection of variant Middle Welsh versions of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. About 60 versions survive, with the earliest dating to the mid-13th century. Adaptat ...
'', he is called
Lludd Lludd Llaw Ereint, "Lludd of the Silver Hand", son of Beli Mawr, is a legendary hero from Welsh mythology. As Nudd Llaw Ereint (the earlier form of his name, cognate of the Irish Nuada Airgetlám, derived from the pre-Roman Celtic god Nodens) he i ...
fab
Beli, establishing the connection to the early mythological Lludd Llaw Eraint. An independent Welsh tale, ''
Cyfranc Lludd a Llefelys'' (''The Tale of
Lludd Lludd Llaw Ereint, "Lludd of the Silver Hand", son of Beli Mawr, is a legendary hero from Welsh mythology. As Nudd Llaw Ereint (the earlier form of his name, cognate of the Irish Nuada Airgetlám, derived from the pre-Roman Celtic god Nodens) he i ...
and
Llefelys Llefelys (Middle Welsh orthography ''Llevelys'', ''Lleuelys'', ''Llefelis'') is a character in Welsh mythology appearing in the medieval Welsh tale '' Cyfranc Lludd a Llefelys''. In the tale, Llefelys is king of Gaul while his brother Lludd is king ...
''), is appended into some versions of the ''Brut''. It also survives independently, and in this form was included in the collection known as the ''
Mabinogion
The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...
''. According to this tale, Lludd had an additional brother named
Llefelys Llefelys (Middle Welsh orthography ''Llevelys'', ''Lleuelys'', ''Llefelis'') is a character in Welsh mythology appearing in the medieval Welsh tale '' Cyfranc Lludd a Llefelys''. In the tale, Llefelys is king of Gaul while his brother Lludd is king ...
, who became king of France while Lludd ruled in Britain. During Lludd's reign, three great plagues befell Britain, but he was able to overcome them with the advice of his brother.
King Lud in the City of London
Lud's name was claimed by Geoffrey of Monmouth to be the origin of Ludgate (named ''Porth Llydd'' in the ''
Brut y Brenhinedd
''Brut y Brenhinedd'' ("Chronicle of the Kings") is a collection of variant Middle Welsh versions of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. About 60 versions survive, with the earliest dating to the mid-13th century. Adaptat ...
''), a major gateway into the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
, as well as of the
name of London
The name of London is derived from a word first attested, in Latinised form, as '' Londinium''. By the first century CE, this was a commercial centre in Roman Britain.
The etymology of the name is uncertain. There is a long history of mythici ...
itself (the true etymology of ''Ludgate'' is from the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
term ''"hlid-geat"''
[''Charters of Abingdon Abbey, Volume 2'', Susan E. Kelly, Published for the British Academy by Oxford University Press, 2001, , 9780197262214, pp.623-266][''Geographical Etymology'', Christina Blackie, pp.88][English Place-Name society, Volume 36, The University Press, 1962, pp.205][Middle English Dictionary, University of Michigan Press, 1998, pp. 972][''An encyclopaedia of London'', William Kent, Dent, 1951, pp.402] a common Old English compound meaning "
postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location which allowed the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern ...
" or "swing gate"
).
Crumbling statues of King Lud and his two sons, which formerly stood on the gate, now stand in the porch of the church of St Dunstan-in-the-West on Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...
in London. There was a pub at Ludgate Circus
Ludgate Circus is a road junction in the City of London where Farringdon Street/New Bridge Street (the A201) crosses Fleet Street/Ludgate Hill. (Ludgate Hill is a gentle rise to St Paul's Cathedral.)
Fleet Street was the only direct road betwe ...
called "King Lud", now an outlet of the chain restaurant Leon
Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to:
Places
Europe
* León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León
* Province of León, Spain
* Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...
, and medallions of King Lud may be seen up on its roofline and over the doors.
References
{{Geoffrey of Monmouth
Legendary British kings