Dôn is the divine mother of the Children of Dôn — Gwydion, Gilfaethwy, Arianrhod, Amaethon, and Gofannon — the supernatural family that dominates the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi and the governance of Gwynedd.
Math fab Mathonwy punished Gwydion and Gilfaethwy for the rape of Goewin by transforming them into mating animal pairs for three years — deer, swine, and wolves in turn. Each year produced a child: Hyddwn the fawn, Hychdwn the piglet, and Bleiddwn the wolf-cub, each baptized and restored to human form by Math.
Arianrhod bore twin sons when she stepped over Math's wand to prove her virginity. Dylan Eil Ton fell to the sea and swam away at once, while Gwydion — Arianrhod's brother and the children's father — snatched up Lleu Llaw Gyffes and raised him in secret.
⚠ The Fourth Branch strongly implies Gwydion's paternity through narrative structure and his role in raising Lleu, but never states it explicitly.
Gwydion snatched the newborn Lleu Llaw Gyffes from Arianrhod's court and raised him in secret, then spent years outwitting Arianrhod's three curses to win him a name, arms, and a wife. When Blodeuwedd and Gronw Pebr conspired to murder Lleu Llaw Gyffes, Gwydion tracked down the wounded eagle and restored him to human form.
Arianrhod laid three curses on her son Lleu — no name unless she gave it, no arms unless she armed him, no wife of any race on earth — and Gwydion defeated each through cunning and illusion, deepening the bitter rift between brother and sister across the Fourth Branch.
Gwydion slew Pryderi fab Pwyll in single combat at the conclusion of the war between Gwynedd and Dyfed, a conflict Gwydion himself provoked by stealing Pryderi's enchanted swine through trickery and illusion.
Gwydion and Math fab Mathonwy conjured Blodeuwedd from the flowers of oak, broom, and meadowsweet to be a wife for Lleu Llaw Gyffes, circumventing Arianrhod's curse that her son should never have a human wife.
Gwydion, Arianrhod, Gilfaethwy, Amaethon, and Gofannon are the Children of Dôn, the divine family of Gwynedd whose rivalries, enchantments, and transgressions drive the narrative of the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi.
When Amaethon's theft of a dog, lapwing, and roebuck from Arawn provoked the Cad Goddeu, Gwydion fought on his brother's side by enchanting the trees of the forest into warriors and guessing the secret name of Arawn's champion Bran, breaking the Otherworld king's power.
After Blodeuwedd conspired with Gronw Pebr to murder Lleu, Gwydion hunted her down and transformed her into an owl — condemned to be hated by all other birds, never to show her face in daylight again.
Gwydion conjured twelve stallions, twelve greyhounds, and twelve golden shields from mushrooms and sedge to swindle Pryderi out of the enchanted swine of Annwfn, a theft that triggered the war between Gwynedd and Dyfed.
We use cookies to understand how you use our site and improve your experience. Learn more