BRAN

bran, in celtic legend, the name of (1) the hero of the welsh _mabinogi of branwen_, who dies in the attempt to avenge his sister's wrongs; he is the son of llyr (= the irish sea-god ler), identified with the irish bran mac allait, allait being a synonym of ler; (2) the son of febal, known only through the 8th-century irish epic, _the voyage of bran_ (to the world below); (3) the dog of ossian's fingal. bran also appears as a historical name, latinized as _brennus_. see kuno meyer and d. nutt, _the voyage of bran_ (london, 1895).