Maelgwn Gwynedd

Also known as: Maelgwn · Role: king · First appears: THE DREAM OF RHONABWY 3

In Taliesin, Maelgwn Gwynedd, king, had Elphin son of Gwyddno as his nephew, and Elphin came to him by a Christmas invitation. After hearing Elphin’s boasts about his wife and bard, Maelgwn imprisoned him at the castle of Dyganwy: “the king ordered him to be thrown into a strong prison”. When Rhun returned with a finger and Elphin’s ring as supposed proof against the boast, Maelgwn released Elphin and chided him, but after Elphin challenged the evidence, Maelgwn ordered him back into prison until he proved its truth.

When Taliesin appeared, Maelgwn asked what he was and where he came from, then employed Heinin Vardd, his first and wisest bard, to answer him. He also bade Elphin wager that he possessed a horse better and swifter than the king’s horses, while Taliesin condemned him and called for vengeance on Maelgwn, Rhun, and all their race. Elsewhere, Rhun is identified as “the son of Maelgwn Gwynedd”.