Cyllin facts for kids
Cyllin was a legendary, and possibly real, British king from the 1st century AD. People also believed he was an early Christian saint and the last "pendragon" of Great Britain. A pendragon was like a chief war leader. We don't have much proof that Cyllin truly lived.
Who Was Cyllin?
A writer named Richard Williams Morgan once said he found old family records. These records supposedly showed that Cyllin was the son of a famous British leader, Caratacus. Morgan used this idea to suggest that Christianity arrived in Britain a very long time ago.
The old records described Cyllin as a "wise and fair king." They also said that during his rule, many Welsh people, known as the Cymry, became Christians. This happened because of teachers from a place called Cor-Eurgain. The records also mentioned that Cyllin was the first among the Welsh to give names to babies. Before him, names were only given to adults, often based on something special about them.
Cyllin ab Caradog, a wise and just king. In his days many of the Cymry embraced the faith in Christ through the teaching of the saints of Cor-Eurgain, and many godly men from the countries of Greece and Rome were in Cambria. He first of the Cymry gave infants names; for before, names were not given except to adults, and then from something characteristic in their bodies, minds, or manners.
Other Mentions of Cyllin
Cyllin is also mentioned in some old Welsh stories called "Welsh Triads." These were collected by Iolo Morganwg, though some parts of his collection might not be completely true.
Other historians and writers have also talked about Cyllin. These include Rice Rees, Jane Williams, Sabine Baring-Gould, and John Williams (Ab Ithel). They often wrote that Cyllin was the brother of Saint Eigen and the father of King Coel.
Cyllin's name also appears in old family trees. One manuscript from Thomas Hopkin of Coychurch shows Cyllin in the family line of a famous poet named Taliesin. Another old document from the Havod Uchtryd collection calls him Cynan. This name, Cynan, is often linked to another legendary figure, Conan Meriadoc.
