Adar Llwch Gwin

A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Adar Llwch Gwin [W llwch, dust, powder; gwin, wine]. Magical birds of Welsh tradition, belonging to Drudwas ap Tryffin, often equated with griffins. They were given to him by his wife, a fairy woman, and could understand human speech; they would also perform all that he commanded. In a contest with Arthur, Drudwas ordered the birds to kill the first fighter to enter the battlefield. When Arthur himself was delayed from entering the fray, the birds attacked Drudwas himself, the first to arrive, tearing his flesh to pieces. In the poetry of the late medieval Beirdd yr Uchelwyr [Poets of the Gentry], the phrase Adar Llwch Gwin was a synonym for hawks or falcons and a metaphor for strong, brave men.

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JAMES MacKILLOP. "Adar Llwch Gwin." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JAMES MacKILLOP. "Adar Llwch Gwin." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-AdarLlwchGwin.html

JAMES MacKILLOP. "Adar Llwch Gwin." A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O70-AdarLlwchGwin.html

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