- The Mabinogi.
The four branches, or parts, of the Mabinogi (often called the Mabinogi) comprise a rich Celtic deities and heroes. These tales were first written down in the 12th century. The four branches deal with: the adventures of Pwyll,prince of Dyfed, especially his visit to the "otherworld" ; the children of the sea god Llyr, Bran and Mananwydan; and other stories, including that of Blodeuwedd. Some of the characters, such as Bran, developed further in the retelling of stories beyond the Mobinogi. Christian writers called him
"Bran the Blessed" and said that he brought Christianity to Wales.
- Blodeuwedd
*The name Blodeuwedd means "flower face" and symbolizes herbcaptivating physical beauty as well as the wild flowers from which she was conjured up.
- The Wife madenfrom flowers
Lleu Llaw Gyffes Bright one of the skilful Hand, the son of Arianrhod, lived under a curse: his mother, Arianrhod, had declared that he would never be able to have a human wife. However, Gwydion, Arianrhod's brother, was a magician, and decided to help his nephew. He soughtbthe assistance of another magician, Math of Gwynedd. Together they used their powers to create a beautiful woman called Blodeuwedd from the flowers of meadowsweet,broom, and oak. They wanted Blodeuwedd to be Lleu Llaw Gyffes's wife, but she fell inlove with another man, Gronw Pebyr, who killed Lleu. As he died, Lleu turned into an eagle and flew to an oak tree. Gwydion eventually came to his rescue and transformed hi back into his human form. Lleu sought out and killed Gronw, and became the Lord of Gwynedd North Wales.
OAKTREE
*The Celts considered the oak to be magical. Druids used its wood for their wands and the mstletoe growing on it for their rituals.
OWL
*One Blodeuwedd's teachery was discovered, Gwydion punished her by turning her into an owl.
- Bran the Blessed
Image Source
Bran also known as Bendigeidfran, was depicted in many different ways by the ancient writers of England and Wales. To begin with, he was portrayed as a sea god, who was seen striding above the waves. Later, he was described as a mighty British king and leader, who lived at a time when the people of Britain were waging a war against Ireland, even though Bran's forces were outnumbered and he was fatally wounded. After the battle, Bran informed his men about his impending death and inteoduced them to cut off his head and take it back to Britain, where it would protect them from future invasions. To the astonishment of his companions, Brans's head constantly talked to them all the way to London, where they buried it, and it continued to act as their guardian.
Normally weapons could not hurt Bran, but in the battle against the Irish he was mortally wounded by a poisoned spear.
- Rhiannon and Pwyll
Image Source
*Pwyll, a prince of Dyfed, fell in love with the beautiful Rhiannon, but her family wanted her to marry another man,Gwawl. Pwyll and Rhiannon married without the consest of her parents, who refused to recognize this marriage. Soon the couple had a son, but members of Rhiannon's family stole the baby and accused Rhiannon of murdering her son. As punishment, Pwyll made his wife stand on all four like a horse and offer ride to whoever passed by. Meanwhile, Pwyll visited a princely neighbor who had been losing foals mestiriously from his stables. Pwyll stood guard outside the stables, caught the monster who had been stealing the foals, and cut off its arm in the ensuing struggle. Upon returning to the stables, Pwyll discovered his son lying in the straw. He took him home to Rhiannon, who named him Pryderi or "care."
Rhiannon
Pwyll was initially attracted to Rhiannonbwhen he saw her on a white horse. Rhiannon was associated with horses because she was a human incarnation of the Celtic horse goddess Epona.
THANK YOU FOR READING MY POST, HOPE ENJOY THE STORY
References:
