Pryderi

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pryderi [ prɘderi ] is the son of King Pwyll and his wife Rhiannon in Welsh mythology .

mythology

Pryderi's kidnapping
Pryderi and Rhiannon caught in the cauldron

In the Mabinogion , Pryderi's fortune is told - he is the only person who appears in all four branches. In Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed ("Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed"), Pwyll, King of Dyfed , is finally born to a son by his wife Rhiannon after long years of marriage. Since this mysteriously disappears without a trace during the night, she is charged with killing and consuming him. The nobles of the empire demand their death or exile, but Pwyll is against it.

“You had no reason to ask me to separate from my wife, except that she was childless. But now I know that she has a child and I will not part with her. If she has done something wrong, she may take her punishment for it. "

As a punishment, she has to carry every visitor to the royal seat on her back from the gate to the hall. One day Teyrnon , a follower of Pwyll, is able to prevent his foal from being stolen and at the same time finds a baby in front of his house, whom he names Gwri Goldhaar. He soon realizes the resemblance to Pwyll, brings him the child and Rhiannon is released from her sentence. As a reminder of the difficult times, she calls the boy Pryderi ( Cymrian "sorrow, fear"). The boy is given to a loyal follower of Pwylls named Pendaran Dyfed for education. In an older version of the legend, Pendaran Dyfed is said to be Pryderi's biological father.

After Pwyll's death, Pryderi married Cigfa , the daughter of Gwyn ( Gwydyon [?]) And became King of Dyfed. He goes to Ireland with the high king Bran the Blessed to avenge the shame of Branwen , Bran's sister (see Branwen ferch Llŷr , "Branwen, the daughter of Llŷr"). With only seven survivors, including Bran's brother Manawydan and Bran's main, he returns to Wales . In Manawydan fab Llŷr ("Manawydan, the son of Llŷr") it is told how Gwawl , his father's old rival , instigated his friend Llwyd ap Cil Coed to depopulate the whole country with a magic mist for the favor of Rhiannon Make animals disappear. Pryderi and Rhiannon are also captured by a magic cauldron in the underworld . Manawydan, who had become Rhiannon's second husband, can free them with the help of his magic powers and restore fertility to the land.

Pryderi's most valuable possession, a herd of pigs that was once given to his father Pwyll by Arawn , the ruler of the underworld (pigs are underworld animals), is the cause of his death. In Math fab Mathonwy ("Math, the son of Mathonwys") his father-in-law (?) Gwydyon and his brother Gilfaethwy steal the herd, engage him in a war and Gwydyon kills Pryderi in a duel.

“'Lord,' said Gwydyon , 'I have heard that a kind of animal has come to the south such as has never come to this island before.' […] 'Small animals, and their meat is better than beef.' 'Who do they belong to?' 'Pryderi, son of Pwyll. They were sent to him from Annwn by Arawn, King of Annwn. '"

Together with Coll fab Collfrewi and Drystan fab Tallwch, he is one of the “three most powerful swineherd of the island of Britain” after the trioedd Ynys Prydein (“The Triads of the Isle of Britain”).

Pryderi is also mentioned in the poem Preiddeu Annwfn , which is attributed to Taliesin , together with Pwyll ( Ebostol Pwyll a Phryderi , "The story of Pwyll and Pryderi").

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bernhard Maier: The legend book of the Welsh Celts. P. 29.
  2. ↑ Bernhard Maier: The legend book of the Welsh Celts . P. 33 f; see also Caradawg fab Bran , footnote 2.
  3. ^ William John Gruffydd: Rhiannon. An inquiry into the first and third branches of the Mabinogion. Cardiff 1953, pp. 19, 106 ff.
  4. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celts. Attempt at a complete representation of their culture. P. 739.
  5. ^ Ingeborg Clarus: Celtic myths. Man and his otherworld. P. 260 ff.
  6. ↑ Bernhard Maier: The legend book of the Welsh Celts. P. 73.
  7. ↑ Helmut Birkhan: Celtic stories from the emperor Arthur. Part 2, p. 107.
  8. ↑ Bernhard Maier: The legend book of the Welsh Celts. P. 128, note 33,27.