Gwythyr and Gwyn ap Nudd

Gwythyr and Gwyn ap Nudd are bound by a rivalry over Creiddylad that begins with her abduction before her marriage to Gwythyr and ends, in the account given, not with a final victory but with a contest renewed every May Day. Arthur’s intervention prevents the conflict from continuing unchecked, yet the peace he makes leaves the outcome suspended between the two rivals.

Betrothal and Abduction

Creiddylad, daughter of Llud Llaw Ereint, was betrothed to Gwythyr. Before she became his bride, Gwyn ap Nudd carried her away by force. The interruption of the betrothal turns a promised marriage into the cause of a struggle: Gwythyr gathers an army and goes to fight Gwyn, making the dispute both personal and military.

Defeat and Captivity

Gwyn defeats Gwythyr and captures a group of nobles, among them Greid son of Eri, Glinneu son of Taran, Gwrgwst Ledlwm, Dynvarth, Penn son of Nethawg, Nwython, and Kyledyr Wyllt. The conflict’s violence extends beyond the two rivals. Nwython is killed, and Gwyn compels his son Kyledyr to eat his father’s heart; Kyledyr consequently becomes mad. The episode shows the cost of Gwyn’s victory in the destruction of a family and the lasting harm inflicted on a captive.

Arthur’s Intervention and the Settlement

When Arthur hears what has happened, he travels north, summons Gwyn ap Nudd, frees the imprisoned nobles, and makes peace between Gwyn and Gwythyr. The settlement does not award Creiddylad to either man. Instead, she is to remain in her father’s house, with neither rival having advantage over the other, while Gwyn and Gwythyr fight for her on the first of May each year. The annual combat is to continue until the day of doom, and its victor is then to have her.

An Unresolved Rivalry

The agreement both contains and perpetuates the conflict. Arthur restores the captives and stops the immediate war, but the rivals’ claim is converted into a recurring contest rather than settled by a permanent choice. Creiddylad’s place in her father’s house preserves the stalemate, while the yearly May Day duel gives it a fixed time and rule. The account supplies no final result: the rivalry remains open, with the promised outcome deferred until a future victory.