Sanddef Pryd Angel ( Middle Welsh: Sanddev; also spelled Sandde in Modern Welsh) is a figure of Welsh tradition. He usually figures as a warrior of

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

's court, and is distinguished by his great beauty, which gives him his epithet ''Pryd'' or ''Bryd Angel'' (Angel's Form).Bromwich, p. 496.

Role in Welsh tradition

Sanddef's beauty contrasts with the hideousness of Morfran, with whom Sanddef is associated. Both are mentioned in the medieval prose tale '' Culhwch ac Olwen'', where it is said that they survived the

Battle of Camlann The Battle of Camlann ( cy, Gwaith Camlan or ''Brwydr Camlan'') is the legendary final battle of King Arthur, in which Arthur either died or was fatally wounded while fighting either with or against Mordred, who also perished. The original leg ...

due to their looks. In Sanddef's case, no one dared strike him because they thought he was "an angel helping" due to his beauty. He is further mentioned in an early poem lamenting the death of Duran fab Arthur, in which Arthur asks him to shoo a crow from his son's corpse. Unlike Morfran, Sanddef does not appear in any of the early Welsh Triads. However, he is again associated with Morfran in Triad 7 of the 15th-century collection known as "The Twenty-four Knights of Arthur's Court". In this triad, adapted from ''Culhwch'', Sanddef's beauty makes him one of the "Three Irresistible Knights" no man can refuse.Bromwich, p. 268. The name Sanddef appears in the Book of Llan Dav and in two poems in '' Canu Llywarch Hen'', where it is the name of one of

Llywarch Hen Llywarch Hen (, "Llywarch the Old"; c. 534 – c. 608), was a prince and poet of the Brythonic kingdom of Rheged, a ruling family in the Hen Ogledd or "Old North" of Britain (modern southern Scotland and northern England). Along with Taliesin, A ...

's sons. In at least one variant of the second poem, this Sanddef is called "Bryd Angel," suggesting the author knew of the Camlann tradition.

Notes

References

* * * Arthurian characters Welsh mythology {{fict-char-stub