The Woman Made of Flowers

GCETHE WOMAN AS / A MADE LEVEL OF FLOWERS By SAUNDERS LEWIS

THE WOMAN MADE OF FLOWERS

SAUNDERS LEWIS

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SAUNDERS LEWIS - (1883-1985)

It is important to understand the artist in order to fully understand his work. In his Tri Dramodydd Cyfoes (Three Contemporary Dramatists) J. Ellis Williams asserts -

“He comes from understanding, from intellect, not from the heart. We had plenty of authors who were able to write about the common folk; Saunders Lewis unlocked the doors of drama to a different world – the world of the nobles of the Mabinogi, the saints of the Middle ages, the princes of Wales, Prussian aristocrats, political leaders...”

John Saunders Lewis was born in Wallasey, Liverpool in 1883. He was raised in Liverpool’s Welsh speaking community. He studied French and English at the University of Liverpool and graduated in English. In 1922 he came to Wales as a lecturer at the University College of Wales, Swansea. In 1925 he worked with other Welsh nationalists to establish Plaid Cymru and was its president between 1926 and 1939.

PENYBERTH

In 1935 the British government decided to establish an RAF training school for bombers in Penyberth on the Llŷn Peninsula. There was widespread opposition in Wales to this plan but it was ignored and in 1936 the farm buildings were destroyed and the work began on building the training centre. Three nationalists were prepared to do more than write letters of protest and put up posters.

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On the night of September 8th 1936, the lecturer Saunders Lewis, the teacher D.J Williams and the minister of religion Lewis Valentine went to Penyberth and set fire to the building materials. After completing the deed, all three presented themselves to the authorities, fully confessing their symbolic protest.

Following two court cases, the three were incarcerated in Wormwood Scrubs prison, London. They became heroes to many Welsh people; they were also reviled by many for their actions. Saunders Lewis lost his post at Swansea University. Political bravery, betrayal and sacrifice emerged as key themes in his work after these events.

THE WRITER

His literary work is significant. He created complex poetry, popular novels, and incisive essays as well as plays which encouraged thought and discussion among audiences - above all Saunders Lewis was a playwright.

HIS PLAYS

• The Eve of St. John (1921) • Gwaed yr Uchelwyr (1922) • Buchedd Garmon (1937) • Amlyn ac Amig (1940) • Blodeuwedd (1948) • Eisteddfod Bodran (1952) • Gan Bwyll (1952) • Siwan a Cherddi Eraill (1956) • Gymerwch Chi Sigarét? (1956) • Brad (1958)

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• Esther (1960) • Serch yw’r Doctor (1960) • Yn y Trên (published in the periodical Barn, 1965) • Cymru Fydd (1967) • Problemau Prifysgol (1968) • Branwen (1975) • Dwy Briodas Ann (1975) • Cell y Grog (in the magazine Taliesin, 1975) • Excelsior (1980)

BLODEUWEDD - THE WOMAN OF FLOWERS

Blodeuwedd’ is a classical tragedy - the characters struggle hopelessly against their predestined fated exactly as do Oedipus and Antigone in classic Greek drama. However Lewis experiments with the classical structure.

He shatters the Unities. The drama does not evolve within a set time scheme nor does it remain within one location. Nevertheless he does adhere to the Unity of a single plot, a single narrative and his scenes are acted between two or three characters.

CONTEXT

Lewis takes his narrative from the fourth branch of the Mabinogi:

The Four Branches of the Mabinogi:

Cainc 1: Pwyll Prince of Dyfed Cainc 2: Branwen daughter of Llŷr Cainc 3: Manawydan son of Llŷr Cainc 4: Math son of Mathonwy

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Saunders Lewis claimed:

“It would help audiences to better understand the play and its characters if they were as familiar with the Mabinogi as the audiences of ancient Greece were with their own myths and legends.” (A version of the tale is to be found in Appendix I).

At its crux, Blodeuwedd is a play about conflict. Put simply, it is the conflict between base instinct and civilised behaviour. Blodeuwedd is quite literally the personification of the natural world; the morals which drive Llew’s world are anathema to her and in turn drive Blodeuwedd to attempt to destroy them. The battle between these contending worlds are fought through Gronw Pebr who is torn between his loyalty to the codes of behaviour which are equally important in the courts of Penllyn and Ardudwy and his passion both for Blodeuwedd and the lure of the hunt. Once Blodeuwedd has seduced him to her bed and persuaded him to murder Llew, he is given the opportunity to reconcile with the values of his ancestors. Saunders Lewis’ Gronw is very different from the Gronw of the original tale: here he asks for punishment according to the traditions of chivalry instead of hiding behind a cromlech (ancient burial stone). In this way we see the classical element of anagnorisis: the recognition of fault and the willingness to accept the consequences of one’s actions.

Although this conflict between base instinct and civilised behaviour is a prominent aspect of the play, this theme is also a metaphorical device. The conflict between ancient and modern is the conflict between Blodeuwedd and Llew, the conflict between the eternal, traditional, ephemeral and unfamiliar. Blodeuwedd’s blood is ‘Strange and alien’ (‘Dieithr ac estron’), she is married into a family which is other worldly. Despite being invited to become part of the ‘chain of lineage’ (‘cadwyn cenedl’) of the family of Llew Llaw Gyffes, and to share in the inheritance of Ardudwy, she chooses instead, ‘all the loneliness of freedom’ (‘holl unigedd rhyddid’). At the end of the play, Gronw Pebr is given salvation by sacrificing himself for the sake of his birth right. To Saunders it is better to die for your birth right than live without a nation.

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THEMES

Here are some of the themes which emerge from the text: they will be discussed in the character notes which follow.

● The conflict between base instinct and civilised behaviour ● The conflict between the old and the new ● Love and lust/passion ● Family, tribe, isolation/loneliness ● Morality, immorality, amorality ● Destiny, fate, free will ● Man’s attempt to control nature; to attempt to be a god

THE CHARACTERS

BLODEUWEDD This is a challenging part to play; a deep and rounded character. It demands heroic energy from an actor, similar to some of the main protagonists of Greek Theatre such as Antigone, Medea and Electra.This is not only because of the journey taken by the character but also because of the muscularity and rhythm of the dialogue. It is important for the actor to experiment with the metre and rhythm to create clarity in motivation and emotion.

There is a duality, a dichotomy in Blodeuwedd’s character; two powerful forces which offer an actor the opportunity to create a truly conflicted character –courage and fear.

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COURAGE

The virgin spring’s soul embodied in flesh (Act One p.50) ...left my bed for the storm’s frenzy (Act One p.51)

FEAR My life is without family, without anchor (Act One p.55)

...... There is no one else As a link between me and the high born men (Act One p.55)

Like Antigone (Sophocles) and Blanche DuBois (Tennessee Williams) it is important that the actor does not fear engendering impatience and indeed hate within the audience at times. There must be a focus on her complexity; she is courageous, fragile, amoral, part of the natural world, lustful and passionate yet cold and unfeeling and sometimes selfish and very cruel.

Blodeuwedd: O my friend, what is shame? I do not know How it is to be ashamed…… (Act One p.53)

Llew: But she was cold, Lord Gwydion, cold. My heart that was throbbing on her breast, Broke like glass on flint. (Act One p.51)

At other times we pity her - she has neither family nor place in the world. She had no opportunity to live as she wished. She was used by Gwydion and Llew merely as a vessel to carry Llew’s heir:

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Blodeuwedd: You do not know what it is to be alone. For you the world is full, you have a home, Kinsmen and family, father, mother, brothers, And so you are not a stranger in the world.

(Act One p.54)

Here, the actor must elicit the pity and understanding of the audience; she is lonely, and for her, the world is a very strange place.

And so I was bound to serve like a slave girl To give your nephew children, establish his line

…I was captured as a weapon A tool in your hands to cheat destiny (Act Four p.95)

Blodeuwedd’s fear is loneliness. By turning her into an owl, Gwydion makes her a creature of the night; lonely; a bird despised by others of her kind – the greatest insult. It is important for the actor to highlight this fear and loneliness as it will help an audience understand what motivates Blodeuwedd to behave as she does.

Blodeuwedd: ……..No fear of men. Disturbs me. But fears of emptiness, aloneness

Blodeuwedd: …….and the world is cold, Alien to me, without bond of kindred Or link of race (Act One p.54-55)

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The sound of the hunting horn is one of the most famous sound cues in Welsh theatre. Its sound awakens Blodeuwedd’s passion and is a turning point both in her character and in the play. In the scenes which follow Blodeuwedd is seen as passionate, lustful and full of life. Gronw awakens something in her - a passion so powerful that it can only be extinguished by death.

Blodeuwedd: ...... O nature there Is in spendthrift joy at a revel of life, And the hunter is one with the moorland’s vigour – I could love a hunter –

(Act One p.56)

This is what draws her to him. Blodeuwedd is wild natured, tamed to be a docile wife - here she is drawn to Gronw’s wild side.

By Act Two, having spent three days with Gronw, we see another aspect of Blodeuwedd’s character. She is content, in love and full of warmth. At last she feels part of a family - she feels her part in the world.

Blodeuwedd: I want to live. Lust and life are one; (Act Two p.64)

Saunders Lewis strongly suggests that love and lust are essential to life; love for another person, love of family, love of one’s nation. The leave-taking of Blodeuwedd and Gronw in Act Two is in complete contrast to the brief farewell between Blodeuwedd and Llew in Act One and demonstrates a clear development in her character. Here we see Blodeuwedd slyly leading Gronw, towards fulfilling her desire to kill Llew:

Gronw: – we must kill him

Blodeuwedd: How long it has taken you to see my purpose. (Act Two p.66)

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Blodeuwedd and Gronw, like Macbeth and his wife, are drawn together through dark deeds. This scene must excite not only the characters but also the audience - passion and desire lead them down a dangerous and fatal path. When saying goodbye Blodeuwedd knows that it is her beauty and Gronw’s lust, not his loyalty (“fidelity”) which will keep him close. She has learned to live in the world of men.

Gronw: Do you doubt my fidelity?

Blodeuwedd: O Gronw, what is your fidelity to me? Will you keep your lust? Lust is strong To hold a will like an arrow to its mark When fidelity’s bow is rusty. (Act Two p.67)

The climax of the love triangle, Llew’s careless cruelty and Blodeuwedd’s deliberate cruelty, is the scene where Llew is stabbed. Here we see Blodeuwedd desperately trying to make Llew accept her and love her for what she is as opposed to the mother of his heir. It is unclear why she wishes to know this before killing him but it appears important to her. Perhaps to ensure that there is no other way, no other choice other than killing him. We may wonder if there is a moral element to her character here.

Blodeuwedd: Ah god, my Llew, if once you would look at me And say: “You are my fulfilment.” If you would say that –

Llew: I will say it when your son is on your arm.

(Act Three p.80)

When she hears Llew’s response, the audience sees Blodeuwedd harden; her cruelty is evident as she lies to him. She tells him that she is pregnant, and when she sees his happiness and realises that she is only a vessel to carry his heir, she uses cruel irony to trap him before killing him; it is an act of revenge.

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Llew: Imagine, my dear, the sort of heir he will be.

Blodeuwedd: His kisses ardent; I imagine him now Pressing his lips on my lips, And he will be a hunter, his horn arousing the deer And dancing on Ardudwy’s floor in his zest.

(Act Three p.80-81)

The actor needs to enjoy this revenge; enjoy the darkness and the danger of the situation. Blodeuwedd is part of the natural world and killing is a natural part of that world. She was given to this man to give him an heir and to revenge on his mother for the destiny she had given him. As she does not share humanity’s moral code she does not worry, neither is she concerned. The character, at this point needs to elicit fear and perhaps hatred within the audience. The audience should experience the same emotions as they feel when watching Electra revelling in the murder of her mother in Sophocles’ tragedy - an ambivalence regarding its relationship with the chief protagonist.

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LLEW LLAW GYFFES

The audience’s first view of Llew is completely different from the character which is seen through the remainder of the play. He enters the stage heroically:

Llew: (Clapping his hands) Ho, one of you, come here..... (A servant enters) Are the horses ready? (Act One p.49)

He asks his serving man for Blodeuwedd and then commands him to fetch her so that he may take his leave of her; this is the language of a brave leader, a man who rules his wife:

Llew: Go to her, inform her Today we travel three hours until sundown Gwydion and myself and the soldiers with us; She is to come at once to bid us goodbye. (Act One p.49)

The actor will be expected to use a tone full of authority here; a specific rhythm and a deep pitch. This is the type of man that Llew would like to be; a brave soldier, a man of honour and respect with a loving and supportive wife. Unfortunately this is not the real Llew. Once his servant has left, we see the real Llew; unsure, self-pitying, lacking in confidence and utterly dependent on Gwydion.

Llew: O, uncle, foster father, No man in Gwynedd is as wretched as I. (Act One p.49)

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Llew’s speech, where he discusses the first time he saw Blodeuwedd, is of great help to an actor in understanding Llew’s complex feelings towards her and towards his life; he feels passion, he feels love; he is excited and then he experiences her coldness.

These lines are key to understanding the relationship between Blodeuwedd and Llew and give the director clear clues in terms of directing the actors and the relationship between the characters. They appear perfect – a handsome young couple, but coldness and barrenness poison the relationship and the future.

Llew: Never, I will never forget the daybreak When I saw for the very first time Blodeuwedd; Yourself and Math came walking across the glade And between you, naked as the blossoms of the dawn The dew undried upon her cold breasts, Breasts as pure as a lily’s heart when night Holds it to her bosom, there she walked The virgin spring’s soul embodied in flesh I looked at her, and she in turn at me, And I clothed her nakedness with burning kisses; And these arms, the lusty arm of youth – My arms so long empty – her cincture of steel.

(Act One p.50-51)

Both Llew’s excitement and sense of loneliness are evident here. Also evident is how unnatural this situation is for the two of them. She stands naked before him and he is unsure of her. This is Gwydion’s work and the two young people must bend to his will - it is no surprise that Blodeuwedd is cold as she is facing a stranger. Llew tells Gwydion:

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Llew: But she was cold, Lord Gwydion, cold. My heart that was throbbing on her breast, Broke like glass on flint.

(Act One p.51)

In these lines the actor must portray the sadness of the situation. There is a suggestion that he knew from the start that Blodeuwedd could never love him.

Llew returns in Act Two and notices that Blodeuwedd appears reinvigorated: her tears make him think that he had misunderstood her, that paerhaps she is not as cold as he thought. Llew’s hope must appear sincere here; the irony emerges from the dialogue and from the audience’s knowledge of Blodeuwedd’s relationship with Gronw, not from the performance of the actor.

Llew: I thought that you were cold and unimpassioned; I did not know that rears of longing Could cloud the brightness of your lovely eyes.

(Act Two p.70)

At last, Llew believes that Blodeuwedd loves him. The scene continues in a similar way to that when Lady Macbeth welcomes Duncan to the castle whilst planning his death. Blodeuwedd plays at being the loving wife in order to trick and destroy Llew. She succeeds in persuading him to tell her how he can be killed:

Blodeuwedd: Let me know your fate, that my breast May no longer ache with anxiety.

Llew: I will gladly tell you.

(Act Two p.72)

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During this scene the actor must demonstrate Llew’s joy to the audience. He is both content and free because his wife loves him.

The Llew of Act Four is far harder, more mature and crueler that the character portrayed in previous acts. It is imperative for the actor to demonstrate this change in his character; at times he is even more suspicious and resolute than Gwydion. As Gronw yields to him and declares that Llew’s men need not bind him, Gwydion agrees.However Llew wants him to stay bound by ropes in order to insult him.

Llew: That is a cord of flax upon his arms; I was bound by the rope of a woman’s falsehood.

(Act Four p.93)

GWYDION

Gwydion is an interesting character. He resembles Haman the Agagite in ‘Esther’ - a man who tries to be a god, who attempts to control nature. He is powerful and determined to challenge the destiny which Arianrhod placed on Llew. He is delighted by the fact that Llew relies utterly on him.

Llew: And a mother’s vengeance is stronger than your love

Gwydion: How so? Her schemes have been demolished, haven’t they? When she refused to give you a name I saw to it that you were named. She laid a doom upon you that you would never gain arms: I saw to it you were armed by your own hands. She doomed you never to find a wife among the daughters of men: I

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fashioned for you out of flowers the loveliest maiden that eyes have seen.

(Act One p.50)

Like Blodewuwedd he is amoral (although he should know better); he is cynical and ice cold. The final scene clearly demonstrates that unlike Gronw, he has not recognised his faults or his part in the tragedy. There is no repentance; he believes that he still has the right to “bend the elements to satisfy (his) pride”.

Like Haman the Agagite, he tried to play god; unlike Haman he is not punished. Blodeuwedd is the one who is fatally punished for the failure of Gwydion’s experiment. At the end of the play, Gwydion’s coldness and cruelty should make the audience hate him and pity Blodeuwedd. Blodeuwedd’s punishment is harsh and cruel. Finally Llew and Blodeuwedd understand that they are alike; they both railed against their destiny and see that they were pawns in Gwydion’s game. Gwydion does not see this.

Gwydion: Enter the darkness to join the owls. The rites of the moon and the hollow tree. This moment, As you cross the threshold and cringe from the sun Your harsh laughter will change to an owl’s screech, And by day you will never dare show your face.

(Act Four p.97)

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GRONW PEBR

Saunders Lewis’ Gronw is very different from the character of the legend; he is more complicated and his actions lead to the dramatic climax of Act Four.

His entrance is powerful; his relationship with Blodeuwedd is full of passion and energy. However at the end of the play he turns his back on passion, on physical love and understands the importance of family, tradition and belonging. He chooses to face Llew and Gwydion and in doing so, like Gwilym Brewys in ‘Siwan’, he faces a hero’s death.

Like Blodeuwedd, Gronw deserves the audience’s pity. He is a nobleman who betrays his bloodline, and attempts to fight his destiny, as do Blodeuwedd and Llew.

The audience does not see the first meeting between Gronw and Blodeuwedd. Instead it first sees them at the end of the feast. Their first two lines of dialogue are full of danger and sexual energy - Saunders Lewis cuts to the root of their relationship:

Blodeuwedd: Have you had your fill?

Gronw: Yes, of food and drink. (Act One p.57)

Blodeuwedd reminds him of his family ties and offers him the chance to leave, however inAct One Gronw is full of passion and cannot see the consequences of his decisions.

Blodeuwedd: And your ranks and your tradition, your family Courtesy, and noble blood’s fidelity?

Gronw: I will forget them. (Act One p.59)

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In three simple words he rejects the ancient traditions of his family, and jeopardises the good name of his whole tribe.

A year has passed between Act One and Act Three. Gronw’s entrance is full of frustration as his desire for Blodeuwedd is as powerful as ever. Blodeuwedd is much colder; she realises that she must keep Gronw’s passion at its height in order to ensure that he kills Llew. Blodeuwedd develops as a character throughout the play as she learns how to play men’s games.

Gronw: My beautiful flower, I bear a year of thirsting for you lips A long abstinence from your arms. And you say, Do not touch me.

Blodeuwedd: I bear Llew’s collar; I have come here now from his arms.

Gronw: Into my arms?

Blodeuwedd: Across his corpse. (Act Three p.75)

Gronw feels utterly frustrated as Blodeuwedd bargains for Llew’s death. This is the first time that the audience questions her love for him: does she truly love Gronw or is it merely the death of Llew and pure lust which drives her? There is no clear solution; the decision in terms of interpretation must lie in the hands of the director and actor.

Blodeuwedd: O Gronw, what is your fidelity to me? Will you keep your lust? Lust is strong..

(Act Two p.67)

During Act Four, Gronw recovers the dignity of his ancestors by staying to face Llew rather than fleeing with his men. As John Proctor does in The Crucible and Gwilym Brewys in Siwan,

this is his opportunity to reclaim his goodness and his family’s good name. He is different from Blodeuwedd as he has a family, memories and responsibility, and ultimately these things are stronger than his passion for her. It is evident that this is a key motif in Lewis’ work; in the original, Gronw hides. Holding on to one’s dignity and keeping one’s good name is important here, and is an ongoing theme in Saunders Lewis’ work.

Gronw: I will remain here to satisfy Llew Llaw Gyffes for his shame and dishonour;

(Act Four p.89)

At the end of the play Gronw reaches a kind of ‘anagnorisis’; he recognises his fall, he understands his mistakes and his weaknesses and he knows that there is no escape. By now, it is important that the actor elicits sympathy from the audience. He tells Blodeuwedd:

Gronw: No, it is not in your arms, my freedom But in looking at you, my life’s end at hand And cherishing your sister death more than you.

(Act Four p.91) RHAGNELL

Rhagnell is an interesting character to play. She is far more than merely a confidante; although she functions as a means of allowing the audience to know Blodeuwedd’s hopes and fears, she is also a fully rounded character in her own right. She follows in the eighteenth century European tradition of ‘Minna von Barnhelm’ (Gothold Lessing) where the servants are intelligent advisors . This is Rhagnell’s role.

She is young and fiercely loyal to her mistress. For this she pays dearly. In Act One, as Blodeuwedd fears the isolation and loneliness of the palace after Llew has left, Rhagnell tells her:

Rhagnell: Calm yourself , my lady What have you to fear? This is your castle, And the land is yours, and your word is law, And there is no one here who does not love you. As for me, I would give my life for you If need be.

(Act One p.54)

She is faithful to the end and thus earns the respect and pity of the audience. She has the fidelity which is missing from Blodeuwedd.

In Act Two when Llew returns, the contrast between Rhagnell and Blodeuwedd is clear. The maid is practical (she wants Blodeuwedd to greet Llew and try to behave naturally), she is kind and faithful. Blodeuwedd, however is cruel and punishes Rhagnell for her loyalty. She cannot trust her as she is human and not a creature of nature like Blodeuwedd and Gronw.

Rhagnell: You think that I am going to betray you?

Blodeuwedd: You are human, fruit of the womb like him.

Rhagnell: (Kneeling beside her) I am your handmaid as long as I live

(Act Two p.68)

The simple action of kneeling demonstrates clearly the relative status of the women. Blodeuwedd ties Rhagnell’s plait of hair around her neck and perhaps will kill her but for Llew’s entrance. Rhagnell’s still response to this threat is pitiful and testament of her pure fidelity.

THE CAPTAIN OF PENLLYN’S HOUSEHOLD GUARD

The Captain is introduced in Act Two. Gronw and Blodeuwedd have been together for three days and he comes to the castle to search for Gronw. He is a perfect foil to Rhagnell - he is cold, hard and dismissive whereas she is faithful to her mistress and full of warmth.

Captain: … Go, tell him to bid good bye to the half-breed sorceress Who has bewitched him, and start for home.

(Act Two p.62)

His dialogue, like Gwydion’s, is in prose and very different from the lyricism of the younger characters. At the end of the play he chooses to return to Penllyn rather than face death with his master. He is pragmatic and very practical.

FURTHER RESEARCH

Blodeuwedd has remained popular since its first performance in1948 and is still performed today. For many people, Blodeuwedd is their favourite play.

Here are some websites where there are articles and essays on the play by scholars, critics and directors.

Blodeuwedd Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru (English and Welsh versions available) http://theatr.cymru/portfolio/blodeuwedd

Theatre Review: Blodeuwedd - Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru www.walesartsreview.org/blodeuwedd

Saunders ar y Teli , Nia Roberts - Cyfrol: 438/439, Gorffennaf/Awst 1999 http://www.theatre-wales.co.uk/barn/manylion.asp?barnID=131

Y Fewnfudwraig , Dyfrig Jones - Cyfrol: 477, Hydref 2002 http://www.theatre-wales.co.uk/barn

Reading between the Lines , Caroline Donald http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment

APPENDIX I

BLODEUWEDD

The story of Blodeuwedd is part of the Fourth Branch of Mabinogi legends. Arianrhod had two sons, one whom was named Lleu Llaw Gyffes. She put three curses on Lleu: that he would not receive a name unless it was given by her, he would not receive his armour unless from her, and the last curse was that he would never be allowed to marry a mortal woman. After hearing of the last curse, Arianrhod’s brother and uncle, the wizards, Gwydion and Math thought they would be able to help. They created a wife for Lleu Llaw Gyffes out of flowers and gave her the name Blodeuwedd, meaning ‘face of flowers’. Blodeuwedd was beautiful and innocent; immediately Lleu fell in love with her and the two were married.

Not long after the marriage, Lleu had to go and meet his uncles and left Blodeuwedd alone in their castle at Ardudwy. As she became bored and lonely, she suddenly heard sounds nearby and looking from her castle she saw a hunting party approaching the castle. The leader of the party was Gronw Pebr, the lord of nearby Penllyn. He told Blodeuwedd that his party was looking for somewhere to stay and Blodeuwedd did not hesitate to let them inside the castle. Almost immediately she fell in love with Gronw Pebyr and the two began an affair. They decided that because they wanted to be together, they would kill Lleu. This wouldn’t be easy, as Lleu couldn’t be killed in any normal way. When Gronw and his hunting party left and Lleu returned, Blodeuwedd asked him what was the method used to kill him, appearing to be worried and sympathetic. Lleu told her the following, difficult, method in which someone could kill him - he could only be killed before he was about to take a bath on the banks of a river. One foot must be on the bath and the other on the back of a goat, and he could not be either indoor or outdoors. The only thing that would kill him then would be a spear, which had been worked on for exactly a year.

After hearing this from Lleu, Blodeuwedd went to Gronw Pebr with the news, and he began working on a spear immediately. Exactly a year later, as Lleu was able to take a bath underneath a thatched roof along the banks of a river, Gronw Pebr threw a spear into Lleu’s side. Because Lleu had one foot on the side of a bath tub and the other on the back of a goat, Gronw’s plan was successful. But what Lleu had not told Blodeuwedd was that he could not be

killed - instead, as soon as the spear hit him, Lleu burst into an eagle and flew away to a forest. After hearing the news, Gwydion set out to find Lleu. Luckily he found him in a tree in the forest nearby, living off the meat of a wild boar at the trunk of the tree. Because of his magic powers, Gwydion was able to turn Lleu back into a man. Finally after some time, Lleu was back in the form of a human and he set out to find Gronw Pebr and Blodeuwedd. Lleu killed Gronw Pebr, but in fear Blodeuwedd had run to the forest. She was not lucky though - Gwydion managed to corner her and as punishment for what she had done, he turned her into a tawny owl, telling her that every other bird would fear her and thus she would have to live the rest of her life in solitude.

(N.B In Saunders Lewis’ version ‘Lleu’ becomes ‘Llew’ – in Welsh this allows play on word with the meaning of llew/lion)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Cover image, Miss Marie Dora; Wikimedia Commons http://bit.ly/2avaB2l

Tri Penyberth; Unable to trace copyright, please contact us if you are the copyright holder

Blodeuwedd book cover; Gwasg Gee Cyf

Blodeuwedd; Yuri Leitch

Barn owl; Ann Mead, Flickr Creative Commons http://bit.ly/2albRCl

The Knight; Sashiri, Deviant Art

Vector, old man; 123 RF http://www.123rf.com/

Huntsman Drawing; Dragon Art http://bit.ly/2au9OeI

Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of materials however if there are omissions or inaccuracies please inform us so that any necessary corrections can be made.