In some old Welsh texts, Eliwlod is a nephew of King Arthur.[1] His father is Madoc, son of Uther Pendragon, an obscure brother of Arthur's mentioned a very few times in Welsh literature.

Arthur thought highly of Eliwlod's eloquence.[2] Eliwlod appears in the Welsh Triads, where he is called one of the three "Golden-Tongued Knights of Britain",[3] alongside Gwalchmei ap Gwyar (Gawain) and Drudwas ap Tryffin. He pays a postmortem visit to his uncle in the form of an eagle in the poem Arthur and the Eagle.[4]

Eliwlod figures in the works of Welsh poet Lewys Glyn Cothi.[5] In the Hendregadredd Manuscript, the poet Bleddyn Fardd praises his patron Rhys ap Maredudd by likening him to Arthur's "beloved' nephew Eliwlod.[6]

References

  1. ^ Morris, Lewis. Celtic Remains, Cambrian Archaeological Association, 1878, p.163
  2. ^ Williams, David. The History of Monmouthshire, 1796
  3. ^ Jones, Edward. Musical and poetical relicks of the Welsh Bards, Office of Robes, St. James's Palace, 1808, p.10
  4. ^ The Arthur of the Welsh: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval Welsh Literature, University of Wales Press, 2020, p.57 ISBN 9781786837349
  5. ^ Cothi, Lewys Glyn. The Poetical Works of Lewis Glyn Cothi, Cymmrodorion, 1837, p.136
  6. ^ Arthur in Early Welsh Poetry (Nerys Ann Jones, ed.) MHRA, Library of Medieval Welsh Literature, 2019, p.113ISBN 9781781889084

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