Dylan ail Don () is a character in the fourth branch of the Mabinogi, "Math fab Mathonwy".

In Wales, Dylan is one of the most popular traditional Welsh names for boys.

Biography

In Math fab Mathonwy it is told that Dylan's great uncle Math would die if he did not keep his feet in the lap of a virgin when not at war. Math's original foot-holder, Goewin, is raped by Gilfaethwy who is punished severely when Math returns, turning Gilfaethwy and Gwydion into a series of mated pairs of animals. Math then marries Goewin to alleviate her shame, but must find a new virgin to hold his feet. Gwydion suggests his sister, Arianrhod. Math magically tests Arianrhod to confirm that she is a virgin, at which point she gives birth to twin sons.

Dylan's baptism

One of the sons, Lleu Llaw Gyffes, is borne away by Gwydion as a "lump of flesh" and concealed in a chest until maturity, but the other, a sturdy blonde boy, was immediately forsaken by his mother yet was acknowledged by his great uncle Math and given the name Dylan. As soon as Dylan comes in contact with his baptismal waters, he plunges into the sea and takes on characteristics of a sea creature, moving through the seawater as perfectly as any fish:'

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Dylan's death

Dylan is accidentally killed by his uncle Gofannon in the end.

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'And the blow whereby he came to his death, was struck by his uncle Gofannon. The third fatal blow was it called'. and the sister of Caswallawn (the historical Cassivellaunus). This element dylanw- appears itself to be a compound of the prefix dy- and the noun llanw ‘tidal flow’. The prefix dy- appears in numerous words in Welsh and is reconstructed in Proto-Celtic as *dī- with the meaning of ‘off, away’. The item llanw is reconstructed in Proto-Celtic as *φlanwo- ‘flood, filling.’ This *φlanwo- may plausibly have had a reduced form *φlanu- ‘flood.’ This etymology is echoed in the following Gaelic (Irish) words:

  • [tuinne] nf. in : gob na tuinne, the water edge
  • [tòn] nf. g. tòine; d. tòin; pl.+an, the fundament
  • [tonn] nm. g.v. tuinn; pl.+an and tuinn, wave, surge, billow

References

Further reading

  • Bromwich, Rachel (2006). Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain. University Of Wales Press. .
  • Ellis, Peter Berresford (1994). Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. (Oxford Paperback Reference) Oxford University Press. .
  • Ford, Patrick K. (1977). The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales. University of California Press. .
  • Gantz, Jeffrey (translator) (1987). The Mabinogion. New York: Penguin. .
  • Guest, C. (translator) (1877). The Mabinogion. Chicago: Academy Press Limited.
  • MacCulloch, J. A. (1911). The religion of the ancient Celts. New York: Dover Publications. .
  • MacKillop, James (1998). Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Oxford University Press. .
  • Wood, Juliette (2002). The Celts: Life, Myth, and Art. Thorsons Publishers. .
  • Proto-Celtic &mdash; English lexicon