Niece or other near relation of Athelstane, king of England (925-940). Yepes calls her Elgina, and says she was camerara mayor to the queen, and governess to her children. Hearing of the sanctity of St. Dunstan, she determined to settle at Glastonbury, that she might profit by his instruction. She therefore built a house close to his monastery at Glastonbury, and with his sanction she built a chapel in honour of the Virgin Mary, and appointed a certain number of canons to perform the offices, for which service she endowed them with fat livings. Hearing that the king was coming to Glastonbury, she sent and asked him, with all his followers, to rest and dine at her house. He accepted the invitation, and some of his attendants came before him to see that all was in order for his reception. They said to her, ‘Your preparations are perfect ; you have everything that king or man could wish for, if only you do not run short of mead.’ She replied that the Virgin Mary would not allow such a misfortune to happen. Athelstane arrived with his suite, attended mass, and then came to Elgiva’s house and sat down to dinner. At the first draught that he took, he emptied a flagon of mead all but about half a pint. The saint continued to help him and his retinue out of the same flagon. There was but a cupful at the bottom of the flask, but it was miraculously increased, for she poured without stint, and after her numerous guests had all had enough, there was still a cup of mead left in the flask.
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