Pryderi

Pryderi was the son of Pwyll, the lord of Dyved, and of Rhiannon. Pryderi was the only character to appear in all four tales of the Mabinogi.

In the tale of Pwyll, Pryderi was abducted when he was only an infant. In the story of Branwen, he was a young man who ruled his father's kingdom; however, his role in this story was minor. This tale was about the war between Ireland and Britain. Bran, the king of Britain was killed in battle. Pryderi was one of the seven survivors who had fought against Ireland and brought Bran's head back to Britain.

In the tale of Manawyddan, Pryderi had a more active role than all the other tales. Pryderi returned to Wales and made his mother marry Manawyddan (brother of Bran). Pryderi was married to Kigva (Cigfa). However, his subjects mysteriously vanished. To survive, Manawyddan and Pryderi took various trades in different towns such as boot-making, shield making, etc. Manawyddan and Pryderi proved to be exceptional or gifted tradesmen, which caused jealousy and hostility from other tradesmen. When he returned home with his family, Pryderi and Rhiannon had also vanished when they had touched a golden cauldron. In the end, Manawyddan restored them when he lifted the curse or enchantment of Pryderi's kingdom by catching the sorcerer's wife. The sorcerer's wife was the sister of Pywll's old enemy.

In the final tale called Math Son of Don, Pryderi appeared only in the first part of the tale. Gwydion, nephew of King Math of Gwynedd (northern kingdom) and a great sorcerer, cheated him by stealing his pigs. These pigs were given to him by Lord Arawn of Annwfn (Otherworld), who was a close friend of his father Pwyll. To avoid a battle, Pryderi agreed to a single combat against Gwydion, in which Pryderi lost his life.

In a way, the four tales of Mabinogi were a Cycle of Pryderi, yet he only played a minor role in each of the stories. Pryderi also appeared in a Welsh tale called Preiddiau Annwfn (Spoils of Annwfn) where Arthur tried to steal a magic cauldron in Annwfn (Otherworld). Again, Pryderi was one of the seven survivors, along with Arthur and Taliesin. (Hey! This sounds similar to the tale about Branwen.)

Not much else is known about Pryderi except in these four stories, so I suggest that you read the Mabinogion, since I have told each story in full there.