The Library
of Alexandria

A character in The Mabinogion

Who is Rhiannon?

By the Library of Alexandria · 2 minute read · Updated 23 Oct 2026

In short

  • Rhiannon is an Otherworld woman in The Mabinogion, the Welsh tale collection associated with Lady Charlotte Schreiber.
  • She rides to Pwyll by her own choice and asks to marry him rather than her family's chosen husband.
  • When her newborn son vanishes, she faces false blame with great patience.

Who Rhiannon is

Rhiannon enters the first branch as a woman in shining gold, riding a pale horse near Pwyll's mound in Dyfed. His riders cannot catch her, however hard they chase, but she stops when Pwyll himself calls to her. Her arrival brings the Otherworld into a story about marriage, promises and honor.

What Rhiannon wants

Rhiannon wants to marry Pwyll rather than Gwawl, the man her family has chosen for her. She tells Pwyll her wishes directly, making her own choice central to their relationship. Gwawl brings trouble to their wedding, where a clever trick involving a magic bag helps Pwyll overcome him.

Rhiannon and the others in the story

Rhiannon's marriage to Pwyll leads to the birth of a son, but the child disappears on the very same night. Her frightened women smear her with blood and accuse her, turning the loss into an ordeal of false blame.

Questions

Who is Rhiannon in The Mabinogion?

Rhiannon is a woman of the Otherworld who chooses Pwyll as her husband and later suffers unjust blame.

Why does Rhiannon stop for Pwyll?

She stops when he calls to her, after his riders fail to catch her. She then tells him that she would rather marry him than Gwawl.

The classics, in your inbox

Characters, key ideas and where to start, by email. Leave any time.

Read The Mabinogion, and 200,000+ more

Start free and open 200,000+ books to read and to hear, with a 15-minute summary of every one, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print.

Free to start. Renews every year. Cancel anytime.

Start free