There is evidence that he sent a circular letter to European rulers asking for financial help in restoring the churches in his diocese. One of them was received by the Carolingian Emperor Charles the Fat in 881, and another was probably sent to king Alfred the Great. According to Asser, Elias corresponded with Alfred and sent him gifts, and a medical text in Old English contains information about remedies for Alfred's ailments sent to him by Elias.
