Bran Bendigeid, “the Blessed Raven” is a central figure in The Mabinogion, and before Arthur was counted as Britain's greatest champion, he was a hero of unmatched mythical proportion. Bran was by most accounts the son of Lir, a giant who possessed superhuman strength and abilities.

The story of Bran as recounted in The Mabinogion begins with the marriage of his sister, Branwen, to Mathowlch, the high king of Ireland. The wedding was held on the shores of Anglesey Isle, and giant tents were erected to accommodate the giant's enormous frame. The marriage feast began with much merriment, but it was soon to be soured by the pique of Bran's half-brother Efnissyen, who was offended that he had never been asked to consent to the marriage.

Efnissyen took out his annoyance on Mathowlch's stables, mutilating his fine horses. The king, outraged and dismayed by this insult from his bride's family, called off the wedding and prepared to return to his ships. Bran, being a man of honor, quickly stepped in and pleaded with Mathowlch to remain. To remedy his losses, he offered the king a new horse for each one injured, plus a great silver staff and a platter of gold. Mathowlch, still smarting, refused.

So great was Bran's desire to do the honorable thing that he offered the Irish king Wales's greatest treasure: the Cauldron of Rebirth, which could be used to restore the bodies of the dead to full health, but for their powers of speech. Mathowlch at last relented and accepted Bran's generosity. He took his new bride home with him, and she bore him a son within the year, whom she named Gwern, “Alder.”

Mathowlch, unfortunately, hadn't forgiven his wife's family for the mutilation of his horses. Once he had a son, Branwen was banished to the kitchen, where she was expected to toil as a common servant. Angry as he was, Mathowlch was not foolish enough to let Bran hear of his deeds, so he took great pains to prevent any word of his cruelty from reaching the giant's ears. Ships were prohibited from traveling to Britain, and ships from Britain were seized as they made landing.

This situation obviously could not hold, but Branwen decided not to wait for her brother to investigate his missing ships. No fool herself, she devised a way to contact her brother in secret. She trained a young bird to carry messages and sent it to find Bran. Bran proved easy to locate, and he immediately mustered an invasion force. He left his kingdom under the care of his son Caradoc and sailed for Ireland with his fleet.

Meanwhile, Mathowlch was plagued by visions of a forest that appeared in the midst of the sea, flanked by an enormous mountain. Having no one who could interpret this vision, he summoned Branwen to interpret. She informed the king that the forest upon the ocean was Bran's navy, and the mountain was her brother, coming to rescue her.

Now the king knew that his brother-in-law was coming for him and that he would certainly be defeated in battle. So he devised a plan to trick the giant through flattery. He set about at once constructing a house big enough to accommodate Bran. The house was to be so large that it would hold not only the giant but his army as well. It would be the first house large enough to fit Bran, and the giant's first home, certain to impress him and make him forget his anger at least temporarily.

Mathowlch arranged to have a great feast prepared in the hall of the new home. The king expected the giant and his party would get quite drunk, at which time he planned a surprise attack. From the pillars of the great hall, he hung a great many sacks, each one containing an armed warrior, who would drop down amongst Bran's men and slaughter them.

The Destruction of Ireland

At first, the giant was quite pleased with his new home, and the ruse was successful. When he asked about the sacks hung from the pillars, Mathowlch explained these were provisions of flour and oats. Bran was satisfied with this explanation. His ever-suspicious brother Efnissyen was not so sure, however, and went about squeezing each sack to assure himself. Because Efnissyen was part giant himself, he managed to squeeze each warrior quite to death, and Mathowlch was forced to reckon a new plan.

Before he was able, however, the hot-headed Efnissyen once again made a mess of things. Upon being introduced to Branwen's young son, Efnissyen was reminded of his anger at the wedding, and in a fit of temper he threw the child into the fireplace.

The feast erupted into warfare, and the battle raged for three days and nights before Bran's armies emerged victorious. The battle had such longevity in large part because the magical cauldron that Bran had given Mathowlch enabled him to continually resurrect his forces. Efnissyen concealed himself among the Irish dead and was able to split the cauldron when he was thrown inside it, and the Irish were defeated shortly afterward. Efnissyen achieved some measure of salvation in this act, as the sacrifice killed him.

The result of the battle was catastrophic. Every Irish citizen but for five pregnant women lay dead, and the armies of Bran were reduced to seven warriors. Bran himself was wounded with a poison dart and lay dying. Branwen, distraught that her discomfort had brought ruin on all, died of grief on the spot.

The Miraculous Head

The dying giant implored his seven remaining men to cut off his head and return with it to Britain. Upon their return, his men chanced to enter the Otherworld, where they remained for eighty years, having forgotten all of their troubles. The head of Bran remained active and made merry alongside them, until one chanced to open the door leading to the upper world. The men all recalled their mission and the great disaster that had befallen. They returned to Britain and buried Bran's head under the Tower of London, facing the shoreline. The head served as a powerful talisman, protecting Britain from invasion for many generations before it was dug up and turned around by the pious Arthur, who claimed that from that point forward, Britain would be protected by God and by Arthur's armies alone.