Manawydan fab Llŷr is a character from Welsh mythology. He is the son of Llŷr and the brother of Brân the Blessed and Brânwen. The first part of his name is similar to the name of the Irish sea god Manannán mac Lir, and both likely come from the same ancient Celtic god. However, unlike Manannán, there is no evidence that Manawydan was connected to the sea, except for the fact that "llŷr" means "sea" in old Welsh. Manawydan appears most often in the Second and Third Branches of the Mabinogi (the third branch is named after him). He is also mentioned in many medieval poems and the Welsh Triads.
The Mabinogi
Manawydan is an important character in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, called The Mabinogi of Brânwen, Daughter of Llŷr. In this story, Manawydan serves as a advisor to his brother Brân the Blessed, the King of Britain. He sits beside Brân during a feast celebrating the wedding of their sister Brânwen to Matholwch, the king of Ireland. This event is meant to strengthen a friendship between Britain and Ireland. When their half-brother Efnisien, upset that he was not consulted, harms Matholwch’s horses, Brân sends Manawydan to offer compensation. Later, when news reaches Britain that Matholwch is treating Brânwen poorly, Manawydan joins Brân’s rescue mission.
During the war that follows, Manawydan is one of only seven men to survive. Brân, who is seriously injured, asks Manawydan and the others to cut off his head and take it back to Britain. Brân’s head will continue to speak and keep them company until they return. The group travels to a magical castle on the island of Gwales, where they enjoy a feast and forget their sadness. Manawydan realizes that opening the castle door facing Cornwall will break the spell, but one day his companion, Heilyn son of Gwyn, becomes too curious and opens it. This causes their sorrows to return. The group takes Brân’s head to the White Hill (where the Tower of London now stands) and buries it there. The head becomes a symbol of protection against foreign attacks.
Manawydan plays a major role in the Third Branch of the Mabinogi. In this story, one of the survivors from the Second Branch, Pryderi, invites Manawydan to live in Dyfed and marry Rhiannon, Pryderi’s mother. After returning from the war in Ireland, they settle in Dyfed. Soon, a spell causes all people and animals in Dyfed to disappear, leaving only Rhiannon, Pryderi, his wife Cigfa, and Manawydan. They survive by hunting and later move to England to work as craftsmen. However, their skill causes jealousy, and they are forced to return to Dyfed.
One day, Manawydan and Pryderi go hunting and spot a white boar. They follow it into a mysterious fort, where Pryderi enters and does not return. Rhiannon later follows and finds Pryderi stuck to a golden bowl in the center of the floor. She touches the bowl and becomes stuck as well. A mist rises, and the fort vanishes.
Manawydan and Cigfa return to England to earn a living but are again driven away by jealous rivals. This time, Manawydan plants wheat in three fields. When the first two are destroyed overnight, he guards the third and sees mice stealing the grain. He captures a slow, fat mouse and plans to punish it. Three strangers offer to ransom the mouse, but Manawydan refuses, persuading the third stranger—a bishop—to lift the curse on Dyfed and free Pryderi and Rhiannon.
The three strangers are revealed to be Llwyd ap Cil Coed, who had cast the spell on the golden bowl. Llwyd explains he is a friend of Gwawl (from the First Branch) and placed the curse as revenge for an insult to Gwawl by Pwyll (Pryderi’s father and Rhiannon’s first husband). The mouse is Llwyd’s wife, who had disguised herself as a mouse to steal grain with other women from Llwyd’s court. She was pregnant, which made her slower than the others. While trapped, Rhiannon had to carry horse yokes, and Pryderi had to carry gate hammers.
Other appearances
Manawydan is mentioned in a poem called "Pa gur yv y porthaur" ("What Man is the Gatekeeper?"), where he is named as one of the warriors in King Arthur's group. The poem praises him for giving good advice and for breaking shields at a place called Tryfrwyd. Later in the poem, this battle is linked to cinbin, or dogheads, and a figure named Garwlwyd (Rough-Gray). Tryfrwyd is also called the Battle of Tribuit in the Historia Brittonum and in later writings.
In "How Culhwch Won Olwen," Manawydan appears again as a knight of Arthur's and joins a hunt for the Twrch Trwyth. He is mentioned twice in Trioedd Ynys Prydein. He is named as one of the "Three Golden Shoemakers of the Island of Britain," a reference to his work as a shoemaker in the story "Manawydan uab Llyr." He is also named as one of the "Three Prostrate Chieftains of the Island of Britain," a reference to his submission to the usurper Caswallon. The "land of Manawyd" is mentioned in the epic poem Y Gododdin.
In 2001, the Yu-Gi-Oh! video game The Duelists of the Roses included an opposing character named Manawyddan fab Llyr, a version of the villain Darknite. Two years later, in the 2003 film Otherworld, Manawydan was played by Welsh actor Daniel Evans. Manawydan appeared as a vengeful sea god in Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles.