Saint Twrog was a 6th century Welsh saint who founded the church at Maentwrog

Maentwrog

Maentwrog is a village and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. The River Dwyryd runs alongside the village...

. It is believed that Twrog was the son of Ithel Hael

Ithel Hael

Ithel Hael or Ithel Hael o Lydaw was a prince of Armorica who lived in the early part of the sixth century. He was the father of Baglan, Flewyn, Gredifael, Tanwg, Twrog, Tegai, Trillo, Tecwyn and Llechid, saints who accompanied Cadvan to Britain....

 o Lydaw of Brittany

Brittany

Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

. He was also the brother of Saint Tanwg of Llandanwg

Llandanwg

Llandanwg is a village in the Ardudwy area of Gwynedd, Wales.The village of Llandanwg is situated to the west of the coastal road between Llanbedr and Harlech, close to the village of Llanfair. Originally it was a small collection of farms to the north of the river Artro, close to where it enters...

, Saint Tegai

Saint Tegai

Saint Tegai is the patron saint and founder of Llandygai in the Welsh county of Gwynedd.According to Enwogion Cymru, Tegai was a saint who lived in the early part of the sixth century He was one of the sons of Ithel Hael, and with his brother Tecwyn accompanied Saint Cadfan from Brittany to Wales...

 of Llandegai

Llandegai

Llandygai is a small village on the A5 road between Bangor and Tal-y-Bont in Gwynedd, Wales. It affords a view of the nearby Carneddau mountain range.-Prehistory:There is evidence of human occupation of this site from Neolithic times....

 and Saint Baglan of Llanfaglan

Llanfaglan

Llanfaglan is a parish in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It lay in the medieval cwmwd of Is Gwyrfai.Llanfaglan is located 2 miles south-west of Caernarfon on the shore of the Menai Strait...

 and Baglan

Baglan

Baglan is a village in Wales. The village is named after Saint Baglan . Baglan is also the name of a community which is coterminous with the village and an electoral ward, in the administrative region of Neath Port Talbot county borough...

 .

There are two other dedications to Saint Twrog at Bodwrog in 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...

 (St Twrog's Church, Bodwrog

St Twrog's Church, Bodwrog

St Twrog's Church, Bodwrog is a small rural church, in Anglesey, north Wales. Built in the late 15th century in a medieval style, some alterations have been made but much of the original structure still remains. It has two 15th-century doorways and some 15th-century windows...

) and at Llandwrog

Llandwrog

Llandwrog is a village and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, most notable for the presence of the headquarters of Welsh record label Sain and the site of Caernarfon Airport...

 (St Twrog's Church, Maentwrog

St Twrog's Church, Maentwrog

Saint Twrog’s Church is in the village of Maentwrog in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. It is in the Deanery of Ardudwy....

). When Twrog first arrived in the village the valley was very marshy, which provided him with the wattle

Wattle

Wattle may refer to:*Wattle , a fleshy growth hanging from the head or neck of certain animals.*Wattle is another term for Congenital cartilaginous rest of the neck...

 that he would have needed to build his cell. Out the church near to the belfry

Bell tower

A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...

 door is a large stone known as Maen Twrog (maen being the Welsh for stone). Twrog is reputed to have thrown the stone from the top of Moelwyn crushing a pagan altar

Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...

 in the valley below. It is said that his handprints can still be seen in the stone. The parish of Maentwrog gets its name from this stone

The village name Maentwrog

Maentwrog

Maentwrog is a village and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. The River Dwyryd runs alongside the village...

 literally means "Twrog's stone". It is said that if one rubs this boulder one is fated to return to the village in the future.

However the name was already in existence at some time before this as it is said in Welsh mythology found in the Mabinogion

Mabinogion

The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...

 that Pryderi

Pryderi

Pryderi fab Pwyll is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and king of Dyfed following his father's death. He is the only character to appear in all Four Branches of the Mabinogi, although the size of his role varies from tale to tale...

 was killed at the Glaslyn river

River Glaslyn

The Afon Glaslyn is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. Whilst not of great significance in terms of its length , it is one of Gwynedd's primary rivers, and has greatly influenced the landscape in which it flows....

and in Maentwrog is he buried. The boulder supposedly hurled by the giant is the one said to mark Pryderi's grave.