Branwen daughter of Llŷr
We have a great time in this episode while discussing ‘The Second Branch of the Mabinogi’, namely the tale of ‘Branwen daughter of Llŷr’. We consider a number of things about this exciting story, asking interesting questions about its relationship with the medieval society to which it belonged. We note that it is in essence a story about a royal marriage, and we suggest that it’s possible to read it as a radical text which addresses this aspect of society in a critical fashion. We also examine the tale’s treatment of war and peace, noting the significance of the apocalyptical war which kills most of the population of Ireland and most of the great army which crossed the sea to save Branwen.