Efnysien fab Euroswydd (also spelled
Efnissien or
Efnisien) is a sadistic
anti-hero in
Welsh mythology, appearing prominently in the tale of
Branwen ferch Llyr, the second
branch of the
Mabinogi. Described by Will Parker as "a study in the psychopathic personality" and an "embodiment of the forces of anti-social disruption," he is the catalyst of the tale's ultimate tragedy, and is largely responsible for the destruction of both
Ireland and the
Island of the Mighty. He is the son of
Euroswydd and
Penarddun, twin brother to
Nisien, and half-brother to
Brân,
Manawydan and
Branwen. The
Welsh Triads call
Llyr one of the Three Exalted Prisoners of Britain for his captivity at Euroswydd's hands; this is likely to a lost tradition of the birth of Penarddun's younger sons.