Llŷr ( cy, Llŷr Llediaith (); ''Lleddiaith'' meaning "half-speech" or "half-language") is a figure in

Welsh mythology Welsh mythology (Welsh: ''Mytholeg Cymru'') consists of both folk traditions developed in Wales, and traditions developed by the Celtic Britons elsewhere before the end of the first millennium. As in most of the predominantly oral societies Cel ...

, probably originally a deity, probably derived from Irish Ler ("the Sea"), father of ''

Manannán mac Lir Manannán or Manann, also known as Manannán mac Lir ("son of the sea"), is a warrior and king of the Otherworld in Irish mythology who is associated with the sea and often interpreted as a sea god, usually as a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann ...

''. Other than his progeny and odd titbits, his identity remains obscure. Llŷr appears as the father of Brân, Brânwen and

Manawydan Manawydan fab Llŷr is a figure of Welsh mythology, the son of Llŷr and the brother of Brân the Blessed and Brânwen. The first element in his name is cognate with the stem of the name of the Irish sea god Manannán mac Lir, and likely originate ...

Penarddun Penarddun is a figure in Welsh mythology, the wife of Llŷr. The Second Branch of the ''Mabinogi'' names Bran, Branwen, and Manawydan as her children by Llŷr, and ascribes to her two additional sons by Euroswydd: Nisien, a good man, and Efnysien ...

in the ''Branwen, Daughter of Llyr'', the Second Branch of the ''

Mabinogi The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...

''., New Revised ed. 1993, p. 21, "Bendigeidfran son of Llŷr was crowned king.. His two brothers on the mother's side (Nisien and Efnisien) were sons of Euroswydd by his mother Penarddun." The

Welsh Triads The Welsh Triads ( cy, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, "Triads of the Island of Britain") are a group of related texts in medieval manuscripts which preserve fragments of Welsh folklore, mythology and traditional history in groups of three. The triad is a ...

states that Llŷr was imprisoned by

Euroswydd Euroswydd is a figure in Welsh mythology, the father of Nisien and Efnysien by Penarddun, daughter of Beli Mawr. In the Second Branch of the ''Mabinogi'' Penarddun is the wife of Llŷr, by whom her children are Brân, Branwen, and Manawydan. The ...

, and presumably, Penarddun subsequently married Euroswydd, giving birth by Euroswydd to her two younger sons,

Nisien Nisien is a figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Penarddun and Euroswydd and twin brother of Efnysien. He appears in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, which names Brân the Blessed, Branwen, and Manawydan Manawydan fab Llŷr is a figure of Wels ...

and

Efnisien Efnisien fab Euroswydd (also spelled Efnissien or Efnysien) is a sadistic anti-hero in Welsh mythology, appearing prominently in the tale of ''Branwen ferch Llŷr'', the second branch of the Mabinogi. Described by Will Parker as "a study in the psyc ...

, as stated in the Second Branch.

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' is based on material taken secondhand (through

Raphael Holinshed Raphael Holinshed ( – before 24 April 1582) was an English chronicler, who was most famous for his work on ''The Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande'', commonly known as ''Holinshed's Chronicles''. It was the "first complete printe ...

) from

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiograph ...

's mythical king

King Leir ''King Leir'' is an anonymous Elizabethan play about the life of the ancient Brythonic king Leir of Britain. It was published in 1605 but was entered into the Stationers' Register on 15 May 1594. The play has attracted critical attention princ ...

, who has often been connected, but is likely unrelated, to Llŷr.

The House of Llŷr

(*) Unbordered names are figures not in Llŷr's line of descent, though perhaps members of the extended family.
(*) This stemma is subject to further elaboration. If the Beli above is to be equated with

Beli Mawr Beli Mawr ("Beli the Great") was an ancestor figure in Middle Welsh literature and genealogies. He is the father of Cassivellaunus, Arianrhod, Lludd Llaw Eraint, Llefelys, and Afallach. In certain medieval genealogies he is listed as the son or husb ...

then Caswallawn stands as Penarddun's sibling. But Bromwich observes that Penarddun should be emended to being the sister of Beli, which would bring consistency with statement elsewhere that Caswallawn and Brân are cousins., endnotes, p.284- on "Bran Vendigeit m. Llyr".

Notes

References

;(Dictionaries) *, p. 301, under "Llŷr". * *The New Companion to the Literature of Wales, Meic Stevens. ;(Texts) * * *Gantz, Jeffrey (translator) (1987). ''The Mabinogion''. New York: Penguin. . *Jones, Gwyn; Jones, Thomas (1993). ''The Mabinogion''. London: Everyman. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Llyr Mabinogion Sea and river gods Welsh gods Welsh mythology Mythological characters

The House of Llŷr

See also

Notes

References