View north across the estuary of Afon Alaw - geograph

Aber Alaw (

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

: "Mouth of the Alaw" ) is at the mouth of the

Afon Alaw The Afon Alaw () is a river on Anglesey (Welsh language, Welsh: Ynys Môn) in Wales which rises near Llanerch-y-medd and flows northwards into the reservoir of Llyn Alaw. Below the dam it then flows southwestwards to the island's west coast near ...

Anglesey Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...

, in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

. It is located just north of

Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

and south west of

Llanfachraeth Llanfachraeth is a village and community (Wales), community in Anglesey, Wales. It is located near the west coast of the island, at the head of the Afon Alaw, Alaw estuary, east of Holyhead, south west of Amlwch and north west of Llangefni. ...

. According to the ''

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 frag ...

'', it is here that Queen Branwen died of grief after escaping the destruction of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

.Rolleston, Thomas William.
Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race
'. United Kingdom, Constable, 1987. 372. She and the seven survivors of Prydein (

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

) landed at Talebolyon, and upon seeing the coasts of both

and Prydein, she died of a broken heart, blaming herself for the havoc. At

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 ...

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 An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

with human ashes.

References

Llanfachraeth Valley, Anglesey Estuaries of Wales Bodies of water of Anglesey {{Anglesey-geo-stub