The Romance of Branwen, Daughter of Llyr
	The main legend that has come down to us about Bran is the Romance of Branwen in the Mabinogion, where Bran is portrayed as the giant king of Britain. When Bran dies, his head continues to live and speak, and entertains his companions in an eighty-year feast. When the feast ends, they carry the head to London and bury it under the white mount to guard Britain. A summary of the tale is given below.	The full text
	Branwen's Marriage There was great celebration in Bran's court, for the King of Ireland was to marry Bran's sister, the beautiful and much-loved Branwen. At the wedding feast, Matholwch, King of Ireland, and Bran, King of the Island of the Mighty, celebrated the wedding and the alliance of their lands. But there was one man missing from the feast - Evnissyen, Bran's cantankerous half-brother. No one had consulted him about the marriage, and when he found out about it, he flew into a terrible rage and mutilated all the horses belonging to the Irishmen. Bran recompensed Matholwch generously for this insult, replacing the horses and giving him many other gifts, including a magical cauldron which could restore the dead to life, healthy and strong, but without the power of speech.	Bran’s cauldron
	Matholwch took his new bride Branwen back to Ireland, and as the seasons turned, she bore him a son named Gwern. The people in Ireland were charmed by Branwen's gentle ways, but some of the nobles still brooded on Evnissyen's insult, and they determined that Branwen should be punished for it. They forced Matholwch to decide between his crown and his wife, and so Branwen was thrown out of her rich chambers, and sent to work in the kitchens. Her days became sad and lonely, and her only friend was a little starling which came each day to perch on her kneading trough. Over the years she told the little starling about her troubles, and she asked it to carry a letter across the sea to her brother Bran. When Bran read his sister's letter he was filled with grief and anger, and he set about raising an army to avenge her mistreatment. The first news Matholwch had of the invasion was from his swineherds: they had seen a wondrous vision at the seashore - a forest and a vast mountain in the sea, both coming towards Ireland. Only Branwen could reveal the meaning of this vision - the forest being the masts of many ships, and the mountain her giant brother Bran, wading to shore.	Gwern means ‘alder’
	War in Ireland The Irish retreated in panic across the river Linon, destroying the bridge behind them, but Bran lay down across the river, making a bridge for his men, and so the Irish had to come to terms. Downcast, Matholwch offered to give up his crown, and to build a vast house for Bran, for no house yet built could contain him. When the great house was completed, the people of Ireland and the people of the Island of the Mighty entered the house and made peace, and the sovereignty of Ireland was bestowed on Gwern, the little child of Matholwch and Branwen. Once more, the two peoples feasted together joyfully, but suddenly joy turned to horror: Bran's half brother Evnissyen had taken offence because Gwern was slow to embrace him, and without warning he threw the child to his death in the blazing fire. Pandemonium broke out, and a terrible battle began. The Irishmen used the magical cauldron to revive their companions, so that the men of the Island of the Mighty became outnumbered. The battle only turned when Evnissyen destroyed the cauldron with a feat of strength which cost him his life. But there were very few survivors of that terrible battle. Bran himself was mortally wounded by a poison dart in his foot, and he told his companions to cut off his head and take it back to Wales with them.	The bridge
	The Noble Head His companions carried Bran's head across the sea, and to their wonder the head remained uncorrupted, and was as good company as Bran himself had been. They went to Harlech and entertained the head whilst the birds of Rhiannon sang sweetly from the otherworld. Then they travelled to the island of Gwales where Bran's head continued to speak with them as they feasted for 80 years. All their sorrows were forgotten whilst they feasted, but eventually one of the companions opened a forbidden door, and the sorrows of the world returned. Following Bran's instructions, the companions then carried his head to London and buried it under the white mount, where the Tower of London now stands. There it protected the Island of Britain from all invaders.	The Tower of London