Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
Lud explained
After Elidure, the Chronicle lists many kings of little note until Lud, who greatly enlarged Trinovant (his capital), surrounded it with a wall, and renamed it Lud's Town, later London.
What happens
After Elidure, the Chronicle lists many kings of little note until Lud, who greatly enlarged Trinovant (his capital), surrounded it with a wall, and renamed it Lud's Town, later London. Lud was buried by the city gate called Ludgate. His sons were too young to rule at his death, so his brother Caswallaun (Cassibellaunus) succeeded, a brave and magnificent prince whose fame spread to distant lands.
Themes in this chapter
Cultural Transmission and Education
The renaming of Trinovant to Lud's Town (London) illustrates how place names transmit cultural memory and identity across generations.
Characters to notice
- King Arthur
Referenced indirectly through the lineage of British kings in the Chronicle; Lud is an ancestor in the legendary line.
Key passages
“Lud, who greatly enlarged Trinovant, his capital, and surrounded it with a wall. He changed its name, bestowing upon it his own, so that henceforth it was called Lud’s town, afterwards London.”
Lud significantly expanded his capital city, Trinovant, building a wall around it and renaming it after himself as Lud's Town, which later became known as London.
Highlights the legendary foundation of London's name.
“He had two sons, but they were not old enough at the time of their father’s death to sustain the cares of government, and therefore their uncle, Caswallaun, or Cassibellaunus, succeeded to the kingdom.”
Lud's sons were too young to rule when he died, so his brother Caswallaun (also called Cassibellaunus) took the throne.
Explains the succession after Lud's death.