By: Aisling Bronach of House Shadow Drake
In Welsh, Beli means "big" or "bright." (MacKillop, 1998: 39) He is often
referred to as Beli Mawr or Beli the Great. (ibid.) Both Geoffrey of Monmouth and
Nennius refer to Beli as a legendary ruler of the island of Britain. (Grooms:
130) Often, the word mawr or hir is appended to the name Beli and
means "great" or "tall." (ibid.)
Historically, he is identified with Beli ab Elfin and Beli the Great son of
Mynogan. (Gantz, 1976: 129) Beli was said to be the son of a giant by the name of
Benlli or Enlli. (Grooms: 132)
Lewis Morris states that Benlli, the father of Beli lived around 450 AD and
was a powerful prince. (Grooms: 138) Benlli was described as a tribal king and
is mentioned in bardic traditions dating before 1200 AD. (Grooms: 132) Within the
medieval Welsh courts, Beli is described as a hero and great champion. (Grooms:
138) The poem `Syr Rhys ap Thomas' by Tudur Aled states the following:
- "Coelion Mon a ddel, Calan Mai ddyw Iau, Cawr Ybys Bridain, ceir i fwrw
siasau. Cerdda, cwncweria'r caerau, - Beli Mawr, Cawr dewr, cynyddfawr a da'r
cyneddfaq."
English Translation: Mon's assurances shall come, May-day will fall on
a Thursday. A giant of the Island of Britain; he will be had in an age of
visions. A cub of strong Efrog; he will be had to rout armies. A kinsman to great
Caesar, he will be had to send chases. He will walk and conquer fortresses, -
Beli Mawr, a brave giant, prolific and of great virtue. (trans. Grooms: 131)
Beli is accredited with being the mate of Don and the father of Arianrhod and
Caswallawn. (MacKillop: 39) However, the Cyfranc Lludd a Llefelys states that his
sons were Lludd and Llefelys. (ibid.) Lludd is said to have succeeded his father,
and eventually became famous for his skills with architecture. (Squire, 1997:
376) The Mabinogion states that he Beli had four sons: Lludd, Caswallawn,
Nynnyaw, and Llevelys. (Gantz: 129) In the Historia Brittonium,
Beli is
found under his Latinized name of Bellinus filius Minocanni. (Maeir,
1997:
35) There is also some possible associations between the folklore and
mythology associated with the Irish Bile and the Welsh Beli.
A summary of the works of Geoffrey of Monmouth and the Welsh Chronicles shows
that there was a century long civil war between five kings and that Pinner, king
of Loegria arose as the victor around 440 BC. Pinner was slain in battle by
Dunvallo Molmtius in 430 BC. Dunvallo codified the Molmutine Laws and due to the
severity of his punishments, violent crimes were consequently almost unheard of
in his kingdom. Belinus the Great, the eldest son of Dunvallo, succeeded him and
possessed the areas of Loegria, Cambria, and Cornwall from 380-374 BC while his
younger brother Brennius ruled Albany and Northumbria. Eventually, the two
brothers clashed in battle and Belinus killed his brother and took his lands.
Belinus is attributed by Goeffrey as a great road-builder and constructed
Billingsgate in London which was named after him.
In the 'Englynion y Beddau,' the grave of Beli Mawr was described as being on
Maes Mawr. In Welsh, maes mawr refers to a large field, or more
specifically to the flat land which connects two or more valleys. (Grooms: 132-133)
The following records state the locations of the grave of Beli:
- "the two stones set up to mark the grave existed till about 1600 at a
place of the name on the Nant-y-Meini brook, which rises on the Nerquis
mountain." (Baring-Gould: 71)
- "Mae mann ar y mynyd rung Ial ag Ystrad alun uuc Ryd y gyfartfa a elwir y
Maes maur le bu yr vruydyr rung Meiron ap Tybiaun, a Beli ap Benli gaur le las
Beli ap Benli, ag y gossodes Meiron dau faen yn eu sefyl un ym m(h)ob penn ir
bed: y rain a vuant yno hyd o feun y deugain mlyned yma..." (Gruffydd: 178-179 -
Peniarth MS 267 abd Llanstephan MS 18, John Jones, Gellilufydy)
English Translation: There is a place on the mountain-land between Ial
and Ystrad Alun above Rhyd y Gyvarthva that is called Y Maes Mawr where the
battle was fought between Meiron ap Tybiawn abd Beli ap Benlli the Giant, where
Beli ap Benlli was slain, and Meiron placed two standing stones, one at either
end of the grave. These were there up till the last 40 years. (trans. Gruffydd:
178-179)
Resources
Grooms, Chris. "The Giants of Wales." Welsh Studies, vol. 10 (Lampeter, Dyfed,
Wales: Edwin Mellen Press, 1993.)
Gantz, Jeffrey. trans. "The Mabinogion." (London: Penguin Books, 1976).
Baring-Gould. S. "The Lives of the British Saints." 4 vols. (London:
Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 1908).
Gruffydd, W. J. "Math vab Mathonwy." (Cardiff: University of Wales Press,
1928.)
MacKillop, James. "Dictionary of Celtic Mythology." (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1998).
Maier, Bernhard. Cyril Edwards, trans. "Dictionary of Celtic Religion and
Culture." (Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell and Brewer, 1997.)
Squire, Charles. "Celtic Myths and Legends." (New York: Portland Hose,
1997).
