Reign fl 100 BC “Silures and High King”

540A semi-legendary British king who was probably an historical ruler, though any facts have become so covered by the dust of myth that it is impossible to be certain about his true basis. Bel was the name of one of the principal Celtic deities, the god of the sun and of light, and it is not surprising that the name would be adopted by later warrior kings, though how much the episodes about Bel in myth are derived from those of a real king of that name (or vice versa) cannot be determined. To have acquired the cognomen Mawr must mean that Beli was a great king and it is likely that he was one of the first to impose his authority over many of the tribes of Britain, most likely over southern Britain and Wales. The Welsh legends make him the father of Lud and Llefelys and possibly of Caswallon. Since Caswallon was High King at the time of Caesar’s invasion, this would place Beli’s existence at the start of the first century BC. It is possible to trace most of the British and Welsh rulers back to Beli.