Yr Elen
Encyclopedia
Yr Elen is a mountain
in the Carneddau
range in Snowdonia
, Wales
. It is the ninth highest mountain in Snowdonia. The average annual temperature of the peak is around 4 celsius. It lies on a short ridge running WNW off the main north-east to south-west ridge of the Carneddau, just over one kilometre from Carnedd Llewelyn
.
It is usually climbed from the main ridge of the Carneddau, as it is only a short walk from Carnedd Llywelyn. It can also be climbed from Gerlan, near Bethesda, following Afon Llafar
then heading up the slopes of Yr Elen, but this involves walking through wet valleys and a number of rivers that are difficult to cross.
The etymology
of the name is unclear, with the personal name "Helen" or "Eleanor" being one possibility, perhaps after Eleanor de Montfort
(d. 1282), princess of Wales and wife of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. Another is the leech (from soft mutation of Welsh
gelen, leech
), perhaps in reference to the way in which Yr Elen appears to be attached to the side of the remaining Carneddau.
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the Carneddau
Carneddau
The Carneddau , are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. It includes the largest contiguous areas of high ground in Wales and England, as well as six or seven of the highest peaks in the country—the Fourteen Peaks...
range in Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is the ninth highest mountain in Snowdonia. The average annual temperature of the peak is around 4 celsius. It lies on a short ridge running WNW off the main north-east to south-west ridge of the Carneddau, just over one kilometre from Carnedd Llewelyn
Carnedd Llewelyn
Carnedd Llewelyn, usually spelt Carnedd Llywelyn in Welsh, is a mountain massif in the Carneddau range in Snowdonia, north-west Wales...
.
It is usually climbed from the main ridge of the Carneddau, as it is only a short walk from Carnedd Llywelyn. It can also be climbed from Gerlan, near Bethesda, following Afon Llafar
Afon Llafar
Afon Llafar is a river in the Carneddau, Snowdonia. It rises where many streams flow down the slopes of Yr Elen, Carnedd Llewelyn and Carnedd Dafydd to join together in the valley below the cliffs of Ysgolion Duon . It is one of several similarly named streams in Wales...
then heading up the slopes of Yr Elen, but this involves walking through wet valleys and a number of rivers that are difficult to cross.
The etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
of the name is unclear, with the personal name "Helen" or "Eleanor" being one possibility, perhaps after Eleanor de Montfort
Eleanor de Montfort
Eleanor de Montfort, Princess of Wales and Lady of Snowdon was a daughter of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England. She was also the first woman who can be shown to have used the title Princess of Wales....
(d. 1282), princess of Wales and wife of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. Another is the leech (from soft mutation of Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
gelen, leech
Leech
Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum and are hermaphrodites. Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways...
), perhaps in reference to the way in which Yr Elen appears to be attached to the side of the remaining Carneddau.