Editing Saint Elen

{{Short description|Late 4th century Welsh founder of churches}}
[[File:Eglwys Santes Helen (CinW) - geograph.org.uk - 447552.jpg|thumb|St Helen's parish church, Penisa'r Waun, Gwynedd, Wales]]
{{other uses|Saint Helena (disambiguation)}}

'''Saint Elen''' ({{langx|cy|Elen Luyddog}}, <small>lit.</small>&nbsp;"Helen of the Hosts"), often [[anglicized]] as '''Helen''', was a late 4th-century founder of churches in [[Wales]]. Although never formally [[canonization|canonized]] by [[Holy See|Rome]], Elen is traditionally considered a [[saint]] in the [[Celtic Christianity|Welsh Church]]; in English she is sometimes known as '''Saint Helen of Caernarfon''' to distinguish her from [[Helena (empress)|Saint Helena]] ("Helen of Constantinople").

==Church tradition==
Traditionally, she is said to have been a daughter of the [[Romano-British]] ruler [[Eudaf Hen|Octavius / Eudaf Hen]] (and therefore sister of [[Conan Meriadoc]]) and the wife of [[Magnus Maximus|Magnus Maximus / Macsen Wledig]], the 4th-century [[list of Roman emperors|emperor]] in [[Roman Britain|Britain]], [[Gaul]], and [[Spain]] who was killed in battle in 388.<ref name=MacKillop>[https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095746824 MacKillop, James. "Elen 1", '' A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology'', OUP, 2004] {{ISBN|9780198609674}}</ref>

Elen was mother of five, including a boy named Custennin or Cystennin (Constantine). She lived about sixty years later than [[Helena of Constantinople]], the mother of [[Constantine the Great]], with whom she has often been confused.<ref>{{in lang|el}} ''[http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3323/sxsaintinfo.aspx Ἡ Ἁγία Ἑλένη ἡ Πριγκίπισσα].'' 22 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.</ref> She is [[patron saint|patron]] of Llanelan in West [[Gower Peninsula|Gower]] and of the church at Penisa'r-waun near [[Caernarfon]], where her feast day is [[May 22 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)|22 May]]. Together with her sons, Cystennin and Peblig (Publicus, named in the calendar of the [[Church in Wales]]), she is said to have introduced into Wales the [[Celtic Christianity|Celtic]] form of monasticism from Gaul.{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} Saint [[Gregory of Tours]] and [[Sulpicius Severus]] record that Maximus and his wife met Saint [[Martin of Tours]] while they were in Gaul.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[New Catholic Encyclopedia]] |chapter=Wales, The Catholic Church In}} Republished in {{cite web |title=Wales, The Catholic Church In |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/wales-catholic-church |website=[[Encyclopedia.com]] |access-date=7 January 2022}}</ref>

==Literary tradition==
Elen's story is told in ''[[The Dream of Macsen Wledig]]'', one of the tales associated with the ''[[Mabinogion]]''. [[Welsh mythology]] remembers her as the daughter of a chieftain of north Wales named Eudaf or Eudwy, who probably lived somewhere near the Roman base of [[Segontium]], now [[Caernarfon]].<ref name=MacKillop/> She is remembered for having Macsen build [[Roman road|roads]] across her country so that the soldiers could more easily defend it from attackers, thus earning her the name ''Elen Luyddog'' (Elen of the Hosts).

==Legacy==
She is said to have ordered the making of [[Sarn Helen]], the great Roman road running from Caernarfon to south Wales via [[Dolgellau]], [[Pennal]] and Bremia ([[Llanddewi Brefi]]). Though this road bears her name, it is considerably older than Elen's accepted time period. Many other Roman roads in Wales bear her name (e.g. Llwybr Elen) and she is thus acknowledged as the patron saint of British roadbuilders and the protectress of travellers. There are over 20 [[holy well]]s in Britain dedicated to a "Saint Helen", although these are frequently taken as honoring the mother of [[Constantine the Great]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Morris, Lewis; Evans, Daniel Silvan (1878). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=LmQ2AAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA159 Celtic Remains]''. J. Parker. p.&nbsp;159. {{LCCN|10013761}}. {{OCLC|12825229}}. {{OCLC|34225220}}. Google Book Search. Retrieved on January 25, 2009.  ''(She is listed as '''ELEN verch Eudaf'''.)''
* Farmer, David Hugh (1997). ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints'' (4th ed). Oxford [u.a.]: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-280058-2}}. {{ISBN|978-0-19-280058-9}}. {{LCCN|97012837}} {{OCLC|36597843}} ''(She is listed as '''Helen of Caernarvon'''.)''
* Pennick, Nigel (1997). ''The Celtic Saints: An Illustrated and Authoritative Guide to These Extraordinary Men and Women''. New York: Sterling Pub.; London: Thorsons. {{ISBN|0-7225-3481-7}}. {{ISBN|0-8069-9600-5}}. {{ISBN|978-0-7225-3481-6}}. {{ISBN|978-0-8069-9600-4}}. {{LCCN|96039794}}. {{OCLC|35986219}}. {{OCLC|36791984}}. {{OCLC|59667225}}.

==External links==
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20060519042437/http://www.celtnet.org.uk/gods_e/elen.html Celtnet: Nemeton: Celtic Gods: The Cymric Heroine, Elen Lluyddog (Helen of the Hosts)]}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111006082916/http://www.traditionalharp.co.uk/Caer_Feddwyd/articles/Elen.htm Caer Feddwyd: Elen]

{{Celtic mythology (Welsh)}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elen}}
[[Category:4th-century births]]
[[Category:4th-century Roman women]]
[[Category:4th-century Romans]]
[[Category:4th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:Ancient Romans in Britain]]
[[Category:Sub-Roman monarchs]]
[[Category:Welsh mythology]]
[[Category:Welsh royal saints]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]
[[Category:People from Caernarfon]]
[[Category:Ancient Christian female saints]]
[[Category:Female saints of medieval Wales]]