Tyfei

Tyfei was a martyr and saint of the medieval Welsh church.

Life

Tyfei ap Budic was the second son of Budic [II of Brittany] and his second wife, Anowed or Arianwedd, the daughter of Saint Issel and sister of Saint Teilo. The young Tyfei attempted to intervene in a heated argument between a swineherd and the owner of a field the animals had trespassed. In the course of the confrontation, Tyfei sustained an accidental, 'though lethal wound from a javelin.
Tyfei was buried at Penalun in Dyfed.

Veneration

Although his death was apparently accidental, veneration of Tyfei was likely due to his family connections, and he is sometimes called a martyr. At the time, Budic was in exile, a cousin having usurped his throne in Cornouaille. Patricia Healy Wasyliw suggests "...that the legend may mask a political assassination".
Churches were dedicated to St. Tyfei at Llandyfeisant, and Lamphey.