The details of this bloody encounter, as we gather them from the Poem, were
as follow: At the call of Mynyddawg, lord of Eiddin, whose dominions lay
peculiarly exposed, both by sea and land, to the attack of the enemy, the
native chieftains of Prydyn, aided by many of their relatives and friends
from Gwynedd and Cernyw, entered into a mutual alliance in behalf of their
common country. {6a} In one place the daughter of Eudav {6b} is joined with
Mynyddawg, as one upon whose errand the expedition was undertaken, but
whether she was his wife, or ruled over a territory adjacent to, or equally
threatened with his own, does not appear. The troops under their respective
leaders arrived at Eiddin, where they were sumptuously entertained by
Mynyddawg, {6c} and where they established their head quarters. The generals
named in the Poem amount in number to about ninety, but this was not the
third part of the whole, which consisted of "three hundred and sixty three
chieftains wearing the golden torques." {6d} The aggregate number of men
that followed these illustrious leaders is not told, but if an average may be
formed from what we know respecting a few cases, it will appear to have been
immense. Mynyddawg's retinue consisted of "three hundred;" {6e} there were
"five battalions of five hundred men each," "three levies of three hundred
each;" "three bold knights" had each "three hundred of equal quality;" {6f}
thus averaging about four hundred for each commander, which, multiplied by
three hundred and sixty three, would exhibit an overwhelming army of a
hundred and forty five thousand, and two hundred men! Yet the Poet describes
the numerical advantages possessed by the enemy as greatly superior.

These forces, being all placed on the western side of the dyke, would
approach the land of their enemies as they marched to the field of battle,
hence the reason why Aneurin uses the expressions "Gwyr a aeth Gattraeth,"
and "Gwyr a aeth Gododin," as synonymous.