- Sanddef
Sanddef Pryd Angel (
Middle Welsh : Sanddev; also spelled Sandde in Modern Welsh) is a character ofWelsh mythology . He is distinguished by his great beauty, which gives him his epithet "Pryd" or "Bryd Angel" (Angel's Form).Bromwich, p. 496.]Sanddef's great beauty contrasts with the hideousness of
Morfran , with whom Sanddef is associated. Both are mentioned in the medieval prose tale "Culhwch and Olwen ", where it is said that they survived theBattle of Camlann due to their looks. In Sanddef's case, no one dared strike him because they thought he was "an angel helping" due to his beauty. [Gantz, p. 143.] Unlike Morfran Sanddef does not appear in any of the earlyWelsh Triads , though he is again associated with Morfran in Triad 7 in the 15th-century collection known as "The Twenty-four Knights of Arthur's Court". In this triad, adapted from "Culhwch", Sanddef's beauty makes him one of the "Three Irresistible Knights" no man can refuse. [Bromwich, p. 268.]The name Sanddef appears in "The Book of Llan Dav" and in two poems in "Canu Llywarch Hen", where it is the name of one of
Llywarch Hen 's sons. In at least one variant of the second poem, this Sanddef is called "Bryd Angel," suggesting the author knew of the Camlann tradition.Notes
References
*Bromwich, Rachel (2006). "Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain". University Of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-1386-8.
*Gantz, Jeffrey (translator) (1987). "The Mabinogion". New York: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-044322-3.
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