Rhiannon chose Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, as her husband over the suitor her father had chosen, and bore him a son, Pryderi, who vanished on the night of his birth — leaving Rhiannon falsely accused of devouring her own child.
Rhiannon was the daughter of Hefeydd Hen, an Otherworld lord at whose court she first appeared to Pwyll riding a pale horse that no rider could overtake.
After Pwyll's death, Rhiannon wed Manawydan fab Llŷr, and together they endured the enchantment that stripped Dyfed bare of all its people, wandering as exiles until Manawydan's cunning broke the spell.
Llwyd fab Cil Coed cast an enchantment over all of Dyfed to avenge his friend Gwawl, stripping the land bare and imprisoning Rhiannon and Pryderi in the Otherworld until Manawydan's cunning forced him to relent.
Rhiannon devised the trick that undid Gwawl fab Clud at her own wedding feast — she gave Pwyll an enchanted bag that could never be filled, and when Gwawl climbed inside to test it, Pwyll's men kicked and beat him until he renounced all claim to her.
Teyrnon Twrf Liant found the newborn Pryderi on the threshold of his stable the night a monstrous claw reached through the door, and raised the boy as his own until he saw Pwyll's likeness in the child's face and returned him to Rhiannon, ending her years of unjust punishment.
We use cookies to understand how you use our site and improve your experience. Learn more