For whichever reason, Arianrhod is furious at the sight of the child, accusing Gwydion of 'pursuing her shame'. She curses the boy three times: he shall not have a name unless she give it to him; he shall not bear arms unless she equip him; and he shall not have a wife of the race of this earth. Gwydion cleverly overcomes all these obstacles, the third by creating the lovely Blodeuwedd entirely from flowers. But for all her comeliness, she does not become a good wife to Lleu. While he is absent, she entertains the wandering hunter Gronw Pebyr and resolves to help him to follow the formulated steps needed to kill her husband. Wounded, Lleu Llau turns into an eagle and after uttering a piercing shriek flies to a magic oak tree. Gwydion finds and restores him to human form, and shames Blodeuwedd by changing her into an owl. Lleu Llau Gyffes seeks out Gronw Pebyr who begs reconciliation before he is killed in the same way he would have killed Lleu. Thereafter Lleu becomes lord of Gwynedd, north Wales.'

An art critic suggested that 'the passion in the piece stems from the mechanics of spatial relationships and scale. There is nothing 'literal' or illustrative' in the placing of the pieces. It is very much a piece of its time.' Another suggestion was that the triangular form represented the eagle carrying away the soul of Lleu Llau Gyffes (the fair one of the sure/steady hand). The theme of sorcery and illusion in the legend appealed to the theatrical interest of the sculptor.