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Mynyddog Mwynfawr (variant orthographies include: Old Welsh Mynydawc Mwynvawr; Middle Welsh; Mynyddawg Mwynfawr) was, according to Welsh tradition founded on the early Welsh language poem Y Gododdin (attributed to Aneirin), a Brittonic ruler of the kingdom of Gododdin in the Hen Ogledd ("Old North"; a Welsh language term for Scotland and northern England).

The traditional reading of Y Gododdin, accepted by most scholars, is that Mynyddog is king of Gododdin, perhaps with his court at Din Eidyn, modern Edinburgh. He appears as the sponsor of the renowned warband that fought at the Battle of Catraeth in the early Welsh poem.

The name Mynyddog Mwynfawr, if translated as a personal name, means Mynyddog the Wealthy. The name Mynyddog is the adjectival form of mynydd "mountain" (i.e. "mountainous"). John T. Koch considers Mynyddog Mwynfawr to be a place (meaning approximately "Wealthy Mountain"). Koch argues that Mynyddog Mwynfawr is a kenning or personification which represents Din Eidyn, Gododdin, or perhaps the entire Old North, and that Gwlyget, described as Mynyddog's steward, is the ruler of Gododdin.

The popular Welsh poet Richard Davies (1833–1877) adopted the name Mynyddog as his pen name. Use of an adopted Welsh-language pen name was common among Welsh poets of his era.

Sources

Rachel Bromwich (ed.), Trioedd Ynys Prydein (University of Wales Press, 1978; new edition, 1991)
Chris Lowe, Angels, Fools and Tyrants: Britons and Saxons in Southern Scotland (Canongate Books and Historic Scotland, 1999)
Ifor Williams (ed.), Canu Aneirin (University of Wales Press, 1958). The standard edition of Y Gododdin.

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+{{redirect|Mwynfawr|Morgan Mwynfawr|Morgan ab Athrwys}}
-'''Mynyddawg Mwynfawr''' was [[king]] of the [[Gododdin]] in the early [[seventh century]].  Having ruled from a [[stronghold]] at [[Din Eidyn]], on the site of [[modern day]] [[Edinburgh]], his the kingdom of Gododdin stretched from the [[Firth of Forth]] to the [[Tees River]].  His reign was lovingly recounted by the [[Brythonic]] [[bard]] [[Aneirin]] in the [[saga]] ''[[Y Gododdin]]''.
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
+{{No footnotes|date=May 2022}}
+'''Mynyddog Mwynfawr''' (variant orthographies include: [[Old Welsh]] ''Mynydawc Mwynvawr''; [[Middle Welsh]]; ''Mynyddawg Mwynfawr'') was, according to Welsh tradition founded on the early [[Welsh language]] poem ''[[Y Gododdin]]'' (attributed to [[Aneirin]]), a [[Celtic Britons|Brittonic]] ruler of the kingdom of [[Gododdin]] in the [[Hen Ogledd]] ("Old North"; a Welsh language term for Scotland and northern England).
+The traditional reading of ''Y Gododdin'', accepted by most scholars, is that Mynyddog is king of Gododdin, perhaps with his court at [[Din Eidyn]], modern [[Edinburgh]]. He appears as the sponsor of the renowned warband that fought at the [[Battle of Catraeth]] in the early Welsh poem.
-Like many kings of the [[dark ages]], Mynyddawg Mwynfawr was said to have [[supernatural]] and [[superhuman]] powers, many of which dealt with his sexual prowess.  He is said to have possessed a nearly insatiable appetite for sexual debauchery and [[violence]], and supposedly fathered [[36]] different [[children]] with [[wives]] and [[concubines]] of all the [[races]] of his area, including the [[Picts]].  Mynyddawg Mwynfawr, the ''Y Gododdin'' claimed, singlehandedly slaughtered no less than [[two-hundred]] [[twenty]] [[seven]] [[Angles]] in one [[battle]] in [[634]] and placed their skulls, it was said, upon a high [[wall]] that he had constructed between his kingdom and that of [[Northumbria]].
+The name Mynyddog Mwynfawr, if translated as a personal name, means Mynyddog the Wealthy. The name ''Mynyddog'' is the adjectival form of ''mynydd'' "mountain" (i.e. "mountainous"). [[John T. Koch]] considers Mynyddog Mwynfawr to be a place (meaning approximately "Wealthy Mountain"). Koch argues that Mynyddog Mwynfawr is a [[kenning]] or [[anthropomorphism|personification]] which represents Din Eidyn, Gododdin, or perhaps the entire Old North, and that Gwlyget, described as Mynyddog's steward, is the ruler of Gododdin.
-After a savage war, Mynyddawg Mwynfawr was killed by the forces of [[King]] [[Edwin]] I of the [[Angles]] of [[Northumbria]] in [[638]], and his [[capital]] was renamed [[Edwins burgh]], which morphed into the familiar name of the [[Scottish]] capital today.
+The popular Welsh poet [[Richard Davies (Mynyddog)|Richard Davies]] (1833–1877) adopted the name ''Mynyddog'' as his pen name. Use of an adopted Welsh-language pen name was common among Welsh poets of his era.
-In addition to Edwin, Mynyddag Mwynfawar was a contemporary of [[Penda of Mercia]], and Saint Augustine, who introduced [[Kent]] to Christinatiy.
-The laws of Mynyddawg Mwynfawr were surprisingly lenient relative to the law codes of the Angles to the south, as well as the [[Cumberland|Cumbrians]] of the southwest.  While [[homosexuality]] was treated as a treasonous crime in much of the remaining [[British]] areas of what was to become [[Wales]] and [[Scotland]], Mynyddawg Mwynfawr was very tolerant of it, and included rampant homosexuals in the ranks of his warriors.  Aneirin told that the king was not himself above occaisonal indulgence in [[sodomy]] as well, perhaps due to his legendary [[libido]].
 ==Sources==
+* [[Rachel Bromwich]] (ed.), ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein'' (University of Wales Press, 1978; new edition, 1991)
-Magnus Magnusson, Scotland: The story of a nation.  London: harper collins, 2000, pp. 25-28.
+* Chris Lowe, ''Angels, Fools and Tyrants: Britons and Saxons in Southern Scotland'' (Canongate Books and [[Historic Scotland]], 1999)
+* [[Ifor Williams]] (ed.), ''Canu Aneirin'' (University of Wales Press, 1958). The standard edition of ''Y Gododdin''.
+[[Category:Northern Brythonic monarchs]]
+[[Category:Medieval Welsh literature]]