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Bran the Blessed (Welsh: Bendigeidfran, literally "Blessed Crow") is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic The Mythology and Legends of many different Cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Welsh mythology, the remnants of the Mythology of the pre Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts He appears in several of the Welsh Triads, but his most significant role is in the Second Branch of the Mabinogion, Branwen, daughter of Llyr. The Welsh Triads ( Welsh Trioedd Ynys Prydein, literally "Triads of the Island of Britain " are a group of related texts in Medieval The Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the best known tales from the medieval Welsh prose collection known as the Mabinogion. He is a son of Llyr and Penarddun, and the brother of Branwen, Manawydan, Nisien and Efnysien. Llŷr is a figure in Welsh mythology, the father of Bran, Branwen and Manawydan by Penarddun. Penarddun is a figure in Welsh mythology, the wife of Llŷr and a daughter of Beli Mawr. Branwen is also the name of a character in some versions of Tristan and Iseult. In Welsh mythology, Manawydan, son of Llyr, is the equivalent of the Irish Manannan mac Lir and a presumed sea god. Nisien is a figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Penarddun and Euroswydd and twin brother of Efnisien. In Welsh mythology, Efnysien or Efnisien was the son of Penarddun and Euroswydd. The name "Bran" translates from Welsh as "Crow", often translated in the context of this tale as "Raven"; both are members of the genus Corvus and the family Corvidae. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic The true crows are large Passerine Birds that comprise the Genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Raven is the common name given to the largest species of Passerine Birds in the Genus Corvus. Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of Oscine Passerine Birds that contains the Crows Ravens rooks

Contents

Role in the Mabinogion

Matholwch, King of Ireland, visits Bran to ask for the hand of his sister Branwen in marriage. Matholwch, King of Ireland, is a character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, the tale of Branwen ferch Llŷr. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Branwen is also the name of a character in some versions of Tristan and Iseult. Bran agrees to this, but during a feast to celebrate the betrothal, Efnisien, a half-brother of Branwen and Bran, arrives and asks what was going on. When told, he is furious that Branwen has been given in marriage without his permission, and vents his spleen by mutilating Matholwch's horses. Matholwch is deeply angered until Bran gives him a magic cauldron which restores the dead to life. A cauldron or caldron (from Latin Caldarium, hot bath is a large Metal pot ( Kettle) for cooking and/or boiling

Once in Ireland, Branwen is treated cruelly by her husband, Matholwch, and is forced to work in the kitchen. She tames a starling and sends it across the Irish Sea with a message to her brother Bran, who sails from Wales to Ireland to rescue her with his brother, Manawydan. The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, When Matholwch sees the giant, he asks for peace, and as a show of good faith, builds a house big enough for Bran to enter. Matholwch agrees to let Bran live with them and to give his kingdom to Gwern, his son by Branwen. Gwern is a character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, the tale of Branwen ferch Llŷr, (A collection of prose stories from medieval The Irish lords do not like the idea, so they hide themselves in flour bags to attack the Welsh. Efnisien guesses what is happening and kills them in their bags, then throws Gwern into the fire.

In the ensuing war, the Irish at first have the advantage because of the magic cauldron. When the Irish dead are placed in it, they came to life and were able to fight as well as ever, though they cannot speak. Efnisien lays down among the dead and is placed in the cauldron, then breaks it, bursting his heart and dying in the process. The Welsh eventually win the war, but only seven men survived. Bran himself is dying from a mortal wound in the foot, and orders that his head should be cut off and buried in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. When the survivors return to Britain, Branwen dies of grief from believing that she was the cause of the war; she is buried beside the River Alaw in Anglesey. An a-law algorithm is a standard Companding algorithm used in European Digital communications systems to optimize i History There are numerous Megalithic monuments and Menhirs present on Anglesey testifying to the presence of mankind in prehistory

For seven years the seven survivors, amongst them Manawydan and Pryderi, stay in Harlech, where they are entertained by Bran's head, which continues to speak. Pryderi is the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon in Welsh mythology, and a king of Dyfed. Harlech (pronounced ˈharlɛx is a Town and Seaside resort in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on Tremadog Bay, and within They later move on to Gwales (often identified with Grassholm Island off Dyfed) where they live for eighty years without perceiving the passing of time. Grassholm ( Welsh: Gwales or Ynys Gwales) is a small uninhabited Island situated 13 km / 8 miles off the southwest Pembrokeshire Dyfed ('dɪ ved is a preserved county of Wales. Dyfed was created by the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974. Eventually, one of the men opens the door of the hall facing Cornwall and the sorrow of what had befallen them returns. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar As instructed they take the now silent head to the Gwynfryn, the "White Hill" (thought to be the location where the Tower of London now stands), where they bury it facing France so as to ward off invasion. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The imagery of the talking head is widely considered to derive from the ancient Celtic "cult of the Head"; the head was considered the home of the soul. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts

Other associations

According to the Welsh Triads, Bran's head was buried in London where the White Tower now stands. The Welsh Triads ( Welsh Trioedd Ynys Prydein, literally "Triads of the Island of Britain " are a group of related texts in Medieval London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London As long as it remained there, Britain would be safe from invasion. However, King Arthur dug up the head, declaring the country would be protected only by his great strength. King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders [1] There have been attempts in modern times to link the still-current practice of keeping ravens at the Tower of London under the care of Yeomen Warder Ravenmaster with this story of Bran, whose name means Raven. "Beefeater" redirects here For other uses see Beefeater (disambiguation.

Several scholars have noted similarities between Bran the Blessed and the Arthurian character the Fisher King, the keeper of the Holy Grail. The Fisher King or the Wounded King figures in Arthurian legend as the latest in a line charged with keeping the Holy Grail. According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish plate or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers The Fisher King first appears in Chrétien de Troyes's 12th century French romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail; he has been dealt a mortal wound in the leg (Bran's wound was in his foot) but stays alive in his mystical castle due to the effects of the Grail, waiting to be healed by Percival. Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet and Trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century. Perceval the Story of the Grail (Perceval le Conte du Graal is the unfinished fifth romance of Chrétien de Troyes. Corbenic (also Carbonek and Corbin) is the name of the castle of the Holy Grail in the Lancelot-Grail cycle and Thomas Malory Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur 's legendary Knights of the Round Table. A later author who took up the story, Robert de Boron, describes the history of the Grail in ancient times, and says the first Fisher King was a man called "Bron". Robert de Boron (also spelled in the manuscripts "Bouron" "Beron" was a French poet of the late 12th and early 13th centuries originally from the village Additionally, the Welsh story Peredur son of Efrawg, a version of the Percival story with several striking deviations, featurs the hero visiting a mysterious castle, but he does not find the Grail there, but rather a severed human head. Peredur son of Efrawg is one of the three Welsh Romances associated with the Mabinogion. Additionally, some works attribute to the Grail the power to restore the fallen, making it somewhat similar to Bran's cauldron.

Name

All the Welsh mythological texts of the Mabinogion were recorded between the 14th and 15th centuries in Middle Welsh. Middle Welsh (Cymraeg Canol is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 14th centuries of which much more remains than for any earlier As a result there are discrepancies regarding the spelling of names, because English translations maintain Middle Welsh orthography whereas Modern Welsh versions use Modern Welsh orthography. Middle Welsh (Cymraeg Canol is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 14th centuries of which much more remains than for any earlier Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic In Middle Welsh, there was some variation on the name Bran; other forms include Vran and Uran.

In the Mabinogion, the character is referred to virtually exclusively as "Bendigeituran"; that is, with the epithet "Bendigeit" (blessed or praiseworthy) attached. The only exceptions are in the patronymic of his son Caradog ap Bran and a single reference to his gathering in Ireland as Gwledd Brân, "The feast of Brân (or 'Crow')". A patronym, is a component of a Personal name based on the name of one's father Caradog ap Bran is the son of Bran the Blessed in Welsh mythology. This usage is followed in the Welsh Triads. Bendigeituran becomes "Bendigeidfran" or "Bran Fendigeid" in Modern Welsh; Bendigeidfran is the form used in many Modern Welsh adaptations of the Mabinogion. [2] However, earlier references generally do not include the epithet, instead calling the character Bran fab Llŷr or simply Bran. [3] Ifor Williams thought Bendigeit was a late addition, perhaps a replacement for a word that had become obsolete by the time the Mabinogi was recorded. Sir Ifor Williams ( April 16 1881 - November 4 1965) was a Welsh scholar who laid the foundations for the academic study of Old Welsh particularly [3] "Vran" appears in an old poem in the Book of Taliesin,[4] while Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr and Prydydd y Moch mention Bran fab Llŷr several times in their poetry, under different spellings. The Book of Taliesin (Llyfr Taliesin is one of the most famous Welsh Manuscripts It dates from the first half of the Fourteenth century though many of Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr (fl ca 1155-1200 (English="Cynddelw the Great Poet" was one of the most prominent Welsh poets of the 12th century Llywarch ap Llywelyn (fl 1173 – 1220) was a medieval Welsh poet However, Bleddyn Fardd refers to "Benigeitran" in his elegy for Llywelyn the Last, demonstrating that the epithet "Bendigeit" had been attached to Bran since the late 13th century. Bleddyn Fardd (fl ca 1258 - 1284) was a Welsh-language court poet from Gwynedd. Genealogy and early life Llywelyn was the second of the four sons of Gruffydd, the eldest son of Llywelyn the Great, and Senena ferch Rhodri [3]

Notes

  1. ^ Triad 37. Bromwich, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, pp. 94–102.
  2. ^ For instance, Dafydd & Rhiannon Ifans' Y Mabinogi.
  3. ^ a b c Bromwich, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, pp. 290–292.
  4. ^ Book of Taliesin XIV, "Kerd Veib am Llyr". From Llyfr Taliesin at maryjones. us. Retrieved February 7, 2007.

References

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