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===Birth and early life===
Pryderi was born in [[Narberth, Pembrokeshire|Arberth]] to [[Pwyll]], Lord of [[Kingdom of Dyfed|Dyfed]], and [[Rhiannon]], daughter of Hyfaidd Hen. On the night of his birth, he disappeared while in the care of six of Rhiannon's ladies-in-waiting. To avoid the king's wrath, they smeared dog's blood onto a sleeping Rhiannon, claiming that she had committed [[infanticide]] and [[Human cannibalism|cannibalism]] by eating her child.

[[Teyrnon]], Lord of [[Kingdom of Gwent|Gwent Is Coed]], had a mare which gave birth each year but whose foals had all disappeared. Teyrnon watched his stables and saw a mysterious clawed beast coming to take the foal; Teyrnon cut off the beast's arm and found the child outside the stable. He and his wife claimed the boy as their own and named him Gwri Wallt Euryn (English: ''Gwri of the Golden hair''), for "all the hair was as yellow as gold."<ref name="The Mabinogion 2005">''The Mabinogion.'' Davies, Sioned. 2005.{{page needed|date=December 2020}}</ref>

The child grew to adulthood at a superhuman pace and, as he matured, his likeness to Pwyll grew more obvious; and eventually Teyrnon realised Gwri's true identity. The boy was eventually reunited with Pwyll and Rhiannon and was renamed ''Pryderi''. From then on, he was fostered by Pendaran Dyfed and was "brought up carefully, as was proper, until he was the most handsome lad, and the fairest, and the most accomplished at every worthy feat in the kingdom."<ref name="The Mabinogion 2005"/>

After his father's death, Pryderi became ruler of the seven [[cantref]]i of Dyfed and set about expanding his territories by conquering [[Ystrad Tywi]] and [[Ceredigion]]. He was occupied with this conquest until he chose to take a wife, eventually marrying [[Cigfa]], the daughter of Gwyn Gohoyw. He also succeeded in amalgamating the seven cantrefi of [[Kingdom of Morgannwg|Morgannwg]] into his kingdom, although the conquest itself is not referenced in any texts.