As he traverses the rich environments of South Wales, Pwill, Prince of Dyfed has encounters with the overlay landscape; in these interactions, Pwill’s brash decisions consistently cause him problems and hinderances, which he then must resolve. These misadventures with the characters from the overlay landscape teach him to act more prudently, and as the story continues, he learns to use proper judgement in situations. The story of “Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed” symbolizes the process of a man developing a good sense of judgement and mindfulness, a central theme of early Christianity, because the encounters he has with the overlay landscape humble him and teach him to measure his future actions. This central theme is explained in a passage from the Directions to Hesychasts by the monks Callistus and Ignatius, a book contained in the Philokalia. The passage is titled “More about judgement; some similes”, and it aims to teach how important it is for a man’s relationship with God to exercise rightful judgement in his daily life.

Arawn king of Annwyn phrases it best when he is admonishing Pwill for driving some hounds away from a deer they killed and letting his own feast on it: “It is not the degree of my dignity that keeps me therefrom” … ”between me and God, thine own ignorance and discourtesy” (Mabinogion 3-4). This quote reflects Pwill’s character at the start of his eponymous story in The Mabinogion before he becomes a more mindful individual, ignorant and discourteous in his approach towards the overlay landscape. This behavior costs him in the aforementioned situation, in his first encounter with Rihannon where he and his men pursued her instead of even considering opening a dialogue, and in his wedding where he foolishly betrothed Rihannon to her unwanted suitor by promising a stranger to honor any request. The characters of Arawn and Rihannon, through whom the mystical overlay landscape in this story is established, help Pwill develop his sense of judgement by chastising him and giving him opportunities to make things right and better himself after his blunders. This demonstrates the landscape’s willingness to make Pwill into a better person. Also, the more Pwill is connected to the overlay landscape via his temporary rule of the magical land of Annwyn and his marriage to Rhiannon, the more his courtesy and ability of discernment seem to grow. This demonstrates how man’s closeness to nature and the otherworldly is directly correlated to his level of wisdom. Towards the end of the story, Pwill is shown to have matured into a sensible and level-headed leader, with good examples being his decisions to stay with Rhiannon despite the accusations reared against her and to raise the child who turned out to be his lost son.

“The first is like a traveler in deepest night and impenetrable darkness. Wandering in unrelieved blackness, which envelops him on all sides, he neither sees himself nor judges himself; he does not even understand where he is going no where he puts his foot.” (Callistus, Ignatius 214) This haunting image from passage 42 of the Directions to Hesychasts echoes Prince Pwill’s state of mind at the beginning of his tale. The four examples in this passage of men travelling, each with a slightly higher level of judgement illuminating their path parallel Pwill slowly gaining his acumen throughout his life. This newfound acumen illuminates his path and helps him succeed in his subsequent endeavors, like how it illuminates the fourth man’s path to the light of life (Callistus, Ignatius 215).

Today, with all the confusion, instant gratification, and screaming of highly polarized opinions demanding to be blindly adhered to, it can be difficult for someone to develop their individual sense of judgement, patience and reverence. Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed teaches us that the absence of those things causes people to drift from their path towards true fulfillment and allows opportunities to slip through their fingers. By becoming a respectful and astute person like Pwill did, one can navigate through the noise of modern life and use the opportunities offered today to improve their own life and touch the lives of others.