Free A4 learning resource • Answers included
Free Printable Welsh Mythology Word Search
Find Rhiannon, Pwyll, Branwen, Gwydion, Blodeuwedd and other people and places from Welsh legend in this free printable word search for children, teachers and homeschool families.
Download the Welsh Mythology Word Search
The two-page A4 PDF includes a large 20 × 20 puzzle followed by a complete coloured answer key. Print page one for learners and keep page two for checking.
Download Printable PDFView the Word ListFree for personal, family, homeschool and ordinary classroom use.
Words hidden in the puzzle
The puzzle contains 16 names and terms drawn from Welsh mythology and legendary literature. Words can run forwards, backwards, vertically, horizontally or diagonally. Accents and spaces are not required in this particular word bank.
What is included?
Large pupil puzzle
Page one uses a readable 20 × 20 grid with name and date lines, simple directions, a four-column word bank and a short learning note.
Complete answer key
Page two repeats the grid at the same size and marks every answer with a coloured line, making overlapping words easier to check.
Proper A4 spacing
The heading begins near the top, the grid fills the working area, supporting information sits below it and prydain.co.uk appears in the bottom footer.
Who is this Welsh mythology printable for?
This word search is best suited to approximately ages 9–14, although a confident younger child could complete it with support. Several names are long, and the puzzle uses all eight directions. That creates a worthwhile challenge for Key Stage 2 learners, early secondary pupils, homeschoolers and children already interested in myths or fantasy literature.
It can be used as a quiet standalone activity, but it becomes more valuable when paired with a story, discussion or research task. A class studying Welsh heritage could complete the puzzle before choosing one figure to investigate. A family reading Welsh legends together could use it to review unfamiliar names.
Who are the people in the word search?
Rhiannon
A powerful and memorable figure associated with Pwyll and the story of their son Pryderi. Her tale includes false accusation, patience and eventual restoration.
Pwyll
Prince of Dyfed and the central figure of the First Branch of the Mabinogi. His encounter with Arawn begins one of the best-known sequences.
Pryderi
The son of Rhiannon and Pwyll. Pryderi connects the Four Branches because he appears across the wider sequence of tales.
Branwen
The central figure of the Second Branch. Her marriage and mistreatment lead to a tragic conflict between Britain and Ireland.
Bendigeidfran
Branwen's giant brother, also known as Brân the Blessed. His size, kingship and extraordinary fate make him unforgettable.
Gwydion
A magician, warrior and storyteller whose cleverness drives major events in the Fourth Branch. His choices are not always morally simple.
Arianrhod
A significant figure in the Fourth Branch whose story is closely connected with Gwydion and Lleu.
Lleu
A hero whose unusual childhood, naming and marriage form an important part of the Fourth Branch.
Blodeuwedd
A woman created from flowers for Lleu. Her story has inspired many later interpretations about choice, transformation and judgement.
Places and terms children may not recognise
The Mabinogi usually refers specifically to four connected medieval Welsh tales known as the Four Branches. The wider collection commonly called the Mabinogion contains additional stories. This distinction can be useful when teaching older children, although both words often appear in general introductions to Welsh mythology.
Annwn is the otherworld in Welsh tradition, and Arawn is its ruler in the First Branch. Dyfed is a region associated with Pwyll and Pryderi. Harlech appears in the story of Branwen and is also a real place in north-west Wales. Mabon belongs to the broader body of Welsh legendary literature rather than being one of the central figures of the Four Branches.
Math is the ruler whose name gives the Fourth Branch its traditional title. The events involving Math, Gwydion, Arianrhod, Lleu and Blodeuwedd form a complicated sequence, so younger children should use a suitably adapted retelling rather than being expected to understand every element from a list of names.
How to use the puzzle at home
- Download and print page one at actual size or 100%.
- Read through the word bank before beginning.
- Start with short names such as MATH, LLEU and PWYLL.
- Look for distinctive patterns inside long words—for example, the repeated DD in BLODEUWEDD.
- Use one colour for people and a second colour for places or terms.
- Check the completed puzzle with page two.
- Choose one unfamiliar answer and look up a child-friendly version of its story.
Classroom and homeschool activity ideas
- Four Branches sorting: group characters according to the branch in which they play their largest role.
- Character connection chart: draw lines between Rhiannon, Pwyll and Pryderi, or between Gwydion, Arianrhod, Lleu and Blodeuwedd.
- Map work: find modern Dyfed and Harlech on a map of Wales, while explaining that legendary geography and modern administrative geography are not identical.
- Name patterns: identify combinations such as RH, LL and DD and compare them with the Prydain pronunciation guide.
- Short research: write three accurate sentences about one selected figure.
- Literary comparison: compare Arawn or Gwydion in Welsh tradition with Lloyd Alexander's use of related names in The Chronicles of Prydain.
Why use a mythology word search?
Welsh mythological names can seem difficult when children first meet them. A word search gives learners time to inspect the spelling without the pressure of immediately reading a whole medieval story. Finding BENDIGEIDFRAN requires attention to the internal pattern, while locating RHIANNON helps the learner become familiar with the opening RH.
The activity supports visual recognition, concentration and topic vocabulary. Its educational value increases when every found word leads to a question: Is this a person, a place or an otherworld? Which story contains the name? Is the figure portrayed as heroic, dangerous, unfairly treated or morally complicated?
This also helps children understand that mythology does not always provide simple heroes and villains. The Four Branches contain transformations, broken promises, conflict, loyalty, punishment and grief. Age-appropriate retellings can introduce those ideas carefully without flattening every character into a modern personality label.
Welsh mythology and The Chronicles of Prydain
Lloyd Alexander drew inspiration from Welsh names, stories and atmosphere when creating Prydain. However, his five novels are original children's fantasy rather than direct retellings of the Four Branches. The same name can perform a different role in Alexander's invented world.
That makes the two word searches useful companions. The Prydain character word search helps readers recognise the fantasy series. This Welsh mythology puzzle encourages them to look further back and identify some of the older material that helped shape its cultural background.
More Prydain and Welsh learning resources
Frequently asked questions
Is the Welsh mythology word search free?
Yes. It is free for personal, family, homeschool and normal classroom use. It may not be resold or republished as another downloadable product.
Does it include an answer sheet?
Yes. Page two contains a complete colour-coded solution.
What age is it suitable for?
It is best suited to approximately ages 9–14 because the grid includes long names and words running in eight directions.
Is this a Mabinogion word search?
It includes many figures from the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, along with a small number of connected places and terms from wider Welsh legendary literature.
Can it be printed in black and white?
Yes. Page one works perfectly in black and white. The coloured answer lines on page two will appear in different grey shades.
Does prydain.co.uk appear on the printable?
Yes. It is placed neatly in the footer at the bottom of both pages.
Final printing advice
Print on white A4 paper using actual size or 100%. Avoid “fill page” settings that may enlarge the design and crop the footer. Page one does not require colour ink. Keep the answer page aside until the learner has searched independently.
The printable has been deliberately arranged as a proper worksheet rather than a small puzzle floating in the centre: the heading and instructions sit at the top, the 20 × 20 grid fills the main working area, the word bank follows immediately underneath, and the learning note and prydain.co.uk footer complete the bottom of each page.
