Gilfaethwy- Celtic GodDeity

The Desire for Goewin

Gilfaethwy fab Dôn was a nephew of Math fab Mathonwy, the lord of Gwynedd, whose survival depended on a peculiar geas: except when called to war, Math could only live with his feet resting in the lap of a virgin. The maiden who served this role was Goewin daughter of Pebin. Gilfaethwy became consumed with desire for her but could not approach her while she remained constantly at Math's side.

His brother Gwydion, the master enchanter, perceived Gilfaethwy's anguish. To lure Math away from court and create the opportunity, Gwydion traveled to Pryderi in Dyfed and obtained, through magical trickery, the otherworldly pigs that Pryderi had received from Arawn of Annwn. The deception provoked war. Math was compelled to ride south with his armies, leaving Goewin unprotected at court. In his absence, Gilfaethwy raped Goewin.

The Animal Punishments

When Math returned from the war, having defeated and killed Pryderi, Goewin told him what had been done to her. Math's response was immediate. He married Goewin to restore her honor, and then turned upon his nephews.

Math struck them with his magic wand and transformed them into a pair of deer: Gilfaethwy became a hind and Gwydion a stag. After a year, they returned with a fawn. Math took the fawn and transformed the brothers again, this time into a pair of wild boar, with their genders reversed: Gilfaethwy became the boar and Gwydion the sow. After another year they returned with a piglet. Math took the young one and transformed them a third time into wolves, again reversing their roles. A year later they returned with a wolf cub.

The three animal offspring were baptized and given human names: Hychdwn, Hyddwn, and Bleiddwn (from the Welsh words for pig, deer, and wolf). After three years, Math judged the punishment sufficient. He struck the brothers with his wand and restored them to human form. He declared that they had suffered enough shame, having borne young in animal bodies and mated with each other. The punishment was specifically designed to humiliate and unmake them: to force both brothers into the submissive, female role in reproduction, and to strip away every element of the heroic masculine identity that had driven Gilfaethwy's original crime.