Gwydion in Other Media
Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, a series of fantasy novels inspired by Welsh myths, features a character named Gwydion, based somewhat on the Gwydion of myth, but markedly different in terms of moral character. In the Chronicles of Prydain, Prince Gwydion is a member of the Sons of Don, Prydain's ruling house, and King Math's war leader. It is never stated if he is the son of High King Math, but he takes the throne when the High King dies. Gwydion meets Taran when the Assistant Pig-Keeper chases after Hen Wen. The two travel together until they are separated at Spiral Castle. In the course of the five-novel series, Gywdion defeats the Horned King by shouting his real name, leads the attempt to gain the Black Cauldron and helps Taran, Fflewddur Fflam, Gurgi and Prince Rhun rescue Princess Eilonwy from Achren. It is Gwydion who leads an assault on Annuvin by the sea shortly after he becomes High King. In the books, Prince Gwydion is an expert tracker, forester and warrior. As a member of the Royal House of Don, he often wears a pendant depicting a simple golden disk meant to represent the sun.
Patricia Kennealy-Morrison's Keltiad series—Irish, Welsh and Scottish legends translated to an interstellar, Star Wars style context—has a character named Gwydion Prince of Don as its co-protagonist. Like Alexander, Kennealy-Morrison bases her character on the mythological Gwydion, but humanizes him through her own creative process. Lover and First Lord of War to the Queen of Keltia, Aeron Aoibhell, Gwydion ultimately becomes Aeron's husband and King of Keltia, while having numerous adventures based on episodes from the various branches of the Mabinogion. He is a gifted bard, sorcerer and warrior, close to (and descended from) the magical Sidhefolk of Keltia, and is portrayed as Aeron's true and loving partner and her equal in most things. He takes a major part in the epic Battle of the Trees that ends "The Throne of Scone", the chronological last of the books published. Gwydion was a prominent character in the 2003 animated film Y Mabinogi, in which he was voiced by Philip Madoc.
He also appears in Phillip Mann's alternate history series A Land Fit for Heroes, Judith Tarr's fantasy series, The Hound and the Falcon and the Alamut series, Robert Carter's "The Language of Stones" series, the novel American Gods by Neil Gaiman, the books of the Welsh author Jenny Sullivan and in Jenny Nimmo's Snow Spider Trilogy. In The Mists of Avalon, Gwydion is the birth name of both King Arthur and Mordred. The name Gwydion also appears in the Sierra game King's Quest III, where a Prince Alexander of Daventry has been kidnapped by an evil wizard named Manannan who renames him Gwydion. A minor character named Gwydion appears in The Oaken Throne by Robin Jarvis.
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