eldol was consul or count of gloucester in geoffrey of monmouth's circa 1136 work "historia regum britanniae" ("the history of the kings of britain"). in this pseudohistory he was the sole british leader to escape from the massacre of salisbury, to which hengist had invited all of the british leaders to a peace treaty. when all of the leaders were there, about 460 in number, hengest ordered his men to draw their long knives and kill every leader. vortigern was spared, but every other ruler was slain, save eldol, who grabbed a stick up off the ground and killed 70 men in his escape.