Selyf ap Cynan or Selyf Sarffgadau (died 616) appears in

Old Welsh Old Welsh ( cy, Hen Gymraeg) is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic ...

genealogies as an early 7th-century

King of Powys Prior to the Conquest of Wales, completed in 1282, Wales consisted of a number of independent kingdoms, the most important being Gwynedd, Powys, Deheubarth (originally Ceredigion, Seisyllwg and Dyfed) and Morgannwg (Glywysing and Gwent). Bounda ...

, the son of

Cynan Garwyn Cynan Garwyn was king of Powys in the north-east and east of Wales, who flourished in the second half of the 6th century. Little reliable information exists which can be used to reconstruct the background and career of the historical figure. Availa ...

. His name is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

form of

Solomon Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...

, appearing in the oldest genealogies as Selim. He reputedly bore the nickname Sarffgadau, meaning battle-serpent. According to the ''

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

'' and the ''Annals of Wales'', in 616 he died at the

Battle of Chester The Battle of Chester (Old Welsh: ''Guaith Caer Legion''; Welsh: ''Brwydr Caer'') was a major victory for the Anglo-Saxons over the native Britons near the city of Chester, England in the early 7th century. Æthelfrith of Northumbria annihilated ...

, fighting against

Æthelfrith of Northumbria Æthelfrith (died c. 616) was King of Bernicia from c. 593 until his death. Around 604 he became the first Bernician king to also rule the neighboring land of Deira, giving him an important place in the development of the later kingdom of North ...

. The

entitle him

King of the Britons The title King of the Britons ( cy, Brenin y Brythoniaid, la, Rex Britannorum) was used (often retrospectively) to refer to the most powerful ruler among the Celtic Britons, both before and after the period of Roman Britain up until the Norma ...

, perhaps because he led a combined force from more than one Brythonic kingdom at that battle against the

Northumbrians la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

. In Jesus College MS 18, Selyf is identified as father of Beli and subsequently ancestor of the later kings of Powys; in other genealogies, he is father of an Eiludd ap Selyf, and in another, he is identified as grandfather of a Beli ap Mael Myngan ap Selyf. Breneu Powys, or the Privileges of Powys, by Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr, the court poet of the major Kingdoms of Wales at the time, refers to Selyf's descendants as serpents of battle, most likely in reference to the Mathrafal dynasty, which ruled Powys at the time. This suggests that Eiludd, who is most commonly identified as progenitor of the continuation of the House of Gwerthrynion, was likely to have been a son of Selyf.

References

* Kari Maund (2000) ''The Welsh Kings: The Medieval Rulers of Wales'' (Tempus) *Jesus College Ms.18

External links

* 6th-century births 616 deaths Monarchs of Powys House of Gwertherion 7th-century Welsh monarchs {{Wales-bio-stub