Myrddin Wyllt: a Cymric Bard and Seer Myrddin Wyllt, also known as Mad/Wild Merlin, Merlinus Silvestris, Merlinus Caledonis, Lailoken, Laleocen, Llallawg, Llallogan (Madman, the Wild)

The name of Myrddin/Merlin is perhaps amongst the most famous in Celtic mythos and yet, the true nature of this character remains mysterious, shrouded in the obfuscating mists of the dark ages. Of course, the most well-known aspect of the Myrddin/Merlin character is that engendered by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Vita Merlini a poem in Latin that gives 'sing the madness of the prophetic bard, and a humorous poem on Merlin'. In which Merlin's life, his birth and his exploits are described. The poem also represents the first instance whereby Merlin is brought into the orbit of Arthur and represents the template for the relationship between Merlin and Arthur in all subsequent romances. However, what intrests us here are the pre-Galfridian legends of Myrddin and those components of his original mythos that have survived.

In the early native sources, Myrddin Wyllt is mentioned by name in a number of early Cymric 'visionary' poetry; the earliest of these being in the Armes Prydein Fawr (c. 930) where one stanza is introduced by the formula: Dysgogan Myrdin (Myrddin Foretells). This is cognate with the opening formulae of two other stanzas: Dy(s)gogan awen (The awen foretells) and Dysgogan derwydon (Wise-men foretell) and, unfortunately, the possibility cannot be excluded that the name of Myrddin was inserted by the copyist in place of an earlier formula of the same form. Another allusion to Myrddin occurs in the sixth century poem, Y Gododdin, the volume which contains this poem actually has two versions, identified as 'A' and 'B'. The 'A' version is actually the later form according to the language used, with the 'B' form dating to somewhere in the late ninth century. It is the later 'A' version that contains the line: amuc moryen gwenwawt mirdyn (Morien defended the fair song of Myrddin). Unfortunately, the earlier version of the poem omits this line and may well represent a later twelfth century addition. This said, the form of the name used in the poem, Mirdin would seem to be an accurate Old Cymric rendering of the name of Myrddin but the poem is problematic and cannot be relied upon as proof of the name's antiquity.

This leaves us with a group of prophetic poems that are found in the Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin and Llyfr Coch Hergest that together form a corpus of allusion to Myrddin's life and from them an outline of his Cymric myth can be reconstructed. The poems that concern us from the Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin are: Yr Afallennau (The Apple-trees), Oiannau Myrddin (Myrddin's Exclamations), Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin (The Dialogue of Myrddin and Taliesin) and from Llyfr Coch Hergest: Kyuoessi myrdin a gwendyd ychwaer (Dialogue Between Myrddin and His Sister, Gwenddydd) and Gwasgargerd Myrddin yn ei fedd (Lament of Myrddin in his Grave). The reconstructed tale represents Myrddin as a warrior in the Old North whose patron was a certain Gwenddoleu of the region. Gwenddoleu mab Keidyw being a leader in the region of Longtown, Cumberland whose frotress may have been the old Roman fortress at Netherby (originally Castra Exploratorium). It would seem from the Afallennau that enmity existed between Gwenddoleu and Rhydderch Hael of Strathclyde whith Rhydderch representing the christianizing forces of the Old North and Gwenddoleu representing the older pagan beliefs. Though this is not explicitly stated in the Myrddin sources it would seem that matters came to a head between Gwenddoleu and Rhydderch and this led to the conflict of Arfderydd (which the Annales Cambriae dates to c 573 CE). At the battle, Myrddin's nephew, the son of his sister Gwenddydd was killed as was his lord, Gwenddoleu. Before the battle's close Myrddin went mad and he flees to Coed Celyddon (The Caledonian Woods) where he lived as a wild man (hence the 'Gwyllt' epithet ascribed to him), surviving in constant terror of pursuit by Rhydderch Hael (which would indicate that Rhydderch was the victor at Arfderydd). Myrddin's madness also gave him the gift of prophecy. Though in the Afallennau and in the Ymddiddan Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer Gwenddydd is presented as Myrddin's sister she is elsewhere protrayed as his mistress which would make Gwenddydd's son Myrddin's own son. Reason enough for a man to be driven mad. Of the poems named here, the consensus seems to be that the Ymddiddan Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer and the Ymddiddan Myrddin and Taliesin were undoubtedly composed before 1100 and the Oianau and the Afallennau probably contain a core of material at least as old which would make them ante-date Geoffrey of Monmouth's Vita Merlini (c 1150) by at least half a century, which is a strong indication for a native Myrddinic tradition predating Geoffrey of Monmouth's Merlin.

Two of the 'prophetic' Myrddinic poems, the Afallennau and the Oianau contain a rather mysterious figure known as Hwimleian/Chwimleian whom Myrddin (as the narrator) addresses. In each case Chwimleian seems to be an augur or prophet speaking to Myrddin of 'strange tidings' and the name of the character may well be derived from the cognage word chwyfleian (a pale, wild, traveller). In this respect it is entirely possible that Chwimleian simply represents the 'Gwyllt' (Mad/Wild) aspect of Myrddin himself. Thus it represents the 'sane' version of the character (represented as Myrddin Emrys conversing with th mad/wild aspect of himself in the form of Chwimleian.

This is a tradition that we may be able to trace further back, for in the Ymddiddan Myrddin a Gwenddydd ei Chwaer Gwenddydd also addresses Myrddin as Llallawg and its diminutive Llallogan (The name itself is associated with the Middle Cymric word llallog [honour] and has the sense of 'the honoured one'). The name Llallogen (Little Hero) is cognate with the name of a character known from the twelfth-century Latin text attributed to Jocelyn of Furness: Life of St Kentigern (Cyndeyrn Garthwys), known therein as Laleocen. Though the text is merely an abbreviated addendum to the saint's life. The tale concerns King Rederech (Rhydderch) who is associated with Kentigern throughout the MSS. During a longer than usual sojourn of Redrech in the royal village of Pertnech a certain foolish man called Laleocen lived at Redrech's court. As a 'fool' he received his stipend from the king, but after Kentigern's death he became afflicted with severe mourning. When the reason for his mourning was sought he responded that Redrech and another nobleman of the realm, Morthec, would not be long for this life after the death of the noble bishop (Kentigern) and within the year they were sure to die. Within the year they were both dead, proving the words of the supposed 'fool' to be true prophecy. This tale is expounded upon in the MS Cotton Titus A XIX housed at the British Library in which are preserved two further fragments of the Laleocen (or Lailoken as he is known in this MS) legend. The first of these tales is the fullest and tells of St Kentigern meeting a naked, hairy, madman in the woods who told him that he had been driven mad by a terrible battle fought upon the plain that lay between the river Liddel and a place known as Carwannock (which is the location of the battle of Arfderydd). According to the tale, hosts of warriors appeared threateningly in the sky and and an accusatory voice acused Lailoken of all the ensuing slaughter. Driven mad by an evil spirit he retreated to the woods where Kentigern found him. Later, Lailoken interrupts one of Kentigern's services by spitting on a nearby rock and uttering obscure prophecies. Some of which, according to the tale, were recorded at the time. Despite the apparent enmity between the two men, as the hour of Lailoken's death approached he sought-out kentigern and requested a reconciliation with the church. At the same time he prophesied the manner of his own death — which was destined to occur by three separate means. Despite the apparent imporbability of a three-fold death his prophecy was realized as, fearful of a wild man approaching them he was stoned and beaten by some shepherds. As one of the stones hit him he slipped down the side of the nearby Tweed's bank, was impaled on a sharp stake which catapulted his upper body into the water of the river where he was drowned. The second version of this tale tells of the prophet's sardonic laughter at the detection of the adultery of king Meldred's queen and gives an abbreviated account of the seer's three-fold death. However, the central tale itself is a native Celtic one, as evidenced by the Irish tale of Buile Suibhne (The Frenzy of Suibhne).

Suibhne Geilt was the king of Dal Araidhe c 640 CE who went mad during the battle of Magh Rath (642 CE). According to he tale he spent the remainder of his life wandering the desolate lands thoughout the entirety of Ireland where he subsisted on a diet of wild cress and water. Like his Cymric and Scottish counterparts Suibhne repeatedly rails against his wretched existence and gives poetic utterance. An interesting aspect of the Suibhne legend is that at the instant of his battle transformation into the wild man he literally flies into crowns of the neighbouring trees. Thereafter he is depicted as regularly flying amongst the tree tops. He dies by being impaled on the spear of the jealous husband of a cook who suspects her of adultery. In this respect Suibhne has no direct counterpart in the Brythonic Myrddin mythos, though in the Afallennau we have a suggestion of the flying episodes where the apple trees conceal Myrddin from his pursuers. Indeed, the closest parallel to the flying and death episodes of Suibhne comes in the tale of Lleu Llaw Gyffes who, according to the Mabinogi of Math fab Mathonwy is injured with a spear and flies to the crown of an oak tree to conceal and protect himself. The conditions of Lleu's being pierced by the spear are also almost a three-fold death. He stands with one foot on a goat and another on the side of a bath and it is interesting to speculate that in an earlier version of the tale he might have been suspended there and when the spear struck him he fell into the bath and was symbolically drowned before flying to the safety of the oak in the form of an eagle. We may therefore have a Celtic archetype here which is represented in the tales of Myrddin/Lailoken/Suibhne and that of Lleu Llaw Gyffes. I think that the evidence pointing to the existence of an archetype which we can, for convenience, call 'Myrddin' is undeniable which re-occur in the insular cultures, indicating a common mythological source. Thus the 'mythic' Myrddin can be established as ancient. But what of Myrddin the poet and seer?

Part of the problem comes with the nature of 'Myrddin' comes from the origin of the name itself. It seems quite clear that the original from was Llallawg, from which the Latinized forms of Laleocen and Lailoken were derived. It was only when the tales became re-localized in the lands of the Cymry, as happens with a number of other heroes of the Old North, that Llallawg becomes known as Myrddin. The majority of academic opinion considers this to have occured under the influence of a false etymology concerning the place-name Caerfyrddin which came to be considered as meaning 'The Fortress of Myrddin' indicating the presence of an historical figure known as Myrddin who was grafted onto the Lailoken mythos. In reality, the Myrddin of Caerfyrddin is derived from the Brythonic Moridunum (Sea Fortress), a name which is attested from Roman sources. Thus it has seemed that the name of Myrddin is derived from a false etymology and has no independent existence in Old Cymric and Brythonic mythos. This seems to put paid to a proposition put forward by Rachel Bromwich in the Trioedd Ynys Prydein, amongst other places that Myrddin was a real poet who should be included amongst the ranks of the Cynfeirdd (The Oldest Bards); one reason for this being that in the poetry of the early middle ages Myrddin is equated with the great bards Taliesin and Aneirin. This proposition has been dismissed, and Myrddin has been reduced to little more than an historical spectre whose name is derived solely from a false etymology concerning the name of the town of Caerfyrddin. This has rested on the problem that no convincing etymology for Myrddin has been derived apart from that of the truncated form of Moridunum. However, as I indicate in the next paragraph this may not necessarily be the case.

One of the main reasons that Myrddin has been dismissed as a genuine sixth century character is that no etymology for the name Myrddin/Mirdyn has been found, safe for the fals derivation from Moridunon. However, based on the reconstructed proto-Celtic lexicon the name can be derived from the components *merV- (insane) or *mero- (crazy) and *godonyo- (human, person [which gives the Cymric dyn (man)]). Thus Myrddin literally means 'crazy man' and could be considered an epithet, thus Myrddin Llallawg may originally have been Llallawg Fyrddin or 'Llallawg the Madman' which fits-in well with the tale of Lailoken. The association of the Old Cymric word Mirdin with the false etymology derived from Caerfyrddin led to the Llallawg component of the name being dropped by Geoffrey of Monmouth so that the madman of Celyddon became known as Myrddin. The situation may therefore be far more complex that originally thought and the epithet of 'Myrddin' may actually represnet a true description applied to the northern Llallawg/Llallogan.

Later texts such as the Peniarth 50 poem, Peiryan Vaban (Commanding Youth) and Triad 87 of the Trioedd Ynys Prydein give Myrddin's patronymic as Myrddin fab Morfryn; though neither Myrddin nor his father's names occur in any of the known northern Genealogies. The triad also makes a distinction between two Myrddins: the Myrddin Wyllt (Wild/Mad Myrddin) of this document and Myrddin Emrys (Myrddin Ambrosius) which, as discussed in the page on Myrddin Emrys reveals the effect of Geoffrey of Monmouth on his mythos. Appendix I of the Trioedd also tells us that the very first name given to the Island of Britain was Clas Myrddin (The Enclosure/Precinct of Myrddin).

From the evidence we can conclude that the traditions of the Old North described a man who went mad at the battle of Arfderydd and who later dwelt as a prophet in the woods of Celyddon this man being known as Llallawg/Laleocen who had the epithet Mirdin (literally madman). He was a warrior of Gwenddoleu's court but also may have been a bard under Gwenddoleu's patronage and therefore should be counted amongst the ranks of the Gogynfeirdd; though his poems are lost to us. Under the influence of the place-name Caerfyrddin Llallawg Mirdin became re-located to the south-west of Wales and became know as Myrddin. His tale was later re-interpreted by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Vita Merlini which provided the template for later Cymric and romantic Arthurian tales.

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