Nant y Llew

Nant y Llew is the brook at which Gwydion’s search for Llew Llaw Gyffes reaches a decisive clue. Following a sow whose unexplained journeys have drawn his attention, Gwydion sees her feed beneath a tree on flesh and vermin falling from an eagle above; he suspects the bird is his missing nephew.

Setting and Approach

The brook enters the narrative as the sow leaves her sty and runs off at speed. Gwydion follows her as she travels against the course of a river and makes for the smaller watercourse now called Nant y Llew. There she stops to feed, bringing Gwydion to the spot from which he can investigate what she has found.

The Sow and the Eagle

Under a tree, Gwydion sees that the sow is eating putrid flesh and vermin. Looking up, he observes an eagle on the tree’s top; when it shakes itself, more of the same material falls from its body for the sow to devour. The unusual feeding scene gives Gwydion grounds to suspect that the eagle is Llew Llaw Gyffes. He marks that recognition in an englyn, asking whether the wounds identify the bird as Llew.

Name and Narrative Function

The text identifies the brook by its present name, Nant y Llew, at the point where Gwydion’s observation turns an obscure animal trail into a possible discovery about Llew Llaw Gyffes. The scene does not establish more about the brook’s geography, but it gives the place a precise narrative association: it is where the sow’s route leads Gwydion to the eagle and to the first clue in his search.