Gwallog ap Lleenog facts for kids

Gwallog ap Lleenog was a brave hero from a long time ago, in a part of Britain called the Hen Ogledd. This area is now northern England and southern Scotland. People often think he was a king of a place called Elmet, near modern-day Leeds in Yorkshire. This was during a time when the Roman Empire had left Britain, and different kingdoms were forming. Some experts now say he might have been a king of a northern region, but they aren't sure exactly where.

Gwallog's Life

Fighting the Angles

We know about Gwallog from old writings, like a list of kings from Northumbria. This list is quite old, possibly from the 700s, so it's likely to be true. It talks about a king named Hussa from Bernicia, which was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom.

The writings say that four kings fought against Hussa. These kings were Urien, Rhydderch Hen, Gwallog, and Morgant. They were all British kings who teamed up to fight the Angles from Bernicia.

The old text says: Against him fought four kings, Urbgen (Urien) and Riderc Hen (Rhydderch Hen) and Guallauc (Gwallawg) and Morcant (Morgant). Deodric fought bravely with his sons against that Urbgen. Sometimes the enemy won, sometimes the citizens won. He shut them up for three days and nights on the island of Metcaud (Lindisfarne). While he was on a journey, he was murdered by Morcant out of jealousy. This was because Urien was the best at planning battles among all the kings.

So, Gwallog joined these British kings to try and defeat the Angles of Bernicia. However, this plan failed after Urien was killed.

Poems and Elmet

Gwallog is also mentioned in two poems from the Book of Taliesin. These poems are thought to be very old, possibly from the 500s. They might even be real praise-poems written for Gwallog. These poems suggest that Gwallog was a king of Elmet.

If he was indeed king of Elmet, he might have been followed by Ceredig. Ceredig was the last king of Elmet. He was removed from power by St. Edwin of Deira. This idea fits with a mention of a "Ceretic, son of Gwallawg" in some old Welsh stories called the Welsh Triads. However, it's hard to be completely sure about these very old historical details.

Gwallog's Later Stories

Over time, stories about Gwallog changed. He became a bit like a legendary figure, similar to King Arthur.

Battles and Legends

Later Welsh poems, linked to Llywarch Hen, suggest that Gwallog later fought against Urien's old kingdom of Rheged. He teamed up with Dunod Fawr from the Northern Pennines and attacked Urien's sons. In these stories, Gwallog is called Marchog Trin, which means "battle horseman." These poems probably tell us more about the legends that grew around Gwallog than about what truly happened in the 500s.

A Legendary Warrior

Gwallog also appears in other medieval texts. In the story Geraint son of Erbin, he is named as one of King Arthur's knights. He is also mentioned in the Welsh Triads as one of the "Three Armed Warriors of the Island of Britain" and one of the "Three Battle Pillars of the Island of Britain."

Another poem, "Ymddiddan Gwyddno Garanhir a Gwyn ap Nudd" from the Black Book of Carmarthen, mentions Gwallog. In this poem, he is one of the warriors who died and whose graves are visited by Gwyn ap Nudd. Gwyn ap Nudd was the lord of the Welsh Otherworld, a kind of spirit world.