Sheep at Llyn Morwynion | Lake of the Maidens | Mabinogion Walk-56

Llyn y Morynion, or Lake of the Maidens, where Blodeuwedd's maidens are said to have drowned while fleeing Gwydion's men.

The landscapes in which the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogion are set.

"The Four Branches of the Mabinogi or Pedair Cainc Y Mabinogi are the earliest prose stories in the literature of Britain. Originally written in Wales in Middle Welsh, but widely available in translations, the Mabinogi is generally agreed to be a single work in four parts, or "branches." The interrelated tales can be read as mythology, political themes, romances, or magical fantasies."

Source: Wikipedia

"In the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogion, the character Blodeuwedd conspires with her lover, Gronw Pebyr, to murder her husband Lleu Llaw Gyffes. Lleu can only be killed under very particular circumstances. He would need to be in a bath on a riverbank, under a thatched, arched roof, with one foot on the back of a billy-goat and the other foot on the edge of the tub. The weapon would need to be a spear that is a year in the making, and has only been worked on while people are at Mass on Sunday.

"Blodeuwedd and her lover Gronw Pebyr immediately set about preparing the circumstances of Lleu's death. A year later, after Gronw has finished preparation of the spear, Bloedeuwedd asks Lleu to show her what the circumstances of his death might look like, such that she might recognize them and henceforth be able to prevent them. Lleu agrees to do a demonstration, and Blodeuwedd sets about constructing the necessary bath and thatched, arched roof along a river. She also rounds up billy-goats and situates them across the river Cynfael, facing the hill Bryn Cyfergyr.

"Once at the site Blodeuwedd has constructed, Lleu assumes position—and Gronw spears him from the hill. Lleu, transformed into an eagle, flees from the site, and wanders the skies of Gwynedd and Powys. Eventually, he takes refuge in Arfon, where Gwydion transforms him back into a man. Lleu spends a year recovering at Caer Dathyl.

"In the meantime, Math fab Mathonwy sends troops to Mur Castell after Blodeuwedd and her maidens, who flee across the river Cynfael toward a mountaintop court. However, all except for Blodeuwedd drown in a lake known as the Llyn y Morynion, which is about three miles north-east of Mur Castell. It is along the shores of the Llyn y Morynion that Blodeuwedd is transformed into an owl.

"Meanwhile, Lleu and Gronw Pebyr meet again along the bank of the river Cynfael. Gronw begs to be allowed to place a stone between himself and Lleu's blow, but the blow is so strong that it punctures the stone and kills Gronw Pebyr. The stone, featuring a large hole through which passed the spear of Lleu Llaw Gyffes, is said to stand to this day in Ardudwy along the bank of the river Cynfael, and it is called the Llech Gronw."

Source: In the Shadow of Bryn Cyfergyr

Taken in: UK / Wales / Ffestiniog / Llan Ffestiniog (show map)

Taken on: June 30, 2024

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Mabinogion

Llyn Morwynion

Llyn y Morynion

Lake of the Maidens

Alan Garner

The Owl Service

Lleu Llaw Gyffes

Gronw Pebyr

Blodeuwedd « less

Sets appears in: • Mabinogion walk

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