The Mabinogion · 155 of 192 · tr. Lady Charlotte Guest

Tale MANAWYDDAN THE SON OF LLYRh

It has been robbing me, and I am inflicting upon it the doom of a thief.” “Lord,” said he, “rather than see thee touch this reptile, I would purchase its freedom.” “By my confession to Heaven, neither will I sell it nor set it free.” “It is true, lord, that it is worth nothing to buy; but rather than see thee defile thyself by touching such a reptile as this, I will give thee three pounds to let it go.” “I will not, by Heaven,” said he, “take any price for at.

As it ought, so shall it be hanged.” “Willingly, lord, do thy good pleasure.” And the priest went his way.

Then he noosed the string around the mouse’s neck, and as he was about to draw it up, behold, he saw a bishop’s retinue with his sumpter-horses, and his attendants.

And the bishop himself came towards him.

And he stayed his work.

“Lord bishop,” said he, “thy blessing.” “Heaven’s blessing be unto thee,” said he; “what work art thou upon?” “Hanging a thief that I caught robbing me,” said he.

“Is not that a mouse that I see in thy hand?” “Yes,” answered he.

“And she has robbed me.” “Aye,” said he, “since I have come at the doom of this reptile, I will ransom it of thee.

I will give thee seven pounds for it, and that rather than see a man of rank equal to thine destroying so vile a reptile as this.

Let it loose and thou shalt have the money.” “I declare to Heaven that I will not set it loose.” “If thou wilt not loose it for this, I will give thee four-and-twenty pounds of ready money to set it free.” “I will not set it free, by Heaven, for as much again,” said he.

“If thou wilt not set it free for this, I will give thee all the horses that thou seest in this plain, and the seven loads of baggage, and the seven horses that they are upon.” “By Heaven, I will not,” he replied.

“Since for this thou wilt not, do so at what price soever thou wilt.” “I will do so,” said he.

“I will that Rhiannon and Pryderi be free,” said he.

“That thou shalt have,” he answered.

“Not yet will I loose the mouse, by Heaven.” “What then wouldst thou?” “That the charm and the illusion be removed from the seven Cantrevs of Dyved.” “This shalt thou have also; set therefore the mouse free.” “I will not set it free, by Heaven,” said he.

“I will know who the mouse may be.” “She is my wife.” “Even though she be, I will not set her free.

Wherefore came she to me?” “To despoil thee,” he answered.

“I am Llwyd the son of Kilcoed, and I cast the charm over the seven Cantrevs of Dyved.

And it was to avenge Gwawl the son of Clud, from the friendship I had towards him, that I cast the charm.

And upon Pryderi did I revenge Gwawl the son of Clud, for the game of Badger in the Bag, that Pwyll Pen Annwvyn played upon him, which he did unadvisedly in the Court of Heveydd Hên.

And when it was known that thou wast come to dwell in the land, my household came and besought me to transform them into mice, that they might destroy thy corn.

And it was my own household that went the first night.

And the second night also they went, and they destroyed thy two crofts.

Themes

◆Animismcosmology

The doctrine and worldview that natural phenomena, places, and objects possess inherent spirit, soul, or personality — and that the cosmos is populated by countless local, plural, embodied divine agents: kami in mountain and tree, sidhe in cairn and well, landwights in field and stone, nymphs in spring and grove, haltija in forest and lake, lares and penates in household and threshold, Iamblichean daemons in element and place. Distinct from monotheism (single transcendent God), pantheism (one underlying substance), and emanation_hierarchy (cascading single source); animism's signature is the plurality, locality, and embodied-in-landscape character of the divine.

The landscape is populated by agents (mice) acting with intent to destroy corn, fitting the definition of landwights or spirits inhabiting the field and stone.

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◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

Divine presence is invoked as an active witness to oaths and blessings ('By Heaven', 'Heaven's blessing'), indicating a responsive divine reality.

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◆Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

Characters exchange blessings and invoke Heaven ('thy blessing', 'Heaven's blessing be unto thee'), representing direct address to the divine.

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◆Shapeshifting Transformationtheology

Form-mutability as a constitutional property of divine and preternatural beings — gods, heroes, spirits, and their human practitioners possessing inherent capacity to alter form across human, animal, plant, or elemental states. Loki and Odin's transformations in Norse, Math's pigs and Blodeuwedd's owl-shape and Pwyll's exchange with Arawn in the Mabinogion, the Greek Proteus, the Indian dasavatara, Vainamoinen's bird-flight in the Kalevala, Ovid's metamorphoses, the shamanic and witch's capacity for ritual form-change. Distinct from anthropomorphism (divine taking specific human form, single embodiment) in that anthropomorphism establishes a stable form whereas this concept establishes form's plurality and instability.

The passage centers on the transformation of Llwyd's household into mice and the revelation that the mouse is actually his wife, making form-mutability a central plot mechanism.

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◆Word Power Incantationpraxis

The doctrine and practice that spoken or sung word carries causal-magical force — that uttering names, formulas, songs, or incantations alters reality directly rather than merely communicating about it. Vainamoinen's runo-songs that move mountains and command iron, Norse galdr, Vedic mantra, Shinto kotodama, the magician's barbarous names in the Greek Magical Papyri, Iamblichean arcane signatures and inexplicable symbols, biblical creation-by-word. Distinct from sacred_names (the ontological power of names themselves) and prayer (address to the divine); word_power_incantation is the magical-causal efficacy of the spoken word as such.

Magic is enacted through spoken declarations ('I cast the charm', 'charm and the illusion be removed'), demonstrating the causal force of words in altering reality.

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