Books: The Mabinogion
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Now when Arthur approached, Twrch Trwyth went on as far as Preseleu,
and Arthur and his hosts followed him thither, and Arthur sent men to
hunt him; Eli and Trachmyr, leading Drudwyn the whelp of Greid the
son of Eri, and Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw, in another quarter, with
the two dogs of Glythmyr Ledewic, and Bedwyr leading Cavall, Arthur's
own dog. And all the warriors ranged themselves around the Nyver.
And there came there the three sons of Cleddyf Divwlch, men who had
gained much fame at the slaying of Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd; and they
went on from Glyn Nyver, and came to Cwm Kerwyn.
And there Twrch Trwyth made a stand, and slew four of Arthur's
champions, Gwarthegyd the son of Kaw, and Tarawc of Allt Clwyd, and
Rheidwn the son of Eli Atver, and Iscovan Hael. And after he had
slain these men, he made a second stand in the same place. And there
he slew Gwydre the son of Arthur, and Garselit Wyddel, and Glew the
son of Ysgawd, and Iscawyn the son of Panon; and there he himself was
wounded.
And the next morning before it was day, some of the men came up with
him. And he slew Huandaw, and Gogigwr, and Penpingon, three
attendants upon Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr, so that Heaven knows he had not
an attendant remaining, excepting only Llaesgevyn, a man from whom no
one ever derived any good. And together with these he slew many of
the men of that country, and Gwlydyn Saer, Arthur's chief Architect.
Then Arthur overtook him at Pelumyawc, and there he slew Madawc the
son of Teithyon, and Gwyn the son of Tringad, the son of Neved, and
Eiryawn Penllorau. Thence he went to Aberteivi, where he made
another stand, and where he slew Kyflas the son of Kynan, and
Gwilenhin king of France. Then he went as far as Glyn Ystu, and
there the men and the dogs lost him.
Then Arthur summoned unto him Gwyn ab Nudd, and he asked him if he
knew aught of Twrch Trwyth. And he said that he did not.
And all the huntsmen went to hunt the swine as far as Dyffryn
Llychwr. And Grugyn Gwallt Ereint and Llwydawg Govynnyad closed with
them and killed all the huntsmen, so that there escaped but one man
only. And Arthur and his hosts came to the place where Grugyn and
Llwydawg were. And there he let loose the whole of the dogs upon
them, and with the shout and barking that was set up, Twrch Trwyth
came to their assistance.
And from the time that they came across the Irish sea, Arthur had
never got sight of him until then. So he set men and dogs upon him,
and thereupon he started off and went to Mynydd Amanw. And there one
of his young pigs was killed. Then they set upon him life for life,
and Twrch Llawin was slain, and then there was slain another of the
swine, Gwys was his name. After that he went on to Dyffryn Amanw,
and there Banw and Bennwig were killed. Of all his pigs there went
with him alive from that place none save Grugyn Gwallt Ereint and
Llwydawg Govynnyad.
Thence he went on to Llwch Ewin, and Arthur overtook him there, and
he made a stand. And there he slew Echel Forddwytwll, and Garwyli
the son of Gwyddawg Gwyr, and many men and dogs likewise. And thence
they went to Llwch Tawy. Grugyn Gwrych Ereint parted from them
there, and went to Din Tywi. And thence he proceeded to Ceredigiawn,
and Eli and Trachmyr with him, and a multitude likewise. Then he
came to Garth Gregyn, and there Llwydawg Govynnyad fought in the
midst of them, and slew Rhudvyw Rhys and many others with him. Then
Llwydawg went thence to Ystrad Yw, and there the men of Armorica met
him, and there he slew Hirpeissawg the king of Armorica, and
Llygatrudd Emys, and Gwrbothu, Arthur's uncles, his mother's
brothers, and there was he himself slain.
Twrch Trwyth went from there to between Tawy and Euyas, and Arthur
summoned all Cornwall and Devon unto him, to the estuary of the
Severn, and he said to the warriors of this Island, "Twrch Trwyth has
slain many of my men, but, by the valour of warriors, while I live he
shall not go into Cornwall. And I will not follow him any longer,
but I will oppose him life to life. Do ye as ye will." And he
resolved that he would send a body of knights, with the dogs of the
Island, as far as Euyas, who should return thence to the Severn, and
that tried warriors should traverse the Island, and force him into
the Severn. And Mabon the son of Modron came up with him at the
Severn, upon Gwynn Mygdwn, the horse of Gweddw, and Goreu the son of
Custennin, and Menw the son of Teirgwaedd; this was betwixt Llyn
Lliwan and Aber Gwy. And Arthur fell upon him together with the
champions of Britain. And Osla Kyllellvawr drew near, and Manawyddan
the son of Llyr, and Kacmwri the servant of Arthur, and Gwyngelli,
and they seized hold of him, catching him first by his feet, and
plunged him in the Severn, so that it overwhelmed him. On the one
side, Mabon the son of Modron spurred his steed and snatched his
razor from him, and Kyledyr Wyllt came up with him on the other side,
upon another steed, in the Severn, and took from him the scissors.
But before they could obtain the comb, he had regained the ground
with his feet, and from the moment that he reached the shore, neither
dog, nor man, nor horse could overtake him until he came to Cornwall.
If they had had trouble in getting the jewels from him, much more had
they in seeking to save the two men from being drowned. Kacmwri, as
they drew him forth, was dragged by two millstones into the deep.
And as Osla Kyllellvawr was running after the boar, his knife had
dropped out of the sheath, and he had lost it, and after that, the
sheath became full of water, and its weight drew him down into the
deep, as they were drawing him forth.
Then Arthur and his hosts proceeded until they overtook the boar in
Cornwall, and the trouble which they had met with before was mere
play to what they encountered in seeking the comb. But from one
difficulty to another, the comb was at length obtained. And then he
was hunted from Cornwall, and driven straight forward into the deep
sea. And thenceforth it was never known whither he went; and Aned
and Aethlem with him. Then went Arthur to Gelli Wic, in Cornwall, to
anoint himself, and to rest from his fatigues.
Said Arthur, "Is there any one of the marvels yet unobtained?" Said
one of his men, "There is--the blood of the witch Orddu, the daughter
of the witch Orwen, of Pen Nant Govid, on the confines of Hell."
Arthur set forth towards the North, and came to the place where was
the witch's cave. And Gwyn ab Nudd, and Gwythyr the son of Greidawl,
counselled him to send Kacmwri, and Hygwyd his brother, to fight with
the witch. And as they entered the cave, the witch seized upon them,
and she caught Hygwyd by the hair of his head, and threw him on the
floor beneath her. And Kacmwri caught her by the hair of her head,
and dragged her to the earth from off Hygwyd, but she turned again
upon them both, and drove them both out with kicks and with cuffs.
And Arthur was wroth at seeing his two attendants almost slain, and
he sought to enter the cave; but Gwyn and Gwythyr said unto him, "It
would not be fitting or seemly for us to see thee squabbling with a
hag. Let Hiramreu and Hireidil go to the cave." So they went. But
if great was the trouble of the first two that went, much greater was
that of these two. And Heaven knows that not one of the four could
move from the spot, until they placed them all upon Llamrei, Arthur's
mare. And then Arthur rushed to the door of the cave, and at the
door he struck at the witch, with Carnwennan his dagger, and clove
her in twain, so that she fell in two parts. And Kaw, of North
Britain, took the blood of the witch and kept it.
Then Kilhwch set forward, and Goreu the son of Custennin with him,
and as many as wished ill to Yspaddaden Penkawr. And they took the
marvels with them to his court. And Kaw of North Britain came and
shaved his beard, skin, and flesh clean off to the very bone from ear
to ear. "Art thou shaved, man?" said Kilhwch. "I am shaved,"
answered he. "Is thy daughter mine now?" "She is thine," said he,
"but therefore needest thou not thank me, but Arthur who hath
accomplished this for thee. By my free will thou shouldest never
have had her, for with her I lose my life." Then Goreu the son of
Custennin seized him by the hair of his head, and dragged him after
him to the keep, and cut off his head and placed it on a stake on the
citadel. Then they took possession of his castle, and of his
treasures.
And that night Olwen became Kilhwch's bride, and she continued to be
his wife as long as she lived. And the hosts of Arthur dispersed
themselves, each man to his own country. And thus did Kilhwch obtain
Olwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr.
THE DREAM OF RHONABWY
Madawc the son of Maredudd possessed Powys within its boundaries,
from Porfoed to Gwauan in the uplands of Arwystli. And at that time
he had a brother, Iorwerth the son of Maredudd, in rank not equal to
himself. And Iorwerth had great sorrow and heaviness because of the
honour and power that his brother enjoyed, which he shared not. And
he sought his fellows and his foster-brothers, and took counsel with
them what he should do in this matter. And they resolved to dispatch
some of their number to go and seek a maintenance for him. Then
Madawc offered him to become Master of the Household and to have
horses, and arms, and honour, and to fare like as himself. But
Iorwerth refused this.
And Iorwerth made an inroad into Loegria, slaying the inhabitants,
and burning houses, and carrying away prisoners. And Madawc took
counsel with the men of Powys, and they determined to place an
hundred men in each of the three Commots of Powys to seek for him.
And thus did they in the plains of Powys from Aber Ceirawc, and in
Allictwn Ver, and in Rhyd Wilure, on the Vyrnwy, the three best
Commots of Powys. So he was none the better, he nor his household,
in Powys, nor in the plains thereof. And they spread these men over
the plains as far as Nillystwn Trevan.
Now one of the men who was upon this quest was called Rhonabwy. And
Rhonabwy and Kynwrig Vrychgoch, a man of Mawddwy, and Cadwgan Vras, a
man of Moelvre in Kynlleith, came together to the house of Heilyn
Goch the son of Cadwgan the son of Iddon. And when they came near to
the house, they saw an old hall, very black and having an upright
gable, whence issued a great smoke; and on entering, they found the
floor full of puddles and mounds; and it was difficult to stand
thereon, so slippery was it with the mire of cattle. And where the
puddles were, a man might go up to his ankles in water and dirt. And
there were boughs of holly spread over the floor, whereof the cattle
had browsed the sprigs. When they came to the hall of the house,
they beheld cells full of dust, and very gloomy, and on one side an
old hag making a fire. And whenever she felt cold, she cast a lapful
of chaff upon the fire, and raised such a smoke, that it was scarcely
to be borne, as it rose up the nostrils. And on the other side was a
yellow calf-skin on the floor; a main privilege was it to any one who
should get upon that hide.
And when they had sat down, they asked the hag where were the people
of the house. And the hag spoke not, but muttered. Thereupon behold
the people of the house entered; a ruddy, clownish, curly-headed man,
with a burthen of faggots on his back, and a pale slender woman, also
carrying a bundle under her arm. And they barely welcomed the men,
and kindled a fire with the boughs. And the woman cooked something,
and gave them to eat, barley bread, and cheese, and milk and water.
And there arose a storm of wind and rain, so that it was hardly
possible to go forth with safety. And being weary with their
journey, they laid themselves down and sought to sleep. And when
they looked at the couch, it seemed to be made but of a little coarse
straw full of dust and vermin, with the stems of boughs sticking up
there-through, for the cattle had eaten all the straw that was placed
at the head and the foot. And upon it was stretched an old russet-
coloured rug, threadbare and ragged; and a coarse sheet, full of
slits, was upon the rug, and an ill-stuffed pillow, and a worn-out
cover upon the sheet. And after much suffering from the vermin, and
from the discomfort of their couch, a heavy sleep fell on Rhonabwy's
companions. But Rhonabwy, not being able either to sleep or to rest,
thought he should suffer less if he went to lie upon the yellow calf-
skin that was stretched out on the floor. And there he slept.
As soon as sleep had come upon his eyes, it seemed to him that he was
journeying with his companions across the plain of Argyngroeg, and he
thought that he went towards Rhyd y Groes on the Severn. As he
journeyed, he heard a mighty noise, the like whereof heard he never
before; and looking behind him, he beheld a youth with yellow curling
hair, and with his beard newly trimmed, mounted on a chestnut horse,
whereof the legs were grey from the top of the forelegs, and from the
bend of the hindlegs downwards. And the rider wore a coat of yellow
satin sewn with green silk, and on his thigh was a gold-hilted sword,
with a scabbard of new leather of Cordova, belted with the skin of
the deer, and clasped with gold. And over this was a scarf of yellow
satin wrought with green silk, the borders whereof were likewise
green. And the green of the caparison of the horse, and of his
rider, was as green as the leaves of the fir-tree, and the yellow was
as yellow as the blossom of the broom. So fierce was the aspect of
the knight, that fear seized upon them, and they began to flee. And
the knight pursued them. And when the horse breathed forth, the men
became distant from him, and when he drew in his breath, they were
drawn near to him, even to the horse's chest. And when he had
overtaken them, they besought his mercy. "You have it gladly," said
he, "fear nought." "Ha, chieftain, since thou hast mercy upon me,
tell me also who thou art," said Rhonabwy. "I will not conceal my
lineage from thee, I am Iddawc the son of Mynyo, yet not by my name,
but by my nickname am I best known." "And wilt thou tell us what thy
nickname is?" "I will tell you; it is Iddawc Cordd Prydain." "Ha,
chieftain," said Rhonabwy, "why art thou called thus?" "I will tell
thee. I was one of the messengers between Arthur and Medrawd his
nephew, at the battle of Camlan; and I was then a reckless youth, and
through my desire for battle, I kindled strife between them, and
stirred up wrath, when I was sent by Arthur the Emperor to reason
with Medrawd, and to show him, that he was his foster-father and his
uncle, and to seek for peace, lest the sons of the Kings of the
Island of Britain, and of the nobles, should be slain. And whereas
Arthur charged me with the fairest sayings he could think of, I
uttered unto Medrawd the harshest I could devise. And therefore am I
called Iddawc Cordd Prydain, for from this did the battle of Camlan
ensue. And three nights before the end of the battle of Camlan I
left them, and went to the Llech Las in North Britain to do penance.
And there I remained doing penance seven years, and after that I
gained pardon."
Then lo! they heard a mighty sound which was much louder than that
which they had heard before, and when they looked round towards the
sound, they beheld a ruddy youth, without beard or whiskers, noble of
mien, and mounted on a stately courser. And from the shoulders and
the front of the knees downwards the horse was bay. And upon the man
was a dress of red satin wrought with yellow silk, and yellow were
the borders of his scarf. And such parts of his apparel and of the
trappings of his horse as were yellow, as yellow were they as the
blossom of the broom, and such as were red, were as ruddy as the
ruddiest blood in the world.
Then, behold the horseman overtook them, and he asked of Iddawc a
share of the little men that were with him. "That which is fitting
for me to grant I will grant, and thou shalt be a companion to them
as I have been." And the horseman went away. "Iddawc," inquired
Rhonabwy, "who was that horseman?" "Rhuvawn Pebyr the son of Prince
Deorthach."
And they journeyed over the plain of Argyngroeg as far as the ford of
Rhyd y Groes on the Severn. And for a mile around the ford on both
sides of the road, they saw tents and encampments, and there was the
clamour of a mighty host. And they came to the edge of the ford, and
there they beheld Arthur sitting on a flat island below the ford,
having Bedwini the Bishop on one side of him, and Gwarthegyd the son
of Kaw on the other. And a tall, auburn-haired youth stood before
him, with his sheathed sword in his hand, and clad in a coat and cap
of jet-black satin. And his face was white as ivory, and his
eyebrows black as jet, and such part of his wrist as could be seen
between his glove and his sleeve, was whiter than the lily, and
thicker than a warrior's ankle.
Then came Iddawc and they that were with him, and stood before Arthur
and saluted him. "Heaven grant thee good," said Arthur. "And where,
Iddawc, didst thou find these little men?" "I found them, lord, up
yonder on the road." Then the Emperor smiled. "Lord," said Iddawc,
"wherefore dost thou laugh?" "Iddawc," replied Arthur, "I laugh not;
but it pitieth me that men of such stature as these should have this
island in their keeping, after the men that guarded it of yore."
Then said Iddawc, "Rhonabwy, dost thou see the ring with a stone set
in it, that is upon the Emperor's hand?" "I see it," he answered.
"It is one of the properties of that stone to enable thee to remember
that thou seest here to-night, and hadst thou not seen the stone,
thou wouldest never have been able to remember aught thereof."
After this they saw a troop coming towards the ford. "Iddawc,"
inquired Rhonabwy, "to whom does yonder troop belong?" "They are the
fellows of Rhuvawn Pebyr the son of Prince Deorthach. And these men
are honourably served with mead and bragget, and are freely beloved
by the daughters of the kings of the Island of Britain. And this
they merit, for they were ever in the front and the rear in every
peril." And he saw but one hue upon the men and the horses of this
troop, for they were all as red as blood. And when one of the
knights rode forth from the troop, he looked like a pillar of fire
glancing athwart the sky. And this troop encamped above the ford.
Then they beheld another troop coming towards the ford, and these
from their horses' chests upwards were whiter than the lily, and
below blacker than jet. And they saw one of these knights go before
the rest, and spur his horse into the ford in such a manner that the
water dashed over Arthur and the Bishop, and those holding counsel
with them, so that they were as wet as if they had been drenched in
the river. And as he turned the head of his horse, the youth who
stood before Arthur struck the horse over the nostrils with his
sheathed sword, so that, had it been with the bare blade, it would
have been a marvel if the bone had not been wounded as well as the
flesh. And the knight drew his sword half out of the scabbard, and
asked of him, "Wherefore didst thou strike my horse? Whether was it
in insult or in counsel unto me?" "Thou dost indeed lack counsel.
What madness caused thee to ride so furiously as to dash the water of
the ford over Arthur, and the consecrated Bishop, and their
counsellors, so that they were as wet as if they had been dragged out
of the river?" "As counsel then will I take it." So he turned his
horse's head round towards his army.
"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "who was yonder knight?" "The most eloquent
and the wisest youth that is in this island; Adaon, the son of
Taliesin." "Who was the man that struck his horse?" "A youth of
froward nature; Elphin, the son of Gwyddno."
Then spake a tall and stately man, of noble and flowing speech,
saying that it was a marvel that so vast a host should be assembled
in so narrow a space, and that it was a still greater marvel that
those should be there at that time who had promised to be by mid-day
in the battle of Badon, fighting with Osla Gyllellvawr. "Whether
thou mayest choose to proceed or not, I will proceed." "Thou sayest
well," said Arthur, "and we will go altogether." "Iddawc," said
Rhonabwy, "who was the man who spoke so marvellously unto Arthur
erewhile?" "A man who may speak as boldly as he listeth, Caradawc
Vreichvras, the son of Llyr Marini, his chief counsellor and his
cousin."
Then Iddawc took Rhonabwy behind him on his horse, and that mighty
host moved forward, each troop in its order, towards Cevndigoll. And
when they came to the middle of the ford of the Severn, Iddawc turned
his horse's head, and Rhonabwy looked along the valley of the Severn.
And he beheld two fair troops coming towards the ford. One troop
there came of brilliant white, whereof every one of the men had a
scarf of white satin with jet-black borders. And the knees and the
tops of the shoulders of their horses were jet-black, though they
were of a pure white in every other part. And their banners were
pure white, with black points to them all.
"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "who are yonder pure white troop?" "They
are the men of Norway, and March the son of Meirchion is their
prince. And he is cousin unto Arthur." And further on he saw a
troop, whereof each man wore garments of jet-black, with borders of
pure white to every scarf; and the tops of the shoulders and the
knees of their horses were pure white. And their banners were jet-
black with pure white at the point of each.
"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "who are the jet-black troop yonder?" "They
are the men of Denmark, and Edeyrn the son of Nudd is their prince."
And when they had overtaken the host, Arthur and his army of mighty
ones dismounted below Caer Badou, and he perceived that he and Iddawc
journeyed the same road as Arthur. And after they had dismounted he
heard a great tumult and confusion amongst the host, and such as were
then at the flanks turned to the centre, and such as had been in the
centre moved to the flanks. And then, behold, he saw a knight
coming, clad, both he and his horse, in mail, of which the rings were
whiter than the whitest lily, and the rivets redder than the ruddiest
blood. And he rode amongst the host.
"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "will yonder host flee?" "King Arthur never
fled, and if this discourse of thine were heard, thou wert a lost
man. But as to the knight whom thou seest yonder, it is Kai. The
fairest horseman is Kai in all Arthur's Court; and the men who are at
the front of the army hasten to the rear to see Kai ride, and the men
who are in the centre flee to the side, from the shock of his horse.
And this is the cause of the confusion of the host."
Thereupon they heard a call made for Kadwr, Earl of Cornwall, and
behold he arose with the sword of Arthur in his hand. And the
similitude of two serpents was upon the sword in gold. And when the
sword was drawn from its scabbard, it seemed as if two flames of fire
burst forth from the jaws of the serpents, and then, so wonderful was
the sword, that it was hard for any one to look upon it. And the
host became still, and the tumult ceased, and the Earl returned to
the tent.
"Iddawc," said Rhonabwy, "who is the man who bore the sword of
Arthur?" "Kadwr, the Earl of Cornwall, whose duty it is to arm the
King on the days of battle and warfare."
And they heard a call made for Eirynwych Amheibyn, Arthur's servant,
a red, rough, ill-favoured man, having red whiskers with bristly
hairs. And behold he came upon a tall red horse with the mane parted
on each side, and he brought with him a large and beautiful sumpter
pack. And the huge red youth dismounted before Arthur, and he drew a
golden chair out of the pack, and a carpet of diapered satin. And he
spread the carpet before Arthur, and there was an apple of ruddy gold
at each corner thereof, and he placed the chair upon the carpet. And
so large was the chair that three armed warriors might have sat
therein. Gwenn was the name of the carpet, and it was one of its
properties that whoever was upon it no one could see him, and he
could see every one. And it would retain no colour but its own.
And Arthur sat within the carpet, and Owain the son of Urien was
standing before him. "Owain," said Arthur, "wilt thou play chess?"
"I will, Lord," said Owain. And the red youth brought the chess for
Arthur and Owain; golden pieces and a board of silver. And they
began to play.
And while they were thus, and when they were best amused with their
game, behold they saw a white tent with a red canopy, and the figure
of a jet-black serpent on the top of the tent, and red glaring
venomous eyes in the head of the serpent, and a red flaming tongue.
And there came a young page with yellow curling hair, and blue eyes,
and a newly-springing beard, wearing a coat and a surcoat of yellow
satin, and hose of thin greenish-yellow cloth upon his feet, and over
his hose shoes of parti-coloured leather, fastened at the insteps
with golden clasps. And he bore a heavy three-edged sword with a
golden hilt, in a scabbard of black leather tipped with fine gold.
And he came to the place where the Emperor and Owain were playing at
chess.
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