there is no indication that he is thought of as the god of the sea. It seems that the traditions had been reshaped at a later date, with Manawydan changed into a mortal rather than an immortal. There was a similar tendency in Ireland, to appease the sensibilities of the Christian scribes, to change the status of the ancient gods. There are close parallels in the tales of Bran of Ireland and Bran of Wales, in which Manannán and Manawydan feature. Manawydan is depicted as brother of Benedigeid Vran, or Bran the Blessed, king of the Isle of the Mighty (Britain).

In the story of Pryderi and Manawydan, Manawydan appears as the husband of Rhiannon. Manawydan and Rhiannon, with Pryderi and his wife, Cigva, are living at their palace at Arbeth, in the kingdom of Dyfed, when a peal of thunder is heard and a mist falls. When it clears, the land is desolate. None of the people remain except the four of them. There are no cattle herds nor crops. After two years, existing on wild honey and what little they could kill, they decided to seek their fortune in Lloegyr (England). After several adventures, Pryderi, despite the wise counsel of Manawydan, follows a magic boar into a castle where he finds a fountain with a golden bowl on a marble slab. (See Cauldron, Magic, and Grail). He tries to take hold of it, is struck dumb, and is unable to let go. Manawydan tells Rhiannon, who tries to rescue him but suffers a similar fate. A mist causes them to disappear.

Manawydan and Cigva have more adventures until an encounter with Llwyd, son of Cilcoed, who reveals that all the enchanted happenings have been placed on Dyfed by him as an act of revenge for his friend, Gwawal, son of Clud, whom Pryderi’s father and warriors had ill-used. Thus the tale takes us back to the story of Rhiannon’s wedding in the first Mabinogi. Pryderi and Rhiannon are released from the spell, as are all the people and animals of Dyfed.

Mannin

The Isle of Man or, in Manx, Ellan Vannin. Said to have been named after Manannán Mac Lir, it is often referred to as the “Island of the Ocean God.” The island is mentioned several times in the myths and sagas. Little is known about the island before the fourth century a.d. It was originally thought to have been Brythonic Celtic–speaking. Goidelic, or Gaelic-speaking, settlers began to arrive from Ireland at this time, effecting a language change. Several Ogham inscriptions have been found on the island.