Saint Gelert

The name "Gelert" is a cymricized variant of Celert or Cilert[2] (also written Cylart,[4] Kelert,[3][4] Kilart, or Kylart[3]) and Kellarth (also written Kelarth[3] or Kełłarth[3]). It is also spelled Geler[9] or Celer,[9][10] although this probably represents a misunderstanding of Celtic alveolar plosives and dental fricatives,[10] and is sometimes even teutonized to Killhart, Kilhart, or Gellert. It is of unknown meaning or origin.

Gelert was a hermit in the late 7th century[1] who lived in a cave near what is now known as the Holy Well of St Celer[1] near Llandysul. In the Dark Ages, pilgrims would travel to the well for healing by Gelert. Eventually a chapel dedicated to St Mary (called "Capel Mair") was erected over the well, of which the ruins still remain.[1] It is believed that Gelert was at some time a missionary, evangelizing in Llangeler and Beddgelert.[9] According to modern historical belief, he was martyred in Beddgelert, although this is a misconception simply based on the town name's meaning ("Gelert's grave").[9] It is believed, however, that Gelert was martyred.[1]

Local Welsh legend more often identifies Gelert as a dog rather than a human. Unlike the dog-saint St. Guinefort, who was in fact an actual dog 'sainted' via folk belief for his reputed protection of children, St. Gelert was a man whose human identity has been overshadowed by hucksterism about a mythical martyred dog. According to folklore promoted by an innkeeper in Beddgelert, Gelert the dog was a wolfhound unjustly killed by his owner, Prince Llywelyn the Great, when found with bloody maws near the empty cradle of Llywelyn's son. When the scene was investigated, the body of a wolf[11][12] was found, which the dog Gelert had killed to save the baby's life.

One modern writer offers this concise explanation of Beddgelert's connection to the "obscure, early-medieval, local saint":

The Welsh dog-hero/saint Gelert, associated with Prince Llywelyn the Great (1173-1240), is, however, a romantic fiction of the late 18th century derived from a 5th century Indian Buddhist work, the Pancha Tantra. The story gained wide currency in Europe [and] the Middle East. The heraldic Rous Roll of the 15th century, for example, depicted the arms of Wales as a helmet on which stand a dog and a cradle. But it was finally applied specifically by a hotelier to the village of Beddgelert, named after an obscure, early-mediæval, local saint. To reinforce the story further, he erected a megalith, Gelert's Bed. The 'new' story became the subject of a poem by W.R. Spencer which Joseph Haydn set to music.[11] Such is the stuff of nationalist legend — and this is one of the more benign examples.[7]

The innkeeper who popularized the dog's story was David Pritchard, who came to the area either around 1793 or 1801, depending on the source.[13][14] The poem by Spencer is widely available online.[14][15] Haydn set the poem to the tune of the Welsh air Eryri Wen, which means "White Snowden," a reference to Snowdon.[16][17] In the Panchatantra, which dates back to oral traditions prior to 300 B.C.E., the villain is a snake, and the role of the dog is filled by a mongoose.[12] Aesop included a dog-and-snake version.[6] An early Welsh version of the tale appears in the Mabinogion.[8] Other cultures provide other substitutions; even Disney added a non-fatal version of the legend to Lady and the Tramp.[6]

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