Pryderi

Pryderi is the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon in Welsh mythology, and a king of Dyfed. He is the only character to appear in all Four Branches of the Mabinogi, although he is not a major character in all of them.

In Welsh mythology

Ifor Williams speculated that he was once the focal character of the Mabinogi as a whole, although some subsequent scholars disagree with this theory. ["The Mabinogion." Translated with an introduction by Jeffrey Gantz. 1976. Penguin Books, London.]

In the First Branch of the Mabinogi, Pryderi disappeared on the night of his birth while in the care of six of Rhiannon's ladies-in-waiting. To avoid the blame, they smeared blood from a puppy on Rhiannon, who was asleep, and claimed that she had eaten the boy.

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 adopted the boy, naming him Gwri Wallt Euryn (Gwri of the golden hair). The child grew to adulthood in only seven years and was given the foal which had led Teyrnon to the stable. Teyrnon realized who the child was and returned him to Pwyll and Rhiannon, who named him Pryderi ("worry").

Pryderi was part of the vast host that accompanied Brân in the invasion of Ireland in the Second Branch, and was one of only seven men to return to Wales.

In the Third Branch, Pryderi married Cigfa and became King of Dyfed after his father died. He then invited Manawydan to live with him in Dyfed, arranging for Manawydan to marry his widowed mother Rhiannon. Soon after, Pryderi, Cigfa, Manawydan and Rhiannon ascended a magical hill. When they descended, Dyfed had turned into a barren wasteland with no inhabitants. Pryderi and Manawydan travelled 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 went hunting and saw a white boar which they followed. It led them to a magic castle. Pryderi entered, touched a golden bowl and became enchanted. Rhiannon followed him, but became enchanted too. Manawydan and Cigfa were unable to help them because the magic castle vanished.

Later, the crops that Manawydan grew were eaten by an army of mice. Manawydan was only able to capture one unusually slow and fat mouse. He proposed to hang the mouse for theft, but a series of people came to him offering to buy the mouse. Finally Llwyd ap Cil Coed arrived and revealed that the mouse is his pregnant wife. The host of mice were Llwyd's followers, who had been magically transformed to destroy his crops. Llwyd had been responsible for enchanting Pryderi's kingdom, in order to obtain revenge for the humiliation of his friend Gwawl by Rhiannon and Pryderi's father. Manawydan's threat to hang his wife forces Llywd to lift the enchantment. Pryderi and Rhinnon are returned and Dyfyd's people and crops are restored to life.

In the Fourth Branch, Pryderi had his pigs stolen by trickery by Gwydion, thus starting a war between Pryderi and Gwydion's master Math ap Mathonwy. To avoid unnecessary bloodshed, it was agreed that the outcome of the battle should be decided by single combat between Gwydion and Pryderi. The two contenders met at a place called "Y Velen Rhyd" in Ardudwy, where Gwydion killed Pryderi.

Fiction

Pryderi appears as a powerful king in "The High King", the fifth and final novel of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. When introduced, he commands all the armies in the western half of Prydain who are not loyal to Arawn. He uses gold as the main color in his clothing and flags, emblazoned with a red hawk. During wartime he wears his sword without a scabbard, symbolizing his resolve to not sheathe his sword until the conflict is resolved. Retainers also carry live hawks when they accompany him on formal occasions.

Pryderi is first referred to as a personal friend of Prince Gwydion, and the addition of his armies to those rallied against the threat of Arawn is eagerly anticipated. Upon reaching Caer Dathyl, however, Pryderi gives Gwydion and the High King Math a very cold greeting. He offers them the chance to surrender their forces to him, or to face him in battle. It becomes clear that he has allied himself with Arawn, believing that the constant petty conflicts between Prydain's minor lords can only be put to a stop under a single ruler strong enough to enforce the peace, and that Arawn is the only one with such strength.

Math and Gwydion both refuse Pryderi's demands and prepare for battle as soon as he leaves. The next morning Pryderi's army attacks the combined army led by Gwydion, Taliesin and Taran outside Caer Dathyl. He is briefly challenged by Taran during the battle, but contemptuously ignores him and sets his own troops between them. As the day draws to a close, Pryderi's army turns to retreat, drawing their heartened foes after them. However, this was a diversion. Pryderi's army parts, allowing a legion of Cauldron-Born lead by Huntsman of Annuvin through. The fortress is leveled, and by the next morning both Pryeri and Arawn's troops have withdrawn, completely victorious.

Pryderi then left his army, taking a squad of nineteen other men with him southward to Caer Dallben. He was sent there by Arawn to kill the enchanter Dallben and to take "The Book of Three" back to Annuvin. Upon arriving at the farm late at night, Dallben uses his magic to warn away Pryderi's men, but the king presses on and corners Dallben in his room.

Dallben warns him not to come closer, saying that his men were wiser than him for not seeking their deaths. But Pryderi calls him on that, having been told by Arawn that Dallben cannot kill anyone without dying himself. (It is never made clear whether this is true. Dallben admits he has never killed, but denounces Pyderi's "knowledge" as half-truths.) He tries striking down the enchanter with his sword, but the blade breaks on Dallben's staff. He then produces a black dagger, given him by Arawn and bewitched with the power to bypass Dallben's defenses. Dallben admits his disadvantage, but warns that Pryderi will cause his own death by killing the enchanter. Outside, a wall of fire surrounds the farm, ready to immolate everything inside should Dallben be killed. Pryderi suggests the fire will die with the enchanter, but Dallben replies that there is only one way to prove that. Pryderi then states that Arawn would not have sent him to kill Dallben if it meant destroying "The Book of Three" as well. Dallben's final condemnation of the treacherous king summarizes well his twisted motives:

"You have steeped your hands in blood, and in your pride sought to pass judgement on your fellow men. Was it your concern to serve Prydain? You chose an evil means to do it. Good cannot come from evil. You leagued yourself with Arawn for what you deemed a noble cause. Now you are a prisoner of the very evil you hoped to overcome, prisoner and victim. For in "The Book of Three" you are already marked for death."

This proves too much for Pryderi, who then discards the dagger and grabs at "The Book of Three", trying to destroy it. Dallben tries warning him, but as he touches the book, lightning comes from the tome and kills him.

References