Hafren (or Sabre, Sabren, or Sabrina; Welsh: Hafren; Old Welsh: Habren) is a legendary British princess who was drowned in the River Severn by her repudiated stepmother Gwendolen. The legend appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's pseudohistorical chronicle Historia Regum Britanniae (c. 1136). According to Geoffrey, Hafren is the eponym of the Severn, which bears one of Britain's most ancient river names (recorded as early as the 2nd century in the Latinized form Sabrina).
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Hafren in the context of River Severn
The River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren, pronounced [ˈavɔn ˈhavrɛn]) is the longest river in Great Britain, with a length of 220 miles (354 km). It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of 107 m/s (3,800 cu ft/s) at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales, at an altitude of 610 m (2,000 ft), on the Plynlimon massif, which lies close to the Ceredigion/Powys border near Llanidloes. The river then flows through Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. The county towns of Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester lie on its course.
The Severn's major tributaries are the Vyrnwy, the Tern, the Teme, the Warwickshire Avon, and the Worcestershire Stour.
Hafren in the context of Llanidloes
Llanidloes (Welsh pronunciation: [ɬanˈɪdlɔɨs] ) is a town and community on the A470 and B4518 roads in Powys, within the historic county boundaries of Montgomeryshire (Welsh: Sir Drefaldwyn), Wales. The population in 2011 was 2,929, of whom 15% could speak Welsh. It is the third largest settlement in Montgomeryshire, after Newtown and Welshpool.
It is the first town on the River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren), counting from the source. The town's Member of Parliament is Steve Witherden of the Labour Party (MP since 2024) and its Member of the Senedd is Russell George of the Conservatives (MS since 2011).