Gwynedd is a lordship ruled by Math son of Mathonwy, and its significance in the narrative comes from more than its status as territory: its court at Caer Dathyl is a seat of rule, its roads become part of a pursuit, and its people are gathered for a campaign. The region is set against Pryderi’s extensive southern dominion, while episodes within Gwynedd link political authority to magical events, flight, and recovery.

Political Territory and Southern Contrast

Math son of Mathonwy is lord over Gwynedd, while Pryderi, son of Pwyll, rules the twenty-one Cantrefs of the South. Those southern lands comprise the seven Cantrefs of Dyved, the seven of Morganwc, the four of Ceredigiawn, and the three of Ystrad Tywi. The account thus gives Gwynedd a defined place in a broader political landscape, contrasting Math’s lordship with the enumerated southern territories under Pryderi.

The Court at Caer Dathyl

Math dwells continually at Caer Dathyl, in Arvon. He cannot make the circuit of his land because he can exist only while his feet rest in a maiden’s lap, except when the tumult of war prevents it. Goewin, daughter of Pebin of Dol Pebin in Arvon, serves in that role and is described as the fairest maiden known there in her time. Since Math cannot travel through the territory himself, his nephews Gilvaethwy and Eneyd, with his household, make the circuit in his stead. The court’s physical constraint therefore affects how the lordship is administered and places Goewin within the practical arrangements of rule.

Routes, Pursuit, and Military Assembly

Gwynedd becomes a destination in Gwydion’s hurried journey with the swine. He tells his men to press on toward its fastnesses because a host is pursuing them. At the highest town of Arllechwedd, they build a sty for the animals; the town is thereafter called Creuwyryon for that reason. They then proceed to Math at Caer Dathyl, where they learn that Pryderi is assembling the twenty-one Cantrefs of the South to pursue them. Trumpets sound and the host is heard in the land, and Gwydion and his companions array themselves and set out for Penardd in Arvon. The sequence makes Gwynedd both a refuge sought under pressure and a territory where rival powers’ movements converge.

Campaign and Recovery

Gwynedd’s people are also gathered for Llew Llaw Gyffes’s campaign. After Llew has recovered at Caer Dathyl, physicians from Gwynedd having healed him before the end of the year, he seeks retribution and asks for his right to be restored. The whole of Gwynedd is called together and sets out to Ardudwy. This movement from recovery at the court to collective action in another part of the region’s story gives Caer Dathyl a recurring function: it is not only Math’s residence, but also a place from which consequential journeys and political responses begin. Across these episodes, Gwynedd’s geography is disclosed through travel, pursuit, and assembly rather than through a detached description of its boundaries.