The Mabinogion · 161 of 192 · tr. Lady Charlotte Guest
Tale MATH THE SON OF MATHONWYe
But first I will cause thee to have compensation, and then will I have amends made unto myself.
As for thee, I will take thee to be my wife, and the possession of my dominions will I give unto thy hands.” And Gwydion and Gilvaethwy came not near the Court, but stayed in the confines of the land until it was forbidden to give them meat and drink.
At first they came not near unto Math, but at the last they came.
“Lord,” said they, “good day to thee.” “Well,” said he, “is it to make me compensation that ye are come?” “Lord,” they said, “we are at thy will.” “By my will I would not have lost my warriors, and so many arms as I have done.
You cannot compensate me my shame, setting aside the death of Pryderi.
But since ye come hither to be at my will, I shall begin your punishment forthwith.” Then he took his magic wand, and struck Gilvaethwy, so that he became a deer, and he seized upon the other hastily lest he should escape from him.
And he struck him with the same magic wand, and he became a deer also.
“Since now ye are in bonds, I will that ye go forth together and be companions, and possess the nature of the animals whose form ye bear.
And this day twelvemonth come hither unto me.” At the end of a year from that day, lo there was a loud noise under the chamber wall, and the barking of the dogs of the palace together with the noise.
“Look,” said he, “what is without.” “Lord,” said one, “I have looked; there are there two deer, and a fawn with them.” Then he arose and went out.
And when he came he beheld the three animals.
And he lifted up his wand.
“As ye were deer last year, be ye wild hogs each and either of you, for the year that is to come.” And thereupon he struck them with the magic wand.
“The young one will I take and cause to be baptized.” Now the name that he gave him was Hydwn.
“Go ye and be wild swine, each and either of you, and be ye of the nature of wild swine.
And this day twelvemonth be ye here under the wall.” At the end of the year the barking of dogs was heard under the wall of the chamber.
And the Court assembled, and thereupon he arose and went forth, and when he came forth he beheld three beasts.
Now these were the beasts that he saw; two wild hogs of the woods, and a well-grown young one with them.
And he was very large for his age.
“Truly,” said Math, “this one will I take and cause to be baptized.” And he struck him with his magic wand, and he become a fine fair auburn-haired youth, and the name that he gave him was Hychdwn.
“Now as for you, as ye were wild hogs last year, be ye wolves each and either of you for the year that is to come.” Thereupon he struck them with his magic wand, and they became wolves.
“And be ye of like nature with the animals whose semblance ye bear, and return here this day twelvemonth beneath this wall.” And at the same day at the end of the year, he heard a clamour and a barking of dogs under the wall of the chamber.
And he rose and went forth.
And when he came, behold, he saw two wolves, and a strong cub with them.
“This one will I take,” said Math, “and I will cause him to be baptized; there is a name prepared for him, and that is Bleiddwn.
Themes
◆Anthropomorphismtheology
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
Math exhibits human emotions such as shame and will, attributing human characteristics to the divine sovereign.
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 centrally depicts Math using a magic wand to transform Gwydion and Gilvaethwy into deer, wild hogs, and wolves over three years.
Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.
The use of a magic wand as a material symbol combined with ritual commands to effect change aligns with theurgical practice.
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.
Math's spoken commands such as 'be ye wild hogs' directly alter reality and effect physical transformation of the subjects.