|
Branwen
Branwen, Daughter of Llŷr is a major character in the medieval Welsh story known as the Second Branch of the ''Mabinogi'', which is sometimes called the "Mabinogi of Branwen" after her. Branwen is a daughter of Llŷr and Penarddun. She is married to Matholwch, King of Ireland, but the marriage does not bring peace. Her story The story opens with Branwen's brother, Brân the Blessed, giant and King of Britain, sitting on a rock by the sea at Harlech and seeing the vessels of Matholwch, King of Ireland, approaching. Matholwch has come to ask for the hand of Branwen in marriage. Brân agrees to this, and a feast is held to celebrate the betrothal. During the feast, Efnysien, a half-brother of Branwen and Brân, arrives at the stables and asks of the nature of the celebration. On being told, he is furious that his half sister has been given in marriage without his consent, and flying into a rage he mutilates the horses belonging to the Irish. Matholwch is deeply offended, but c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brân The Blessed
Brân the Blessed ( or ''Brân Fendigaidd'', literally "Blessed Crow") is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. He appears in several of the Welsh Triads, but his most significant role is in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, '' Branwen ferch Llŷr''. He is a son of Llŷr and Penarddun, and the brother of Brânwen, Manawydan, Nisien and Efnysien. The name "Brân" in Welsh is usually translated as crow or raven. Role in the ''Mabinogion'' The Irish king Matholwch sails to Harlech to speak with Brân the Blessed, high king of the Island of the Mighty and to ask for the hand of his sister Branwen in marriage, thus forging an alliance between the two islands. Brân agrees to Matholwch's request, but the celebrations are cut short when Efnysien, a half-brother of Brân and Branwen, brutally mutilates Matholwch's horses, angry that his permission was not sought in regard to the marriage. Matholwch is deeply offended until Brân offers him compensation in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Four Branches Of The Mabinogi
The ''Four Branches of the Mabinogi'' or are the earliest prose stories in the literature of Great Britain, Britain. Originally written in Wales in Middle Welsh, but widely available in translations, the is generally agreed to be a single work in four parts, or "branches." The interrelated tales can be read as mythology, political themes, romances, or magical fantasies. The tales are popular today in book format, as storytelling or theatre performances; they appear in recordings and on film, and continue to inspire reinterpretations in artwork and modern fiction, such as the ''New Stories of the Mabinogion'' series and ''The Assembly of the Severed Head'' by Hugh Lupton. Overview The are known as the ''Four Branches of the'' , or in Welsh. The tales were compiled from oral tradition in the 11th century. They survived in private family libraries via medieval manuscripts, of which two main versions and some fragments continue to survive today. Early modern scholarship of the saw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gwern
(meaning "Alder") is a minor figure in Welsh tradition. He is the son of Matholwch, king of Ireland, and Branwen, sister to the king of Britain. He appears in the tale of '' Branwen, daughter of Llŷr'', in which his murder at the hands of his sadistic uncle Efnysien sparks a mutually destructive battle between Britain and Ireland. Role in Welsh tradition Background Matholwch, King of Ireland, sails across the Irish Sea to ask the British High King, Brân, for the hand of his sister Branwen in marriage. Bendigeidfran agrees to this, but during a feast to celebrate the betrothal, Efnisien, a half-brother of Branwen and Bendigeidfran, arrives and asks what was going on. When told, he is furious that Branwen has been given in marriage without his permission, and retaliates by mutilating Matholwch's horses. Matholwch is deeply angered until Bendigeidfran gives him a magic cauldron which restores the dead to life. Once in Ireland, Branwen is treated cruelly by her husband, Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mabinogion
The ''Mabinogion'' () is a collection of the earliest Welsh prose stories, compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, created –1410, as well as a few earlier fragments. Often included in the broader mythologies described as the Matter of Britain, the Mabinogion consists of eleven stories of widely different types, offering drama, philosophy, romance, tragedy, fantasy and humour. Strictly speaking, the Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the main sequence of related tales, but seven others include a classic hero quest, "Culhwch and Olwen"; a historic legend, complete with glimpses of a far off age, in "Lludd and Llefelys"; and other tales portraying a very different King Arthur from the later popular versions. The stories were created and amended by various narrators over a very long period of time, and scholars beginning from the 18th century predominantly viewed the tales as fragmentary pre-Christi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Children Of Llyr
''The Children of Llyr'' is a fantasy novel by American writer Evangeline Walton, the second in a series of four based on the Welsh ''Mabinogion.'' It was first published in paperback by Ballantine Books as the thirty-third volume of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in August, 1971. It has been reprinted a number of times since, and gathered together with Walton's other ''Mabinogion'' novels by Overlook Press as the omnibus ''The Mabinogion Tetralogy'' in 2002. The novel has also been published in translation in several European languages. The other three novels in the series are '' The Island of the Mighty'' (1936), '' The Song of Rhiannon'' (1972), and '' Prince of Annwn'' (1974). The novel is a retelling of the story of the Second Branch of the Mabinogion, ''Branwen Ferch Llŷr'' (''Branwen, Daughter of Llŷr''). Plot summary Britain is ruled by the children of Llyr and Penarddun, the giant King Bran and his siblings Branwen and Manawyddan, together with their young ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matholwch
Matholwch, King of Ireland, is a character in the Second Branch of the '' Mabinogi'', the tale of Branwen ferch Llŷr. The story opens with Bendigeidfran (Bran the Blessed), giant and king of Britain, sitting on a rock by the sea at Harlech and seeing the vessels of Matholwch approaching. Matholwch has come to ask for the hand of Bendigeidfran's sister Branwen in marriage. Bendigeidfran agrees to this, and a feast is held to celebrate the betrothal. While the feast is going on, Efnisien, a half-brother of Branwen and Bendigeidfran, arrives and asks why there were celebrations. On being told, he is furious that his half-sister has been given in marriage without his consent and vents his spleen by mutilating Matholwch's horses. Matholwch is deeply offended but is conciliated by Bran who gives him , a magical cauldron known as the cauldron of rebirth, which can bring the dead to life. Once they are married, Matholwch treats Branwen cruelly and she is forced to work in the kitch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Efnysien
Efnisien fab Euroswydd (also spelled Efnissien or Efnysien) is a sadistic anti-hero in Welsh mythology, appearing prominently in the tale of '' Branwen ferch Llŷr'', the second branch of the Mabinogi. Described by Will Parker as "a study in the psychopathic personality" and an "embodiment of the forces of anti-social disruption," he is the catalyst of the tale's ultimate tragedy, and is largely responsible for the destruction of both Ireland and the Island of the Mighty. He is the son of Euroswydd and Penarddun, twin brother to Nisien, and half-brother to Brân the Blessed, Manawydan, and Branwen. The Welsh Triads call Llŷr one of the Three Exalted Prisoners of Britain for his captivity at Euroswydd's hands; this is likely to a lost tradition of the birth of Penarddun's younger sons. Role in Welsh tradition The Irish king Matholwch sails to Harlech to speak with Brân the Blessed high king of the Island of the Mighty and to ask for the hand of his sister Branwen in marr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Llŷr
Llŷr ( (); meaning 'half-speech' or 'half-language') is a figure in Welsh mythology, probably originally a deity, probably derived from Irish Ler ('the Sea'), father of ''Manannán mac Lir''. Other than his progeny and odd tidbits, his identity remains obscure. Llŷr appears as the father of Brân, Brânwen and Manawydan by Penarddun in the ''Branwen, Daughter of Llyr'', the Second Branch of the '' Mabinogi''.: "Bendigeidfran son of Llŷr was crowned king. His two brothers on the mother's side (Nisien and Efnisien) were sons of Euroswydd by his mother Penarddun." The Welsh Triads states that Llŷr was imprisoned by Euroswydd, and presumably, Penarddun subsequently married Euroswydd, giving birth by Euroswydd to her two younger sons, Nisien and Efnisien, as stated in the Second Branch. William Shakespeare's play ''King Lear'' is based on material taken secondhand (through Raphael Holinshed) from Geoffrey of Monmouth's mythical king King Leir, who has often been conn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Llanddeusant, Anglesey
; ) is a small linear village, on Anglesey, North Wales about north east of Holyhead. Community The village takes its name from its parish church which is dedicated to the 2 Saints, St. Marcellus and Saint Marcellina. The church has medieval origins from the 12th century. It was wholly rebuilt in 1868 by a local Welsh architect, Goronwy Roberts. Llanddeusant is claimed to be the burial place of Branwen (Mabinogion). A cairn was discovered nearby and is now named 'Bedd Branwen' in Welsh. Branwen's grave is at the river (afon) Alaw. Llynnon windmill At Llanddeusant is Anglesey's and Wales' only working windmill, Llynnon Mill, opened in 1775 at a cost of £550 and renovated by the local council in 1986 and opened to the public. The mill was originally located there as it lies just to the north of the Afon Alaw, and a little west of Llyn Alaw. It also has the area's last working water mill, Melin Hywel. School The co-educational village primary school, Ysgol Gynradd Llanddeus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Christopher Williams (Welsh Artist)
Christopher David Williams (7 January 1873 – 1934) was a Welsh people, Welsh artist. Biography Williams was born in Maesteg, Wales. His father Evan Williams wished for him to be a doctor, but he disliked the idea. A visit to the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, in 1892, where he spent some hours in front of Frederick Leighton's ''Perseus and Andromeda'', revealed a new world to him. He left the Gallery with a firm decision that he would be an artist. He studied first in Neath at the town's Technical Institute in 1892 and 1893 under Mr. Kerr. From 1893 he spent three years at the Royal College of Art and then studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1896 until 1901. In 1902, his ''Paolo and Francesca'' was hung in the Royal Academy and his portrait of his father was shown there in 1903. These were the first of 18 paintings by Williams exhibited there. His portrait of Alfred Comyn Lyall, Sir Alfred Lyall was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1910 and brought him an invitation f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manawydan
Manawydan fab Llŷr is a figure of Welsh mythology, the son of Llŷr and the brother of Brân the Blessed and Brânwen. The first element in his name is cognate with the stem of the name of the Irish sea god Manannán mac Lir, and likely originated from the same Celtic deity as Manannán. Unlike Manannán, however, no surviving material connects him with the sea in any way except for his patronymic (''llŷr'' is an old Welsh word for ''sea''). Manawydan's most important appearances occur in the Second and Third Branches of the Mabinogi (the latter of which is named for him), but he is also referenced frequently in medieval poetry and the Welsh Triads. The Mabinogi Second Branch Manawydan is an important character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, the ''Mabinogi of Brânwen, Daughter of Llŷr''. In this tale, Manawydan serves as advisor to his brother Brân the Blessed, the King of Britain. He sits beside Brân at the feast celebrating the wedding of their sister Brânw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aber Alaw
Aber Alaw (Welsh language, Welsh: "Mouth of the Alaw" ) is at the mouth of the Afon Alaw on Anglesey, in North Wales. It is located just north of Valley, Anglesey, Valley and south west of Llanfachraeth. According to the ''Mabinogion'', it is here that Branwen, Queen Branwen died of grief after escaping the destruction of Ireland.Rolleston, Thomas William. Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race'. United Kingdom, Constable, 1987. 372. She and the seven survivors of Prydein (Great Britain, Britain) landed at Talebolyon, and upon seeing the coasts of both Ireland and Prydein, she died of a broken heart, blaming herself for the havoc. At Llanddeusant, Anglesey on the banks of the Alaw can be found the cairn called Bedd Branwen, her supposed grave. Now in ruins, it still has one standing stone. It was dug up in 1800, and again in the 1960s by Frances Lynch, who found several urns with human ashes. References Llanfachraeth Valley, Anglesey Estuaries of Wales Bodies of water ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
