Selyf ap Cynan

Selyf ap Cynan (or Selyf Sarffgadau) (died 616) appears in Old Welsh genealogies as an early 7th-century King of Powys, the son of Cynan Garwyn.

His name is a Welsh form of Solomon, appearing in the oldest genealogies as Selim. He reputedly bore the nickname Sarffgadau, meaning battle-serpent. According to the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of Wales, in 616 he died at the Battle of Chester, fighting against Æthelfrith of Northumbria. The Annals of Ulster entitle him King of the Britons, perhaps because he led a combined force from more than one Brythonic kingdom at that battle against the Northumbrians.

References

• Kari Maund (2000) The Welsh Kings: The Medieval Rulers of Wales (Tempus)