Math and Gwydion had procured a name and arms for Lleu Llaw Gyffes by tricking Arianrhod. They didn’t feel remorse about this because Arianrhod was a spectacularly bad mother: selfish, deceitful, promiscuous, and (having fallen for their ruses twice) stupid. Since she had no female friends, however, it seemed unlikely that they could trick a human wife for Lleu out of her.
Thus they made his bride, Blodeuwedd, from the flowers of the broom, the oak, and the meadowsweet. This flower-faced girl they gave to the grateful Lleu, and then turned their attention to sweeping up the green relics of Blodeuwedd’s creation.
They had just enough flowers left to make a second, smaller, being, whom they endowed with the same beauty, the same poetry of form, the same clear and melting eyes, but who would (unlike a wife), always be his friend, be faithful, and guard him night and day. Thus they gave him a hound, whom they called Ffyddlon.
