Gilfaethwy
Encyclopedia
In Welsh mythology
, Gilfaethwy was a son of the goddess Dôn
and brother of Gwydion
and Arianrhod
in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi
.
His uncle Math ap Mathonwy
, king of Gwynedd
, must keep his feet in the lap of a young virgin at all times unless he is going to war. Gilfaethwy lusts after Math's current foot holder, Goewin
, so to get her alone he and Gwydion steal pigs from Pryderi
, king of Dyfed
, sparking a conflict between the neighboring kingdoms. While his uncle is off fighting, Gilfaethwy sneaks back to Gwynedd and has his way with Goewin. Math is furious when he discovers this, and punishes his nephews by transforming them into a series of paired animals using his great skill in magic. For a year Gilfaethwy becomes a hind deer
and Gwydion a stag; they mate and produce an offspring which is delivered to Math. Next Math makes Gilfaethwy a boar
and Gwydion a sow; when they return a year later with a son he makes them wolves
. After the third year he relieves them of their punishment and makes them human again.
Gilfaethwy is a minor character in Welsh legend, and may have been used in the Fourth Branch simply to advance the story of his more illustrious brother Gwydion.
Welsh mythology
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 such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin....
, Gilfaethwy was a son of the goddess Dôn
Dôn
Dôn was a Welsh mother goddess. She does not play a direct part in the action of the Mabinogi, though many characters in that cycle are related to her. She is the mother of Arianrhod, Gwydion, Gilfaethwy, Gofannon, Eufydd, Elestron and Amaethon. Patrick K...
and brother of Gwydion
Gwydion
Gwydion fab Dôn is a magician, hero and trickster of Welsh mythology, appearing most prominently in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, which focuses largely on his relationship with his young nephew, Lleu Llaw Gyffes...
and Arianrhod
Arianrhod
Arianrhod is a figure in Welsh mythology who plays her most important role in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi. She is the daughter of Dôn and the sister of Gwydion and Gilfaethwy; the Welsh Triads give her father as Beli Mawr...
in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi
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...
.
His uncle Math ap Mathonwy
Math ap Mathonwy
In Welsh mythology, Math fab Mathonwy, also called Math ap Mathonwy was a king of Gwynedd who needed to rest his feet in the lap of a virgin unless he was at war, or he would die...
, 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...
, must keep his feet in the lap of a young virgin at all times unless he is going to war. Gilfaethwy lusts after Math's current foot holder, Goewin
Goewin
Goewin is a figure in Welsh mythology, where she has a small but crucial role in the fourth branch of the Mabinogi, named after Math fab Mathonwy...
, so to get her alone he and Gwydion steal pigs from Pryderi
Pryderi
Pryderi fab Pwyll is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and king of Dyfed following his father's death. He is the only character to appear in all Four Branches of the Mabinogi, although the size of his role varies from tale to tale...
, king of Dyfed
Dyfed
Dyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe...
, sparking a conflict between the neighboring kingdoms. While his uncle is off fighting, Gilfaethwy sneaks back to Gwynedd and has his way with Goewin. Math is furious when he discovers this, and punishes his nephews by transforming them into a series of paired animals using his great skill in magic. For a year Gilfaethwy becomes a hind deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
and Gwydion a stag; they mate and produce an offspring which is delivered to Math. Next Math makes Gilfaethwy a boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
and Gwydion a sow; when they return a year later with a son he makes them wolves
Gray Wolf
The gray wolf , also known as the wolf, is the largest extant wild member of the Canidae family...
. After the third year he relieves them of their punishment and makes them human again.
Gilfaethwy is a minor character in Welsh legend, and may have been used in the Fourth Branch simply to advance the story of his more illustrious brother Gwydion.