Llŷr

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Lyr is also the abbreviation for the constellation Lyra.

In Welsh mythology, Llŷr is the father of Bran, Branwen and Manawydan by Penarddun. The Welsh Triads mention he was imprisoned by Eurosswydd; the Second Branch of the Mabinogi names Eurosswyd as the father of Penarddun's younger two sons, Nisien and Efnisien. Llŷr corresponds to Lir in Irish mythology, and, like the latter, he is identified as a god of the sea. Leir of Britain, a mythical British king most famous as the subject of William Shakespeare's King Lear, may be derived from Llŷr.

[edit] In fiction

Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain includes a "House of Llyr", a royal family whose female members are often enchantresses. The Princess Eilonwy, the heroine in the series, is the daughter of Angharad, daughter of Regat of the House of Llyr. The Chronicles of Prydain are strongly based on Welsh legend, and this inclusion is one of the many similarities between the mythic land of Prydain and Wales.

[edit] References

• Bromwich, Rachel (2006). Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain. Cardiff: University of Wales. ISBN 0-7083-1386-8.
• Gantz, Jeffrey (translator) (1987). The Mabinogion. New York: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-044322-3.