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 divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...

who lived in the Caledonian Forest in the late 6th century. The ''Life of Saint Kentigern'' mentions "a certain foolish man, who was called ''Laleocen''" living at or near the village of ''Peartnach'' ( Partick) within the

Kingdom of Strathclyde Strathclyde (, "valley of the River Clyde, Clyde"), also known as Cumbria, was a Celtic Britons, Brittonic kingdom in northern Britain during the Scotland in the Middle Ages, Middle Ages. It comprised parts of what is now southern Scotland an ...

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

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

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

Arthurian According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a leader of the post-Ro ...

wizard

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

. Myrddin is particularly associated with the Battle of Arfderydd in

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is an area of North West England which was historically a county. The county was bordered by Northumberland to the north-east, County Durham to the east, Westmorland to the south-east, Lancashire to the south, and the Scottish ...

(now

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

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

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

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

Kentigern Kentigern (; ), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Celtic Britons, 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 saint is known by his b ...

'' 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'' (or "The Conversation of Merlin and his Sister Gwenddydd"), 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 Wild men Merlin

See also

References