Culture

Breathtaking mural of mythological Welsh Queen appears in Welsh town

23 Sep 2026 3 minute read

Amelia Jones

A beautiful new mural paying tribute to a mythological Welsh queen has been unveiled in a Welsh town.

The new mural in Abertillery shows an image of the mythological Welsh queen Rhiannon. She is one of the most significant characters in the Mabinogi, the collection of medieval Welsh tales that has played a defining role in the country’s literary and cultural heritage.

Her name is generally understood to derive from the Brittonic Rigantona, meaning “Great Queen”, and she is associated with sovereignty, horses and the mysterious Otherworld of Welsh mythology.

In the First Branch of the Mabinogi, Rhiannon first appears riding a magical horse and chooses Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, as her husband. She is portrayed as intelligent, independent and resolute. Her story also takes a darker turn when her newborn son Pryderi disappears and she is wrongly blamed for his death. Despite the injustice she faces, Rhiannon endures and is eventually reunited with her son.

Those qualities make her a striking figure for a mural celebrating a community and its surroundings. In the mural, Rhiannon is given a distinctly local role.

She is depicted creating a vast tapestry of the landscape that surrounds her, symbolically weaving together the places, people and stories that make Abertillery what it is. Alongside the artwork is the inscription: “The tapestry of Abertillery sewn with love.”

The imagery connects the town’s present-day identity with the deep mythology and storytelling traditions of Wales, bringing an ancient figure into a distinctly contemporary setting.

The mural was brought to life by Paul Shepherd, who is better known as Walls by Paul.

Speaking on social media, he said: “When Karen Morgan approached me with this idea, at first I wasn’t convinced I could pull it off. Once she showed me a few design ideas something clicked, I totally got it.

“There was some back and forth with composition ideas and tone, also some fantastic input from the community, in particular a local school. Eventually a composition came together and all that was left to do was paint it.

“I admit I was very nervous going to see it with the scaffold taken down today, but I couldn’t be happier with how it came out.

“The lady in the mural is Welsh mythological queen Rhiannon, and here she is creating the ‘tapestry’ of the landscape that shapes Abertillery.

“The mural is located in the centre of said town and is probably my largest to date. Thank you to Karen and Blaenau Gwent CBC for trusting me with the project!”

People have reacted positively to the mural online. One commenter said: “This is absolutely beautiful, Paul. And I’m so frigging proud as a pagan to see one of our Welsh Goddesses proudly watching over the town.”

Another added: “Wow Paul, that is incredible! The grass blanket looks so soft! And everything else is so beautiful amazing work as always.”

You can view the mural here.

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