Goewin () 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 Celti ...

, where she has a small but crucial role in the ''Math fab Mathonwy'', one of the

Four Branches of the Mabinogi The ''Four Branches of the Mabinogi'' or ''Pedair Cainc Y Mabinogi'' are the earliest prose stories in the literature of Britain. Originally written in Wales in Middle Welsh, but widely available in translations, the ''Mabinogi'' is generally agre ...

.Jones, Gwyn and Jones, Thomas. ''The Mabinogion.'' Everyman's Library, 1949; revised in 1989.

Narrative

At the beginning of the tale, the eponymous

Math fab Mathonwy In Welsh mythology, Math fab Mathonwy (), also called Math ap Mathonwy (Math, son of Mathonwy) was a king of Gwynedd who needed to rest his feet in the lap of a virgin unless he was at war, or he would die. The story of Math is the fourth of the ...

will die if his feet are not always held in the lap of a virgin or he is at war; Goewin is the virgin who performs this duty until Math is tricked into going to war by his nephews

Gwydion Gwydion fab Dôn () is a magician, hero and trickster of Welsh mythology, appearing most prominently in the Fourth Branch of the ''Mabinogi'', which focuses largely on his relationship with his young nephew, Lleu Llaw Gyffes. He also appea ...

and Gilfaethwy, who proceed to

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

Goewin. Once Math returns, Goewin reveals the crime and Math punishes the two by transforming them into a series of animals. He then marries Goewin, giving her power over his kingdom, in order to make amends. ''Druidnetwork.org''.

References

Welsh mythology Mabinogion Mythological rape victims {{Europe-myth-stub