Manawydan

Eponymous hero of the Mabinogi Third Branch (Manawydan fab Llŷr); son of Llŷr and Penarddun; brother of Bendigeidfran and Branwen; second husband of Rhiannon after Pwyll's death. Survived the Welsh-Irish war as one of the seven who returned to Britain with Bendigeidfran's severed head. Took up residence in Dyfed alongside Pryderi (Rhiannon's son by Pwyll) and Pryderi's wife Cigfa. After the supernatural enchantment of Dyfed by Llwyd ap Cilcoed, applied himself to craft-skills (saddlemaking, shieldmaking, shoemaking) in the cities of England, achieving mastery in each — establishing his legendary craft-mastery reputation as the foundational craft-master figure of the Welsh tradition. Through patient strategic action involving the trapping of Llwyd's wife (transformed into a mouse) at his harvested wheat-field, forced Llwyd to lift the Dyfed enchantment and restore Rhiannon and Pryderi. The Welsh Manawydan is cognate with Irish Manannán mac Lir (the Irish sea-deity son of Lir), but rationalized in the Welsh Mabinogi recension into a mortal-king-craftsman figure, illustrating the broader Welsh medieval rationalization of cognate-Irish-deity figures into Welsh-mortal-king figures.

Parentage

• paternal: Llŷr Llediaith
• maternal: Penarddun

Domains

• craftsmanship

Powers

• snares the enchanter's wife in mouse-form and so forces Llwyd to lift the desolation of Dyfed
• Break the enchantment of Dyfed
• Master every craft

Epithets

• un o Dri Eurgrydd Ynys Prydein Welsh · un o Dri Eurgrydd Ynys Prydein · titleone of the Three Golden Shoemakers of the Island of BritainTrioedd Ynys Prydein (Welsh Triads) (primary)

Relations

• sibling: Bendigeidfran
• sibling: Branwen
• half sibling: Efnisien
• spouse: RhiannonSecond husband of Rhiannon after Pwyll's death.Mabinogion Third Branch (primary)
• enemy: Llwyd ap CilcoedReciprocal of welsh_llwyd.enemy (alphabetical family sweep). (auto reciprocal)
• half sibling: NisienReciprocal of welsh_nisien.half-sibling (alphabetical family sweep). (auto reciprocal)

Sources

• existence: Pedeir Keinc y Mabinogi — Second Branch (survivor of the Welsh-Irish war) and Third Branch (eponymous hero) (primary); Trioedd Ynys Prydein (primary)