Pryderi
Encyclopedia
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. He is often equated with the divine son figure of Mabon ap Modron
, while Jeffrey Gantz compares him to Peredur fab Efrawg
, who is himself associated with the continental figure of Sir Percival de Galles
.
Ifor Williams speculated that he was once the focal character of the Mabinogi as a whole, although some subsequent scholars disagree with this theory.
Pryderi is described by Jeffrey Gantz as "bold and enterprising, but brash to the point of foolishness." He goes on to say that "his downfall, while pathetic, is not entirely undeserved."
to Pwyll
, Lord of Dyfed
, and Rhiannon
, daughter of Hyfaidd Hen. On the night of his birth, he disappeared while in the care of six of Rhiannon's ladies-in-waiting. To avoid the king's wrath, they smeared dog's blood onto a sleeping Rhiannon, claiming that she had committed infanticide
and cannibalism
through eating her child.
Teyrnon
, Lord of Gwent Is Coed, had a mare who gave birth each year but whose foals had all disappeared. Teyrnon watched his stables and saw a mysterious clawed beast coming to take the foal; Teyrnon cut off the beast's arm and found the child outside the stable. He and his wife claimed the boy as their own and named him Gwri Wallt Euryn (English: Gwri of the Golden hair), for "all the hair was as yellow as gold."
The child grew to adulthood at a superhuman pace and, as he matured, his likeness to Pwyll grew more obvious and, eventually, Teyrnon realised Gwri's true identity. The boy was eventually reconciled with Pwyll and Rhiannon and was renamed Pryderi. From then on, he was fostered by Pendaran Dyfed and was "brought up carefully, as was proper, until he was the most handsome lad, and the fairest, and the most accomplished at every worthy feat in the kingdom."
Following his father's death, Pryderi became ruler of the seven cantrefs of Dyfed and set about expanding his territories by conquering Ystrad Tywi
and Ceredigion
. He was occupied with this conquest until he chose to take a wife, eventually marrying Cigfa
, the daughter of Gwyn Gohoyw. He also succeeded in amalgamating the seven cantrefs of Morgannwg into his kingdom, although the conquest itself is not referenced in any texts.
, sister of Bendigeidfrân
, king of Britain
, is given in marriage to Matholwch
, king of Ireland. Branwen's half-brother Efnisien
, angry that he was not consulted, insults Matholwch by mutilating his horses but Bendigeidfrân gives him compensation in the form of new horses and treasure, including a magical cauldron which can restore the dead to life. After returning to Ireland Matholwch and Branwen have a son, Gwern
, but Efnisien's insult continues to rankle among the Irish and Branwen is banished to the kitchen and beaten every day. Branwen trains a starling
to take a message to Bendigeidfrân, who raises a vast host and goes to war against Ireland. Pryderi accompanies him.
The British army crosses the Irish Sea
in ships, but Bendigeidfrân is so huge he wades across. The Irish offer to make peace and build a house big enough to entertain Bendigeidfrân but hang a hundred bags inside, supposedly containing flour but actually containing armed warriors. Efnisien, suspecting a trick, reconnoitres the hall and kills the warriors by crushing their heads inside the bags. Later, at the feast, Efnisien, again feeling insulted, throws Gwern on the fire and fighting breaks out. Seeing that the Irish are using the cauldron to revive their dead, Efnisien hides among the corpses and destroys the cauldron, sacrificing himself in the process.
Pryderi is one of only seven men to survive the violent battle. He and his companions are told by the mortally wounded Bendigeidfrân to cut off his head and to return it to Britain. The survivors stay in Harlech
, where they are entertained by Bendigeidfran's head, which continues to speak. 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. Eventually, Heilyn ap Gwyn opens the door of the hall facing Cornwall and the sorrow of what had befallen them returns. 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.
, Bendigeidfran's brother and a fellow survivor, to live with him in Dyfed
, arranging for him to marry his widowed mother Rhiannon
. Soon after, Pryderi, Cigfa, Manawydan and Rhiannon ascend a magical hill and, when they descend, Dyfed had turned into a barren wasteland with no inhabitants. Pryderi and Manawydan travel to England to make a living from various trades, but were forced to leave one town after another to avoid conflicts with other tradesmen who resented their superior skills.
Returning to Dyfed, Manaywdan and Pryderi go hunting and, coming across a white boar
, follow it to a huge, towering fort. Against Manawydan's advice, Pryderi enters the fort and is drawn towards a beautiful golden bowl. Upon touching the bowl, his feet stick to the floor, his hands stick to the bowl and he loses the power of speech. Manawydan waits in vain for his return before giving news of his disappearance to Rhiannon. Chiding her husband for his poor companionship, Rhiannon too enters the fort and suffers the same fate as her son. In a "blanket of mist", Pryderi, Rhiannon and the fort itself, vanish.
Some time later, Manawydan's cunning frees them from their imprisonment. It is revealed that the catalyst of their suffering was the enchanter Llwyd ap Cil Coed
, who sought revenge for the humiliation of his friend Gwawl ap Clud
at the hands of Pwyll
and Rhiannon
. The enchantement over Dyfed is lifted.
, king of Annwn
, which are stolen through trickery by Gwydion
, a Venedotian
magician and warrior. Declaring war on Gwynedd, Pryderi and his men march north and fight a battle between Maenor Bennardd and Maenor Coed Alun. Both sides suffer heavy losses, but Math fab Mathonwy, king of Gwynedd is victorious and Pryderi is forced to retreat. He is pursued to Nant Call, where more of his men are slaughtered, and then to Dol Benmaen, where he suffers a third defeat.
To avoid further bloodshed, it is agreed that the outcome of the battle should be decided by single combat between Gwydion and Pryderi. The two contenders meet at a place called Y Velen Rhyd in Ardudwy
, and "because of strength and valour and magic and enchantment", Gwydion triumphs and Pryderi is killed. The men of Dyfed retreat back to their own land, lamenting over the death of their lord.
name Pryderi as one of the 'Three Powerful Swineherds of the Island of Britain', referring to an occasion on which he guarded the pigs of his foster-father, Pendaran Dyfed at Glyn Cuch
. An obscure reference is also made of Pryderi and his father in the cryptic early medieval poem Preiddeu Annwfn
:
This section of the poem suggests an enmity between Pryderi and a certain Gweir ap Gwystyl, who has been imprisoned in an otherworldy fortress through the "ebestol" of Pwyll and Pryderi. The exact meaning of the word "ebestol" is unclear, but has been variously translated as "epistle", tales", "account", "spite" and "lies."
Pryderi is named once in the Welsh Triads
, as one of the three powerful swineherds while the Stanzas of the Graves
refer to his final resting place as: "Aber Gwenoli...where the waves beat against the land." The Book of Taliesin
poem Song before the sons of Llyr also mentions Pryderi and, as in other texts, associates him both with Manawydan fab Llyr
and with the otherworldly fortress of Caer Sidi
:
The character is also referred to in the works of a number of bards, including Einion fab Gwalchmai and, Howel Foel ap Griffri and Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr
. The famous fourteenth century poet Dafydd ap Gwilym
referred to Dyfed
as Pryderi Dir (The Land of Pryderi.)
The children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain
features a character named King Pryderi
, though his resemblance to the mythological character is not particularly striking.
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....
, the son of Pwyll
Pwyll
Pwyll Pen Annwn is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology and literature, the lord of Dyfed, husband of Rhiannon and father of the hero Pryderi...
and Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, mother to the Demetian hero Pryderi and wife to Pwyll . She is probably a reflex of the Celtic Great Queen goddess Rigantona and may also be associated with the horse goddess Epona.She appears in both the first and third branches of the Mabinogi...
, and 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...
following his father's death. He is the only character to appear in all Four Branches of the Mabinogi
Four Branches of the Mabinogi
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the best known tales from the collection of medieval Welsh prose known as the Mabinogion. The word "Mabinogi" originally designated only these four tales, which are really parts or "branches" of a single work, rather than the whole collection...
, although the size of his role varies from tale to tale. He is often equated with the divine son figure of Mabon ap Modron
Mabon ap Modron
Mabon ap Modron is a prominent figure from Welsh literature and mythology, the son of Modron and a member of Arthur's warband. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine mother–son pair. His name is related to the Romano-British god Maponos, whose name means...
, while Jeffrey Gantz compares him to Peredur fab Efrawg
Peredur
Peredur is the name of a number of men from the boundaries of history and legend in sub-Roman Britain. The most well known of them appear in the following literary and historical sources:-Gwrgi and Peredur, sons of Eliffer:...
, who is himself associated with the continental figure of Sir Percival de Galles
Percival
Percival or Perceval is one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. In Welsh literature his story is allotted to the historical Peredur...
.
Ifor Williams speculated that he was once the focal character of the Mabinogi as a whole, although some subsequent scholars disagree with this theory.
Pryderi is described by Jeffrey Gantz as "bold and enterprising, but brash to the point of foolishness." He goes on to say that "his downfall, while pathetic, is not entirely undeserved."
Birth and early life
Pryderi was born in ArberthNarberth
Narberth may refer to:*Narberth, Pembrokeshire, a town in Wales*Narberth, Pennsylvania, a town in the United States*Narberth , a traditional hundred of Pembrokeshire in Wales...
to Pwyll
Pwyll
Pwyll Pen Annwn is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology and literature, the lord of Dyfed, husband of Rhiannon and father of the hero Pryderi...
, Lord 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...
, and Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, mother to the Demetian hero Pryderi and wife to Pwyll . She is probably a reflex of the Celtic Great Queen goddess Rigantona and may also be associated with the horse goddess Epona.She appears in both the first and third branches of the Mabinogi...
, daughter of Hyfaidd Hen. On the night of his birth, he disappeared while in the care of six of Rhiannon's ladies-in-waiting. To avoid the king's wrath, they smeared dog's blood onto a sleeping Rhiannon, claiming that she had committed infanticide
Infanticide
Infanticide or infant homicide is the killing of a human infant. Neonaticide, a killing within 24 hours of a baby's birth, is most commonly done by the mother.In many past societies, certain forms of infanticide were considered permissible...
and cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
through eating her child.
Teyrnon
Teyrnon
In Welsh tradition, Teyrnon Twrf Liant is the lord of Gwent and the foster-father of the divine son, Pryderi. He appears most prominently in Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed, the first branch of the Mabinogi, but also features briefly in the early Arthurian tale, Culhwch ac Olwen as a knight of King Arthur's...
, Lord of Gwent Is Coed, had a mare who gave birth each year but whose foals had all disappeared. Teyrnon watched his stables and saw a mysterious clawed beast coming to take the foal; Teyrnon cut off the beast's arm and found the child outside the stable. He and his wife claimed the boy as their own and named him Gwri Wallt Euryn (English: Gwri of the Golden hair), for "all the hair was as yellow as gold."
The child grew to adulthood at a superhuman pace and, as he matured, his likeness to Pwyll grew more obvious and, eventually, Teyrnon realised Gwri's true identity. The boy was eventually reconciled with Pwyll and Rhiannon and was renamed Pryderi. From then on, he was fostered by Pendaran Dyfed and was "brought up carefully, as was proper, until he was the most handsome lad, and the fairest, and the most accomplished at every worthy feat in the kingdom."
Following his father's death, Pryderi became ruler of the seven cantrefs of Dyfed and set about expanding his territories by conquering Ystrad Tywi
Ystrad Tywi
Ystrad Tywi is an area of south-west Wales situated on the banks of the Tywi river as it approaches the sea to join the Bristol Channel at Carmarthen...
and Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
. He was occupied with this conquest until he chose to take a wife, eventually marrying Cigfa
Cigfa
Cigfa ferch Gwyn Glohoyw is a minor character in Welsh mythology, the wife of King Pryderi of Dyfed. She is mentioned briefly in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, and appears more prominently in the third...
, the daughter of Gwyn Gohoyw. He also succeeded in amalgamating the seven cantrefs of Morgannwg into his kingdom, although the conquest itself is not referenced in any texts.
The Assembly of Branwen and Matholwch
BranwenBranwen
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...
, sister of Bendigeidfrân
Bran the Blessed
Brân the Blessed is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. He appears in several of the Welsh Triads, but his most significant role is in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Branwen ferch Llŷr. He is a son of Llŷr and Penarddun, and the brother of Brânwen, Manawydan, Nisien and Efnysien...
, king of Britain
Britain in the Middle Ages
England in the Middle Ages concerns the history of England during the Medieval period — from the end of Roman rule in Britain through to the Early Modern period...
, is given in marriage to Matholwch
Matholwch
Matholwch, King of Ireland, is a character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, the tale of Branwen ferch Llŷr.The story opens with Bran, King of Britain, sitting on a rock by the sea at Harlech and seeing the vessels of Matholwch approaching. Matholwch has come to ask for the hand of Bran's...
, king of Ireland. Branwen's half-brother Efnisien
Efnisien
Efnysien fab Euroswydd is a sadistic anti-hero in Welsh mythology, appearing prominently in the tale of Branwen ferch Llŷr, the second branch of the Mabinogi...
, angry that he was not consulted, insults Matholwch by mutilating his horses but Bendigeidfrân gives him compensation in the form of new horses and treasure, including a magical cauldron which can restore the dead to life. After returning to Ireland Matholwch and Branwen have a son, Gwern
Gwern
; "Alder," is a minor figure in Welsh tradition, the son of Matholwch king of Ireland, and Branwen, sister to the king of Britain. He appears in the tale of Branwen, daughter of Llŷr, in which he is murdered by his sadistic uncle Efnysien which sparks a mutually destructive battle between Britain...
, but Efnisien's insult continues to rankle among the Irish and Branwen is banished to the kitchen and beaten every day. Branwen trains a starling
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
to take a message to Bendigeidfrân, who raises a vast host and goes to war against Ireland. Pryderi accompanies him.
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
in ships, but Bendigeidfrân is so huge he wades across. The Irish offer to make peace and build a house big enough to entertain Bendigeidfrân but hang a hundred bags inside, supposedly containing flour but actually containing armed warriors. Efnisien, suspecting a trick, reconnoitres the hall and kills the warriors by crushing their heads inside the bags. Later, at the feast, Efnisien, again feeling insulted, throws Gwern on the fire and fighting breaks out. Seeing that the Irish are using the cauldron to revive their dead, Efnisien hides among the corpses and destroys the cauldron, sacrificing himself in the process.
Pryderi is one of only seven men to survive the violent battle. He and his companions are told by the mortally wounded Bendigeidfrân to cut off his head and to return it to Britain. The survivors stay in Harlech
Harlech
Harlech is a town and seaside resort in Gwynedd, within the historical boundaries of Merionethshire in northwest Wales. Lying on Tremadog Bay and within the Snowdonia National Park, it has a population of 1,952, of whom 59% speak Welsh...
, where they are entertained by Bendigeidfran's head, which continues to speak. 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. Eventually, Heilyn ap Gwyn opens the door of the hall facing Cornwall and the sorrow of what had befallen them returns. 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.
Return to Britain
Pryderi invites ManawydanManawydan
Manawydan fab Llŷr is a figure of Welsh mythology, the son of Llŷr and the brother of Brân the Blessed and Brânwen. The first element in his name is cognate with the stem of the name of the Irish sea god Manannán mac Lir, and likely originated from the same Celtic deity as Manannán...
, Bendigeidfran's brother and a fellow survivor, to live with him in Dyfed
Kingdom of Dyfed
The Kingdom of Dyfed is one of several Welsh petty kingdoms that emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in south-west Wales, based on the former Irish tribal lands of the Déisi from c 350 until it was subsumed into Deheubarth in 920. In Latin, the country of the Déisi was Demetae, eventually to...
, arranging for him to marry his widowed mother Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, mother to the Demetian hero Pryderi and wife to Pwyll . She is probably a reflex of the Celtic Great Queen goddess Rigantona and may also be associated with the horse goddess Epona.She appears in both the first and third branches of the Mabinogi...
. Soon after, Pryderi, Cigfa, Manawydan and Rhiannon ascend a magical hill and, when they descend, Dyfed had turned into a barren wasteland with no inhabitants. Pryderi and Manawydan travel to England to make a living from various trades, but were forced to leave one town after another to avoid conflicts with other tradesmen who resented their superior skills.
Returning to Dyfed, Manaywdan and Pryderi go hunting and, coming across a white 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...
, follow it to a huge, towering fort. Against Manawydan's advice, Pryderi enters the fort and is drawn towards a beautiful golden bowl. Upon touching the bowl, his feet stick to the floor, his hands stick to the bowl and he loses the power of speech. Manawydan waits in vain for his return before giving news of his disappearance to Rhiannon. Chiding her husband for his poor companionship, Rhiannon too enters the fort and suffers the same fate as her son. In a "blanket of mist", Pryderi, Rhiannon and the fort itself, vanish.
Some time later, Manawydan's cunning frees them from their imprisonment. It is revealed that the catalyst of their suffering was the enchanter Llwyd ap Cil Coed
Llwyd ap Cil Coed
Llwyd ap Cil Coed is a character in the Third Branch of The Mabinogi, known also as the story of Manawydan ap Llŷr.-Role in the Third Branch:...
, who sought revenge for the humiliation of his friend Gwawl ap Clud
Gwawl
In Welsh mythology, Gwawl was the son of Clud, and tricks Pwyll into promising him Rhiannon. She decides to marry Pwyll instead. Gwawl is only mentioned in the First Branch of the Mabinogi...
at the hands of Pwyll
Pwyll
Pwyll Pen Annwn is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology and literature, the lord of Dyfed, husband of Rhiannon and father of the hero Pryderi...
and Rhiannon
Rhiannon
Rhiannon is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, mother to the Demetian hero Pryderi and wife to Pwyll . She is probably a reflex of the Celtic Great Queen goddess Rigantona and may also be associated with the horse goddess Epona.She appears in both the first and third branches of the Mabinogi...
. The enchantement over Dyfed is lifted.
Invasion of Gwynedd and Death
Some time later, Pryderi receives a number of otherworldly pigs from his father's old ally, ArawnArawn
In Welsh mythology, Arawn was the king of the otherworld realm of Annwn, appearing prominently in the first branch, and alluded to in the fourth. In later tradition, the role of king of Annwn was largely attributed to the Welsh psychopomp, Gwyn ap Nudd...
, king of Annwn
Annwn
Annwn or Annwfn was the Otherworld in Welsh mythology. Ruled by Arawn, or much later by Gwyn ap Nudd, it was essentially a world of delights and eternal youth where disease is absent and food is ever-abundant. It later became Christianised and identified with the land of souls that had departed...
, which are stolen through trickery by 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...
, a Venedotian
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
magician and warrior. Declaring war on Gwynedd, Pryderi and his men march north and fight a battle between Maenor Bennardd and Maenor Coed Alun. Both sides suffer heavy losses, but Math fab Mathonwy, king of Gwynedd is victorious and Pryderi is forced to retreat. He is pursued to Nant Call, where more of his men are slaughtered, and then to Dol Benmaen, where he suffers a third defeat.
To avoid further bloodshed, it is agreed that the outcome of the battle should be decided by single combat between Gwydion and Pryderi. The two contenders meet at a place called Y Velen Rhyd in Ardudwy
Ardudwy
Ardudwy is an area of Gwynedd in north-west Wales, lying between Tremadog Bay and the Rhinogydd. Administratively, under the old Kingdom of Gwynedd, it was first a division of the sub kingdom of Dunoding and later a cantref in its own right...
, and "because of strength and valour and magic and enchantment", Gwydion triumphs and Pryderi is killed. The men of Dyfed retreat back to their own land, lamenting over the death of their lord.
Appearances in other texts
The Welsh TriadsWelsh 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...
name Pryderi as one of the 'Three Powerful Swineherds of the Island of Britain', referring to an occasion on which he guarded the pigs of his foster-father, Pendaran Dyfed at Glyn Cuch
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...
. An obscure reference is also made of Pryderi and his father in the cryptic early medieval poem Preiddeu Annwfn
Preiddeu Annwfn
Preiddeu Annwfn or Preiddeu Annwn is a cryptic early medieval Welsh poem of sixty lines found in the Book of Taliesin. The text recounts an expedition with King Arthur to Annwfn or Annwn, a Welsh otherworld...
:
- "bu kyweir karchar gweir yg kaer sidi
- trwy ebostol pwyllPwyllPwyll Pen Annwn is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology and literature, the lord of Dyfed, husband of Rhiannon and father of the hero Pryderi...
a phryderi. - Neb kyn noc ef nyt aeth idi.
- yr gadwyn trom las kywirwas ae ketwi.
- A rac preidu annwfyn tost yt geni.
- Ac yt urawt parahawt yn bardwedi."
This section of the poem suggests an enmity between Pryderi and a certain Gweir ap Gwystyl, who has been imprisoned in an otherworldy fortress through the "ebestol" of Pwyll and Pryderi. The exact meaning of the word "ebestol" is unclear, but has been variously translated as "epistle", tales", "account", "spite" and "lies."
Pryderi is named once 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 one of the three powerful swineherds while the Stanzas of the Graves
Englynion y Beddau
The Englynion y Beddau is a Middle Welsh verse catalogue listing the resting places of legendary heroes. It consists of a series of englynion, or short stanzas in quantitative meter, and survives in a number of manuscripts...
refer to his final resting place as: "Aber Gwenoli...where the waves beat against the land." The Book of Taliesin
Book of Taliesin
The Book of Taliesin is one of the most famous of Middle Welsh manuscripts, dating from the first half of the 14th century though many of the fifty-six poems it preserves are taken to originate in the 10th century. The manuscript, known as Peniarth MS 2 and kept at the National Library of Wales,...
poem Song before the sons of Llyr also mentions Pryderi and, as in other texts, associates him both with Manawydan fab Llyr
Manawydan
Manawydan fab Llŷr is a figure of Welsh mythology, the son of Llŷr and the brother of Brân the Blessed and Brânwen. The first element in his name is cognate with the stem of the name of the Irish sea god Manannán mac Lir, and likely originated from the same Celtic deity as Manannán...
and with the otherworldly fortress of Caer Sidi
Caer Sidi
Caer Sidi is the name of a legendary otherworld fortress mentioned in two Middle Welsh mythological poems in the Book of Taliesin.One such is Caer Sidi (or Caer Siddi or Caer Sidydd) is the name of a legendary otherworld fortress mentioned in two Middle Welsh mythological poems in the Book of...
:
- Complete is my chair in Caer Sidi,
- No one will be afflicted with disease or old age that may be in it.
- It is known to ManawydManawydanManawydan fab Llŷr is a figure of Welsh mythology, the son of Llŷr and the brother of Brân the Blessed and Brânwen. The first element in his name is cognate with the stem of the name of the Irish sea god Manannán mac Lir, and likely originated from the same Celtic deity as Manannán...
and Pryderi. - Three utterances, around the fire, will he sing before it,
- And around its borders are the streams of the ocean.
- And the fruitful fountain is above it,
- Is sweeter than white wine the liquor therein.
The character is also referred to in the works of a number of bards, including Einion fab Gwalchmai and, Howel Foel ap Griffri and Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr
Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr
Cynddelw Brydydd Mawr , in English also known as Kendall, was the court poet of Madog ap Maredudd, Owain Gwynedd , and Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, and one of the most prominent Welsh poets of the 12th century.Cynddelw began his career as court poet to Madog ap Maredudd, Prince of Powys...
. The famous fourteenth century poet Dafydd ap Gwilym
Dafydd ap Gwilym
Dafydd ap Gwilym , is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd ap Gwilym (c. 1315/1320 – c. 1350/1370), is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and amongst the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd ap Gwilym...
referred to 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...
as Pryderi Dir (The Land of Pryderi.)
The children's fantasy series 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...
features a character named King Pryderi
King Pryderi
Pryderi is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, very loosely based on the character of the same name in Welsh mythology.-Betrayal:...
, though his resemblance to the mythological character is not particularly striking.