Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi

The Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi concludes the Four Branches of the Mabinogion, being the fourth in a line of tales that are strung together as a cumulative narrative. Following these four branches are other tales of the Mabinogion, but they are not part of this whole. The branch opens with information on Math, son of Mathonwy, who is unable to live unless his feet are held by a virgin foot-holder, except when he is at war, with the current named Goewin. As well as a magician, he is ruler of the many cantrefs of Gwynedd. His nephews are Gwydion, who is also a magician, and Gilfaethwy, sons of Dôn. In order for Gilfaethwy to sleep with Goewin, Gwydion devised a grand plot to pit Gwynedd in war against the kingdoms of Pryderi, son of Pwyll Pen Annwfn. Pryderi had acquired hobeu (pigs) and Gwydion offered to get the pigs for Math. The brother were welcomed by Pryderi as poets and Gwydion used his magic to create illusions to trade for the pigs. The brothers had to rush across the lands with the pigs, knowing the illusions would wear off and Pryderi would give chase. Once returned, Gwynedd was mustering for war as Pryderi marched on their lands. As Math marched out, Gwydion helped Gilfaethwy rape Goewin in the bed of Math at Caer Dathyl. The war went badly for Pryderi and in the end he offered a duel with Gwydion, which was accepted. Thanks to his magical enchantments, Gwydion slew Pryderi. Following the war, Math learnt of his nephews' actions. He married Goewin himself, but he would have recompense for her and himself against his nephews. He punished them by transforming them into animals, male and female, that would mate with each other every year and return a son to the court. First they were deers, then wild boars and then wolves. Each year they brought back a baby, which Math turned to a human; Hyddwn, Hychddwn and Blediddwn. After three years of living as animals, Math considered their punishment done and wanted them to return to his service. They had to find a replacement virgin as foot-holder and suggest their sister, Math's niece, Aranrhod. She claimed to be a virgin, but Math required a virginity test with his magic wand on the ground. She stepped over it and instantly gave birth to a child. In horror, she ran, but dropped something else, which Gwydion locked in a chest. The child was fostered and named Dylan Eil Ton. The object turned into yet another child within the chest and Gwydion raised him until he took the boy to his mother in Caer Aranrhod. She wanted nothing to do with the child, and resented it bring raised by Gwydion. She cast a destiny upon the boy, that he would not have a name lest she gave it to him. Gwydion used magic to disguise himself and the boy as shoemakers and offered to make shoes for Aranrhod. When she saw the boy strike a wren, she remarked on his skill and this was taken as her giving him a name; Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Angered by the deception, she cast a new destiny that he would not hold weapons. Gwydion used magic disguises to get himself and Lleu into the fortress as guest poets. He created an illusory invasion and Aranrhod gave the boy a sword to fight with, thus completing the destiny. Angered again, she cast a third destiny upon him. He would never have a wife born of earth. Unable to pull a new trick, Gwydion went to Math for aid and they used their combined magic to create a woman from flowers; Blodeuedd. They were given the cantref Dinoding, ruled from Mur Castell in Ardudwy. When Lleu Llaw Gyffes was away, a chance encounter between Blodeuedd and the lord of Penllyn, Gronw Pebr, resulted in an affair. Blodeuedd feined worry to get the information from her husband on the intricate method by which he might be killed. On the banks of the River Cynfael, she set up the roofed bathtub and brought the goats. He stood on the bath ledge and the goat, at which point Gronw appeared and threw the spear he spent a year crafting to strike the lord. Mortally wounded, Lleu flew away as an eagle and Gronw claimed his lands and wife. Gwydion searched the lands for Lleu, eventually finding the eagle in a tree. He was able to turn him human again and return him to Caer Dathyl to heal for a year of treatment. At this point, they went to seek vengeance. Blodeuedd fled, but was caught by Gwydion. He transformed her into an owl. With no recourse, Gronw surrendered and was expected to stand in the place he had tried to kill Lleu and allow Lleu to throw a spear at him in turn. As Gronw stood, he pleaded that he be allowed a stone for protection between him and the spear as he had been deceived by a woman in this. Lleu allowed this, but his spear smashed through the stone and killed Gronw, ending the Fourth Branch.

The Rape of Goewin
Math was the son of Mathonwy (the gender of Mathonwy is uncertain, as nephews to Math are labelled sons of their mother and the province may have been matrilineal .) and the lord of Gwynedd, which consisted of seven cantrefs ; Cemaid, Aberffraw, Rhosyr (in Môn), Llŷn, Arfon, Arllechwedd and Dunoding. Pryderi, son of Pwyll Pen Annwfn, was lord over twenty-one cantrefs; seven cantrefs of Dyfed, his original province, and the seven cantrefs of Morgannwg, and the four cantrefs of Ceredigion, and the three cantrefs of Ystrad Tywi.

Math was unable to live unless both of his feet were in the lap of a virgin, except when war prevented him (royal foot-holder was an official court position, whose duty was to hold the king's feet in their lap and scratch the king when wished .). The fair maiden that was assigned to this service was Goewin, daughter of Pebin from Dol Pebin in Arfon. Math stayed in Caer Dathyl in Arfon as he was unable to circuit the land (the practice of the court travelling throughout the lands ), so his nephews went instead. They were Gwydion and Gilfaethwy, sons of Math's sister Dôn. Always with Math, Goewin's virginity was necessary for her role as foot-holder, which caused great psychological pains to Gilfaethwy, who loved her. He pined to the extent that he wasted away and his appearance changed greatly. When Gwydion pressed his brother over the matter that ails him, Gilfaethwy refused to utter his problems due to the special ability of their king, the ability to hear even whisperings between people regardless of volume or distance should the wind catch them. Gwydion understood, but revealed he already suspected that he was in love with Goewin. Gilfaethwy devised a plan. He would arrange for the lands of Gwynedd, Powys and Deheubarth to go to war, giving Gwydion the opportunity to be with Goewin. Thusly, they went to Math, their uncle and lord of Gwynedd, and told him of the strange, but tasty, animal that had appeared in the southern lands of Pryderi. These creatures, known as hobeu (meaning pigs ), were granted to Pryderi by Arawn, the king of Annwfn (a friendship had existed between Arawn and Pryderi's father in the First Branch of the Mabinogi .). When Math enquired how they might obtain some pigs from Pryderi, Gwydion explained his plan was to go with ten his brother and ten men disguised as poets and ask for them, but promised that they would not leave without the pigs. In said disguises, the two brothers and their retinue travelled to the court of Rhuddlan Teifi in Ceredigion. As was cuistomary, they were admitted and during the evening dinner, Pryderi asked they provide some entertainment. Gwydion, a master orator and storyteller, entertained the crowd as the chief poet of the poets. At the conclusion of Gwydion's performance, Pryderi admitted that he had a fine tongue and none in his kingdom could match it. Therefore, Gwydion requested that he be given some of the pigs. Pryderi explained that he would be happy to do so, however there is already an agreement in place that the pigs would not be moved from the lands until they had bred to twice their number. Gwydion asked Pryderi not to refuse him yet and that he would deliver a great trade for the pigs. He went to his camp and used his magic to conjure up twelve stallions, and twelve hounds, and each of the animals were black with white breasts. They all had collars and leashes upon them, as well as saddles for the horses and the iron workings were replaced with gold. From toadstools, he conjured twelve golden shields. With all of this, he returned to Pryderi in the morning and offered the exchange, allowing Pryderi to trade his pigs for something far more valuable. Pryderi agreed to this great exchange and Gwydion's group were able to set off homewards with their new pigs. He urged his group onwards quickly as his magic would soon wear off, and the ruse would be over. They then travelled, with the pigs, and several locations were named after their pig-laden journey. The uplands of Ceredigion became Mochdref. After crossing the Elenid (the mountainous lands known today as Plynlimon ), they stayed in a town between Ceri and Arwystli, which became known, also, as Mochdref. They reached a commot (a district lower than cantref) in Powys, which became Mochnant. They then travelled to the cantref of Rhos, where the town they stayed in also became Mochdref ("Moch-dref" means "swine-town" while "Moch-nant" means "swine-brook" ).

Knowing that an army was mustering behind them, Gwydion urged the group to find the most fortified location in Gwynedd, the highest town in Arllechwedd, where they crafted a pig-pen, earning the town the name Creuwrion ("creu" meaning "pen" ). There they left the pigs and went for Caer Dathyl to meet Math. Math remarked how slowly the group had travelled, but the whole land was already mustering for war against Pryderi, whose forces were en route. The forces of Math, including Gwydion and his brother, mustered for war and headed to Pennardd in Arfon. However, that same night the two brothers left the camp and went back to Caer Dathyl. They found Goewin and violently forced the maidens away. Gilfaethwy then raped Goewin in the bed of Math.

The next day, the two brothers returned to Math and joined his war counsel. It was decided to wait for Pryderi's forces in Arfon, in the middle of two districts of Maenor Bennardd and Maenor Coed Alun. Pryderi's forces fell upon those of Math in fierce and bloody battle, but they were forced to retreat to Nant Call. They were pursued and slaughtered, forcing them to retreat once again, now to a place named Dol Benmaen. There, Pryderi sued for peace. He released his hostages of war, granted Math the nobleman Gwrgi Gwastra and gave him twenty-three sons of noblemen as insurance. Under this new banner of peace, the army of Pryderi was escorted from the lands of Math. But when they reached Y Traeth Mawr (meaning "the great stretch of sand", located on the estuary in Porthmadog .), the two armies could not be restrained any longer and they began to shoot at each other. Pryderi sent messengers to Math requesting that the peace be re-established and that the matter be left to him and Gwydion, the cause of the war. A challenge was issued and the two men met in a mortal duel. Along with great strength and valour, Gwydion employed magical enchantment and was able to overcome and slay Pryderi in combat. Pryderi was thus buried in Maentwrog, above Y Felenrhyd. While the men of Pryderi returned home in grave lamentation, the men of Gwynedd returned home in grand spirits.

Punishment for the Rape of Goewin
At the advice of Gwydion, Math decided to release Gwrgi Gwastra and the other noble-children, now that Pryderi was deceased. Math returned to Caer Dathyl, while Gwydion and Gilfaethwy moved on to circuit Gwynedd as they usually would. When Math reached his chambers to find his foot-holder, Goewin, she explained that he would need to find a new virgin maid to hold his feet, as she had been raped, openly, in Math's own bed. She named the culprits as his nephews, Gwydion and Gilfaethwy. Math makes the decision to first see that she, and he, are recompensed for this great insult, but also decides that he shall marry Goewin himself and give her rule over his lands. The nephews refused to return to Math until a ban went across the kingdom to deny them food and board, forcing them to return to him. As they greeted Math, he would not greet them in return due to his great anger. Math cannot get compensation for the war, his shame, nor for the death of Pryderi, evidently knowing this to be the nephews design all along. But as they arrived to do his will, he decided to punish them. He took his magic wand and when he struck Gilfaethwy with it, he turned into a hind, a female deer. Before Gwydion could escape, Math struck him with the wand and turned him into a stag. Math made the pair, in league with each other, remain such so that they would be forced to stay together as animals and mate with each other until the end of the year. When the year was done, the people were surprised to see a hind, stag and a fawn approach Caer Dathyl. Math approached them, but the punishment was not yet over. He transformed the hind, Gilfaethwy, into a wild boar and the stag, Gwydion, into a wild sow. He took their offspring, as a human boy, and had him fostered, named Hyddwn ("hydd" means "stag" ). When the two returned again, a year later, they came, again, with another child. Math took this boy and turned him human too, naming him Hychddwn("hwch" means "swine" ). Turning to the animals, he now turned the wild boar into a she-wolf and the wild sow into a wolf and they were, again, made to return in a year. This they did, and the two returned with a a wolf cub. Math took the boy and named him Blediddwn ("blaidd" means "wolf" ). Math struck them both with his magic wand and they were both restored to their original selves. He deemed them punished enough and ordered them bathed and dressed before they met with him again. He would restore them to his good graces as his nephews and therefore asked them for advice on a replacement virgin as his foot-holder. Gwydion offered a quick answer; his sister, Math's niece, Aranrhod. She was summoned and when Math asked if she was a virgin, she responded that she believed so (this is a reference to a "false virgin" a legal term in ancient Welsh culture, termed "twyllforwyn"). Math took his wand and laid it upon the ground and requested that she step over it as a virginity test. As she did so, from her suddenly dropped a large, yellow-haired boy. In horror, Aranrhod ran for the door, but she dropped something as she went. She did not stop, but her brother, Gwydion, collected the object and sealed it quickly within a small chest at the foot of his bed. Math, now with another child, would have the boy fostered and named him Dylan. No sooner had Dylan been baptised than he went to the sea and was able to swim as well as any fish. Because of this he was dubbed Dylan Eil Ton. He would later be killed by his uncle Gofannon, marking one of the Three Unfortunate Blows (this story has been lost to time, but Gofannon has been associated with Goibniu, a smith of the Tuatha Dé Dannan ).

Lleu Llaw Gyffes and Aranrhod
One day, Gwydion was awoken by a cry from his chest at the foot of his bed. He opened it to find a boy within and he quickly took the baby to the town to a woman he knew to be nursing. The child grew supernaturally quickly, being double his age in size and mental acuity with each passing year. The boy would walk to court to meet with Gwydion and came to trust him. Eventually, he took the boy to Caer Aranrhod, where Aranrhod herself greeted them. When Gwydion revealed that the boy was her son, she was overcome with spite for her shame. Gwydion believed the boy was a fine, young child worthy of Gwydion fostering him, but the child had no name as yet. Aranrhod cast a destiny upon the boy at that moment, so the child shall never have a name unless she granted it. Gwydion was annoyed by his sister's wickedness, but vowed the child would earn a name. He declared that she was spiteful because she could no longer claim to be a virgin, and the boy was walking proof of that. He returned to Caer Dathyl with the boy, where they went walking along the seashore near Aber Menai. He used magic to conjure up a ship. From the seaweed he conjured up Cordovan leather (fine leather from Spain), which was beautifully coloured. After he conjured a sail to the ship, he and the boy sailed to the harbour of Caer Aranrhod. He altered the appearances so that Aranrhod would not recognise them. When Aranrhod's servants inquired about them, Gwydion answered that they were shoemakers. After learning that they had quality Cordovan leather that they coloured gold, Aranrhod desired they would make her shoes. Gwydion, however, created the shoes deliberately too large after gaining her measurements. Gwydion sent word that he would need to see her feet if the shoes did not fit and, so, she went to the ship where she found the man, unknown to her to be Gwydion, cutting the leather and the boy, also unknown to her her son, was stitching. A wren then landed upon the ship and the boy deftly it the wren in the leg, between tendon and bone, prompting Aranrhod to laugh with surprise. She commented that the golden-haired boy had a skilful hand. At that, Gwydion declared that she had just awarded him his name; Lleu Llaw Gyffes (a name meaning "the fair-haired one with a skilful hand" ). He then dropped the illusion and the ship and leather disappeared, returning to seaweed. Though it had been false, Gwydion was still named one of the Three Golden Shoemakers. She is angered at being treated badly, though Gwydion insists she has not.

She then cast a new destiny that the boy would never wield a weapon until she arm him herself. Gwydion criticised her wickedness, but vowed that the boy would be armed. He took the boy to Dinas Dinlleu (today Dinas Dinlle ), where Lleu Llaw Gyffes was brought up and taught to ride. He was growing older and wishing to ride and wield weapons. Noticing this, Gwydion took him to Bryn Arien. At the very top of Cefn Cludno they mounted horses and approached Caer Aranrhod. Gwydion disguised them both as young men. Gwydion said to a porter that he must report that there are two poets from Morgannwg arrived. Aranrhod was happy to welcome them to feast, so they could tell their stories, Gwydion being an excellent storyteller. Afterwards, everyone retired to bed but Gwydion went outside and drew upon his conjuring to create an illusory fleet of ships. When day broke, the city went into an uproar at the sudden invasion. Aranrhod, with maids, woke up the visiting poets to relay the emergency upon them. Gwydion told her they must seal the fortress and defend against the invasion. He asked that he and his friend be armed and while the maids arm Gwydion, Aranrhod armed Lleu Llaw Gyffes. When Gwydion was certain that the boy had been armed by his mother, he dropped the illusory invasion and announced that his sister had now armed her son, dispelling the destiny she placed upon him. She dubbed Gwydion evil, that many young men might have lost their lives in his illusory attack and placed yet another destiny upon the boy. He would not have any wife that was upon the earth at this time. Gwydion reiterated that she was wicked, but that the boy would have a wife despite her. Thus, Gwydion went to Math.

The Betrayal of Blodeuedd
After explaining all that had befallen the young man, Math was sympathetic and decided that he and Gwydion should use their magic to create a wife for Lleu Llaw Gyffes from flowers. They took the yellow flowers of the broom shrub, the white flowers of the oak and the meadowsweet (the yellow of the broom to denote blonde hair, and the whiteness being a symbol of both beauty and purity ) and with them fashioned an incredibly beautiful maiden that they named Blodeuedd (meaning "flowers" ). The newly wed husband and wife slept together that night. With prompting from Gwydion, Math decided to award Lleu Llaw Gyffes a cantref within his realm. He decided upon the cantref Dinoding, which would later become Eifionydd and Ardudwy. Lleu set up court at Mur Castell (today Tomen y Mur ) in Ardudwy and the people were happy with his governance.

One day in the future, when Lleu left the court to visit Math in Caer Dathyl, Blodeuedd witnessed a stag being chased by a hunting party near the court of Mur Castell. She sent a messenger to enquire who they were. The reply came that the party was led by Gronw Pebr, lord of Penllyn. He resumed his hunt and caught the stag at the river Cynfael. As night drew in, he came to the court. Blodeuedd invited him to stay the night at the court, thinking her husband would wish such a courtesy. When they sat together for dinner, they gazed at each other and fell in love. Unable to resist or hide it, they slept together that night. The next morning Gronw requested permission to depart, but she refused that he should and wished him to remain another night with her. That night they discussed how they might stay together. He asked that she should speak with her husband on how he might be killed, under the guise of concern, exposing his weakness to Gronw. The next day, Gronw asked permission to leave but she again refused and wished him to stay. Gronw agreed, but he expressed concern that her husband, chieftain of the court, would soon return. So the next day, she permitted his departure, but before he left he reminded her to discover her husband's weakness. The next day, Lleu returned to Mur Castell and he spent the day lovingly with Blodeuedd until that night in bed. She then told him that she feared that he might die before her, but he he assured her it would be extremely difficult for him to die. He explained that a spear would need to be crafted over the course of a year, only worked upon during Mass on each Sunday. He went on to further explain that he could not be killed indoors, or outdoors, nor on horseback or on foot. He said someone would need to make him a bath on a riverbank. The bath would require an arched roof above the tub and the thatch would need to be watertight. A billy-goat needs to be brought beside the tub and he would have one foot on the back of the goat and the other on the edge of the tub. Only then, could someone kill him. Finally, Blodeuedd conceded that this scenario could be avoided easily and is happy for it.

Blodeuedd sent the information to her secret lover, Gronw, who laboured for one year on the spear. Upon completion of the spear, he met with Blodeuedd in the shadow of Bryn Cyfergyr, on the bank of the river Cynfael, where he wished to know how she could possibly bring about the exact standards required for Lleu Llaw Gyffes' demise. She showed him there that she had rounded up all the goats in the cantref. The next day, she explained to her husband that she has had a bath prepared for him, with a sturdy roof, by the river Cynfael. They go there and he was eager to bathe. While he washed himself, Blodeuedd pointed to the many billy-goats in the area and he asked that one be brought over. She brought a goat over and he willingly stepped onto the edge of the tub and placed the other foot onto the goat. From his hiding place on Bryn Cyfergyr, Gronw aimed the poisoned spear and threw it. The spear struck Lleu and snapped, but the head was embedded within the body. With a terrible scream, Lleu suddenly turned into an eagle and flew into the sky, never to be seen again. The murderers returned to the court and Gronw took possession of Ardudwy, becoming lord of this cantref and that of Penllyn.

The Revenge of Lleu Llaw Gyffes
Upon hearing this news, Math and Gwydion were disturbed and heard no news of Lleu himself. Gwydion set off across Gwynedd and Powys in search of news. Eventually, in Arfon, he came to the house of a peasant in Maenor Bennardd. Gwydion asked the swinehard of the house about his pigs, and he told Gwydion that the sow is released each day but nobody knows where she goes; as if she is swallowed by the earth each day before she returns. Gwydion asked to be there when the swineherd next released the sow. That next morning, as the swineherd opened the pen, the sow started off and Gwydion followed her. She set off upstream to a valley now called Nantlleu (meaning "the Valley of Lleu" ), where the sow began to feed. When Gwydion came to inspect what she was eating, he found she was consuming rotten flesh and maggots. He looked up to see a wounded eagle in the tree, from which the flesh and maggots would drop. Believing this to be Lleu, Gwydion sang an englyn to the eagle. The eagle lowered itself in the tree and Gwydion sang another englyn. The eagle moved further, to the lowest branch, and Gwydion sang a third englyn. This englyn ended with a line that Lleu would come to his lap, and so the eagle did. Gwydion used his wand to turn the bird back into a human, but he was a wretched creature of skin and bone. Gwydion took Lleu to Caer Dathyl and the greatest physicians in the land were summoned. By the end of the year, Lleu was healed. At that point, he, Math and Gwydion decided it was time to take revenge upon Gronw. Gwynedd was mustered to war and marched upon Ardudwy.

Upon hearing this, Blodeuedd retreated to the mountain court, across the river Cynfael. As they fled in fear, unable to stop looking behind them, they fell into the lake (Llyn y Morynion, the "Lake of the Maidens" ) and drowned, save Blodeuedd. Gwydion caught up to her, but deemed death too slight a punishment for her misdeeds. He turned her into a bird that would only emerge at night, a bird that all other birds would loathe and attack in the day. The bird would be known as "Blodeuwedd" (meaning "flower face" ), the owl. Gronw, on the other hand, abandoned Ardudwy and Blodeuedd, and retreated to Penllyn. He sent messengers to Lleu Llaw Gyffes to offer recompense for the harm he had caused in the form of land or gold. Lleu, however, said this was the least the man could do. He demanded that Gronw attend the spot where he had attempted to murder Lleu, and allow him to throw a spear at him in the same manner. Gronw agreed he would have to do this, but asked of his family and retinue if anyone would take his place. None of them, however, would do so and were named as one of the Three Disloyal Retinues (the others were the retinue of Alan Fyrgan and the war-bands of Gwrgi and Peredur ). Gronw Pebr attended the riverside of Cynfael and stood where he had attacked Lleu. Gronw begged that it was through the deceit of a woman that he had been brought here, and asked that he might hold a stone between himself and the missile. Lleu allowed this. Lleu threw the spear. It smashed through the stone and through Gronw himself, slaying him. There the stone would remain, a hole through it, and was named Llech Gronw (Llech Ronw still stands today). Lleu retook his cantref and would later become the ruler of all of Gwynedd after Math.

And so ends this branch of the Mabinogi.