Cigfa ferch Gwyn Glohoyw (

Middle Welsh Middle Welsh ( cy, Cymraeg Canol, wlm, Kymraec) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh ( cy, Hen G ...

: ''Kigua'') is a minor character 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 ...

, the wife of King

Pryderi Pryderi fab Pwyll is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and king of Dyfed after his father's death. He is the only character to appear in all Four Branches of the Mabinogi, although the size of his role varies ...

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

. She is mentioned briefly in the First Branch of the ''Mabinogi'', and appears more prominently in the

third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

. Describing the character,

Proinsias Mac Cana Proinsias Mac Cana (6 July 1926 – 21 May 2004) was an academic and Celtic scholar. He held professorships at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and University College Dublin. Career Proinsias Mac Cana was born in Belfast on 6 July 192 ...

writes: "Cigfa strikes one as a slight though effective vignette of a contemporary bourgeois snob while

William John Gruffydd William John Gruffydd (14 February 1881 – 29 September 1954) was a Wales, Welsh scholar, poet, writer and editor, and the last Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament to represent the University of Wales (UK Parliament const ...

hypothesises that the character was a later addition to the tale."Gruffydd, W. D. ''Rhiannon'', Cardiff, 1953.

John Rhys John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

suggested a connection between Cigfa and the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

character ''Ciochba''.Hughes, Ian. ''Manawydan uab Llyr''

Role in Welsh tradition

After ascending to the throne of Dyfed, Pryderi searches for a wife and marries Cigfa, whose ancestry is recorded as "Cigfa, daughter of Gwyn Glohoyw, son of Gloyw Walltlydan, son of Casnar Wledig". A similar lineage can be found in ''

Bonedd y Saint The ''Bonedd y Saint'' or ''Seint'' (Welsh for "Descent of the Saints") is a Welsh genealogical tract detailing the lineages of the early British saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degr ...

'', in which a saint named Mechyll fab Echwys is the grandson of Gwyn Glohoyw and great-grandson of Gloyw Walltlydan. Cigfa herself is not mentioned in the genealogy. Some time after their marriage, Pryderi leaves Dyfed to fight under Bendigeidfran in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. He is one of only seven warriors to survive the battle, and returns home with

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 ...

, rightful king of Britain, whom he married to his mother

Rhiannon Rhiannon is a major figure in the Mabinogi, the medieval Welsh story collection. She appears mainly in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, and again in the Third Branch. She is a strong-minded Otherworld woman, who chooses Pwyll, prince of Dyfe ...

. The four friends live happily until they ascend the mound at Gorsedd Arberth and the kingdom turns into a barren

wasteland Wasteland or waste land may refer to: * Desert or barren area * an uncultivated area of land, whether wooded or not, whether common land or not Art, entertainment, and media Comics * ''Wasteland'' (DC Comics), 1987–1989 anthology-style horror ...

, and all of its inhabitants disappear except for the four members of Pryderi's family. While out hunting one day, Pryderi follows a white

boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is no ...

and does not return, so his mother Rhiannon goes looking for him. She finds him motionless inside a mysterious building, touching a golden bowl. She tries to free him, but becomes enchanted herself when she puts her hand on the object. Manawydan and Cigfa stay together, the former promising to protect the latter, and finally free their spouses when they capture a

mouse A mouse ( : mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...

that is actually the wife of

Llwyd ap Cil Coed Llwyd ap Cil Coed is a character in the Third Branch of The Mabinogi, known also as the story of '' Manawydan ap Llŷr''. Role in the Third Branch Llwyd is a friend of Gwawl ap Clud, who had been insulted by Pwyll in the First Branch. Llwyd deci ...

, Rhiannon's enemy, and force the magician to lift the curses plaguing their land.

References

{{Celtic mythology (Welsh) Welsh mythology Mabinogion Mythological queens