Aber Alaw
Encyclopedia
Aber Alaw is at the mouth of the Afon Alaw
on Anglesey
, in North Wales
. According to the Mabinogion
, it is here that Queen Branwen
died of grief after escaping the destruction of Ireland
. She and the seven survivors of Prydein (Britain
) landed at Talebolyon, and upon seeing the coasts of both Ireland
and Prydein, she died of a broken heart, blaming herself for the havoc.
At Llanddeusant, Anglesey
on the banks of the Alaw can be found the cairn called Bedd Branwen, her supposed grave. Now in ruins, it still has one standing stone. It was dug up in 1800, and again in the 1960s by Frances Lynch, who found several urns with human ashes.
Afon Alaw
The Afon Alaw is a river on Anglesey which rises near Llanerchymedd and flows northwards into the reservoir of Llyn Alaw. Below the dam it then flows southwestwards to the island's west coast near Llanfachraeth. Its lower reaches, west of the A5025 road, are tidal.-References:...
on Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. According to 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...
, it is here that Queen Branwen
Branwen
Branwen, Daughter of Llŷr is a major character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, which is sometimes called the Mabinogi of Branwen after her. Branwen is a daughter of Llŷr and Penarddun...
died of grief after escaping the destruction of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. She and the seven survivors of Prydein (Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
) landed at Talebolyon, and upon seeing the coasts of both Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Prydein, she died of a broken heart, blaming herself for the havoc.
At Llanddeusant, Anglesey
Llanddeusant, Anglesey
Llanddeusant is a small linear village, on Anglesey, North Wales about north east of Holyhead. The village takes it names from its parish church which is dedicated to St. Marcellus and Saint Marcellina....
on the banks of the Alaw can be found the cairn called Bedd Branwen, her supposed grave. Now in ruins, it still has one standing stone. It was dug up in 1800, and again in the 1960s by Frances Lynch, who found several urns with human ashes.