Elaeth
Encyclopedia
Elaeth was a Christian king and poet in Britain in the 6th century who is venerated as a saint. After losing his territory in the north of Britain, he retreated to Anglesey
, north Wales, where he lived at a monastery run by St Seiriol
at Penmon. Some religious poetry is attributed to him, as is the foundation of St Eleth's Church, Amlwch
, also in Anglesey.
. Elaeth was apparently a chieftain in the north of Britain, and is sometimes referred to as "Elaeth Frenhin" (the Welsh for "Elaeth the king"). He was ousted from his land and thereafter travelled to Anglesey
, an island off the coast of north Wales, and settled there in the monastery run by St Seiriol
at Penmon, at the south-eastern corner of the island. His feast day in the Welsh calendars of saints is 10 November; one calendar, apparently by mistake, gives the date as 11 November.
Some religious poetry that he is said to have written has been preserved in medieval manuscripts. The Black Book of Carmarthen
, from the 12th century, attributes two poems of seven stanzas to his authorship, one of simple construction and the other more complicated. Both "are written in a strain of deepest piety."
He is the reputed founder of St Eleth's Church, Amlwch
, in the north of Anglesey. A holy well near there, known as "" in Welsh, was named after him, and was regarded as having healing qualities and providing a method of divination
. A nearby "priest" would interpret the behaviour and activities of an eel kept in the well; on some occasions, the eel would remain out of sight and those seeking answers would have to wait for its re-emergence.
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, north Wales, where he lived at a monastery run by St Seiriol
Seiriol
Seiriol was an early 6th century saint, who created a cell at Penmon Priory on Anglesey, off the coast of north Wales. He later moved to Ynys Seiriol . He was a son of King Owain Danwyn of Rhos....
at Penmon. Some religious poetry is attributed to him, as is the foundation of St Eleth's Church, Amlwch
St Eleth's Church, Amlwch
St Eleth's Church, Amlwch is a parish church built in the Neo-classical style in 1800 in Amlwch, a town on the island of Anglesey in north Wales. It stands on the site of earlier buildings, with the first church here said to have been established by St Elaeth in the 6th century...
, also in Anglesey.
Life and commemoration
Little is known for certain about Elaeth's life, and his dates of birth and death are unknown. He lived in the 6th century. He is said to have been the son of Meurig ab Idno and his wife Onen Greg, the daughter of Gwallog ap LlaennogGwallog ap Llaennog
Gwallog ap Llaennog was a hero of the Hen Ogledd and probable 6th century king of the sub-Roman state of Elmet in the Leeds area of modern Yorkshire.He joined a group of Brythonic kings, including Urien Rheged, Rhydderch Hael and Morgant Bwlch of...
. Elaeth was apparently a chieftain in the north of Britain, and is sometimes referred to as "Elaeth Frenhin" (the Welsh for "Elaeth the king"). He was ousted from his land and thereafter travelled to Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, an island off the coast of north Wales, and settled there in the monastery run by St Seiriol
Seiriol
Seiriol was an early 6th century saint, who created a cell at Penmon Priory on Anglesey, off the coast of north Wales. He later moved to Ynys Seiriol . He was a son of King Owain Danwyn of Rhos....
at Penmon, at the south-eastern corner of the island. His feast day in the Welsh calendars of saints is 10 November; one calendar, apparently by mistake, gives the date as 11 November.
Some religious poetry that he is said to have written has been preserved in medieval manuscripts. The Black Book of Carmarthen
Black Book of Carmarthen
The Black Book of Carmarthen is thought to be the earliest surviving manuscript written entirely or substantially in Welsh. Written in around 1250, the book's name comes from its association with the Priory of St. John the Evangelist and Teulyddog at Carmarthen, and is referred to as black due to...
, from the 12th century, attributes two poems of seven stanzas to his authorship, one of simple construction and the other more complicated. Both "are written in a strain of deepest piety."
He is the reputed founder of St Eleth's Church, Amlwch
St Eleth's Church, Amlwch
St Eleth's Church, Amlwch is a parish church built in the Neo-classical style in 1800 in Amlwch, a town on the island of Anglesey in north Wales. It stands on the site of earlier buildings, with the first church here said to have been established by St Elaeth in the 6th century...
, in the north of Anglesey. A holy well near there, known as "" in Welsh, was named after him, and was regarded as having healing qualities and providing a method of divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
. A nearby "priest" would interpret the behaviour and activities of an eel kept in the well; on some occasions, the eel would remain out of sight and those seeking answers would have to wait for its re-emergence.
See also
Other Anglesey saints commemorated in local churches include:- St CwyllogCwyllogSaint Cwyllog was a Christian holy woman who was active in Anglesey, Wales, in the early 6th century. The daughter, sister and niece of saints, she is said to have founded St Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog, in the middle of Anglesey, where a church is still dedicated to her.-Life and...
at St Cwyllog's Church, LlangwyllogSt Cwyllog's Church, LlangwyllogSt Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog is a medieval church near Llangwyllog, in Anglesey, north Wales. St Cwyllog founded a church here in the 6th century, although the exact date is unknown. The existence of a church here was recorded in 1254 and parts of the present building may date from around 1200... - St IestynIestyn (saint)Iestyn was a Welsh hermit and confessor in the 6th or 7th century who is venerated as a saint. He was the founder of two churches, one in Gwynedd and another in Anglesey, both in north Wales.-Life and commemoration:Iestyn's dates of birth and death are not recorded...
at St Iestyn's Church, LlaniestynSt Iestyn's Church, LlaniestynSt Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn is a medieval church in Llaniestyn, Anglesey, in north Wales. A church is said to have been founded here by St Iestyn in the 7th century, with the earliest parts of the present building dating from the 12th century. The church was extended in the 14th century, with... - St PeulanPeulanSaint Peulan was a Welsh holy man in the early part of the 6th century, the son of Paulinus, a saint from south Wales who taught Saint David. A follower of Cybi, a saint associated with the island of Anglesey in north Wales, Peulan is commemorated in the dedication of the church he reportedly...
at St Peulan's Church, LlanbeulanSt Peulan's Church, LlanbeulanSt Peulan's Church, Llanbeulan is a disused medieval church in Llanbeulan, in Anglesey, north Wales. The nave, which is the oldest part of the building, dates from the 12th century, with a chancel and side chapel added in the 14th century... - St TyfrydogTyfrydogTyfrydog was a Christian from north-west Wales in the fifth or sixth century, who was later venerated as a saint. He is said to have established a church in Anglesey, and although no part of the original structure remains, the current church is still dedicated to him...
at St Tyfrydog's Church, LlandyfrydogSt Tyfrydog's Church, LlandyfrydogSt Tyfrydog's Church, Llandyfrydog is a small medieval church, in Llandyfrydog, Anglesey, north Wales. The date of establishment of a church on this site is unknown, but one 19th-century Anglesey historian says that it was about 450...