Layamon

Layamon is a Poète English of the end 12th century and beginning of the 13th century.

It is especially known to have adapted in medieval English the Novel of Crude of Wace, which is itself an adaptation of the Historia regum Britannie of Geoffroy de Monmouth. What tells the few 16.000 worms of Layamon is not very original compared to its sources, recalling the history of kings de Bretagne (currently Great Britain) starting from the founder supposed Brut until Cadwaladr, while passing by Lear and Arthur, all the characters more legendary than historical. However, the poem of Layamon, usually indicated under the title of Gross , occupies an important place in the English history and the literature, because it is one of the first documents written in English.

Excluded this single work, one does not know almost anything Layamon. In its worms, he says priest of Ernley, today, Areley Kings in Worcestershire.

As for its name, it poses a problem, because according to the lesson of British Museum ms. Knitting machine Caligula A. IX, one of the two manuscripts preserving the poem, it is written with a Yogh. This last, resembling figure 3, is a letter used as Middle English to represent various sounds, inter alia /y/, /w/, /z/, /j/, /g/, /x/, etc Ainsi, in modern works, one finds the name of this author in various forms: La3amon (C-W communication of the manuscript), Layamon, Lazamon, Lawamon, Lawemon, Lawmon, Lawman, Laweman, Loweman. Layamon seems however the most widespread form and most commonly allowed.

Editions of the text

LAYAMON, Gross, edited from British Museum ms. Knitting machine Caligula A. IX and British Museum ms. Knitting machine Otho C. XIII , by G.L. Brook and RF Leslie, 2 flights., London/New York, Oxford University Near, 1963-1978.

Online edition (Version of the ms. Knitting machine Caligula A. IX)

Translations available on line

in French (extracted)
in English (extracted)

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