7 h 54 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 7 h 54 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Troy lies in ruins, and across the sea a new kingdom waits to take shape.
Layamon's Brut is a long English poem that follows Britain's legendary kings from Trojan exile to Arthur's rise. Brutus leads his people across the sea to found a kingdom. Leir and his daughters enter the story, while later rulers face invasions, treachery, and the struggle to hold their land together.
Vortigern seizes the crown and invites the Saxons into Britain, hoping for protection. Merlin brings wisdom and magic into the royal story, while Arthur seeks to defend Britain and rule with justice. Layamon tells these legends in rough, strong verse, with old English habits of sound and rhythm.
What you’ll discover
- A kingdom born from exile Follow Brutus from the scattered survivors of Troy toward the founding of a new home.
- Arthur at the roots Meet the young king in the earliest long Arthurian poem in English.
- Merlin's wisdom and magic Discover a fatherless boy who reads signs of the future and serves the royal house.
- Crowns held through conflict Explore how pride, loyalty, and treachery shape the struggle to hold Britain together.
- The force of old verse Feel the strong rhythms of an English poem from a world ruled by Norman French speakers.
Who will love it
For readers who love the legends behind Arthur, Merlin and King Leir, enjoy old chronicles full of battles and omens, or like hearing how places got their names.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A priest joins three books into one
- Brutus kills his father and leads slaves to freedom
- A goddess sends the Trojans to Albion
- Brutus's sons divide the land and quarrel
- Leir learns the cost of flattery
- Belin conquers Rome and Caesar fails twice
- Christianity arrives and Rome lets go
- Vortiger invites the Saxons and Merlin speaks
- Uther, Merlin's magic and the birth of Arthur
- Arthur rules a great court and faces Rome
- After Arthur the English take the land
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Le Brut de Layamon
by Layamon · 1200
A priest by the Severn joins three old books into one song of Britain, from burning Troy to the rise of the English.
Medium level2–5 hours to readfrançais
Excellent
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In short
What if a village priest decided to write down the whole past of his island, from the fall of Troy to the days of the English? That is what Layamon did.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A priest joins three books into one
Layamon opens by naming himself. He is a priest, the son of Leovenath, living at Ernley beside a church on the Severn. He aims to tell of the English people's great deeds, their origins and the names they bore.
He takes the English book of Saint Bede, then the Latin book of Albin and Austin. The third is the French book of the clerk Wace, which Wace gave to Queen Eleanor. Layamon writes the true words together on parchment.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1200
- Language
- français
- Reading time
- 5 h 5 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Layamon. Layamon's Brut. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/layamons-brut.
Layamon. (2026). Layamon's Brut. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/layamons-brut (Original work published ca. 1200)
Layamon. Layamon's Brut. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/layamons-brut.
@book{layamon2026layamons,
author = {Layamon},
title = {Layamon's Brut},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/layamons-brut},
note = {First published ca. 1200}
}
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What is Layamon's Brut about?
It is a verse chronicle of Britain's past. It starts with Troy and Brutus, follows kings such as Leir, Belin and Vortiger, includes Merlin and Arthur, and ends with the English taking the land.
Who was Layamon?
Layamon was a priest who lived at Ernley beside a church on the Severn. He says he gathered books by Bede, Albin and Wace, then joined them into one English poem.
Is the Brut a true history?
It mixes remembered tradition with legend. The poet follows earlier books and treats Brutus, Arthur and Merlin as part of the past, so it is best read as a medieval chronicle, not a modern history.
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