Lleu Llaw Gyffes

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In Welsh mythology, Lleu Llaw Gyffes (sometimes called Llew Llaw Gyffes) is a character appearing in the fourth of the Four Branches of the Mabinogion, the tale of Math fab Mathonwy. Lleu (or Llew) is widely understood to be the Welsh equivalent of the Irish Lugh and the Gaulish Lugus.

His story in the Mabinogi

When his mother Arianrhod was magically tested for virginity by Math she gave birth to Lleu as a blob, together with his brother Dylan Eil Ton.

The blob was placed in a chest by Gwydion, Arianrhod's brother. The furious Arianrhod created three geasa: only she could give him a name; only she could give him weapons; he would have no human wife. Arianrhod denied him the three aspects of masculinity.

Gwydion raised him anyway, even without a name. Later Arianrhod saw him killing a wren with a single stone. She said that he was a bright one with a sure hand and he took the name Lleu Llaw Gyffes ("bright, with a sure hand"). Gwydion then tricked her into arming him by feigning an attack on her stronghold.

Gwydion and Math created a woman for Lleu out of flowers, Blodeuwedd. Blodeuwedd had an affair with Goronwy and tricked the secret of his death out of him, since Lleu could not be killed during the day or night, nor indoors or outdoors, neither riding nor walking, not clothed and not naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made. He could only be killed at dusk, wrapped in a net with one foot on a cauldron and one on a goat and with a weapon forged during the hours when everyone was at mass. She then led him to his death.

Lleu became an eagle, but then Gwydion switched him back to human. He killed Goronwy and Gwydion turned Blodeuwedd into an owl.

Etymology

The name may be derived from a Proto-Celtic compound such as *φlū-wgū-s, which would convey the meaning of ‘flowing vigour,’ or else from *φlūgū-s meaning ‘flight, flying, soaring, etc.’ This god’s name may also be cognate with Latin lugubris "mournful, pertaining to mourning," from lugere "to mourn," from a Proto-Indo-European base *leug- "to emotionally upset, disturb" (cf. Greek lygros "mournful, sad," Sanskrit rujati "breaks, torments," Lettish lauzit "to break the heart"). This would give the Proto-Celtic word *lugu-s a meaning akin to “upsetting power,” making him etymologically cognate with the Norse god Loki. The name may equally be analysed as a compound of two Proto-Indo-European bases: *pleu- "flow, float" (cf. O.E. flowan, from P.Gmc. *flo-; Du. vloeien "to flow," O.N. floa "to deluge," O.H.G. flouwen "to rinse, wash"; cf. Skt. plavate "navigates, swims," plavayati "overflows;" Armenian helum "I pour;" Gk. plyno "I wash," pleo "swim, go by sea;" L. pluere "to rain;" O.C.S. plovo "to flow, navigate;" Lith. pilu "to pour out," plauti "rinse") and *gheu- “to pour out.” The would enable the reconstruction of a Proto-Celtic word *φlu-gu-s connoting the notions of “flowing gush” and “floating gust.”fr:Llew Llaw Gyffes pl:Llew Llaw Gyffes sv:Lleu Llaw Gyffes