THE BEST EVIDENCE YET THAT ELIWLAD SON OF MADOG IS MATOC AILITHIR SON OF SAWYL BENISEL

In my book THE BATTLE-LEADER OF RIBCHESTER (and many essays), I identify Eliwlad (= Eilwlad) son of Madog with St. Matoc Ailithir.  As Madog was son of Sawyl Benisel of Ribchester, I could make a case for Sawyl being the Terrible Chief-dragon, i.e. Uther Pendragon.

But one thing still bothered me: why is the ghost of Eliwlad portrayed as an eagle?  For some time I got bogged down in specious connections with the god Lleu, who assumed eagle-form in death in MATH SON OF MATHONWY.  Nothing seemed to help explain why St. Matoc would have been portrayed as a spectral eagle.

Until now.  I happened to look up Matoc Ailithir's feast day in the "Martyrology of Tallagh" (https://books.google.com/books?id=--oCAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA492&lpg=PA492&dq=%22April+25%22%2B%22Matoc%22&source=bl&ots=XpVy9QuD-p&sig=ACfU3U1k35WnY4jEnWlFgdT2nwS4xIf4uw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwif69PFk7vqAhUKpZ4KHQSMCJwQ6AEwAXoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22April%2025%22%2B%22Matoc%22&f=false). This fell on 25 April.

I then cross-checked for other more important saints who may have been associated with the eagle and who had the same feast day.  And guess what I found?

While St. John is typically identified with the Eagle of the Tetramorph, the very important medieval Christian writer Irenaeus linked Mark with that bird.  And Mark's feast day is 25 April!

Many sources discuss the significance of Mark as an eagle (see, for example, https://books.google.com/books?id=1TBFAQAAQBAJ&pg=PT1057&lpg=PT1057&dq=%22April+25%22%2B%22feast+day%22%2B%22eagle%22&source=bl&ots=afQr48Rv0j&sig=ACfU3U33tmqnuMbj9TGPrZmaOIzWUNIgpA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2-O2alLvqAhXOpJ4KHRaVBbUQ6AEwC3oECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22April%2025%22%2B%22feast%20day%22%2B%22eagle%22&f=false and http://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2017/10/mark-12-part-3-irenaeus-and-tatian.html).  But here is the actual passage from Irenaeus'  "Against Heresies", 3.11.8  (http://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2017/10/mark-12-part-3-irenaeus-and-tatian.html):

"For the cherubim, too, were four-faced, and their faces were images of the dispensation of the Son of God. For, [as the Scripture] says, "The first living creature was like a lion," symbolizing His effectual working, His leadership, and royal power; the second [living creature] was like a calf, signifying [His] sacrificial and sacerdotal order; but "the third had, as it were, the face as of a man,"-an evident description of His advent as a human being; "the fourth was like a flying eagle," pointing out the gift of the Spirit hovering with His wings over the Church. And therefore the Gospels are in accord with these things, among which Christ Jesus is seated. For that according to John relates His original, effectual, and glorious generation from the Father, thus declaring, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Also, "all things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made." For this reason, too, is that Gospel full of all confidence, for such is His person. But that according to Luke, taking up [His] priestly character, commenced with Zacharias the priest offering sacrifice to God. For now was made ready the fatted calf, about to be immolated for the finding again of the younger son. Matthew, again, relates His generation as a man, saying, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham; " and also, "The birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise." This, then, is the Gospel of His humanity; for which reason it is, too, that [the character of] a humble and meek man is kept up through the whole Gospel. Mark, on the other hand, commences with [a reference to] the prophetical spirit coming down from on high to men, saying, "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Esaias the prophet,"-pointing to the winged aspect of the Gospel; and on this account he made a compendious and cursory narrative, for such is the prophetical character."

We may compare this description of Mark the eagle, coming down from on high to preach the Gospel, with Eliwlad coming as an eagle to Arthur to teach Christian doctrine.

Now, Irenaeus was one of the Church Fathers.  His writings were extremely influential (https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08130b.htm).  He most certainly would have been known by someone like the monkish scribe who composed "The Dialogue of Arthur and the Eagle". 

While there will still be doubters, I do not think it is a coincidence that St. Matoc Ailithir/'other land', viz. "Pilgrim" and St. Mark share the same feast day, and the Eilwlad/'other land' son of Madog appears to Arthur as an eagle.  This explanation makes a lot more sense in the Christian context of the dialogue poem than seeking to associate a saintly character with the pagan god Lleu. 

If I'm right, then this bolsters my argument for Sawyl Benisel = Uther Pendragon.