King of Britain in the Mabinogi Second Branch; giant-statured son of Llŷr and Penarddun; brother of Branwen and Manawydan. The central figure of Branch 2: gave his sister Branwen in marriage to Matholwch king of Ireland; supplied the Cauldron of Rebirth as compensation after Efnisien's outrage of maiming Matholwch's horses; led the Welsh invasion of Ireland after Branwen's starling-message reached Britain reporting her abuse; provided his body as a bridge for the Welsh ships, establishing the proverbial "a fo ben, bid bont" ("he who would be a leader, let him be a bridge"). Mortally wounded by a poisoned spear in the Welsh-Irish war; instructed the seven survivors to cut off his head; the decapitated head conversed with the survivors for 87 years (the Assembly of the Wonderful Head); eventually buried at the White Mount in London, where per Welsh tradition the buried head protected Britain from invasion until disinterred by King Arthur. The "Brân the Blessed" / "Bendigeidfran" raven-name and the Wonderful-Head buried-protector-of-Britain narrative make him one of the most-mythopoetic figures of the Welsh medieval tradition. The cognate Irish figure is Bran mac Febail of the Imram Brain (Voyage of Bran).