# Elaeth

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'''Elaeth''' (sometimes recorded as '''Eleth''') 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](/source/Anglesey), north Wales, where he lived at a monastery run by [St Seiriol](/source/Seiriol) at [Penmon](/source/Penmon).  Some religious poetry is attributed to him, as is the foundation of [St Eleth's Church, Amlwch](/source/St_Eleth's_Church%2C_Amlwch), 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.<ref name=Enwog>{{cite book|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__wMGAAAAQAAJ/page/n136 138]|title=Enwogion Cymru: A biographical dictionary of eminent Welshmen, from the earliest times to the present, and including every name connected with the ancient history of Wales |last=Williams|first=Robert|year=1852|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb__wMGAAAAQAAJ|publisher=W. Rees}}</ref> He is said to have been the son of Meurig ab Idno and his wife Onen Greg, the daughter of [Gwallog ap Llaennog](/source/Gwallog_ap_Llaennog).<ref name=Baring/> 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](/source/Anglesey), an island off the coast of north Wales, and settled there in the monastery run by [St Seiriol](/source/Seiriol) at [Penmon](/source/Penmon), at the south-eastern corner of the island. His [feast day](/source/feast_day) in the Welsh calendars of saints is 10 November;<ref name=Rice>{{cite book|page=[https://archive.org/details/anessayonwelshs00reesgoog/page/n290 271]|title= An essay on the Welsh saints or the primitive Christians, usually considered to have been the founders of the churches in Wales|url= https://archive.org/details/anessayonwelshs00reesgoog|last=Rees|first=Rice|authorlink=Rice Rees|publisher=Longman|year=1836}}</ref> one calendar, apparently by mistake, gives the date as 11 November.<ref name=Baring/>

Some religious poetry that he is said to have written has been preserved in medieval manuscripts.  The [Black Book of Carmarthen](/source/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."<ref name=Baring>{{cite book|url= https://archive.org/details/livesofbritishsa02bariuoft|pages=[https://archive.org/details/livesofbritishsa02bariuoft/page/425 425]–6| first=Sabine|last=Baring-Gould|authorlink=Sabine Baring-Gould|title= The lives of the British Saints: the Saints of Wales and Cornwall and such Irish Saints as have dedications in Britain (volume 2)|year=1907|publisher= [Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion](/source/Honourable_Society_of_Cymmrodorion)}}</ref>

He is the reputed founder of [St Eleth's Church, Amlwch](/source/St_Eleth's_Church%2C_Amlwch), in the north of Anglesey.<ref name=Rice/> A holy well near there, known as "{{lang|cy|Ffynnon Elaeth}}" in Welsh, was named after him, and was regarded as having healing qualities and providing a method of [divination](/source/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.<ref name=Baring/>

==See also==
Other Anglesey saints commemorated in local churches include:
*[St Cwyllog](/source/Cwyllog) at [St Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog](/source/St_Cwyllog's_Church%2C_Llangwyllog)
*[St Iestyn](/source/Iestyn_(saint)) at [St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn](/source/St_Iestyn's_Church%2C_Llaniestyn)
*[St Peulan](/source/Peulan) at [St Peulan's Church, Llanbeulan](/source/St_Peulan's_Church%2C_Llanbeulan)
*[St Tyfrydog](/source/Tyfrydog) at [St Tyfrydog's Church, Llandyfrydog](/source/St_Tyfrydog's_Church%2C_Llandyfrydog)

==References==
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Category:Welsh royal saints
Category:6th-century monarchs in Europe
Category:Medieval Welsh poets

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Elaeth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeth) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaeth?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.