Today is St David's Day which is the Welsh national day. Being originally from Wales, I'd like to use this opportunity to tell you my favorite tale from Welsh mythology which doubles as an infosec allegory.
This is the story of Blodeuwedd.
This is the story of Blodeuwedd.
Blodeuwedd was a woman made from flowers by a wizard because a man was cursed to never have a human wife. It's important not to get hung up on this - Welsh Mythology is just ridiculous all the way through & a woman made from flowers by a wizard is one of the less strange things.
Any way like all flower women she eventually got sick of her husband (Lleu - who is supposed to be the hero of this story) and while he was away she has an affair and she and her lover conspire to kill Lleu.
The important thing to know about Lleu is that he is special. He cannot be killed during the day or night, nor indoors or outdoors, neither riding nor walking, not clothed and not naked, nor by any weapon lawfully made.
But like all magic security systems Lleu has a weakness - a woman.
He reveals to Blodeuwedd that he can only be killed at dusk, wrapped in a net, with one foot on a bath & one on a goat, by a riverbank and by a spear forged for a year during the hours when everyone is at mass.
He reveals to Blodeuwedd that he can only be killed at dusk, wrapped in a net, with one foot on a bath & one on a goat, by a riverbank and by a spear forged for a year during the hours when everyone is at mass.
Blodeuwedd's lover Gronw makes the spear and they trick Lleu into getting into the exact position at the exact time of day he can be killed. Beause Lleu never had security training.
After Lleu is struck by the spear, he turns into an Eagle. Again this is Welsh Mythology, nothing strange here
Lleu is eventually nursed back to health somehow and the Wizard, Gwydion hunts down Blodeuwedd and turns her into an owl, because as we all know, owls are the birds hated by all the other birds.
(That is the actual reason btw)
(That is the actual reason btw)
And that is why you gather *all* the intel and also murder the wizards who magicked you from flowers, before trying to kill your husband. Else you will be turned into an owl.
See, infosec allegory.
See, infosec allegory.
I was taught this story in primary school.
I like this story because Blodeuwedd is clearly a kickass social engineer to first get the informtion our of Lleu, and to get him into the *exact* position that he thinks will kill him.
In most tellings of this story a lot of time is spent talking about how they found Lleu as an eagle, because it is Lleu's story.
Lleu goes onto kill Gronw with a spear.
Lleu goes onto kill Gronw with a spear.
To demonstrate how not weird the above story was:
Earlier in the Branch, Math turns his nephews into animals as punishment: Gwydion becomes a stag for a year, then a sow and finally a wolf. Gilfaethwy becomes a hind deer, a boar & a she-wolf. For 3 years they produce offspring.
Earlier in the Branch, Math turns his nephews into animals as punishment: Gwydion becomes a stag for a year, then a sow and finally a wolf. Gilfaethwy becomes a hind deer, a boar & a she-wolf. For 3 years they produce offspring.
That isn't even a full story, it's part of the bridge between a story about a battle and the birth of Lleu.
