Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
NOTES
https://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/t08.html 5/6
27/08/2020 The Battle of the Trees
First, it is worth noting that them of a battle of the trees can be seen reflected in the Irish story of The Second Battle of Magh
Turedh:
"And ye, O Be-cuile and O Dianann," said Lugh to his two witches," what power can ye wield in the battle?"
"Not hard to tell," said they. "We will enchant the trees and the stones and the sods of the earth, so that they shall
become a host under arms against them, and shall rout them in flight with horror and trembling."
And so the battle between the gods (Tuatha De Danann) and titans (Fomoraig) is waged in part by animating the trees and stones.
Here, we have another battle; but who is it between? In a later short text, also called "The Battle of the Trees," the battle is between
Arawn and Bran on the side of the underworld, and Amaethon and Gwydion on this side. The battle here is over a white deer and a
dog, both animals which appear in the beginning of the Mabinogi as the animals of Arawn, wrongly pursued by Pwyll. In "The
Battle of the Trees," Amaethon steals the animals from "Hell," which is ruled by Arawn. Amaethon is able to prevail when his
brother Gwydion guesses the name of one of the fighters, Bran, by the fact that he has alder sprigs on his shield. Now, Bran's
nephew (son of his sister Branwen) was named Gwern, meaning "alder," and it is the sister's son who is often the heir or chief
defender of the kingdom.
So what exactly is the Battle of the Trees? When one examines part of the outcome of the second battle of Magh Turedh--namely
that Lugh forces Bres to reveal the secrets of agriculture--and compares that them to the meaning of Amaethon's name--"Divine
Farmer"--we may be getting bits of a story varient of the gods vs. titans (or Aesir vs. Vanir, etc.) myth.
2. bridge/Over three score Abers: an aber is the mouth of a river. As for someone being a bridge, this could possibly refer to Bran
the Blessed, who stretched himself as a bridge over the Liffy in the story of "Branwen uerch Llyr". Or, it could just be one of the
transformations.
3. Guledig of Prydain: a warlord, here over all Britain. Who does this refer to? Arthur is mentioned later in the poem; could it be
him?
6. Gwydyon: the great magician of "Math vab Mathonwy". Father of Lleu, he is a bard and magician, and his name means "wood
knowledge".
8. Gwarchan of Maelderw: this is actually a poem in the Book of Aneirin, attributed to Taliesin.
9. Not of mother or father...: This section seems to refer to the creation of Blodeuwedd, the woman of flowers who was given to
Lleu as a wife. She later betrays him.
10. Math: the king of Gwynedd and master magician who created Blodeuwedd for his nephew Lleu.
13. Goronwy: the lover of Blodeuwedd and the murderer of Lleu; when Lleu is
14. Arthur
15. metalworkers: the word given is fferyll; some see this as the word Fferyllt, who is the classical poet Vergil, whose book
Cerridwen reads from when making her potion for awen.
https://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/t08.html 6/6