Lyfing (d. 12 June 1020) was born "Aelfstan" and took his ecclesiastical name from leof-carus (= "darling"). He became Bishop of Wells in 999, and in 1013 King Ethelred the Unready appointed him Archbishop of Canterbury. Lyfing was taken captive by Vikings and held prisoner for a time, but he was released in time to attend the Witenagemot in 1014, and he started repairs of the damage the Vikings had done to Canterbury Cathedral.
