11/09/2026
Once, in the age of legend, a Welsh princess named Branwen was given in marriage to Matholwch, King of Ireland, a match meant to bind two kingdoms together in peace. 🖤
The peace was shaky from the start. During the wedding celebrations, Branwen's half-brother Efnysien mutilated Matholwch's horses in fury over not being consulted.
Matholwch was placated with gifts and for a time things settled, Branwen even bore him a son called Gwern. But the insult kept rankling and Matholwch eventually turned on her and banished her from his side, she was forced into the kitchens and beaten daily.
With no way to send word home, Branwen did the only thing she could. She caught a starling, trained it to understand her speech and tied a letter to its wing describing everything she'd suffered. The bird flew across the sea to Wales and found her brother — Brân the Blessed, whose name itself means "raven."
He gathered his forces and crossed the sea to Ireland to bring his sister home. What followed was one of the most devastating battles in Welsh legend, nearly every warrior on both sides was killed, and Brân himself was fatally wounded. His final order was for his men to cut off his head and carry it back to Britain, where legend says it was buried beneath what is now the Tower of London to protect the land for as long as it remained there. It's said to be the origin of the ravens still kept at the Tower today.
Branwen survived the battle, but died of grief shortly after returning home, heartbroken by everything the war had cost.
A tale of love, betrayal and one very determined bird. 🐦
