A day came when Math, the son of Mathonwy, said to Gwydion, his councillor, "What maiden shall I seek that my feet may be in her lap?" "Lord," said Gwydion, "it is easy to give thee counsel in this matter; seek Arianrhod, the daughter of Don, thy niece, thy sister's daughter."
Then Gwydion brought Arianrhod before him. "Ha, damsel," said Math, "art thou a maiden?" "I know not, Lord, other than I am." He took up his magic wand, and bent it. "Step over this," said he, "and I shall know if thou art a maiden." She stepped over the magic wand. There were born then two children. Math took one and had him baptized. Gwydion took the other and hid him in a chest.
The boy that was baptized, as soon as they baptized him he plunged into the sea. And immediately when he was in the sea, he took its nature, and swam as well as the best fish that was therein. And for that reason was he called Dylan, the Son of Wave. Beneath him no wave ever broke.
As Gwydion lay one morning on his bed awake, he heard a cry in the chest at the foot of his bed; it was not loud, but it was such that he could hear it. He rose in haste, and opened the chest, and when he opened it, he beheld an infant boy stretching out his arms to him. He took up the boy in his arms, and he carried him to a place where he knew there was a woman that could nurse him. That
The next day Gwydion arose and took the boy with him, and went to walk on the sea-shore. And there he saw sedges and sea-weed, and by his magic and the charms that he made, he turned them into a boat. And out of dry sticks and sedges he made leather, and he coloured the leather in such a way that no one ever saw leather more beautiful than it. He put a sail on the boat, and he had the boy sail with him in it to the port of the castle of Arianrhod. He began forming shoes and stitching them till he was observed from the castle. "What men are those in yonder boat?" said Arianrhod to those who were about her. "They are cordwainers," she was told. "Go, then," said she, "and see what kind of leather they have, and what kind of work they can do." The messengers came back and told her that the leather that they in the boat had was beautiful, and that no one ever did better work than they did. "Well," said Arianrhod, "take the measure of my foot, and desire the cordwainer to make shoes for me." Gwydion made the shoes for her, yet not according to the measure, but larger. "These are too large," said she, "but he shall receive their value. Let him also make some that are smaller than these." He made others that were much smaller than her foot and sent them to her. "Tell him that these will not go upon my feet," said she. They went and told Gwydion this. "Verily," said he, "I will not make her shoes unless
