Merlin's sister, and the Green Man

There are a couple of legends connected with Merlin, which many people don't know about. One is about Merlin's sister, a Scottish queen. The other is Merlin's role in the Green Man legends.

Merlin's parents

According to legend, Merlin was the son of the Welsh Madog Morfryn, or Morgan Frych, prince of Gwynedd. (For that family tree, see the first article in this series.)

In an alternative tale presented by Geoffrey of Monmouth, Merlin's father was a demon, and his mother was the daughter of King Demetius, sometimes called King Conaan or Conan. The princess was seduced by a demon, and this is why Merlin has supernatural powers, but is ruled by the benevolent spirit of his mother.

Geoffrey of Monmouth explained that, after Merlin's birth, his mother became a votaress in a nunnery near to her father's castle. This very loosely links Merlin to Jesus, since both had mothers who were virgins, and fathers from an unseen world.

Merlin, one of twins?

However, regardless of his ancestry, there is a lingering--and historically documented--story of his twin sister, Gwenddydd. (Her Latin/Roman name was Ganieda, also called Languoreth in some tales.)

(If any of the family trees of Merlin are accurate, twins were frequent in his ancestry. His great-grandfather, Mor, was also known as Dylan Eil Ton, son of Arianrhod of Mabinogion fame. Dylan was one of twins, and his brother was Lleu Llaw Gyffes, the counterpart of Lugh, one of Ireland's most important gods.)

Merlin's sister, Gwenddydd

Gwenddydd was the wife of Rydderch, the king of Strathclyde in Scotland.

Due to some petty dispute, Rydderch fought against his neighbor, Gwenddolau, in a battle at the town of Arfderydd. (Arfderydd has been identified as the town of Liddesdale, Cumbria, about eight miles north of Carlisle.)

Rydderch was the victor, but it was a terrible battle in which many innocent people died.

In his confession to St. Kentigern (patron saint of Glasgow), a man named Lailoken admitted that he had caused the dispute, and thereafter, the battle. Lailoken made matters worse by deserting his brother-in-law, Rydderch, and fighting on the side of Gwenddolau.

The Lailoken/Merlin connection

Lailoken was alternately described as a prophet and a fool, in Rydderch's court. In the 15th-century manuscript where Lailoken's tale is most clearly told, "lailoken" is similar to the word for "twin." This is one of many reasons why people believe that Lailoken was actually Merlin.

Merlin became the Green Man

After the battle at Arfderydd, Lailoken was either cursed (as his 7th-century Irish counterpart, Suibne Geilt) or simply went mad, and became a wild "bird-man" of the forest.

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