Third Branch of the Mabinogion:
Manawydan, son of Llyr
After the seven men had buried Bendigeidfran’s head at the White Tower in London, Manawydan sighed with sorrow. ‘I am the only one who has no place to go,’ he said.
His friend Pryderi then offered him the seven cantrefs of Dyfed, as well as his mother Rhiannon. As Manawydan talked to Rhiannon he was delighted and agreed to Pryderi’s proposal.
With Pryderi’s wife, Cigfa, they began a circuit of Dyfed, hunting and enjoying themselves; they had never seen a place better to live in, or hunt in, or more abundant in honey or fish and a friendship developed between the four of them. They began a feast at Arberth, but as they sat there they heard a tumultuous noise and a blanket of mist fell. The mist became bright, and when they looked they could see nothing at all where they had once seen flocks and herds and houses, only the desolate court and the four of them remained.
They wandered through the realm living on wild animals, fish and swarms of bees but after a year they grew tired and set of for England to seek a craft and earn a living.
They came to Hereford, where they began saddlemaking. Their saddles were so fine the other saddlers wanted to kill them, but they were warned and Manawydan decided they should leave, although Pryderi wanted to stay and fight. In the next town they took up shieldmaking, but the same thing happened, and in the third, shoemaking, but the same thing happened again and they decided to head back to Dyfed.
Hunting on the way, their dogs found a gleaming white boar in a thicket and a huge fort, newly build. Pryderi went inside and saw a well with a golden bowl, but when he touched it his hands stuck fast and he couldn’t leave. Rhiannon followed to find him, and she, too, stuck fast.
Seeing she and Manawydan were alone, Cigfa despaired, but he swore he was a true friend. They tried their hand at shoemaking again, but their shoes were so fine the other shoemakers wished to kill them. So they took some wheat back to Arberth and settled there. Manawydan planted a field, then a second and a third. But when he came to harvest the first field, and then the second, he found them stripped bare. Keeping watch over the third field he saw a huge army of mice climbing the stalks and stealing the ears. He managed to catch one that was very fat and took it back to court.
He wanted to hang the mouse as a thief, but then saw a poor cleric approaching, who begged him to stop, a priest followed and then a bishop. The bishop asked him to name his price to spare the mouse and Manawydan asked for the release of Rhiannon and Pryderi and for the enchantment to be removed from the seven cantrefs of Dyfed, and this was granted.
Manawydan still refused, asking to know who the mouse was. The bishop told him the mouse was his pregnant wife and that he, Llwyd, had enchanted the land to avenge Gwawl, son of Clud.
Manawydan still refused, until Llwyd promised there would be no more vengeance and he saw Rhianon and Pryderi returning. Then he released the mouse who turned into a fair young woman. He looked around and saw all the land inhabited again, complete with herds and houses.