ABSTRACT
The lives of the men and women of the first three Branches of the Mabinogi are sometimes made bitter by tribulation, but it is in the retributive exchanges between Gwydion and Aranrhod in the Fourth Branch that we see how the failure of individuals to live up to appropriate codes of behavior can alienate them from their social group. Interestingly, the primary issue over which Gwydion and Aranrhod battle is fertility, a function traditionally ascribed to women. Three legal violations related to this function occur in the Fourth Branch: a rape, a false claim of virginity, and an adultery. Aranrhod is manipulated by her brother into demonstrating her fertility publicly, and he fosters the product of her female power to her everlasting shame. In literary terms, the rape of Goewin motivates the introduction of Aranrhod into the Fourth Branch, as Math must find a new virgin to serve as footbearer.
