Layamon

Who is Layamon?

Layamon or Laghamon, spelled Laȝamon or Laȝamonn in his time, occasionally written Lawman, was a poet of the late 12th/early 13th century and author of the Brut, a notable English poem that was the first English-language work to discuss the legends of Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Layamon describes himself in his poem as a priest, living at Areley Kings in Worcestershire. His poem provided inspiration for numerous later writers, including Sir Thomas Malory and Jorge Luis Borges, and had an impact on medieval history writing in England.

Print-era editors and cataloguers have spelled his name in various ways including "Layamon", "Lazamon", or "Lawman". Brown University suggests that the form "Layamon" is etymologically incorrect, while The Fifth International Conference on Laȝamon's Brut at Brown University mentions: "BL MS Cotton Caligula A.ix spells it "Laȝamon". BL MS Cotton Otho C.xiii spelled it "Laweman" and "Loweman".