Lludd Llaw Ereint

In the Mabinogion tale 'Lludd and Llefelys' Lludd is presented as son of Beli Mawr and the ruler of Britain who calls on his brother Llefelys (ruler in Gaul) to help cure three plagues on the island. Philological and comparative commentary in the sources identifies an earlier form of the name, Nudd Llaw Ereint, cognate with the Irish Nuada Airgetlám and associated with the Romano‑British deity Nodens; scholars cited in the sources treat this as evidence that Lludd preserves memories of a pre‑Roman divine figure even as he appears as a legendary king in medieval narrative.

Direct physical description in the narrative sources is minimal; Lludd is chiefly identified by his byname 'Llaw Ereint' ('of the Silver Hand' or 'Silver‑handed'), an epithet that evokes the motif of a notable silver hand/arm found in cognate traditions (Irish Nuada, Romano‑British Nodens). The supplied materials do not record further bodily details or a canonical visual depiction within the Mabinogion summary.

In the Mabinogion account Lludd functions as an effective, resourceful ruler: he measures the island to find its centre (reported as Oxford in the summary), devises and executes remedial schemes for three plagues (notably a trap to capture two battling dragons), resists a soporific enchantment by means of a cold‑water countermeasure, and personally overcomes a nocturnal intruder in combat before granting mercy and incorporating him as a vassal. Comparative sources link the name to deity‑figures associated with sea, healing, and warfare, but those attributes are interpretive associations with Nudd/Nuada/Nodens rather than explicit feats described of Lludd in the core tale.