“Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed” is the first story, or ‘branch’, of the Mabinogion. The Mabinogion is a collection of Welsh myths written around the 12^th century, though it is unknown when they were first told as they were passed down orally until this point.

The story opens with Pwyll hunting with his dogs, spotting a stag being taken down by another hunt. These strange, white dogs with red ears belonged to Arawn, King of Annwvyn, whom Pwyll offended by setting his own dogs to feed on the stag. As an apology, Pwyll agreed to trade places with Arawn in disguise for a year, in order to defeat Arawn’s rival for him. He also refused to sleep with Arawn’s wife, which earned him the king’s respect. Meanwhile, Arawn ruled Pwyll’s kingdom successfully. The two became friends and returned to their own kingdoms once the year was over.

Pwyll then learned of a magical mound, where anyone sitting on it either is attacked, or sees a wonder. Pwyll decided to try this and spotted the beautiful Rhiannon riding her white horse. He tried to chase her for three days, on foot and on his fastest horse, but came no closer to her as the faster he tried to ride the further away she got. Eventually Pwyll asked her to stop, and she obliged. Rhiannon revealed she was promised to Gwawl, but was in love with Pwyll and asked him to marry her. Pwyll agreed, and Rhiannon asked him to meet her again in a year at her palace for a feast. At the feast Gwawl tricked Pwyll into giving Rhiannon away to him, by getting Pwyll to agree to grant him a favour without knowing what it is. Rhiannon was angry at his foolishness, but came up with a plan to trick Gwawl. She agreed to become his bride and prepare a feast in twelve months, asking Pwyll to come to the feast requesting for his bag to be filled with food. Unbeknown to Gwawl, the bag could never be filled completely, and when he became frustrated with this, asking if it will ever be full, Pwyll explained that it will not – not until a noble, wealthy man stands on top of the food and says it is enough. Gwawl is then trapped in the bag, beaten by Pwyll and his knights, and only released after he promises to let Pwyll and Rhiannon marry and not seek revenge on them.

After almost three years of ruling together, Rhiannon became pregnant. She gave birth to a boy and six women were charged with looking after him, but all six fell asleep and the boy was snatched by something in the night. To avoid their punishment, they conspired to smear Rhiannon with blood of a dog and claim she has killed and eaten her child. As the rumours spread, Rhiannon was punished for these crimes by having to sit outside the palace for seven years, every day telling her confession to visitors and offering to carry them to the palace on her back.

Meanwhile, Teirnyon Twryv Lliant was having trouble with his mare, who gave birth to a foal every year on the first of May, and every year the foal disappeared. This time, Teirnyon waited up all night and saw a claw attempting to take the foal. He struck it with his sword, cutting off its arm. He then discovered an infant on his doorstep and realised the creature must have dropped it. Teirnyon and his wife adopted the child, naming him Gwri of the Golden Hair. The boy stayed with them for a few years, but grew abnormally fast, growing as big as a six year old at the age of two, and taking the horses to water by himself at the age of four. However, as rumours of Rhiannon’s punishment spread, Teirnyon realised his son looked very much like Pwyll. They returned the boy to his rightful parents, who named him Pryderi, meaning ‘worry’. Pryderi grew up and ruled his father’s kingdom after his death, beloved by his people.

This story is full of themes and signs of the Celtic Otherworld. White animals with red ears often signalled not being of the mortal world, suggesting Arawn himself was the king of the Otherworld. This explains how he was able to swap appearances with Pwyll. Similarly, the mysterious mound is often associated with the Fae, as they are said to reside in them. This would make Rhiannon an Otherworldly woman too, with unions between mortals and Otherworldly beings proving to be a common theme in such tales. She is believed by some to be an early Celtic deity, and is often associated with the horse goddess Epona. Pryderi also appears to be connected to the Otherworld, as the passage of time differs there and may explain his abnormally fast growth. The differing flow of time can also be observed when Rhiannon’s horse cannot be matched by any speed, and would make sense if time flowed differently for these characters. Lastly, the first of May is a significant date, as it marks Beltane, when Fae folk are said to be most active.

This story is one of my favourite in the Mabinogion, with magic of the Otherworld blending beautifully with the mortal realm, and enchanting the tale.