Helig ap Glanawg
Encyclopedia
Helig ap Glanawg was a 6th-century prince who lived in North Wales
.
It is said that the river Conwy
once reached the sea by the Great Orme
, Llandudno
, and to the west lay the great cantref of Gwaelod which stretched all the way to Puffin Island
, off Anglesey
.
Helig ap Glanawg lived here, but in the 6th century all his land was inundated by the sea, this forming the Lavan Sands which lie between the Great Orme's Head and the Menai Strait
off the north coast of Gwynedd. This has given rise to the legend of the drowned kingdom. It is said that the remains of Llys Helig
, his palace, can be seen at exceptionally low tides, this being near the Conwy channel, about a mile or so off the coast at Penmaenmawr
.
Since then, the story has been embroidered into various myths, such as the flood being the result of revenge after Helig ap Glanawg's daughter was unfaithful in love.
Llys Helig is mentioned in a number of old documents, some of were published after expeditions to find Llys Helig. These include -
This last expedition reported finds of the remains of seaweed-covered walls, these walls indicating buildings some 100 yards long, and they concluded that this was indeed the palace.
After the disaster both Helig and his numerous sons embraced a religious life. These sons, according to various sources, were -
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
It is said that the river Conwy
River Conwy
The River Conwy is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."...
once reached the sea by the Great Orme
Great Orme
The Great Orme is a prominent limestone headland on the north coast of Wales situated in Llandudno. It is referred to as Cyngreawdr Fynydd in a poem by the 12th century poet Gwalchmai ap Meilyr...
, Llandudno
Llandudno
Llandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
, and to the west lay the great cantref of Gwaelod which stretched all the way to Puffin Island
Puffin Island, Anglesey
Puffin Island is an uninhabited island off the eastern tip of Anglesey, Wales. It was formerly known as Priestholm in English and Ynys Lannog in Welsh.-Geography:...
, off 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...
.
Helig ap Glanawg lived here, but in the 6th century all his land was inundated by the sea, this forming the Lavan Sands which lie between the Great Orme's Head and the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
off the north coast of Gwynedd. This has given rise to the legend of the drowned kingdom. It is said that the remains of Llys Helig
Llys Helig
Llys Helig was the palace of Prince Helig ap Glanawg who lived in the 6th century, and whose sons established a number of churches in the area....
, his palace, can be seen at exceptionally low tides, this being near the Conwy channel, about a mile or so off the coast at Penmaenmawr
Penmaenmawr
PenmaenmawrConwyPenmaenmawr is a town in the parish of Dwygyfylchi, in Conwy County Borough, Wales. The population was 3857 in 2001. It is a quarrying town, though the latter is no longer a major employer, on the North Wales coast between Conwy and Llanfairfechan.The town was bypassed by the A55...
.
Since then, the story has been embroidered into various myths, such as the flood being the result of revenge after Helig ap Glanawg's daughter was unfaithful in love.
Llys Helig is mentioned in a number of old documents, some of were published after expeditions to find Llys Helig. These include -
- An Ancient Survey of Pen Maen Mawr, 1625 - 1649, by John Gwynn
- The Map of Wales, 1788, by W.Owen
- Tours of Wales, 1804, by Fenton
- Cambria Depicta, 1812, by Pugh
- Baner ac Amserau Cymru, 1864, Richard Parry & Charlton Halls, a Paper to the Liverpool Geological Society
This last expedition reported finds of the remains of seaweed-covered walls, these walls indicating buildings some 100 yards long, and they concluded that this was indeed the palace.
After the disaster both Helig and his numerous sons embraced a religious life. These sons, according to various sources, were -
- Celynin, who has a church dedicated to him at Llangelynin in the Conwy valley, and there is another at Llangelynin near Llwyngwril, a few miles south of Llanaber.
- Rhychwyn, the saint associated with LlanrhychwynLlanrhychwynLlanrhychwynConwyLlanrhychwyn is a hamlet in Conwy county borough, Wales. It lies in the Conwy valley in North Wales, less than a mile south of Trefriw, and a mile north-west of Llanrwst...
church. - Bodfan, to whom the church at Aber, in Gwynedd, is dedicated.
- Brothen, who founded the Church at Llanfrothen
- PerisSaint PerisSaint Peris was a little-known Welsh saint of the early Christian period, possibly 6th century.He is referred to in the Bonedd y Saint as a 'Cardinal of Rome'. However, he may have been one of the many children of Helig ap Glannog of Tyno Helig. He is believed to have retired to the solitude of...
, who founded the churches at LlanberisLlanberisLlanberis is a village in Gwynedd, North Wales, lying on the southern banks of Llyn Padarn in Snowdonia. It takes its name from Saint Peris, an early Welsh saint.According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llanberis was 1,954...
and Nant Peris. - Boda and Gwynin, who founded the church at DwygyfylchiDwygyfylchiDwygyfylchi is a village in north Wales. It lies within Conwy County Borough. The ward of Dwygyfylchi contains the nearby settlement of Penmaenmawr and has a population of 3,857. The name Dwygyfylchi means the meeting of the two semi circles, referring to the two promentories of Penmaen Bach and...
, near Penmaenmawr.