Clydno Eidyn was a ruler of

Eidyn Eidyn was the region around modern Edinburgh in sub-Roman and early medieval Britain, approximately during the 5th–7th centuries. It centred on the stronghold of Din Eidyn, thought to have been at Castle Rock, now the site of Edinburgh Cast ...

, the district around modern

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

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

Gododdin The Gododdin () were a Brittonic people of north-eastern Britannia, the area known as the Hen Ogledd or Old North (modern south-east Scotland and north-east England), in the sub-Roman period. Descendants of the Votadini, they are best known ...

kingdom in the

Hen Ogledd Hen Ogledd (), meaning the Old North, is the historical region that was inhabited by the Celtic Britons, Brittonic people of sub-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, now Northern England and the southern Scottish Lowlands, alongside the fello ...

, 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 (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

. 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 ...

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 Dumbarton Castle (, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dumbarton Rock was forme ...

(later known as Strathclyde). The later genealogy ''

Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd ''Bonedd Gwŷr y Gogledd'' () is a brief Middle Welsh tract which claims to give the pedigrees of twenty 6th century rulers of the Hen Ogledd, the Brittonic languages, Brittonic-speaking parts of southern Scotland and northern England. It is att ...

'' 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 Coel (Old Welsh: ''Coil''), also called ''Coel Hen'' (Coel the Old) and King Cole, is a figure prominent in Welsh literature and legend since the Middle Ages. Early Welsh tradition knew of a Coel Hen, a 4th-century leader in Roman Britain, Ro ...

.Bromwich, pp. 256–257. An attack by Clydno and several other northern rulers on

Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

is recounted in the Gwynedd version of the Welsh laws preserved in the '' Book of Chirk''.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 (), Riderch I of Alt Clut, or Rhydderch of Strathclyde, or Redrath ( ''fl.'' 580 – c. 614) was a ruler of Alt Clut, a Brittonic kingdom in the ''Hen Ogledd'' or "Old North" of Britain. He was one of the most famous kings in th ...

and two other kings called Nudd Hael and Mordaf Hael to avenge him. They proceeded to raid and burn Arfon until Rhun ap Maelgwn and the armies of Gwynedd forced them out. Clydno's name also appears in lists of the

Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain The Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain ( Welsh: ''Tri Thlws ar Ddeg Ynys Prydain'') are a series of items in late-medieval Welsh tradition. Lists of the items appear in texts dating to the 15th and 16th centuries.Jones, Mary"Tri Thlws ...

. According to these lists, Clydno possessed a magical

halter A halter or headcollar is headgear placed on animals used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals; it fits behind the ears (behind the poll), and around the muzzle. To handle the animal, usually a lead rope is attached. ...

, 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 ''Y Gododdin'' () is a medieval Welsh poem consisting of a series of elegies to the men of the Brittonic kingdom of Gododdin and its allies who, according to the conventional interpretation, died fighting the Angles of Deira and Bernicia ...

'' names him as one of the Britons who fought against the

Angles Angles most commonly refers to: *Angles (tribe), a Germanic-speaking people that took their name from the Angeln cultural region in Germany *Angle, a geometric figure formed by two rays meeting at a common point Angles may also refer to: Places ...

at the disastrous

Battle of Catraeth The Battle of Catraeth was fought around AD 600 between a force raised by the Gododdin, a Brythonic people of the ''Hen Ogledd'' or "Old North" of Britain, and the Angles of Bernicia and Deira. It was evidently an assault by the Gododdin ...

; 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 a ...

, daughter of

Urien Rheged Urien ap Cynfarch Oer () or Urien Rheged (, Old Welsh: or , ) was a powerful sixth-century Common Brittonic, Brittonic-speaking figure who was possibly the ruler of the territory or kingdom known as Rheged. He is one of the best-known and b ...

, and he appears in the prose tale '' Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain'', taking the role given to

Calogrenant The Knights of the Round Table (, , ) are the legendary knights of the fellowship of King Arthur that first appeared in the Matter of Britain literature in the mid-12th century. The Knights are a chivalric order dedicated to ensuring the peace ...

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