A Fo Ben, Bid Bont

In the ancient texts, the Mabinogion, Brân Fendigaidd was a great Welsh king in the mystic times even before the Romans. A giant, he led his army into battle to avenge the honour of his beloved sister, Branwen, whose hand he had given in marriage to a treacherous enemy king, hoping for peace but finding betrayal.

Brân, the giant, waded across the sea to the land of the enemy, while his army followed on ships. Once there, they took the battle to the enemy who fled across a river, burning the bridge behind them. The giant Brân lay himself across the river from shore to shore and instructed his army to march across his body and chase the enemy. To this day, his words A fo ben, bid bont are a parable in Wales: “If you would be a leader, you must be a bridge”.

His troops fought valiantly and victoriously until they were tricked into attending a feast to celebrate peace. At the feast, they were betrayed and most of the Welsh warriors were slain. But Brân was not yet finished.

Years before, as a dowry, he had given the enemy his most prized possession, a huge magic cauldron which had the power to give life back to the dead if they were thrown into its seething broth. The enemy were using this to perpetually regenerate their army, making it impossible for the Welsh to prevail.

Brân feigned death and lay amongst the bodies of the slain enemy, and in due course was hurled into the bubbling cauldron. With all his might the giant king pushed outward on the sides of the great vessel until he caused it to burst asunder, forever losing its power. The ordeal, however, proved too much for Brân who lay dying, making his followers promise to cut off his head to be carried and buried in his homeland.

The stories in the Mabinogion, which include those of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, are delightful, and may even contain wisps of truth. But what we can take are the moral lessons of leadership that Brân gives us, that those who lead must also be bridges, and that the great leaders sacrifice themselves for their followers.

In an age where we see “leaders” strut and pontificate and expect others to throw themselves under the bus for their sake, we are reminded that this is neither the ancient wisdom nor the new wisdom. If you want to be a leader, you must make yourself a bridge for your followers, and you must be willing to sacrifice, if necessary, all you have.

And with that, this March 1, I wish you all Dydd gŵyl Dewi Sant hapus, a happy St. David’s Day!

Check this quick bilingual video from the Welsh Rugby Union! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBVlp_3dqNs)