Math fab Mathonwy
King of Gwynedd; eponymous hero of the Mabinogi Fourth Branch (Math fab Mathonwy); magician-king of the Welsh medieval tradition. Subject to the curious geis (taboo) that he could not live except by holding his feet in the lap of a virgin maiden — except in time of war. With his nephew Gwydion fab Dôn (one of the Children of Dôn), conducted the foundational magical-conjuration acts of the Fourth Branch: the conjuration of Blodeuwedd from the flowers of oak, broom, and meadowsweet for Lleu Llaw Gyffes's wife (after Arianrhod's third-tynged); the magical-wand virginity-test of Arianrhod that produced the Lleu-and-Dylan twin-births; the punitive deer-pig-wolf transformations of his nephews Gwydion and Gilfaethwy after their rape of Goewin (the foot-holder maiden). The Math-magician-king figure preserves a foundational Welsh medieval magic-and-kingship complex distinct from the broader Insular Celtic druid-magician tradition. The patronymic fab Mathonwy preserves an earlier-generation name (Mathonwy) attested only through this filiation; without further developmental material on Mathonwy the registry leaves Math's parentIds empty.
Children
Powers
- hears whatever the wind carries to him, however softly spoken
- as sovereign judge transforms wrongdoers into mated pairs of beasts for their crimes
- Conjure a woman from flowers
- Transform people into beasts
Relations
- sibling: DônMagician-king of Gwynedd; brother of Don; with his nephew Gwydion he conjures Blodeuwedd (who already lists both as makers).Mac Cana, 'Celtic Mythology' (1970), on Math fab Mathonwy as brother of the goddess Don, whose sons Gwydion and Gilfaethwy are his nephews (secondary)
Sources
- existence: Pedeir Keinc y Mabinogi — Fourth Branch (Math fab Mathonwy) (primary); Trioedd Ynys Prydein (primary)