Name Origin
The name Eilonwy is in fact not a historical Welsh name (unlike many others used in the stories). Lloyd Alexander invented it himself, based on elements borrowed from actual Welsh names. "Eilonwy" is most likely based on period names such as "Eilfyw" (m), "Eiludd" (m), etc. and "Euronwy" (f), "Goronwy" (m), "Llifonwy" (m), "Tegonwy" (m). Alexander may have used these names as his starting-point in inventing "Eilonwy." As the above examples show, the ending "-onwy" appears in both masculine and feminine names, so the name "Eilonwy" could be either masculine or feminine.
However, the name is mentioned in a tale by Glasynys which was published in Cymru Fu ("The Wales that Was"; 1862-4) and translated from the Welsh by Sir John Rhys in his Celtic Folklore (1901), according to which it belongs to the daughter of a mermaid named Nefyn ferch Nefydd and her human lover Ifan Morgan. A poem by Talhaiarn also bears the name "Eilonwy".
Read more about this topic: Princess Eilonwy
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