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Branwen Daughter of Llyr
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The tale of Branwen daughter of Llyr is the second branch of the Mabinogion. The story tells of Bran, the giant king of Britain, and his sister Branwen who marries the king of Ireland. When Branwen is mistreated by her husband, Bran wades across the Irish Sea with his army and rescues Branwen and her son Gwern. At the feast of reconciliation between the British and Irish, Gwern is killed, and in the battle that follows, Bran is mortally wounded. Bran commands his men to cut off his head, and they carry it back to Wales where it continues to talk with them in an otherworld feast lasting eighty years. Eventually the spell is broken and the sorrows of the world return. His men take Bran’s head to London, where it is buried under the white mound to protect Britain from invasion. The story is taken from the translation of Lady Charlotte Guest, with the language modernised in places. The notes are taken from a number of sources. |
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