Bran the Blessed
In Welsh, he’s called Bendigeidfran or Bran Fendigaidd, literally meaning “Blessed Cow.” The name “Bran” in Welsh is usually translated as crow or raven.
Bran is a literal giant, like Goliath of David & Goliath fame, & king of Britain in Welsh mythology. He shows up in several of the Welsh Triads. But his most significant role is in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi Branwen ferch Llyr. He’s a son of Llyr & Penarddun. He’s the brother of Branwen, Manawydan, Nisien, & Efnysien.
The Irish king, Matholwch, sails to Harlech to speak with Bran the Blessed, high King of the Island of the Mighty, & to ask for the hand of his sister, Branwen, in marriage. Thus forging an alliance between the 2 islands.
Bran agrees to Matholwch’s request. But the celebrations are cut short when Efnysien, a half-brother of Bran & Branwen, brutally mutilates Matholwch’s horses, angry that his permission wasn’t sought in regard to the marriage.
Matholwch is deeply offended until Bran offers him compensation in the form of a magic cauldron that can restore the dead to life. Pleased with the gift, Matholwch & Branwen sail back to Ireland to reign.
Once in Matholwch’s kingdom, Branwen gives birth to a son, Gwern. But Efnysien’s insult continues to rankle among the Irish. Eventually Branwen is mistreated, banished to the kitchen & beaten every day.
She tames a starling & sends it across the Irish Sea with a message to her brother, Bran. The common starling, also often referred to as the “Welsh starling” is the type of starling she used.
Bran, being an actual giant, waded across the Irish Sea to rescue her with his brother, Manawydan, & a huge myriad of warriors, mustered from the 154 cantref of Britain following in ships. A cantref is a medieval Welsh land division, like a county. The word comes from “cant” (a hundred) & “tref” (town). The idea that a cantref contained about 100 settlements or dwellings.
The Irish offer to make peace, & build a house big enough to entertain Bran. But they hang 100 bags inside. The bags were thought to have flour in them. But actually containing armed warriors.
Efnysien, suspecting treachery, reconnoitres the hall & kills the warriors by crushing their skulls. Later, at the feast, Efnysien, suspecting treachery, reconnoitres the hall & kills the warriors by crushing their skills.
Later, at the feast, Efnysien, getting into his feels, again, murders Gwern by burning him alive. A vicious battle out. Seeing that the Irish are using the cauldron to revive their dead, he hides among the Irish dead/corpses & is thrown into the cauldron by the unsuspecting enemy.
He destroys the cauldron from within, sacrificing himself in the process. Only 7 men survive the conflict. Among them: Manawydan, Taliesin, & Pryderi fab Pwyll, the prince of Dyfed. Branwen having died of a broken heart.
The survivors are told by a mortally wounded Bran to cut off his head & to return it to Britain. For 7 years, where they are entertained by Bran’s head, which continues to speak. They later move on to Gwales (often identified with Grassholm Island off Dyfed) where they live for 80 years without perceiving the passing of time.
Eventually, Heilyn fab Gwyn opens the door of the hall facing Cornwell & 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 where the Tower of London is now), where they bury it facing France, so as to ward of invasion.
King Bran was sitting on the rocky shore at Harlech when he saw 13 ships over at the horizon coming from Southern Ireland. Soon, the boat men came to shore declaring the fleet belonged to the Irish Lord Matholwch who came seeking Bran’s sister Branwen’s hand in marriage.
Of course to Bran, this union made sense. Someone worthy of his sister had come forth. Their union would bring a powerful alliance for the 2 kingdoms. Bran willingly welcomed King Matholwch of Ireland ashore & gave him some really great hospitality. The wedding was set at the coast to Aberffraw.
All this had to be set inside specially erected tents since no house could accommodate the giant King Bran. Soon after all the wedding & celebration took place Bran’s half-brother, Efnysien, returned to Wales & was puzzled to see a lot of foreign horses stabled.
He asked whom the horses belonged to & was enraged to find his sister had been given away without his consent. In his anger, he maimed all the Irish horses by cutting their lips back to their gums, their ears down to their skulls, eyelids to eyeballs, & their tails to their butts.
Matholwch’s courtiers advised him to see this as a calculated insult from the Welsh & was in the end coaxed to head back home in offense/deep resentment. Bran sent his best messengers to attempt to sway Matholwch.
He sent with them a stick of solid silver as tall as himself & as thick as a finger along with a plate made of gold the circumference of his face. He also offered to replace every horse that was maimed & begged Matholwch to see his family dilemma, Bran couldn’t execute his own brother.
He begged to meet with the Irish king face-to-face so that he might make a humble apology. The 2 kings met again. However, during the meeting Matholwch expressed his feeling that Bran’s compensation was too small.
Bran couldn’t stand for that, so he offered Matholwch a magic black cauldron that could bring the dead back to life on the condition they couldn’t speak. Matholwch was astounded by this great gift & forgot all the unpleasantries that had come before. The next morning, the fleet of 13 ships left for Ireland with Branwen & Matholwch, side by side.
At 1st sight, the Irish loved their new queen. They brought many gifts to the castle celebrating Matholwch & Branwen’s marriage. In due time, Branwen gives birth to a son named: Gwern. The realm rejoiced once again.
A few years have passed. The counselors began to reflect on the maiming of the horses once again. they believe that Matholwch hasn’t acted like a man. They probed him to take out this injustice on his wife, Branwen.
The council made him expel Branwen from his court. They force her to work in the kitchen. She was relentlessly bullied by the cook. She was stared at by the kitchen boys, who even boxed her ears. This mistreatment continues for 3 years. In that time, Branwen had been taming a starling to take her mind off things. (Anyone getting Cinderella vibes?)
One day, she fastened a letter to the starling meant for her brother, Bran, pleading for help. The bird eventually makes its way to Wales! The bird dove from the sky during 1 of Bran’s legislative assemblies.
When Bran read Branwen’s letter, it made him feel despair but then fury. He then declares war on the Irish to exact revenge to his sister. Bran led ALL his armies down the shore to Ireland. Everyone on the Irish shore saw Bran wading through the water ahead of the fleet, because no ship could carry him.
The Irish ran across the river Shannon & barred the way from the sea. So the ships couldn’t go up the river. Just before Bran’s troops landed, they saw the Irish had destroyed the bridge & blocked the river.
At that very moment, Bran said, “The man who would lead his people must first become a bridge.” He then positioned himself across the river, so that his troops could march across. Matholwch’s men seeing the Welsh advance successfully, said they would atone for the injustice done to Branwen by ensuring the kingship of Bran’s nephew, Gwern.
That alone didn’t satisfy Bran. So they offered to build him a house that would fit his massive body. Bran only accepted Branwen’s plea, for she feared bloodshed. The house the Irish built however was a trick.
As they had hid 100 soldiers inside bags throughout the home instructed to jump out at the feast & kill the nearest Welshman. They didn’t factor in Efnysien, who arrived at the house to inspect it, suspecting foul play. He went around & crushed the skull of every man hidden inside a bag.
Soon after the great feast took place & Gwern went around charming his new-found relatives from Wales. Efnysien complained that the boy didn’t greet him. Then suddenly grabbed the boy by his heels & cast him head 1st into the huge fire.
Branwen, in a craze, tried to leap into the fire, Bran stopped her knowing she would die too. He then protected his sister from the fight that broke out escorting her outside the house. The Welsh had the advantage until the Irish brought out their secret weapon: the black cauldron that could reanimate the dead.
Efnysien seeing the great trouble he had brought his country men, he decided upon 1 last act of valor. He hid himself in the bodies of the fallen Irish. When the cauldron attendants came along & threw him in, he spread his body out in all directions. This shattered the cauldron but he sacrificed himself in the process.
During the great fight, Bran took a fatal blow to the foot. As he lay in his deathbed, he gave his men these last instructions: “Cut my head off & take it to London. Eventually, you must bury it in the state on the White Hill of London, turning my head towards France.” White Hill of London is supposedly where the Tower of London now stands.
Ceremonially, they cut off Bran’s head & left Ireland. When they returned to Wales & Branwen had time to contemplate all that had happened, she died there on the spot of a broken heart. The men buried her where she fell & continued on their quest for London.
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