Gwawl mab Clud: a Cymric Mabinogion god (Light)

Synonyms:
Cym: Light

Gwawl mab Clud is known from the Mabinogi of Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed where he was the Pwyll's rival for the hand of Rhiannon.

Pwyll, chieftain of Dyfed, meets Rhiannon, his intended, at the llys of Hefydd Hen, her father, for a feast. Here Pwyll is seated at the place of honour between Hefydd and Rhiannon. When the feast has concluded and the entertainments have begun a finely-attired stranger enters the hall. Pwyll, as the guest of honour greets him and asks him to sit, but he declines saying that he has come on an errand to ask of Pwyll a boon.

Pwyll responds with: 'Whatever boon thou may ask of me, if it is in my power to give, then it is yours.' Shocked, Rhiannon enquires of him: 'why did you give that answer?'

'Has he not given in the presence of all these assembled nobles?' the stranger enquired of them.

Finally Pwyll enquires as to what precisely the stranger required as a boon.

'The lady whom best I love is to be thy bride this night,' responded the stranger, 'I came to ask her of thee.' Whereupon Pwyll fell silent as the full realization of what he had done struck him.

'Be silent as long as you wish,' Rhiannon admonished him, 'never has a man made worse use of his wits than you.'

'Lady,' responded Pwyll, 'I knew not who he was...'

'Behold,' replied Rhiannon, 'this is the man to whom they wold have given me against my will. Hw is Gwawl mab Clud, a man of great power and wealth and because of thy words thou must bestow me upon him lest shame befall thee.'

'Lady,' replied Pwyll, 'never can I do as thou suggest.'

'Bestow me upon him,' Rhiannon insists, 'and I will ensure that I shall never be his.'

Pwyll enquires as to how this can be and Rhiannon tells him that she will give him a small bag which Pwyll must keep safe. Rhiannon will prepare the wedding feast and she will agree to become Gwawl's bride one full year from the current day. On that day Pwyll must return to Hefydd's llys with a hundred of his best men. But Pwyll himself must appear in the guise of a vagabond and at the feast he should ask for no more than a bagful of food. Rhiannon is to enchant the bag so that, no matter how much food is placed in it, it will never become full. Eventually Gwawl is sure to ask as to whether the bag will ever become full. Whereupon Pwyll is to respond that it never shall until a man of noble birth and great wealth presses the food into the bag with both his feet. At this point Pwyll is to entirely cover Gwawl in the bag and drawing out his hunting horn he is to summon his men to him.

At this point Gwawl enquires as to Pwyll's response to his request. 'As much as that thou has asked is in my power to give.' replies Pwyll, 'then thou shalt have it.'

Rhiannon then tells Gwawl that the feast prepared this night is for the men of Dyfed alone, but a year hence a new feast would be prepared and on that night she would become Gwawl's bride. She gives Pwyll the promised bag and all parties depart, to return a year hence.

A year hence Gwawl returns to claim his bride. Pwyll also returns with a hundred of his best men who are concealed in the orchard without the llys. Then, when the feast is done and the sound of carousing can be heard Pwyll makes his way towards the llys. Pwyll asks for his boon of food and a great number of attendants attempt to fill his bag. But the bag never seems to fill and Gwawl asks Pwyll how it may be filled.

'It may not,' responds Pwyll, 'until one posessed of lands, domains and treasure shall rise and tread down with both his feet the food that is in the bag.' Rhiannon urges Gwawl to do what Pwyll has requested and as Gwawl puts his feet in the bag Pwyll lifts the bag's sides until it reaches over Gwawl's head. He shut the mouth of the bag, securing it with a knot before blowing his horn to call down his men. Immediately Gwawl's host are imprisoned and as Pwyll's men pass the bag they each strike it a blow and ask: 'What is in there?' To which the response was: 'A badger.' This way each knight struck the bag with his foot or a staff and by this means was the game of 'badger in the bag' first played.

Gwawl implores Pwyll that he should not suffer the indignity of being slain in a bag. Hefydd Hen takes Gwawl's side in this and asks that Pwyll should listen to Gwawl. Rhiannon counsels Pwyll that as he is now in a position where it behoves him to satisfy suitors and minstresls (ie he is to wed Rhiannon) he should use Gwawl's gifts to do this and then he should take pledge from Gwawl that he will not seek revenge for that which has been done to him. This would be punishment enought. Gwawl readily agrees and is released upon certain sureties. These were demanded and Gwawl acquiesced, though he pleade his injuries, saying that they needed anointing. Pwyll allows him to leave, as long as his liege-men stand surety for him.

The injustice perpetrated on Gwawl by the house of Pwyll is later avenged by Llwyd mab Cilcoed who places the seven cantrefs of Dyfed under a charm in the Mabinogi of Manawyddan mab Llŷr.

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