NIGHTBRINGER | The Arthurian Encyclopedia

Morfran

‘Great Raven’
Morfryn, Morvran ab Tegid

Father of Myrddin, the Welsh prototype of Merlin.

He was the son of Cerridwen and Tegid Voel who was nicknamed Afagddu, and was one of Arthur’s warriors, perhaps one of the Twenty-Four Knights of Arthur’s Court. He had another son named Rahawd (Rhyawdd).

He was said to have survived the final battle at Camlann, but no one struck him because he was so ugly and hairy,

there were hair on him like the hair of a stag,

that the other warriors thought he was a devil. This ugliness earned him the title of one of Arthur’s three Offensive KnightsHanes Taliesin tells us of his mother who prepares three drops of wisdom for him, in an attempt to compensate for his ugliness, but the drops were stolen by Gwion Bach.

Some sources name Afagddu and Morfran as independent characters, and in this case it would seem to have been Afagddu who survived Camlann.


Sources
Culhwch and Olwen | Late 11th century
Triads of the Island of Britain (Welsh ”Triads”) | 11th century to 14th century
Breudwyt Rhonabwy | 13th century