Was Lailoken A Mad Prophet Or The Real Merlin Of Scotland?

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - In ancient myths and legends, Lailoken is portrayed as a mad prophet who lives in the woods. He is said to be a wild man and seer who spent his time in the Caledonian Forest, Scotland, in the late 6th century.

Is there any evidence proving Lailoken was the real Merlin of Scotland? Could his history have been distorted? Is it possible we have the wrong image of this intriguing person?

Was Lailoken A Mad Prophet Or The Real Merlin Of Scotland?

Merlin is today known as a famous legendary wizard featured in Arthurian legend and medieval Welsh poetry. Before the twelfth century, he was unknown, and his name did not appear in any ancient sources. Most scholars suggest Merlin was invented by Geoffrey of Monmouth, an Anglo-Norman who produced the legends of Merlin and Arthur we are familiar with today.

Was Merlin Based On Legends Of Myrddin Wyllt?

About 1139, Geoffrey of Monmouth completed his masterwork  Historia Regum Britanniae ('History of the Kings of Britain'), which inspired many later authors. Geoffrey of Monmouth apparently created his characters from old Celtic and Welsh sources.

Lailoken, who prophesied the death of King Rhydderch Hael, is often identified with Myrddin Wyllt (Merdwynn Wyllt), the Welsh forerunner of the Arthurian wizard Merlin.

From several medieval Welsh legends, we learn that after the Battle of Arfderydd, Myrddin Wyllt ran into the forest.

The fight he witnessed turned him into a madman. Scholars speculate whether the Arthurian character Merlin was based on Myrddin Wyllt's legends.

Similarities Between Merlin And Lailoken

Digging deeper into the subject, we notice several similarities between Merlin and the Scottish prophet Lailoken.

Was Lailoken A Mad Prophet Or The Real Merlin Of Scotland?

Merlin reads his prophecies to King Vortigern in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Prophetiae Merlini (c. 1250-1270). Credit: Public Domain

"It seems that Geoffrey based his character on at least two people recorded in Welsh and Scottish histories. He combined these with other materials to create the great wizard and seer. In medieval Scottish literature, there are stories of a prestigious noble called Lailoken, an advisor to King Gwenddoleu and driven mad following a battle at Arfderydd, Cumbria, when his patron is killed his forces destroyed. King Gwenddoleu was a pagan ruler who fought the Christian king, Rhydderch - in all likelihood in a land dispute.

During the battle, Merlin/Lailoken is said to hear a voice accusing him of being responsible for the slaughter and claiming he will be punished. He flees into the forests to live a simple, poor life close to the natural world, with only animals and birds for company. During fifty years of living in the wilderness, he gains the gift of second sight and can foretell the future.

The Welsh called him "Myrddin Wylt" or Wild Merlin, setting his story in the 6th century AD.

His name indicates a connection with the town of Carmarthen in South Wales. There are suggestions of a shamanic role in his life in the forest communicating with animals and the spirit world." 1

Lailoken is also mentioned in other sources. However, some have little or no historical relevance.

"Sir Walter Scott records that in the Scotichronicon, to which work however no historical importance can be ascribed, as it is notoriously a priestly invention, is an account of an interview betwixt St. Kentigern and Merdwynn Wyllt when he was in this distracted and miserable state.

The saint endeavored to convert the recluse to Christianity, for he was a nature-worshipper, as his poems show."

From his mode of life, he was called Lailoken. On the saint's commanding him to explain his situation, he stated that he was doing penance imposed upon him by a voice from heaven for causing a bloody conflict between Lidel and Carwanolow.

He continued to dwell in the woods of Caledon, frequenting a fountain on the hills, enjoying the companionship of his sister Gwendydd ("The Dawn"), and ever musing upon his early love Hurmleian (The Gleam), both of whom were frequently mentioned in his poems. His fate was singular and has been confused with that of the Merlin of Arthur. He predicted that he should perish at once by wood, earth, and water, and so it came to pass; for being pursued and stoned by the rustics—others say by the herdsmen of the Lord of Lanark—he fell from a rock into the river Tweed and was transfixed by a sharp stake." 2

There are striking similarities between Lailoken, Merdwynn Wyllt, and Merlin. They are credited with similar deeds that each occurred at the same place. Whether Merlin was Lailoken or Merdwynn Wyllt is naturally open to debate, but it's logical to assume this could have been the case.

Written by  Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

Updated on January 15, 2024

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