Adar Rhiannon
Encyclopedia
In Welsh mythology
, the ; "birds of Rhiannon", are supernatural creatures whose song can "wake the dead and lull the living to sleep". They belong to the euphemised horse
goddess Rhiannon
and were coveted by the giant
Ysbaddaden Bencawr
.
, the hero Culhwch ap Cilydd
seeks the beautiful Olwen
, daughter of the giant
chief, Ysbaddaden Bencawr. The giant gives Culhwch and his companions a number of impossible tasks to be completed before parting with his daughter. One of these tasks is to retrieve the birds of Rhiannon, so as to entertain Ysbaddaden on the night before his death. The birds are retrieved, but the tale does not explain as to how. An earlier and fuller version of the tale may have elaborated on this.
They are also mentioned in the second branch
of the Mabinogi, the tale of Branwen ferch Llŷr
. Following a catyclasmic war against the Irish
, the British king Bendigeidfran orders his seven surviving men to decapitate him, and to return his head to London
. Before doing so, they feast at Harlech
for seven years, and are regaled by the three birds of Rhiannon:
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 ; "birds of Rhiannon", are supernatural creatures whose song can "wake the dead and lull the living to sleep". They belong to the euphemised horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
goddess 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 were coveted by the giant
Giants (Welsh folklore)
Giants or cewri feature prominently in Welsh folklore and mythology. Among the most notable are Bendigeidfran fab Llyr, a mythological king of Britain during the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Idris Gawr of Cader Idris, and Ysbaddaden Bencawr, the chief antagonist of the early Arthurian tale How...
Ysbaddaden Bencawr
Ysbaddaden
; "Ysbaddaden, Chief of Giants," is the primary antagonist of the Welsh romance Culhwch ac Olwen. A vicious giant residing in a nigh on unreachabe castle, he is the father of Olwen and uncle of Goreu fab Custennin...
.
Role in Welsh tradition
In the early Arthurian tale, Culhwch and OlwenCulhwch and Olwen
Culhwch and Olwen is a Welsh tale about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors that survives in only two manuscripts: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, ca. 1400, and a fragmented version in the White Book of Rhydderch, ca. 1325. It is the longest of the surviving Welsh prose...
, the hero Culhwch ap Cilydd
Culhwch
Culhwch , in Welsh mythology, is the son of Cilydd son of Celyddon and Goleuddydd, a cousin of Arthur and the protagonist of the story Culhwch and Olwen...
seeks the beautiful Olwen
Olwen
In Welsh mythology, Olwen is the daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden and cousin of Goreu. She is the heroine of the story Culhwch and Olwen in the Mabinogion....
, daughter of the giant
Giants (Welsh folklore)
Giants or cewri feature prominently in Welsh folklore and mythology. Among the most notable are Bendigeidfran fab Llyr, a mythological king of Britain during the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Idris Gawr of Cader Idris, and Ysbaddaden Bencawr, the chief antagonist of the early Arthurian tale How...
chief, Ysbaddaden Bencawr. The giant gives Culhwch and his companions a number of impossible tasks to be completed before parting with his daughter. One of these tasks is to retrieve the birds of Rhiannon, so as to entertain Ysbaddaden on the night before his death. The birds are retrieved, but the tale does not explain as to how. An earlier and fuller version of the tale may have elaborated on this.
They are also mentioned in the second branch
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...
of the Mabinogi, the tale of Branwen ferch Llŷr
Branwen ferch Llŷr
; "Branwen, daughter of Llŷr" is a legendary tale from medieval Welsh literature and the second of the four branches of the Mabinogi. It concerns the children of Llŷr; Bendigeidfran , high king of Britain, and his siblings Manawydan and Branwen, and deals with the latter's marriage to Matholwch,...
. Following a catyclasmic war against the Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, the British king Bendigeidfran orders his seven surviving men to decapitate him, and to return his head to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Before doing so, they feast at 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...
for seven years, and are regaled by the three birds of Rhiannon: