The Life of St. Carannog
Version Two

§1. There was once upon a time a man, Ceredig by name. He was a king. And this man had many sons, one of whom was named Carannog, son of Ceredig, son of Cunedda, son of Edern, m. Patern Pes Rudauc m. Tacit m. Kein m. Guorchein m. Doli m. Gurdoli m. Domn m. Guordumn m. Amguoloid m. Amguerit m. Omnid m. Dubunn m. Britguenin m. Eugen [in.] Aballach, in. Canalech m. Beli and Anna, his mother, whom they say was cousin to the Virgin Mary.

§2. Now Cunedda had sons, Tybion the firstborn, who died in the country of Manaw Gododdin, and his father Cunedda and his brothers came not hither, but Meirion his son divided the possessions of his father among his brothers; the second, Ysfael; the third, Rhufon; the fourth, Dunod; the fifth, Ceredig; the sixth, Afioeg; the seventh, Einion; the eighth, Dogfael; the ninth, Edern.

§3. This is their boundary from the river which is called Dyfrdwyf [i.e. the Dee] as far as another river which is called Gvoun [i.e., the Gwaun]. And they held very many regions on the western [side] of Britannia.

§4. Ceredig held Ceredigion, and from him it was named. And after that he had held it, the Irish came and fought with them and took all the regions. But Ceredig was an old man, and the elders said to him, ‘Thou art old, sir, thou canst not fight. It behoves us to appoint one of thy sons to be king. Who is the eldest?’ They said, ‘Carannog. He ought to be king.’ But Carannog preferred the heavenly king to an earthly realm, and the will of the Lord to human favour. And when he had heard, he took to flight, lest they should discover him. He first bought a better bachall together with a hoe from a poor man. And he came to the place which is called Gweryd Carannog and there he sojourned for some time. And he wished to pray to God in that place. And when he was there and whenever he wished to labour, a dove came [and] took away all that he whittled daily from his bachall. And he said, ‘Lord, whither does she take it?’ And he resolved in his mind ‘I will go to see whither she takes this.’ And he arose [to follow] whither she went through wood, through forest. The dove came, and descended on a spot where is a church to-day and left it there. And he saw and said, ‘Here it behoves me to be, because God has willed it.’ And he remained there some time, where he rendered devout thanks to God. 

SOURCE:
Composed in Cemis, Pembrokeshire, in the 12th C. Found in the British Museum Cotton MS Vespasian A xiv.

Vitae Sanctorum Britanniae et Genealogiae. ed. A. W. Wade-Evans. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1944.