Editing Gwythyr ap Greidawl

In [[Welsh mythology]], '''Gwythyr ap Greidawl''' was a rival of [[Gwyn ap Nudd]], a [[god (male deity)|deity]] connected with the [[Annwn|otherworld]]. In the [[Middle Welsh]] prose tale ''[[Culhwch ac Olwen]]'', he is named as a member of [[King Arthur|Arthur's]] retinue and takes part in the quest to win the hand of [[Olwen]] for Arthur's cousin, [[Culhwch]]. Gwthyr would join Arthur on a journey to Pennant Gofid in [[Hell]] to retrieve the blood of the witch Orddu. His father is Greidawl Galldonyd, a fellow knight in Arthur's court.<ref>Davies, Sioned, The Mabinogion. 2007, p. 184</ref> In ''Bonedd yr Arwyr'', his genealogy is given as Gwythyr son of Greidawl the son of Enfael the son of Deigyr the son of Dyfnwal the son of Ednyfed the son of Maxen the son of Llywelyn.<ref name="ReferenceA">Bromwich, Rachel. ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein.''</ref> The [[Welsh Triads]] name him as the father of [[King Arthur|Arthur's]] second wife, also named   [[Guinevere|Gwenhwyfar]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Sometime before the main events of ''Culhwch and Olwen'', Gwythyr was engaged to marry [[Creiddylad|Creiddylad, daughter of Lludd]], who was stolen from him by her brother, [[Gwyn ap Nudd]]. In a violent battle, Gwyn defeated his rival, kept Creiddylad and took a number of Gwythyr's chieftains prisoner. When Arthur heard of this, he forced Gwyn to release the noblemen and made peace between the two adversaries.

Every [[Calan Mai]], the two would fight over [[Creiddylad]], until a battle on Judgment Day, in which the victor would keep her forever. Their rivalry has been taken to represent the contest between summer and winter and is a variant of the [[Holly King (archetype)|Holly King]] myth.<ref>''The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth''. [[Robert Graves]]. Octagon Books. 1978. {{ISBN|0-374-93239-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-374-93239-8}}</ref>

==References==
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{{Welsh mythology}}

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[[Category:Welsh mythology]]
[[Category:Arthurian characters]]


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