Lailoken (aka Merlyn Sylvester) was a semi-legendary madman and

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the ...

who lived in the Caledonian Forest in the late 6th century. The ''Life of

Saint Kentigern Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this ...

'' mentions "a certain foolish man, who was called ''Laleocen''" living at or near the village of ''Peartnach'' (

Partick Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and ...

) within the

Kingdom of Strathclyde Strathclyde (lit. " Strath of the River Clyde", and Strað-Clota in Old English), was a Brittonic successor state of the Roman Empire and one of the early medieval kingdoms of the Britons, located in the region the Welsh tribes referred to as ...

. Laleocen prophesied the death of King Rhydderch Hael. As a

wild man The wild man, wild man of the woods, or woodwose/wodewose is a mythical figure that appears in the art and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to '' Silvanus'', the Roman god of the wood ...

and seer living in the forests of what is now southern Scotland, Lailoken is often identified with

Myrddin Wyllt Myrddin Wyllt (—"Myrddin the Wild", kw, Marzhin Gwyls, br, Merzhin Gueld) is a figure in medieval Welsh legend. In Middle Welsh poetry he is accounted a chief bard, the speaker of several poems in The Black Book of Carmarthen and The Red B ...

, the Welsh forerunner of the

Arthurian King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

wizard

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and leg ...

. Myrddin is particularly associated with the Battle of Arfderydd in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic counties of England, historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th c ...

(now

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. ...

) and the area just to the north, over the border in modern

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

; Myrddin fought for the losing side and, after the battle, went insane. There was also a late 15th-century story ''Lailoken and

Kentigern Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this ...

'' which states: "...some say he was called ''Merlynum''". Lailoken may be a form of the name ''Llallogan'', which occurs in the Welsh poem ''

Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer ''Cyfoesi Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer'' ("The Conversation of Myrddin and His Sister Gwenddydd") is an anonymous Middle Welsh poem of uncertain date consisting of 136 stanzas, mostly in ''englyn'' form. Myrddin, the legendary 6th-century Nort ...

'' (or "The Conversation of Merlin and his Sister

Gwenddydd Gwenddydd, also known as Gwendydd and Ganieda, is a character from Welsh legend. She first appears in the early Welsh poems like the ''Dialoge of Myrddin'' and in the 12th-century Latin ''Vita Merlini'' by Geoffrey of Monmouth, where she is rep ...

"), where Gwenddydd refers to Merlin as ''Llallawg'' and its diminutive, ''Llallwgan''. The name is comparable to Modern Welsh *''llallog'' “brother, friend, lord (as a form of address); honour, dignity”, also "a twin; twin(-like)".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lailoken 6th-century Scottish people Legendary Scottish people Arthurian legend Britons of the North Geoffrey of Monmouth 6th-century births Year of death unknown Prophets Scottish Lowlands

See also

References