Bladud

Bladud is a legendary king of the Britons, purported to have lived in the 9th or 8th century BC, and is best known as the supposed founder of the city of Bath in England. Accounts of Bladud are largely drawn from Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136), which presents a highly romanticized and largely fictionalized history of Britain.

According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Bladud was the son of King Rud Hud Hudibras. He contracted leprosy and was banished from his father's kingdom. While in exile, he worked as a swineherd in Swainswick, near present-day Bath. He noticed his pigs enjoying wallowing in the warm, muddy springs and observed that their skin seemed to be healed by the waters. Bladud himself then bathed in the springs and was miraculously cured of his leprosy.

Following his recovery, Bladud returned to his kingdom and succeeded his father as king. In gratitude for his healing, he founded the city of Bath, building baths that were dedicated to the goddess Minerva. He also supposedly possessed magical abilities and is credited with inventing flying. Geoffrey of Monmouth claims he attempted to fly to the Temple of Apollo in Trinovantum (London) but fell and died.

Modern historians generally dismiss the historicity of Bladud, regarding him as a mythical figure rather than a real historical person. The story likely arose from a conflation of local folklore surrounding the hot springs of Bath and the Roman goddess Minerva, to whom the Roman baths were dedicated. Archaeological evidence suggests the existence of a shrine and healing cult at Bath long before the Roman period, and the legend of Bladud may represent a native British deity or hero associated with these earlier practices.

The story of Bladud remains a prominent part of Bath's local history and identity, and the legend is often invoked in promotional materials and tourist literature.