Lost worlds: The sunken realm of Tyno Helig
By zteve t evans
Around the coasts of the British Isles and many other parts of the world there are many legends that tell of lands and civilizations that have been lost to the sea. The land of Lyonnesse was believed to have lain between Cornwall and the Scilly Isles. The city of Ys of Brittany was also said to have succumbed to the sea, and of course there was Atlantis, the most famous of all.
Wales also has legends of lands and kingdoms that have sunk below the waves. One such kingdom was Cantre’r Gwaelod and another one was Tyno Helig, that was once a kingdom of northwest Wales. This article will look at the legend of Llys Helig and the lost land of Tyno Helig.
Wales also has legends of lands and kingdoms that have sunk below the waves. One such kingdom was Cantre’r Gwaelod and another one was Tyno Helig, that was once a kingdom of northwest Wales. This article will look at the legend of Llys Helig and the lost land of Tyno Helig.

Prince Helig ap Glannawg
In Tyno Helig the ruler, Prince Helig ap Glannawg, had a magnificent palace known simply as Llys Helig which means Helig's Palace in English. Prince Helig ap Glannawg was believed to have lived in the 6th century and ruled an area that stretched from what is now Flintshire in the east to Conwy in the west and further. Helig's Palace was thought to be situated in the north of his realm around two miles from the present day coast now submerged below the waters of Conwy Bay.
Gwendud and Tathal
According to the legend Helig had a daughter named Gwendud. Now from all outward appearances she was very fair and beautiful, but inside she was very evil with a cruel, cold, heart.
Tathal was a son of one of Snowdon's lords who fell in love with Gwendud and wanted her hand in marriage. But to his shame he was considered to be of lower birth than her, but still he wanted to marry her and he tried hard to win her favour. Eventually she did fall for him, but she insisted that she could not marry him because he did not wear the golden torc which is a ring made of gold worn around the neck of a man of true noble birth.
Tathal loved Gwendud so much he determined he would get a golden torc by fair or foul means. During those days it was not unusual for hostages to be taken and held by rulers as security for agreements over disputes with other realms.
In Tyno Helig the ruler, Prince Helig ap Glannawg, had a magnificent palace known simply as Llys Helig which means Helig's Palace in English. Prince Helig ap Glannawg was believed to have lived in the 6th century and ruled an area that stretched from what is now Flintshire in the east to Conwy in the west and further. Helig's Palace was thought to be situated in the north of his realm around two miles from the present day coast now submerged below the waters of Conwy Bay.
Gwendud and Tathal
According to the legend Helig had a daughter named Gwendud. Now from all outward appearances she was very fair and beautiful, but inside she was very evil with a cruel, cold, heart.
Tathal was a son of one of Snowdon's lords who fell in love with Gwendud and wanted her hand in marriage. But to his shame he was considered to be of lower birth than her, but still he wanted to marry her and he tried hard to win her favour. Eventually she did fall for him, but she insisted that she could not marry him because he did not wear the golden torc which is a ring made of gold worn around the neck of a man of true noble birth.
Tathal loved Gwendud so much he determined he would get a golden torc by fair or foul means. During those days it was not unusual for hostages to be taken and held by rulers as security for agreements over disputes with other realms.

The golden torc
A young chieftain who wore the golden torc from Scotland had been held ransom at Helig's Palace and was to be released and allowed to go home. Tathal offered to escort him safely back to his homeland. However, Tathal was so determined to possess a golden torc of his own so that he could marry Gwendud he treacherously murdered the young chieftain and stole his.
On his return home he told everyone that they had been attacked by outlaws whose leader was a man of noble birth. He claimed he had killed him in a fair fight but the young Scottish chieftain had been killed by the other outlaws during the fighting.
Tathal weds Gwendud
Tathal now had a golden torc and now Gwendud agreed to marry him. Prince Helig gave a great feast in his palace in honour of the wedding. As the celebrations reached full swing the ghost of the young chieftain appeared and laid a dreadful curse on the married couple that would wreak vengeance on their offspring.
Tathal and Gwendud lived to a ripe old age but the curse took effect with the birth of their great-great-grandchild. A celebration was held in the palace to commemorate the birth. With the wine and beer flowing a maid was sent down to the cellar to fetch more. On reaching the cellar she was shocked to find that it was full of seawater with many fish swimming around and around in it. She called to the court minstrel, who was her lover, to come and take a look. Horrified, they realised something terrible was happening and ran from the palace hoping to make the safety of the mountains.
The sea rises
As they fled they looked back they saw the sea rise up and great waves of foaming water engulf the palace and race across the land towards them. Terrified and breathless and running with water lapping their ankles they finally made the safety of the high ground as darkness fell. They shivered through a cold dark night. When dawn broke they were appalled to see that a silver, shimmering, sea now covered the land where Helig's Palace had lain and no sign of it could be seen over the watery expanse.
Today it is said that the ruins of Helig's Palace can sometimes be seen under the water when the tides are low. Overlooking Conwy Bay on the western side of the Orme is a place that today is known as Llys Helig. Archaeological studies in the area indicate that trees once grew on and land now covered by the sea.
The storms of 2014
The lost land of Tyno Helig is one example of legendary lands around the British Isles. There may be more than a grain of truth in many of these legends. Dunwich in Suffolk was once an important harbour and the capital town of the Kingdom of East Angles during Anglo-Saxon times. At its zenith it was a town of considerable size and an international port. In 1286, a sudden storm surge hit the coast of East Anglia causing great damage and destruction and the coastal area was gradually swallowed by the sea. Today it is just a small coastal village.
The storms that hit the British Isles in the early part of 2014 saw many parts of the coastline submerged. There were shocking scenes of cliffs collapsing into the sea taking houses and buildings with them. Parts of the coast are now below the sea and will remain so changing the coastline.
A young chieftain who wore the golden torc from Scotland had been held ransom at Helig's Palace and was to be released and allowed to go home. Tathal offered to escort him safely back to his homeland. However, Tathal was so determined to possess a golden torc of his own so that he could marry Gwendud he treacherously murdered the young chieftain and stole his.
On his return home he told everyone that they had been attacked by outlaws whose leader was a man of noble birth. He claimed he had killed him in a fair fight but the young Scottish chieftain had been killed by the other outlaws during the fighting.
Tathal weds Gwendud
Tathal now had a golden torc and now Gwendud agreed to marry him. Prince Helig gave a great feast in his palace in honour of the wedding. As the celebrations reached full swing the ghost of the young chieftain appeared and laid a dreadful curse on the married couple that would wreak vengeance on their offspring.
Tathal and Gwendud lived to a ripe old age but the curse took effect with the birth of their great-great-grandchild. A celebration was held in the palace to commemorate the birth. With the wine and beer flowing a maid was sent down to the cellar to fetch more. On reaching the cellar she was shocked to find that it was full of seawater with many fish swimming around and around in it. She called to the court minstrel, who was her lover, to come and take a look. Horrified, they realised something terrible was happening and ran from the palace hoping to make the safety of the mountains.
The sea rises
As they fled they looked back they saw the sea rise up and great waves of foaming water engulf the palace and race across the land towards them. Terrified and breathless and running with water lapping their ankles they finally made the safety of the high ground as darkness fell. They shivered through a cold dark night. When dawn broke they were appalled to see that a silver, shimmering, sea now covered the land where Helig's Palace had lain and no sign of it could be seen over the watery expanse.
Today it is said that the ruins of Helig's Palace can sometimes be seen under the water when the tides are low. Overlooking Conwy Bay on the western side of the Orme is a place that today is known as Llys Helig. Archaeological studies in the area indicate that trees once grew on and land now covered by the sea.
The storms of 2014
The lost land of Tyno Helig is one example of legendary lands around the British Isles. There may be more than a grain of truth in many of these legends. Dunwich in Suffolk was once an important harbour and the capital town of the Kingdom of East Angles during Anglo-Saxon times. At its zenith it was a town of considerable size and an international port. In 1286, a sudden storm surge hit the coast of East Anglia causing great damage and destruction and the coastal area was gradually swallowed by the sea. Today it is just a small coastal village.
The storms that hit the British Isles in the early part of 2014 saw many parts of the coastline submerged. There were shocking scenes of cliffs collapsing into the sea taking houses and buildings with them. Parts of the coast are now below the sea and will remain so changing the coastline.

Lost lands
In Wales there has long being a tradition of a lost land under the sea in Cardigan Bay called Cantre’r Gwaelod or the Sunken Hundred. It was said to have been a fertile land with a town and there are a number of legends as to its fate. On the beach of Borth, the storms revealed part of the remains of the 5,000 years old petrified forest of Ynyslas which had been inundated by the sea. In Mount's Bay in Cornwall the remains of a submerged forest were also revealed by the storms so legends of lost lands beneath the sea may have at least a grain of truth in them.
© 21/01/2015 zteve t evans
In Wales there has long being a tradition of a lost land under the sea in Cardigan Bay called Cantre’r Gwaelod or the Sunken Hundred. It was said to have been a fertile land with a town and there are a number of legends as to its fate. On the beach of Borth, the storms revealed part of the remains of the 5,000 years old petrified forest of Ynyslas which had been inundated by the sea. In Mount's Bay in Cornwall the remains of a submerged forest were also revealed by the storms so legends of lost lands beneath the sea may have at least a grain of truth in them.
© 21/01/2015 zteve t evans
References and Attributions
Copyright January 21st, 2015 zteve t evans
Copyright January 21st, 2015 zteve t evans
- File:Cliffs on the Great Orme - geograph.org.uk - 651086.jpg From Wikimedia Commons - Author: Eirian Evans - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic licence.
- File:Stirling woven torc.jpg From Wikimedia Commons - Author Goldbunny 88 taken at NMS Scotland. -
- Goldbunny 88 at en.wikipedia - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic licence. (The image shown has been cropped)
- Submerged forest at Ynyslas, Ceredigion CC BY-SA 3.0 - Richerman
- Llys Helig | Mysterious Britain & Ireland
- Tyno Helig - The Welsh Atlantis? - Historic UK
- Cantre'r Gwaelod - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia