The story of Brân in The Mabinogion ―the 12th/13th century compilation of Welsh myths― is one of attempted unification and irreconcilable division of a nation. It speaks of how the British, led ―no, embodied― by their colossal king Brân, waged a Pyrrhic war against Ireland ―the otherworld within their world― that would result in their mutual destruction. It is thus, the myth of an end of an era; another retelling of the Trojan War, Ragnarök, and the Grail Cycle, where nations irreparably destroy each other through the death of hero-kings.
A story of giants
(Allegedly) standing at 6’-3” and weighing 110kg, the 45th president of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, is not quite as massive as King Brân, who is said to have waded across the Irish Sea on his way to invade Ireland because no ship was large enough to hold him. His nose alone, tilted back to breathe above the water level, is described by the Irish coastguards as a mountain crossing the sea, and his eyes as two lakes on each flank.
Trump has an unhealthy fixation with gigantism. He measures himself ―as well as his opponents― by the size of of his rallies. The boast that his inauguration ceremony had been the largest ever in American history is the flagship “alternative fact” that marked a presidency of hyperbole and distortion of scale.
While Brân’s enormity is monolithic; Trump’s is charismatic. It manifests through the multitude of personalities within him: he is the ruler of the kingdom, as well as the trickster who undermines him; the bride that unites worlds and the father who barters her marriage; the vanquishing king and the sacrificial scapegoat needed to preserve the rule.
A story of division
King Brân is dubbed the Blessed, and is a virtuous ruler in his own right. He is just and fair, and a counterpoint to his half-brother Evnissyen, who catalyzes the downfall of his own kingdom by insulting the Irish king Mallolwch during his marriage to their sister Branwen. The union of the two great isles ―Britain (“the Isle of the Mighty”) and Ireland― is thus tainted by hatred and disrespect for the other from its inception, setting a course that would lead to war and the decimation of both nations.
Though boasting a career in entrepreneurship, Trump is essentially a political figure who flaunted his presidential ambitions beginning with his 1987 ad promoting protectionism and a reform of America’s Foreign Defense Policy. A divisive disdain for others has been Trump’s currency from the get-go.
Trump succeeds in uniting two of the island-nations coexisting on the American mainland: the moderate base of Reagan Republicans and the more extreme branch of Republican nationalists, which debatably began with the divisive rhetoric of Pat Buchanan and Newt Gingrich, and gained prominence through the emergence of the Tea Party. While previous attempts to marry the two seemed forced (consider the unholy 2008 McCain / Palin presidential ticket), Trump would succeed in uniting the Republican base despite their internal differences, driven by both sides’ shared desire to obtain and consolidate political power.
The moderates and the nationalists ―much like the British and the Irish― would enjoy a short-lived union. The insults and resentment which paved their alliance would resurface with renewed bitterness as soon as their honeymoon came to an end.
A story of delusion
Twice impeached and voted out of the presidency after the end of his first term, a defeated Trump leaves the White House unceremoniously and returns to his estate at Mar-a-Lago. Though no longer wielding political power, he has become an effigy of sorts, venerated by his followers and still capable of bestowing blessings if rubbed the right way.
Brân is defeated in Ireland from a mortal wound to his foot. Accepting his death, he asks his crew to decapitate him and transport his head across the sea, back to Britain. Brân’s head would keep on talking to his party throughout the duration of their trip. However, unlike other mythological talking heads, it will not give political advice, but rather entertain his entourage throughout their journey, as if he were still alive. Upon arriving in Britain ―where they learn that they’ve lost the throne to the usurper Casswallawn― Brân’s crew will perambulate for seven years until they reach an otherworldly hall, where they will spend eighty years feasting and talking to Brân’s head in full isolation from reality. Opening a forbidden door eventually breaks their illusion and makes them come back to their senses, only to see that they have aged and have been spending decades with a rotting head, which they rush back to bury in London.
We can only hope that in eighty years, by 2100, Trump’s talking head and the collective fantasy of his followers will finally be put to rest.
Coming up next. A look at temptation in mythology, and the opening of forbidden doors.
And a fun fact. Brân’s head was finally buried under the White Tower in London, facing south so as to prevent any invasions from the French. King Arthur allegedly exhumed the head as a display of strength. Ironically, the usurpation of Arthur’s throne by Mordred mimics Brân’s by Casswallawn to a tee.