The Three Great Exploits Of The Island Of Britain
- The ship of Nevydd Nav Neivion, which carried in it a male and female of all things living, when the Lake of floods burst forth;
- and the horned oxen of Hu the Mighty, which drew the Afanc of the Lake to land, so that the Lake burst forth no more;
- and the stones of Gwyddon Ganhebon, on which were read all the arts and sciences of the world.
Of the first, we can assume this is a version of Noah; in the
Book of Invasions, the daughter of Noah is said to be the first person to populate Ireland.
Of the second, Hu Gadarn/Hu the Mighty is a conflicting figure. On the one hand, the Red Book of Hergest insists that he is the Emperor of Constantinople, while this triad (also found in the Red Book) insists that he is a Welsh hero. Meanwhile, other say he is a god, or Jesus Christ, or any other thing they wish. The story of the afanc is also found in the story of Peredur, who is said to have married the Empress of Constantiople before returning to his uncle the Fisher King.
Regarding Gwyddon Ganhebon, he may be a form of Gwydion; the stones which read all arts may be a reference to ogham.
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