Angharad
Encyclopedia
Angharad is a popular Welsh
name, having a long association with Welsh royalty, history and myth. It translates to much loved one.
in the Welsh myth cycle The Mabinogion
. In some versions of the story, Peredur meets her at King Arthur
's court at Caerleon.
, King of Gwynedd
, who married Gruffydd Maelor
. Other historical Angharads include:
's series of children's books, The Chronicles of Prydain
, in which the Princess Eilonwy
is referred to as "Eilonwy, daughter of Angharad, daughter of Regat, Princess of Llyr
." The final book in the series, The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain, includes the story of how Princess Angharad met her husband, Geraint, Eilonwy's father.
Another Angharad appears in the Welsh Triads
as the daughter of King Rhydderch Hael
. Rhydderch was one of the "Three Generous Men of the Island of Britain", and his daughter Angharad Ton Felen (Angharad "Yellow Wave") appears as one of the Three Lively Maidens.
The name Angharad has also been used in modern popular fiction such as by those protagonists found in Anne McCaffrey
's "The Rowan" (as Angharad Gwyn or "the Rowan"), Robin McKinley's "The Blue Sword" (as Angharad Crewe or "Harimad Sol"/"Harry"), Charles de Lint's "Into the Green" (simply as Angharad - tinker, harper, witch), and Monica Furlong's "Juniper".
In the novel How Green Was My Valley
by Richard Llewellyn
, the daughter of the Morgan family was named Angharad.
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
name, having a long association with Welsh royalty, history and myth. It translates to much loved one.
Mythology
Angharad, also sometimes known as Angharad Golden-Hand, is the lover of PeredurPeredur son of Efrawg
Peredur son of Efrawg is one of the three Welsh Romances associated with the Mabinogion. It tells a story roughly analogous to Chrétien de Troyes' unfinished romance Perceval, the Story of the Grail, but it contains many striking differences from that work, most notably the absence of the French...
in the Welsh myth cycle The Mabinogion
Mabinogion
The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...
. In some versions of the story, Peredur meets her at King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
's court at Caerleon.
History
There have been a number of historical (or semi-historical) Angharads, most notably the daughter of Owain GwyneddOwain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd , in English also known as Owen the Great, was King of Gwynedd from 1137 until his death in 1170. He is occasionally referred to as "Owain I of Gwynedd"; and as "Owain I of Wales" on account of his claim to be King of Wales. He is considered to be the most successful of...
, King of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
, who married Gruffydd Maelor
Gruffydd Maelor
Gruffydd Maelor was Prince of Powys Fadog in Wales.He is known as Gruffydd Maelor I to distinguish him from his grandson, Gruffydd Maelor II .- Lineage :He was a son of Madog ap Maredudd by Susanna, daughter of Gruffudd ap Cynan...
. Other historical Angharads include:
- daughter of Madog ap Gruffydd MaelorMadog ap Gruffydd MaelorMadog ap Gruffudd or Madog ap Gruffudd Maelor, was Prince of Powys Fadog 1191-1236 in north-east Wales.- Lineage :He was elder son of Gruffydd Maelor and his wife, Angharad a daughter of Owain Gwynedd.- Sole Ruler :...
and sister to Gruffydd II ap Madog, Lord of Dinas BranGruffydd II ap Madog, Lord of Dinas Bran- Lineage :He was the eldest son of Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor and inherited his father's lands and title in partible succession along with his four brothers Gruffydd Ial, Maredudd, Hywel and Madog Fychan.... - daughter of Maredudd ab OwainMaredudd ab OwainMaredudd ab Owain was a King of Deheubarth, and through conquest also of Gwynedd and Powys, kingdoms in medieval Wales.Maredudd was the son of Owain ap Hywel and the grandson of Hywel Dda. His father was king of Deheubarth before him. As Owain grew too old to lead in battle his son Maredudd took...
, wife of Llywelyn ap SeisyllLlywelyn ap SeisyllLlywelyn ap Seisyll was a King of Gwynedd and of Deheubarth in north-west and south-west Wales, also called King of the Britons by the Annals of Ulster. Also called Llywelyn ap Seisyllt- Lineage :...
, King of GwyneddKingdom of GwyneddGwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
and of Deheubarth, with her first husband, and mother of Bleddyn ap CynfynBleddyn ap CynfynBleddyn ap Cynfyn was a Prince of the Welsh Kingdoms of Gwynedd and of Powys.- Lineage :Bleddyn was the son of Princess Angharad ferch Maredudd with her second husband Cynfyn ap Gwerstan, a Powys Lord, about whom little is now known...
with her second husband - Angharad of Brittany, wife of Idwal ap Cadwaladr
- wife of Rhodri the GreatRhodri the GreatRhodri the Great was King of Gwynedd from 844 until his death. He was the first Welsh ruler to be called 'Great', and the first to rule most of present-day Wales...
- Angharad JamesAngharad James-Life:She was born in Gelliffrydau farm at Baladeulyn in the Nantlle Valley on 16 July 1677. When still a young woman, she married William Prichard, a man far older than herself, who farmed Cwm Penamnen, a valley to the south of Dolwyddelan...
, Welsh poet
Literature
Angharad is mentioned peripherally in Lloyd AlexanderLloyd Alexander
Lloyd Chudley Alexander was a widely influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books...
's series of children's books, The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain is a five-volume series of children's fantasy novels by author Lloyd Alexander...
, in which the Princess Eilonwy
Princess Eilonwy
Princess Eilonwy is a fictional character in Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain and wife of High King Taran in the Chronicles of Prydain and also appears in Disney's 1985 animated film The Black Cauldron...
is referred to as "Eilonwy, daughter of Angharad, daughter of Regat, Princess of Llyr
Llyr
Llŷr is a figure in Welsh mythology, the father of Brân, Brânwen and Manawydan by Penarddun. The Welsh Triads mention he was imprisoned by Euroswydd; the Second Branch of the Mabinogi names Euroswydd as the father of Penarddun's younger two sons, Nisien and Efnisien. Llŷr corresponds to Lir in...
." The final book in the series, The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain, includes the story of how Princess Angharad met her husband, Geraint, Eilonwy's father.
Another Angharad appears in the Welsh Triads
Welsh Triads
The Welsh Triads are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a rhetorical form whereby objects are grouped together in threes, with a heading indicating the point of likeness...
as the daughter of King Rhydderch Hael
Riderch I of Alt Clut
Riderch I , commonly known as Riderch or Rhydderch Hael , was a ruler of Alt Clut and the greater region later known as Strathclyde, a Brittonic kingdom that existed on the valley of the River Clyde in Scotland during the British Sub-Roman period...
. Rhydderch was one of the "Three Generous Men of the Island of Britain", and his daughter Angharad Ton Felen (Angharad "Yellow Wave") appears as one of the Three Lively Maidens.
The name Angharad has also been used in modern popular fiction such as by those protagonists found in Anne McCaffrey
Anne McCaffrey
Anne Inez McCaffrey was an American-born Irish writer, best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. Over the course of her 46 year career she won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award...
's "The Rowan" (as Angharad Gwyn or "the Rowan"), Robin McKinley's "The Blue Sword" (as Angharad Crewe or "Harimad Sol"/"Harry"), Charles de Lint's "Into the Green" (simply as Angharad - tinker, harper, witch), and Monica Furlong's "Juniper".
In the novel How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley is a 1939 novel by Richard Llewellyn, telling the story through narration of the main character, of his Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. The author had claimed to have based the book on his own knowledge of the Gilfach Goch area, but this was proven...
by Richard Llewellyn
Richard Llewellyn
Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd , better known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was a Welsh novelist.Llewellyn Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd (8 December 1906 – 30 November 1983), better known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn, was a Welsh novelist.Llewellyn Richard Dafydd...
, the daughter of the Morgan family was named Angharad.