A statue of Bran the Blessed located in Harlech, Wales
King Bran the Blessed is a giant who appears in the Welsh series of stories, the Malboignon. He is the elder brother of Btanwen, the bride of the Kong of Ireland. Bran's exact height is never given but it is revealed that he was unable to enter any of his people's houses, and had to wade across the river to Ireland as no boat could hold him. This would mean Bran was at least 2-3 feet taller than the usual 5-foot-high doorway of that time (people were smaller than they are now) and since a standard boat was at least 15 feet long (long enough to hold 5 men under 5 feet tall), he was probably closer to eight feet tall, with the hugely domed forehead, big lower jaw and underbite that afflict everyone affected by both gigantism and acromegaly.
Character History[]
The story begins with Bran's sister Branwen marrying the King of Ireland, who is given a magical cauldron as a wedding gift. She bears the Irish king a son, but sadly is dismissed from the royal household and is forced to work as a cook. She is able to send a message to her brother Bran, who comes in force with a war party, wading across the river to lead the way since he's unable to use a boat. The Irish responf by throwing their dead into the cauldron, reviving them and replenishing the ranks of their army. One of Bran's younger brothers realizes this and fakes his own death, allowing himself to be scooped up and dropped into the cauldron, which he bursts at the cost of his own life. Bran himself is critically wounded and dies in battle, but not before asking his younger brother Prideri to cut off his head and take it back to England with him. Branwen dies shortly after the battle of a broken heart; Prideri, who later marries the Welsh Queen Olwen, is the sole survivor of the entire royal family, and he retires to Wales after the battle rather than assume the English throne.
References[]
The Malboignon (author unknown), series of Welsh folktales collected as a book, "The Tale of Bran the Blessed"