Manawydan Son of Llŷr

Manawydan, son of Llŷr, returned from the tragic war in Ireland to a shattered Britain. Pryderi, Prince of Dyfed, welcomed him, granting him land and the hand of his mother, Rhiannon, in marriage. Life seemed peaceful until a magical mist descended upon Dyfed. When it cleared, every person and domestic animal had vanished, leaving only Manawydan, Rhiannon, Pryderi, and his wife Cigfa in a desolate wilderness. To survive, they traveled to England to work as craftsmen, but their superior skills provoked such jealousy that they were forced back to the empty Dyfed. While hunting, Pryderi and Rhiannon were lured into a magical fortress and trapped by a golden bowl. Left alone with Cigfa, Manawydan sowed wheat, but a plague of mice ravaged his fields. He caught one mouse and, despite the arrival of several mysterious strangers who tried to ransom the creature, he insisted on hanging it for theft. The final stranger revealed himself as the sorcerer Llwyd ap Cil Coed, who had cursed Dyfed to avenge his friend Gwawl. Manawydan refused to release the mouse—who was Llwyd’s pregnant wife—until the sorcerer agreed to free Rhiannon and Pryderi and lift the curse forever. Through patience and wit, Manawydan restored his kingdom.