Saint Eluned ( cy, Eiliwedd; la, Almedha or ''Elevetha''), also known as Aled and by other names, was a 5th- or 6th-century
virgin
Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
from modern
Brecon
Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...
. George Phillips, writing for the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', calls her "the
Luned
In Arthurian legend, Lunete (also known as Luned or Lunet) is a handmaiden and advisor to the Lady of the Fountain ( Laudine). It is she who is responsible for convincing Laudine to accept Ywain in marriage. She is described in Chrétien de Troyes ...
of the ''
Mabinogion
The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...
'' and the
Lynette of Tennyson's ''
Gareth and Lynette''.".
Legend
One of the many daughters of King
Brychan
Brychan Brycheiniog was a legendary 5th-century king of Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire, alternatively Breconshire) in Mid Wales.
Life
According to Celtic hagiography Brychan was born in Ireland, the son of a Prince Anlach, son of Coronac, and h ...
of
Brycheiniog
Brycheiniog was an independent kingdom in South Wales in the Early Middle Ages. It often acted as a buffer state between England to the east and the south Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth to the west. It was conquered and pacified by the Normans be ...
in
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
(a
sub-Roman monarch who embraced the new faith of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
), Eluned became a Christian at a young age. She spurned the advances of a
pagan
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
prince and, like many women of her time, ran away to avoid being forced into the relationship. She travelled first to
Llan Ddew where she was ousted by the locals, then to
Llanfilo. Here again, she was ousted by the inhabitants, on the pretext of thievery. She then travelled to Llechfaen, where she was again thrown out of the community. She would not find peace until her arrival at
Slwch Tump, where the local lord gave her protection. However, Eluned's pursuer found her. When she ran from him, he chased her down the hill and beheaded her. Her head rolled down the hill and hit a stone; as in the story of
Saint Winefride, a healing
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season)
Spring, also known as springtime, is one of the four temperate seasons, succeeding winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of ...
burst from that spot.
There is a reference to Eluned in the work of
William Worcester
William Worcester, also called William of Worcester, William Worcestre or William Botoner (1415) was an English topographer, antiquary and chronicler.
Life
He was a son of another William of Worcester, a Bristol whittawer (worker in white leather ...
(). He refers to the saint's remains as being housed in the priory church at Usk, home to a community of Benedictine nuns founded sometime before 1135 by Richard de Clare.
[Cartwright, Jane. "Dead virgins: feminine sanctity in medieval Wales", ''Medium Aevum'', 22 March 2002]
/ref>
Veneration
When the Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...
arrived in the 11th century, her well
A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
at Slwch was associated with healing and other miracles. Like many other such sites, the holy well and church of Eluned were destroyed in the Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
. In his 1698 essay on the history of Brecknockshire
, image_flag=
, HQ= Brecon
, Government= Brecknockshire County Council (1889-1974)
, Origin= Brycheiniog
, Status=
, Start= 1535
, End= ...
, Welsh historian Hugh Thomas speaks of the chapel, in his time, as
:"standing, though unroofed and useless; the people thereabouts call it St. Tayled t. Aled It was situated on an eminence, about a mile to the eastward of Brecknock
Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the count ...
, and about half a mile from a farm-house, formerly the mansion and residence of the Aubrey
Aubrey is traditionally a male English given name. The name is from the French derivation Aubry of the Germanic given name Alberic / Old High German given name Alberich, which consists of the elements ALF "elf" and RIK "king", from Proto-Germani ...
s, lords of the manor of Slwch, which lordship was bestowed upon Sir Reginald Awbrey by Bernard Newmarche, in the reign of William Rufus
William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...
. Some small vestiges of this building may still be traced, and an aged yew tree, with a well
A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...
at its foot, marks the site near which the chapel formerly stood."Gerald of Wales
Gerald of Wales ( la, Giraldus Cambrensis; cy, Gerallt Gymro; french: Gerald de Barri; ) was a Cambro-Norman priest and English historians in the Middle Ages, historian. As a royal clerk to the king and two archbishops, he travelled widely and w ...
. ''The Itinerary of Archbishop Baldwin through Wales''
Book I, Ch. 2: Journey through Hay and Brecheinia
(Oxford, Mississippi, 1997)
Her feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
is 1 August, the same day a pagan harvest festival (Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh or Lughnasa ( , ) is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In Modern Irish it is called , in gd, Lùnastal, and in gv, ...
or Lammas
Lammas Day (Anglo-Saxon ''hlaf-mas'', "loaf-mass"), also known as Loaf Mass Day, is a Christian holiday celebrated in some English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere on 1 August. The name originates from the word "loaf" in reference ...
) was celebrated.
References
Further reading
*''Forgotten Sanctuaries'', an article published in the 1903 ''Archaeologia Cambrensis''
Eluned's way and wellsites
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eluned
Late Ancient Christian female saints
5th-century Christian saints
6th-century Christian saints
Children of Brychan
Converts to Christianity from pagan religions
Deaths by decapitation
Welsh mythology
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
6th-century Welsh people
5th-century Welsh people
Welsh Roman Catholic saints
Female saints of medieval Wales
5th-century Welsh women
6th-century Welsh women