Beli Mawr (translated into English as Beli the Great) was an ancestor figure in medieval Welsh literature and genealogies. He is the father of Caswallawn, Arianrhod, Lludd Llaw Eraint, Llefelys, and Afallach. In certain medieval genealogies he is listed as the husband of Anna, cousin of the Virgin Mary. Several royal lines in medieval Wales traced their ancestry to him.
The origin of the name Beli is still a matter of debate among scholars.[1] The most popular hypothesis sees the name Beli as a Middle Welsh reflex of the Gaulish and Brittonic theonym Belenus (also attested as a personal name), but a more recent alternative is that proposed by the Celticist John Koch, who suggests [2] that Beli derives from an Old Celtic name Belgius or Bolgios, borne by one of the chieftains who led the Gallic invasion of Macedonia in 280-279 BCE. He therefore proposes [3] that this great leader Belgius came to be regarded as the namesake and ancestor of the powerful British and Gallic tribal group the Belgae, whence would have come the doctrine that Beli was the ancestor of tribal dynasties.[4]
Another Beli from medieval Welsh literature, who first appears in the 9th c. Historia Brittonum and is often confused or conflated with Beli Mawr in both medieval and modern sources, is Beli son of Manogan (also spelled Mynogan). This Beli is actually derived from the historical pre-Roman, British king of the Catuvellauni tribe, Cunobelinus and his son Adminius (or Amminius). Via a series of textual corruptions that span several different popular books from Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages, the names of Cunobelinus and his son Adminius were combined and then jumbled, giving way to the new Welsh literary characters Beli and Manogan
(1) Hij is getrouwd met Don Verch-Mathonwy.
Zij zijn getrouwdBron 2
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(2) Hij is getrouwd met (Niet openbaar).
Zij zijn getrouwd
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