{{Short description|Welsh king and saint}} {{About|fifth-century Welsh king|sixth-century Welsh saint|Brynach}} {{Use British English|date=October 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox saint | honorific_prefix = Saint | name = Brychan Brycheiniog | image =Brychan (straightened) Eglwys Aberhonddu (Brecon, Wales) 02.jpg | alt = | caption =Brychan depicted in a window of the church in Brecon, Wales | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | venerated_in = Wales, Cornwall | feast_day = April 6 | attributes = | patronage = | tradition = | module = }} '''Brychan ap Anlach of Brycheiniog''' was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire)<ref>Richard Morgan & R. F. Peter Powell, ''A Study of Breconshire Place-Names'', ( Llanrwst Wells: Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 1999).</ref> in Mid Wales.
==Name variations==
Brychan had Irish and Greek ancestry.<ref name=":0" /> He came from Ireland to Wales, therefore his original name was likely to have been Irish prior to his being called ''Brychan'' which is of Welsh etymology. In some sources he is called ''Brocanus'' which is the Latinized version of the Irish name ''Broccan''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=EBK: King Brychan Brycheiniog of Brycheiniog |url=http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/bios/brychbbg.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=earlybritishkingdoms.com}}</ref> He is also sometimes referred to as Braccan, Brachan,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pedigree: Brychan (Brachan) (II; Prince) of MANAU |url=https://fabpedigree.com/s042/f750950.htm |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=fabpedigree.com}}</ref> Brecin and Breccan.
==Life== {{See also|Uí Liatháin}} According to Celtic hagiography Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach Goronog mac Cormach, son of King Cormach mac Urb, and his wife, Marchel verch Tewdrig ap Teithfal, heiress of the Welsh kingdom of Garthmadrun (Brycheiniog), which the couple later inherited. Upon his father's death, he returned to Garthmadrun and changed its name to Brycheiniog.<ref>Koch, John T. ''Celtic Culture: a historical encyclopedia'' Santa Barbara: ABC-Clio (15 March 2006) {{ISBN|978-1-85109-440-0}} p. 301</ref>
Brychan mother's ancestry is traced back to a certain "Annun the Black, king of the Greeks", however this Greek connection isn't adequately explained in Welsh sources. This ancestry has been compared with the much more extensive and complicated Irish legendary material surrounding a figure called "Agnoman/Agnon of the Greeks".<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Guy |first=Benjamin |title=Manaw of the Britons: The Pre-Viking Kings of the Isle of Man |date=2023 |work=Isle of Man Studies: The Proceedings of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society |volume=18 |pages=145–161 |editor-last=Martin |editor-first=Dave |doi=10.5284/1050092| url=http://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/series.xhtml?recordId=1000861 |access-date=2026-04-17 |isbn=978-1-7394236-0-5}}</ref>
Brychan's name may be a Welsh version of the Irish name Broccán and that of his grandfather Coronac may represent Cormac.<ref>Thornton, "Brychan Brycheiniog (''fl''. c. 500)." ''ODNB''.</ref> Brychan's education was entrusted to one Drichan.<ref>{{Cite DWB|id=s-BRYC-APA-0419|last=Emmanuel|first=Hywel David|title=Brychan|year=1959}}</ref>
The ''Life of St. Cadoc'' by Lifris (''c''. 1100) portrays Brychan fighting Arthur, Cai and Bedwyr because of King Gwynllyw of Gwynllwg's abduction of his daughter St. Gwladys from his court in Talgarth.
==Portraiture and veneration== He is occasionally described as an undocumented saint<ref>[http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1849 Catholic Online, "St Brychan"]</ref> but the traditional literature does not call him a saint, referring to him as a patriarch instead, and he has no churches named for him.<ref>Orme, Nicholas (2000) ''The Saints of Cornwall'' Oxford: Oxford University Press (6 January 2000) {{ISBN|978-0-19-820765-8}} p. 77</ref> A 15th-century stained glass window in the parish church at St Neot in Cornwall, supposedly depicts Brychan, seated and crowned, holding in his arms eleven children. This, however, has been described by a standard modern guide as "God with Souls in his lap".<ref>Pevsner, N. (1970) ''Cornwall''; 2nd ed., revised by Enid Radclife. Harmondsworth: Penguin; p. 198</ref> He is given a saint day on 6 April.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/KalenderApril/6.htm|title=April 6|website=Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon}}</ref>
==Children of Brychan== According to Christian tradition, Brychan was married three times – to Prawst ferch Tydwal, Banhadlwedd ferch Banadi, and Gwladys – and had a very large family. These wives are mentioned in several manuscripts, including those by William Worcester, John Leland, and Nicholas Roscarrock. The number of children attributed to him varies from twelve to sixty-three, the number most frequently encountered being twenty-four. There are two main lists however, one of Welsh origin and one of Cornish origin. Most of his children appear to have travelled from Brecon to evangelise Cornwall and North Devon, where they are now venerated, but there is little agreement between the two lists.
The number of Brychan's children may have grown over time, as more and more secular people as well as saints wished to claim descent from one of the "Holy Families of Britain". Listed below are children from Welsh, Cornish, Irish, and Breton sources:
===Sons in Welsh sources=== The sons listed in the ''Cognacio Brychan'', ''De Situ Brecheniauc'' and the genealogies of Jesus College MS 20 are Cynog, Rhain Dremrudd, Clydwyn, Arthen, Papai, Dingad, Berwyn and Rhydog. Also listed, but not in all three, are Cynon, Pasgen, Cylflifer, Marthaerun and Rhun. Other Welsh sources claim the following additional sons: Caian, Cynbryd, Cynfran, Cynin, Dogfan, Dyfnan, Dyfrig, Hychan, Llecheu, Neffei, Rhawin, Llofan, Llonio, Heilin, Afallach and Gwynnws.<ref name=EBK>{{cite web |url=http://www.earlybritishkingdoms.com/articles/brychild.html |title=Children of Brychan Brycheiniog |last=Ford |first=David Nash |date=2001 |website=Early British Kingdoms |publisher=Nash Ford Publishing |access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref>
===Daughters in Welsh sources=== The ''De Situ Brecheniauc'' lists: Meleri, Hunydd, Gwladys, Ceingar, Tudglid, Nyfain, Gwawr, Marchell, Lluan, Gwrygon Goddeu, Arianwen, Bethan, Ceinwen (Keyne), Cerddych, Clydai, Cynheiddon (identified with Saint Endelienta), Dwynwen, Eiliwedd, Goleudydd, Gwen, Lludd, Tudful, Tudwystl and Tybie. Other Welsh sources claim the following additional daughters: Beiol (Bilo), Tydieu, Eufail, Hawystl, Edwen, Gwenrhiw, Tudwen, Callwen, Gwenfyl, Gwennan and Mwynwen.<ref name=EBK /> An Irish scource claimed another daughter, Saint Almeda, the fourth of Brychan's daughters.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Redmond |first1=Gabriel O'C. |title=History and topography of the parish of Hook, Co. Wexford |journal=Journal of the Waterford & South-East of Ireland Archaeological Society |date=1898 |volume=IV |pages=21–35 |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Journal_of_the_Waterford_South_East_of_I/mRwOAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq="Saint+Almeda"&pg=PA23&printsec=frontcover |access-date=3 May 2025}}</ref>
===Descendants in Cornish sources=== Listed in the ''Life of Saint Nectan'' are, by his wife, Gwladys:<BR> Adwen, Canauc (Cynog), Cleder (Clether), Dilic (Illick), Endelient (Endelienta), Helie, Johannes (Sion), Iona, Julitta (Ilud), Kenhender (Cynidr), Keri (Curig), Mabon (Mabyn), Menfre (Menefrewy), Merewenne (Marwenna), Morewenna (Morwenna), Nectanus (Nectan), Tamalanc, Tedda (Tetha), Wencu (Gwencuff, Gwengustle, name of Saint Nennocha), Wenheden (Enoder), Wenna (Gwen), Wensent, Wynup (Gwenabwy) and Yse (Issey).<ref name=EBK />
Of the holy children that settled in Cornwall, the following gave their names to Cornish churches and villages:
# Adwen at Advent # Cleder at St Clether # Dilic at Landulph # Endelient at St Endellion # Enoder at St Enoder # Gwenep at Gwennap # Helie at Egloshayle # Julitta at St Juliot # Keri at Egloskerry # Keyne at St Keyne # Mabon at St Mabyn # Menfre at St Minver # Merewenne at Marhamchurch # Morwenna at Morwenstow # Nectan at St. Nectan's Glen # Tethe at St Teath # Wenna at St Wenn # Yse at St Issey
===Irish sources=== The Book of Leinster lists the following sons by Brychan's wife, Dína daughter of the King of the Saxons: Mo-Goróc, Mo-Chonóc (Cynog), Diraid, Dubán (Dyfnan), Cairinne (Caian), Cairpre, Iast, Ellóc (Dilic), Paan, Cáemán and Mo-Beóc.<ref name=EBK />
===Breton sources=== Breton tradition says that Brychan married Menedoc daughter of Constantine, King of the Scots. Together they were the parents of Saint Nennocha.<ref name=EBK />
==References== {{Reflist}}
===Secondary sources=== *Thornton, David E. "Brychan Brycheiniog (''fl''. c.500)." ''[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/51949 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]''. Oxford University Press, 2004.
==Further reading== *Wade-Evans, A. W. "The Brychan documents." ''Y Cymmrodor''; 19 (1906): 18–50. [https://archive.org/details/ycymmrodor19cymmuoft Available from the Internet Archive].
==External links== *Brychan of Brecknock at OrthodoxWiki.
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Category:5th-century Irish people Category:Monarchs of Brycheiniog Category:5th-century Welsh monarchs Category:5th-century births Category:Welsh royal saints Category:Year of birth unknown Category:Year of death unknown Category:5th-century Christian saints Category:Welsh hermits Category:Irish hermits Category:Welsh people of Irish descent Category:Welsh people of Greek descent