Matholwch

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Matholwch is in the Celtic mythology King of Ireland in the legend Branwen ferch Llŷr ("Branwen, the daughter of Llŷr"), in the second branch of the Mabinogi . The spelling Matholwch can be read in Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch ("The White Book of Rhydderch") and in Llyfr Coch Hergest ("The Red Book of Hergest"), in the older Peniarth 6 the version Mallowch is still available. This is possibly the original form of the name, which was later adapted to Mathonwy .

mythology

Matholwch, King of Ireland, comes to Bran , King of Britain , to ask for the hand of his sister Branwen . Bran agrees to the marriage, but Branwen's half-brother Efnisien is upset that his permission has not been asked. In revenge, he massacres Matholwch's horses, which almost leads to a fight, although Matholwch has already spent a night with Branwen.

"God knows, it amazes me when you wish to insult me ​​that you have given me as a wife such an excellent, high-ranking girl who is loved by your relatives."

Bran manages to calm the heated minds again by giving the Irish, among other things, new horses and a cauldron that brings the dead back to life.

Matholwch marries Branwen and together they travel to Ireland, where their son Gwern is born. Nevertheless, the marriage is not happy and when his subjects find out about the horse massacre, Matholwch banishes Branwen to the kitchen, where she has to work hard and is beaten. Horrified by the fate of his sister, Bran gathers his men around him and moves to Ireland. When rumors of a wandering forest reach Matholwch, he gets scared, because he suspects that it is the giant Bran who is wandering through the sea. To calm him down, he has a palace built that is big enough for the giant for the first time. He also promises to make his son Gwern king.

"And Matholwch cedes rule over Ireland to Gwern, Matholwch's son, your nephew, your sister's son, and hands it over to him in your presence as a penance for the injustice and shame that was done to Branwen."

At a party in the newly built palace, Irish nobles who disagree with the way things are hiding in sacks of flour to overpower the Welsh people. Efnisien suspects their plan and suffocates the men in the sacks, but when he throws his nephew Gwern into the fire, the fight breaks out. Efnisien dies in the destruction of the Wunderkessel, Bran is mortally wounded and Matholwch also falls in the fight. Eventually, only seven Welsh and five pregnant Irish women survive, whose children repopulate the country. The Welsh return home with Branwen and the severed head of Bran.

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bernhard Maier: The legend book of the Welsh Celts. P. 132, note 37, 17.
  2. ↑ Bernhard Maier: The legend book of the Welsh Celts. P. 39.
  3. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 682.
  4. ↑ Bernhard Maier: The legend book of the Welsh Celts. P. 47.
  5. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 820 f.