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Derfel, known as Derfel Gadarn ('' darn'': "mighty, valiant, strong"), was a 6th-century Celtic
/ref> Three of the six other survivors were also said to have become saints. While others survived through good fortune, Derfel survived "by his strength alone". Derfel is said to have been a noted warrior in medieval Welsh poetry. Tudur Penllyn wrote: :''Derfel mewn rhyfel, gwnai'i wayw'n rhyfedd, Darrisg dur yw'r wisg, dewr yw'r osgedd.'' :("Derfel in war, he would work his spear wondrously, steel covering is the garment, brave is the appearance.") According to Lewys Glyn Cothi: :"When there were at Camlan men and fighting and a host being slain, Derfel with his arms was dividing steel there in two". After Camlan, Derfel is unanimously held in Welsh tradition to have entered the religious life. After a possible stint as a wandering hermit, he is said to have entered the monastery of Llantwit. He was also associated with
Derfel's feast day is 5 April.
For centuries Derfel was venerated at the churches of Llanfihangel Llantarnam, which claimed a relic of him, and Llandderfel, which featured a wooden image of him; he was an object of pilgrimage at these sites. Derfel was depicted as a warrior in full armour riding a horse rather than as an ecclesiastic. The Llandderfel image was removed and dismantled by order of Thomas Cromwell during the
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
monk regarded as a saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
. Local legend holds that he was a warrior of King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
.
Family
MedievalWelsh
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 peopl ...
tradition held that he was related to Hywel, a legendary Brythonic king of Brittany. He is said to be one of Hywel's sons in a late version of the genealogical tract '' Bonedd y Saint''. Welsh tradition also makes him a brother of Sts. Tudwal and Arthfael (also reputed sons of Hywel), and a cousin to Saint Cadfan.
Life
Reputedly born around 566, Derfel is said to be one of seven warriors of Arthur who survived the Battle of Camlan."Welsh History Month: St Derfel and the Stag - icon or idol?", WalesOnline, May 2, 2013/ref> Three of the six other survivors were also said to have become saints. While others survived through good fortune, Derfel survived "by his strength alone". Derfel is said to have been a noted warrior in medieval Welsh poetry. Tudur Penllyn wrote: :''Derfel mewn rhyfel, gwnai'i wayw'n rhyfedd, Darrisg dur yw'r wisg, dewr yw'r osgedd.'' :("Derfel in war, he would work his spear wondrously, steel covering is the garment, brave is the appearance.") According to Lewys Glyn Cothi: :"When there were at Camlan men and fighting and a host being slain, Derfel with his arms was dividing steel there in two". After Camlan, Derfel is unanimously held in Welsh tradition to have entered the religious life. After a possible stint as a wandering hermit, he is said to have entered the monastery of Llantwit. He was also associated with
Llandderfel
Llandderfel is a village and a sparsely populated community in Gwynedd, Wales, near Bala, formerly served by the Llandderfel railway station. The community also includes the settlements of Glan-yr-afon, Llanfor, Cefnddwysarn and Frongoch. Th ...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...
, named after and said to have founded by him. He is also said to have served as the abbot of Ynys Enlli, Bardsey Island, succeeding his cousin St. Cadfan. He is said to have died of natural causes on 6 April 660.
Veneration
Derfel's feast day is 5 April.
For centuries Derfel was venerated at the churches of Llanfihangel Llantarnam, which claimed a relic of him, and Llandderfel, which featured a wooden image of him; he was an object of pilgrimage at these sites. Derfel was depicted as a warrior in full armour riding a horse rather than as an ecclesiastic. The Llandderfel image was removed and dismantled by order of Thomas Cromwell during the English Reformation
The English Reformation took place in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away from the authority of the pope and the Catholic Church. These events were part of the wider European Protestant Reformation, a religious and poli ...
and used to burn a Catholic priest, John Forest, at Smithfield in London. This was held to be a fulfillment of a prophecy that the image would burn down a forest. Part of the image survives to the present day at Llandderfel.
In fiction
A fictionalized Derfel Cadarn is the main character in Bernard Cornwell'shistorical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
/ historical fantasy novel trilogy ''The Warlord Chronicles
''The Warlord Chronicles'' or ''The Warlord Trilogy'' is a series of three novels about Arthurian Sub-Roman Britain, Britain written by Bernard Cornwell. The story is written as a mixture of historical fiction and Arthurian legend. The books were ...
'', retelling the story of King Arthur in Dark Age Britain.
References
External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Derfel Gadarn 6th-century Christian saints Welsh Roman Catholic saints Medieval Welsh saints Arthurian characters 566 births 660 deaths