Bran - Bendigeidfran - God of Ravens and Prophecy in Celtic Mythology
Bran ap Llyr was the legendary Welsh king of Britain. He was a popular god and well-known figure in the mythology of Wales during the Iron Age. Legends described him as a giant of semi-divine heritage as his father was Llyr, the god of the sea. Bran was eventually venerated as a god, a hero and a powerful king among the numerous tribes of Britain where he was associated with ravens as a god of prophecy.
Bran ap Llyr was a god of poetry, music, prophecy and sovereignty in Britain. He was known as Bendigeidfran in the ancient texts of the Mabinogion of Welsh mythology.
Bran and Bendigeidfran mean “Raven”, “Holy Raven” or “Blessed Crow”. Black Ravens came to symbolise the presence of Bran and were sacred to him.
Ravens were revered in the Celtic world as they were thought to be messengers between the mortal world and the world of the spirits or Otherworld.
Bran was portrayed as a giant of semi-divine heritage who possessed supernatural strength and abilities.
Llyr, the god of the sea, was the father of Bran and his siblings, Manawyddan and Branwen. Their mother was a mortal woman Penardim. Nisien and Evnissyen were described as their half-brothers or, in some accounts, their cousins.
The children of Llyr represented the powers of darkness in Welsh mythology. They were constantly at war with the children of the mother-goddess, Don, who represented the power of light.
Llyr was a god of the sun of the Coritani tribe in some of the older myths. He was venerated in the area known today as Leicester in England. Llyr married the sea goddess Iwerydd, meaning “Atlantic”, from a god-like race called the Tuatha Dé Danann in Ireland.
The offspring of Llyr and Iwerydd were Bran and Branwen. A second marriage took place between Llyr and a noblewoman called Penarddun from the Belgae tribe and a son called Manawyddan was born from the union.
The most famous legend about Bran ap Llyr began when he was the most powerful chieftain in Britain, or “Island of the Mighty”. Bran lived with his family at their home in Harlech on the coast of north-west Wales.
One day Bran and his brother, Manawyddan, saw a fleet of thirteen ships sailing swiftly across the sea towards Wales. He recognised Matholwch, the High King of Ireland, who held his shield upside down as a sign of peace as the ships entered the harbour.
Matholwch sailed to Wales to ask for Branwen's hand in marriage. The Irish king hoped the marriage would lead to a political alliance between Britain and Ireland. A son born to Branwen would be the future ruler of both islands.
Bran gave his blessing to the marriage. King Matholwch and Branwen were married in Aberffaw on the island of Anglesey. The wedding took place in a huge tent as Bran was too large to fit into an ordinary house.
Efnisien arrived home and learned of his sister's wedding. He was furious that his brother, Bran, excluded him from the meetings with Matholwch and allowed marriage to take place without him.
Branwen was one of the three most important goddesses of Britain which made the matter even more serious in Elfnisien's mind.
Bran's refusal to include Elfnisien in the negotiations was understandable. Efnisien was a well-known troublemaker with a fiery temper.
Bran gave Matholwch a herd of magnificent horses as a wedding gift. Elfnisien walked over to the stables and attacked all of the Irish king's horses in revenge for the insult caused by his brother, Bran.
Matholwch and the Irish were distressed by the attack on their horses and prepared to leave Harlech immediately.
Bran panicked and offered the Irish king more horses, a silver staff and a huge golden plate as an apology for Efnisien's crime. He could not order Efnisien's death because they were blood relatives.
Sadly Matholwch was still upset and continued with the preparations to leave Wales without Branwen. Bran then offered Matholwch his magical cauldron of rebirth which could bring dead warrior back to life.
Bran warned Matholwch the returning warriors would not only be deaf and mute but also would keep fighting.
Matholwch wished to own Bran's magical cauldron as it came from the Lake of Cauldron in Ireland. He was delighted with the gifts given by Bran and restored Branwen's good name by making her as his wife.
Branwen's arrival was met with jubilation by the people of Ireland as they were happy to see their new queen.
Matholwch and Branwen spent the first year of their marriage in wedded bliss. The couple soon welcomed a son whom they named Gwern. Gwern's birth was a symbol that the people of Britain and Ireland would one day be reunited.
The Irish nobles at court whispered in Matholwch's ear that she was unpopular as a foreign queen. They also reminded him of the earlier insult that was caused by Efnisien's crime.
Sadly Matholwch soon became disappointed with his new wife and rarely saw her. He decided to send their son Gwern to be fostered by a respected Irish family and banished Branwen to his kitchens far below the palace.
Branwen was forced to work long hours in the kitchens preparing food and cleaning dishes. The head cook slapped her every day for no reason.
One day Branwen found an injured starling and kept it as a pet. She taught the starling to speak and told the bird of her home and her family.
The starling was sent by Branwen to her brother, Bran, and told him of his sister's plight. Bran was furious when he learned of his sister's mistreatment.
He immediately summoned his army which sailed to Ireland. The warriors of his army used a dye made from alder trees to paint their faces red. It seemed to be the reason the alder tree was associated with Bran.
Bran left his only son Caradawg along with seven chieftains, who became known as the Seven Horseman, to guard Britain.
The fleet left Wales and sailed across the Celtic Sea. Bran was a giant and easily waded through the waters of the Celtic Sea with his huge club.
Bran and his army marched through Ireland towards King Matholwch. They found the crossing the River Liffey very difficult. Bran lay across the river so his men could travel over his back to the other side. The place where these mythical events took place is known today as Hurdle Ford and part of the city of Dublin.
News soon reached Matholwch of the arrival of Bran and his army on the coast of Ireland. The frightened Irish king attempted to quickly make peace with Bran.
Matholwch offered to stand aside and proposed that his young son, Gwern, be made the new king of Ireland as part of the peace negotiations. He also arranged for a great feasting hall to be built which was large enough for Bran to live in.
Bran agreed to the terms of the peace treaty proposed by Matholwch the Irish. The two warring sides celebrated with a great feast in the newly built hall.
Everything seemed to be going well until Efnisien became angry when his young nephew Gwern avoided him at the feast. Efnisien asked Matholwch if he may hug Gwern as they were kinsmen. Gwern walked towards Efnisien to greet him.
The joyous mood of the Irish at the feast turned to rage and fury when Efnisien grabbed the child and threw him into a huge fire. The poor boy died screaming as he was burned alive.
A ferocious battle took place between King Matholwch and the Irish warriors and Bran and his men.
Matholwch and the Irish were winning on the battlefield because the magic cauldron of rebirth brought their dead warriors back to life. Most of Bran's army were killed during the conflict and it seemed they had lost the battle against the enemy.
Efnisien realised his brother Bran was losing the battle and decided to sacrifice his own life to save Bran and the remaining Welsh warriors.
He hid among the dead bodies of the Irish warriors and was thrown into the magic cauldron by mistake. No living thing could be placed in the magic cauldron and it broke into four pieces when it exploded. Efnisien was killed by the explosion.
The battle continued on fairer terms until King Matholwch and all of his warriors died. Bran, Branwen and seven of his warriors were the only survivors from Britain. Neither side won because of the terrible carnage that happened during the battle.
Sadly Bran was mortally wounded by a poisoned spear thrown by an Irish warrior. He ordered his remaining men to cut off his head and told them to “bear it even unto the White Mount, in London, and bury it there, with the face towards France”. The “White Mount” is the place where the tower of London now stands.
Branwen and the seven surviving warriors returned to Britain. They arrived on the shore of Aber Alaw on the small island of Anglesey, off the north coast of Wales.
A terrible wave of sadness and grief swept across Branwen. She cried out “Oh Son of God, woe to me that I was born. Two fair islands have been laid waste because of me!”. Branwen died of a broken heart for causing so much death and destruction.
The seven warriors buried the body of the beautiful Branwen in a four-sided grave in Aber Alaw. The burial site of Branwen may be found in a place called Bedd Branwen, or “Branwen's grave” on the Island of Anglesey.
They journeyed on to Harlech and spent seven years with the goddess Rhiannon and her magical singing birds. The warriors then travelled to the magical Island of Gwales in Pembrokeshire. They remained on the magical island in a dream-like state for another eighty years
Bran's head possessed the ability to speak and was good company during the long trip to London.
The warriors finally reached Caer Lludd or modern-day London. They buried Bran's head on the site of the White Hill.
Bran's head was traditionally thought of as a talisman which protected Britain from a foreign invasion. Seven captive ravens are kept in the Tower of London because of the legend that Britain will fall if they fly away from the sacred place.
The magical ability of Bran's head to talk on its own symbolised the so-called “cult of the head” among the Celtic tribes in Britain, Ireland and Europe.
The Celts believed the soul was immortal and dwelt in the head of a human being. The soul continued to live in the head even when it was removed from the body. Heads were often taken as trophies by Celtic warriors during a battle and displayed with pride in a prominent place.
The importance of Bran's head represented the belief that the head was a talisman. It possessed the power of prophecy and fertility (meaning “regeneration”). It also reinforced the idea that Bran was a powerful god of prophecy.
Some historians believe Branwen was an earth goddess who represented the land meaning Britain. Bran relinquished the sovereignty of Britain to a foreign king, Matholowch. Bran also caused Britain to become defenceless when he gave the magical cauldron of rebirth to Matholwch.
Bran paid dearly for his errors of judgement because his sister, Branwen, committed suicide and he was mortally wounded. He redeemed himself to a certain extent as his severed head became a talisman of great power which protected Britain from invasion.
The name “Bran the Blessed”, or Bendigeid Vran, was another name Bran was commonly known by because he was the first king of Britain to introduce the Christian faith to the island.
Medieval legends described Bran "the Blessed King of Britain", “Bran the Blessed”, or Bendigeid Vran because he first brought Christianity to Britain.
Historical records said Bran and his family were taken by the Romans to Rome as hostages for his son, Caradawc. It was in Rome that Bran converted to Christianity and introduced the religion on his return to Britain. The approximate time is given as 58AD.
Bran was a major Celtic god in Britain as a god of prophecy and kingship. He was regarded as Britain's protector who willingly sacrificed himself to keep the island from invasion. His connection with ravens is still considered sacred even to this day because of the superstitions surrounding ravens in the Tower of London.
