Lailoken (aka Merlyn Sylvester)[1] was a semi-legendary madman and prophet who lived in the Caledonian Forest in the late 6th century.
The Life of Saint Kentigern[2] mentions "a certain foolish man, who was called Laleocen" living at or near the village of Peartnach (Partick) within the Kingdom of Strathclyde.
Laleocen correctly prophesied the death of King Rhydderch Hael.
As a wild man and seer living in the forests of what is now southern Scotland, Lailoken is often identified with Myrddin Wyllt, the Welsh forerunner of the Arthurian wizard Merlin.
There was also a late 15th-century story Lailoken and Kentigern which states: "...some say he was called Merlynum".