Books: The Mabinogion
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And they retired that night, and the next day Arthur prepared to
depart. "My lord," said Owain, "this is not well of thee; for I have
been absent from thee these three years, and during all that time, up
to this very day, I have been preparing a banquet for thee, knowing
that thou wouldst come to seek me. Tarry with me, therefore, until
thou and thy attendants have recovered the fatigues of the journey,
and have been anointed."
And they all proceeded to the Castle of the Countess of the Fountain,
and the banquet which had been three years preparing was consumed in
three months. Never had they a more delicious or agreeable banquet.
And Arthur prepared to depart. Then he sent an embassy to the
Countess, to beseech her to permit Owain to go with him for the space
of three months, that he might show him to the nobles and the fair
dames of the Island of Britain. And the Countess gave her consent,
although it was very painful to her. So Owain came with Arthur to
the Island of Britain. And when he was once more amongst his kindred
and friends, he remained three years, instead of three months, with
them.
And as Owain one day sat at meat, in the city of Caerlleon upon Usk,
behold a damsel entered upon a bay horse, with a curling mane and
covered with foam, and the bridle and so much as was seen of the
saddle were of gold. And the damsel was arrayed in a dress of yellow
satin. And she came up to Owain, and took the ring from off his
hand. "Thus," said she, "shall be treated the deceiver, the traitor,
the faithless, the disgraced, and the beardless." And she turned her
horse's head and departed.
Then his adventure came to Owain's remembrance, and he was sorrowful;
and having finished eating he went to his own abode and made
preparations that night. And the next day he arose but did not go to
the Court, but wandered to the distant parts of the earth and to
uncultivated mountains. And he remained there until all his apparel
was worn out, and his body was wasted away, and his hair was grown
long. And he went about with the wild beasts and fed with them,
until they became familiar with him; but at length he grew so weak
that he could no longer bear them company. Then he descended from
the mountains to the valley, and came to a park that was the fairest
in the world, and belonged to a widowed Countess.
One day the Countess and her maidens went forth to walk by a lake,
that was in the middle of the park. And they saw the form of a man.
And they were terrified. Nevertheless they went near him, and
touched him, and looked at him. And they saw that there was life in
him, though he was exhausted by the heat of the sun. And the
Countess returned to the Castle, and took a flask full of precious
ointment, and gave it to one of her maidens. "Go with this," said
she, "and take with thee yonder horse and clothing, and place them
near the man we saw just now. And anoint him with this balsam, near
his heart; and if there is life in him, he will arise through the
efficacy of this balsam. Then watch what he will do."
And the maiden departed from her, and poured the whole of the balsam
upon Owain, and left the horse and the garments hard by, and went a
little way off, and hid herself to watch him. In a short time she
saw him begin to move his arms; and he rose up, and looked at his
person, and became ashamed of the unseemliness of his appearance.
Then he perceived the horse and the garments that were near him. And
he crept forward till he was able to draw the garments to him from
off the saddle. And he clothed himself, and with difficulty mounted
the horse. Then the damsel discovered herself to him, and saluted
him. And he was rejoiced when he saw her, and inquired of her, what
land and what territory that was. "Truly," said the maiden, "a
widowed Countess owns yonder Castle; at the death of her husband, he
left her two Earldoms, but at this day she has but this one dwelling
that has not been wrested from her by a young Earl, who is her
neighbour, because she refused to become his wife." "That is pity,"
said Owain. And he and the maiden proceeded to the Castle; and he
alighted there, and the maiden conducted him to a pleasant chamber,
and kindled a fire and left him.
And the maiden came to the Countess, and gave the flask into her
hand. "Ha! maiden," said the Countess, "where is all the balsam?"
"Have I not used it all?" said she. "Oh, maiden," said the Countess,
"I cannot easily forgive thee this; it is sad for me to have wasted
seven-score pounds' worth of precious ointment upon a stranger whom I
know not. However, maiden, wait thou upon him, until he is quite
recovered."
And the maiden did so, and furnished him with meat and drink, and
fire, and lodging, and medicaments, until he was well again. And in
three months he was restored to his former guise, and became even
more comely than he had ever been before.
One day Owain heard a great tumult, and a sound of arms in the
Castle, and he inquired of the maiden the cause thereof. "The Earl,"
said she, "whom I mentioned to thee, has come before the Castle, with
a numerous army, to subdue the Countess." And Owain inquired of her
whether the Countess had a horse and arms in her possession. "She
has the best in the world," said the maiden. "Wilt thou go and
request the loan of a horse and arms for me," said Owain, "that I may
go and look at this army?" "I will," said the maiden.
And she came to the Countess, and told her what Owain had said. And
the Countess laughed. "Truly," said she, "I will even give him a
horse and arms for ever; such a horse and such arms had he never yet,
and I am glad that they should be taken by him to-day, lest my
enemies should have them against my will to-morrow. Yet I know not
what he would do with them."
The Countess bade them bring out a beautiful black steed, upon which
was a beechen saddle, and a suit of armour, for man and horse. And
Owain armed himself, and mounted the horse, and went forth, attended
by two pages completely equipped, with horses and arms. And when
they came near to the Earl's army, they could see neither its extent
nor its extremity. And Owain asked the pages in which troop the Earl
was. "In yonder troop," said they, "in which are four yellow
standards. Two of them are before, and two behind him." "Now," said
Owain, "do you return and await me near the portal of the Castle."
So they returned, and Owain pressed forward until he met the Earl.
And Owain drew him completely out of his saddle, and turned his
horse's head towards the Castle, and though it was with difficulty,
he brought the Earl to the portal, where the pages awaited him. And
in they came. And Owain presented the Earl as a gift to the
Countess. And said to her, "Behold a requital to thee for thy
blessed balsam."
The army encamped around the Castle. And the Earl restored to the
Countess the two Earldoms he had taken from her, as a ransom for his
life; and for his freedom he gave her the half of his own dominions,
and all his gold, and his silver, and his jewels, besides hostages.
And Owain took his departure. And the Countess and all her subjects
besought him to remain, but Owain chose rather to wander through
distant lands and deserts.
And as he journeyed, he heard a loud yelling in a wood. And it was
repeated a second and a third time. And Owain went towards the spot,
and beheld a huge craggy mound, in the middle of the wood; on the
side of which was a grey rock. And there was a cleft in the rock,
and a serpent was within the cleft. And near the rock stood a black
lion, and every time the lion sought to go thence, the serpent darted
towards him to attack him. And Owain unsheathed his sword, and drew
near to the rock; and as the serpent sprang out, he struck him with
his sword, and cut him in two. And he dried his sword, and went on
his way, as before. But behold the lion followed him, and played
about him, as though it had been a greyhound that he had reared.
They proceeded thus throughout the day, until the evening. And when
it was time for Owain to take his rest, he dismounted, and turned his
horse loose in a flat and wooded meadow. And he struck fire, and
when the fire was kindled, the lion brought him fuel enough to last
for three nights. And the lion disappeared. And presently the lion
returned, bearing a fine large roebuck. And he threw it down before
Owain, who went towards the fire with it.
And Owain took the roebuck, and skinned it, and placed collops of its
flesh upon skewers, around the fire. The rest of the buck he gave to
the lion to devour. While he was doing this, he heard a deep sigh
near him, and a second, and a third. And Owain called out to know
whether the sigh he heard proceeded from a mortal; and he received
answer that it did. "Who art thou?" said Owain. "Truly," said the
voice, "I am Luned, the handmaiden of the Countess of the Fountain."
"And what dost thou here?" said Owain. "I am imprisoned," said she,
"on account of the knight who came from Arthur's Court, and married
the Countess. And he stayed a short time with her, but he afterwards
departed for the Court of Arthur, and has not returned since. And he
was the friend I loved best in the world. And two of the pages in
the Countess's chamber traduced him, and called him a deceiver. And
I told them that they two were not a match for him alone. So they
imprisoned me in the stone vault, and said that I should be put to
death, unless he came himself to deliver me, by a certain day; and
that is no further off than the day after to-morrow. And I have no
one to send to seek him for me. And his name is Owain the son of
Urien." "And art thou certain that if that knight knew all this, he
would come to thy rescue?" "I am most certain of it," said she.
When the collops were cooked, Owain divided them into two parts,
between himself and the maiden; and after they had eaten, they talked
together, until the day dawned. And the next morning Owain inquired
of the damsel, if there was any place where he could get food and
entertainment for that night. "There is, Lord," said she; "cross
over yonder, and go along the side of the river, and in a short time
thou wilt see a great Castle, in which are many towers, and the Earl
who owns that Castle is the most hospitable man in the world. There
thou mayst spend the night."
Never did sentinel keep stricter watch over his lord, than the lion
that night over Owain.
And Owain accoutred his horse, and passed across by the ford, and
came in sight of the Castle. And he entered it, and was honourably
received. And his horse was well cared for, and plenty of fodder was
placed before him. Then the lion went and lay down in the horse's
manger; so that none of the people of the Castle dared to approach
him. The treatment which Owain met with there was such as he had
never known elsewhere, for every one was as sorrowful as though death
had been upon him. And they went to meat; and the Earl sat upon one
side of Owain, and on the other side his only daughter. And Owain
had never seen any more lovely than she. Then the lion came and
placed himself between Owain's feet, and he fed him with every kind
of food that he took himself. And he never saw anything equal to the
sadness of the people.
In the middle of the repast the Earl began to bid Owain welcome.
"Then," said Owain, "behold, it is time for thee to be cheerful."
"Heaven knows," said the Earl, "that it is not thy coming that makes
us sorrowful, but we have cause enough for sadness and care." "What
is that?" said Owain. "I have two sons," replied the Earl, "and
yesterday they went to the mountains to hunt. Now there is on the
mountain a monster who kills men and devours them, and he seized my
sons; and to-morrow is the time he has fixed to be here, and he
threatens that he will then slay my sons before my eyes, unless I
will deliver into his hands this my daughter. He has the form of a
man, but in stature he is no less than a giant."
"Truly," said Owain, "that is lamentable. And which wilt thou do?"
"Heaven knows," said the Earl, "it will be better that my sons should
be slain against my will, than that I should voluntarily give up my
daughter to him to ill-treat and destroy." Then they talked about
other things, and Owain stayed there that night.
The next morning they heard an exceeding great clamour, which was
caused by the coming of the giant with the two youths. And the Earl
was anxious both to protect his Castle and to release his two sons.
Then Owain put on his armour and went forth to encounter the giant,
and the lion followed him. And when the giant saw that Owain was
armed, he rushed towards him and attacked him. And the lion fought
with the giant much more fiercely than Owain did. "Truly," said the
giant, "I should find no difficulty in fighting with thee, were it
not for the animal that is with thee." Upon that Owain took the lion
back to the Castle and shut the gate upon him, and then he returned
to fight the giant, as before. And the lion roared very loud, for he
heard that it went hard with Owain. And he climbed up till he
reached the top of the Earl's hall, and thence he got to the top of
the Castle, and he sprang down from the walls and went and joined
Owain. And the lion gave the giant a stroke with his paw, which tore
him from his shoulder to his hip, and his heart was laid bare, and
the giant fell down dead. Then Owain restored the two youths to
their father.
The Earl besought Owain to remain with him, and he would not, but set
forward towards the meadow where Luned was. And when he came there
he saw a great fire kindled, and two youths with beautiful curling
auburn hair were leading the maiden to cast her into the fire. And
Owain asked them what charge they had against her. And they told him
of the compact that was between them, as the maiden had done the
night before. "And," said they, "Owain has failed her, therefore we
are taking her to be burnt." "Truly," said Owain, "he is a good
knight, and if he knew that the maiden was in such peril, I marvel
that he came not to her rescue; but if you will accept me in his
stead, I will do battle with you." "We will," said the youths, "by
him who made us."
And they attacked Owain, and he was hard beset by them. And with
that the lion came to Owain's assistance, and they two got the better
of the young men. And they said to him, "Chieftain, it was not
agreed that we should fight save with thyself alone, and it is harder
for us to contend with yonder animal than with thee." And Owain put
the lion in the place where the maiden had been imprisoned, and
blocked up the door with stones, and he went to fight with the young
men, as before. But Owain had not his usual strength, and the two
youths pressed hard upon him. And the lion roared incessantly at
seeing Owain in trouble; and he burst through the wall until he found
a way out, and rushed upon the young men, and instantly slew them.
So Luned was saved from being burned.
Then Owain returned with Luned to the dominions of the Countess of
the Fountain. And when he went thence he took the Countess with him
to Arthur's Court, and she was his wife as long as she lived.
And then he took the road that led to the Court of the savage black
man, and Owain fought with him, and the lion did not quit Owain until
he had vanquished him. And when he reached the Court of the savage
black man he entered the hall, and beheld four-and-twenty ladies, the
fairest that could be seen. And the garments which they had on were
not worth four-and twenty pence, and they were as sorrowful as death.
And Owain asked them the cause of their sadness. And they said, "We
are the daughters of Earls, and we all came here with our husbands,
whom we dearly loved. And we were received with honour and
rejoicing. And we were thrown into a state of stupor, and while we
were thus, the demon who owns this Castle slew all our husbands, and
took from us our horses, and our raiment, and our gold, and our
silver; and the corpses of our husbands are still in this house, and
many others with them. And this, Chieftain, is the cause of our
grief, and we are sorry that thou art come hither, lest harm should
befall thee."
And Owain was grieved when he heard this. And he went forth from the
Castle, and he beheld a knight approaching him, who saluted him in a
friendly and cheerful manner, as if he had been a brother. And this
was the savage black man. "In very sooth," said Owain, "it is not to
seek thy friendship that I am here." "In sooth," said he, "thou
shalt not find it then." And with that they charged each other, and
fought furiously. And Owain overcame him, and bound his hands behind
his back. Then the black savage besought Owain to spare his life,
and spoke thus: "My lord Owain," said he, "it was foretold that thou
shouldst come hither and vanquish me, and thou hast done so. I was a
robber here, and my house was a house of spoil; but grant me my life,
and I will become the keeper of an Hospice, and I will maintain this
house as an Hospice for weak and for strong, as long as I live, for
the good of thy soul." And Owain accepted this proposal of him, and
remained there that night.
And the next day he took the four-and-twenty ladies, and their
horses, and their raiment, and what they possessed of goods and
jewels, and proceeded with them to Arthur's Court. And if Arthur was
rejoiced when he saw him, after he had lost him the first time, his
joy was now much greater. And of those ladies, such as wished to
remain in Arthur's Court remained there, and such as wished to depart
departed.
And thenceforward Owain dwelt at Arthur's Court greatly beloved, as
the head of his household, until he went away with his followers; and
those were the army of three hundred ravens which Kenverchyn had left
him. And wherever Owain went with these he was victorious.
And this is the tale of THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN.
PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC
Earl Evrawc owned the Earldom of the North. And he had seven sons.
And Evrawc maintained himself not so much by his own possessions as
by attending tournaments, and wars, and combats. And, as it often
befalls those who join in encounters and wars, he was slain, and six
of his sons likewise. Now the name of his seventh son was Peredur,
and he was the youngest of them. And he was not of an age to go to
wars and encounters, otherwise he might have been slain as well as
his father and brothers. His mother was a scheming and thoughtful
woman, and she was very solicitous concerning this her only son and
his possessions. So she took counsel with herself to leave the
inhabited country, and to flee to the deserts and unfrequented
wildernesses. And she permitted none to bear her company thither but
women and boys, and spiritless men, who were both unaccustomed and
unequal to war and fighting. And none dared to bring either horses
or arms where her son was, lest he should set his mind upon them.
And the youth went daily to divert himself in the forest, by flinging
sticks and staves. And one day he saw his mother's flock of goats,
and near the goats two hinds were standing. And he marvelled greatly
that these two should be without horns, while the others had them.
And he thought they had long run wild, and on that account they had
lost their horns. And by activity and swiftness of foot, he drove
the hinds and the goats together into the house which there was for
the goats at the extremity of the forest. Then Peredur returned to
his mother. "Ah, mother," said he, "a marvellous thing have I seen
in the wood; two of thy goats have run wild, and lost their horns,
through their having been so long missing in the wood. And no man
had ever more trouble than I had to drive them in." Then they all
arose and went to see. And when they beheld the hinds they were
greatly astonished.
And one day they saw three knights coming along the horse-road on the
borders of the forest. And the three knights were Gwalchmai the son
of Gwyar, and Geneir Gwystyl, and Owain the son of Urien. And Owain
kept on the track of the knight who had divided the apples in
Arthur's Court, whom they were in pursuit of. "Mother," said
Peredur, "what are those yonder?" "They are angels, my son," said
she. "By my faith," said Peredur, "I will go and become an angel
with them." And Peredur went to the road, and met them. "Tell me,
good soul," said Owain, "sawest thou a knight pass this way, either
to-day or yesterday?" "I know not," answered he, "what a knight is."
"Such an one as I am," said Owain. "If thou wilt tell me what I ask
thee, I will tell thee that which thou askest me." "Gladly will I do
so," replied Owain. "What is this?" demanded Peredur, concerning the
saddle. "It is a saddle," said Owain. Then he asked about all the
accoutrements which he saw upon the men, and the horses, and the
arms, and what they were for, and how they were used. And Owain
shewed him all these things fully, and told him what use was made of
them. "Go forward," said Peredur, "for I saw such an one as thou
inquirest for, and I will follow thee."
Then Peredur returned to his mother and her company, and he said to
her, "Mother, those were not angels, but honourable knights." Then
his mother swooned away. And Peredur went to the place where they
kept the horses that carried firewood, and that brought meat and
drink from the inhabited country to the desert. And he took a bony
piebald horse, which seemed to him the strongest of them. And he
pressed a pack into the form of a saddle, and with twisted twigs he
imitated the trappings which he had seen upon the horses. And when
Peredur came again to his mother, the Countess had recovered from her
swoon. "My son," said she, "desirest thou to ride forth?" "Yes,
with thy leave," said he. "Wait, then, that I may counsel thee
before thou goest." "Willingly," he answered; "speak quickly." "Go
forward, then," she said, "to the Court of Arthur, where there are
the best, and the boldest, and the most bountiful of men. And
wherever thou seest a church, repeat there thy Paternoster unto it.
And if thou see meat and drink, and have need of them, and none have
the kindness or the courtesy to give them to thee, take them thyself.
If thou hear an outcry, proceed towards it, especially if it be the
outcry of a woman. If thou see a fair jewel, possess thyself of it,
and give it to another, for thus thou shalt obtain praise. If thou
see a fair woman, pay thy court to her, whether she will or no; for
thus thou wilt render thyself a better and more esteemed man than
thou wast before."
After this discourse, Peredur mounted the horse, and taking a handful
of sharp-pointed forks in his hand, he rode forth. And he journeyed
two days and two nights in the woody wildernesses, and in desert
places, without food and without drink. And then he came to a vast
wild wood, and far within the wood he saw a fair even glade, and in
the glade he saw a tent, and the tent seeming to him to be a church,
he repeated his Paternoster to it. And he went towards it, and the
door of the tent was open. And a golden chair was near the door.
And on the chair sat a lovely auburn-haired maiden, with a golden
frontlet on her forehead, and sparkling stones in the frontlet, and
with a large gold ring on her hand. And Peredur dismounted, and
entered the tent. And the maiden was glad at his coming, and bade
him welcome. At the entrance of the tent he saw food, and two flasks
full of wine, and two loaves of fine wheaten flour, and collops of
the flesh of the wild boar. "My mother told me," said Peredur,
"wheresoever I saw meat and drink, to take it." "Take the meat and
welcome, chieftain," said she. So Peredur took half of the meat and
of the liquor himself, and left the rest to the maiden. And when
Peredur had finished eating, he bent upon his knee before the maiden.
"My mother," said he, "told me, wheresoever I saw a fair jewel, to
take it." "Do so, my soul," said she. So Peredur took the ring.
And he mounted his horse, and proceeded on his journey.
After this, behold the knight came to whom the tent belonged; and he
was the Lord of the Glade. And he saw the track of the horse, and he
said to the maiden, "Tell me who has been here since I departed." "A
man," said she, "of wonderful demeanour." And she described to him
what Peredur's appearance and conduct had been. "Tell me," said he,
"did he offer thee any wrong?" "No," answered the maiden, "by my
faith, he harmed me not." "By my faith, I do not believe thee; and
until I can meet with him, and revenge the insult he has done me, and
wreak my vengeance upon him, thou shalt not remain two nights in the
same house." And the knight arose, and set forth to seek Peredur.
Meanwhile Peredur journeyed on towards Arthur's Court. And before he
reached it, another knight had been there, who gave a ring of thick
gold at the door of the gate for holding his horse, and went into the
Hall where Arthur and his household, and Gwenhwyvar and her maidens,
were assembled. And the page of the chamber was serving Gwenhwyvar
with a golden goblet. Then the knight dashed the liquor that was
therein upon her face, and upon her stomacher, and gave her a violent
blow on the face, and said, "If any have the boldness to dispute this
goblet with me, and to revenge the insult to Gwenhwyvar, let him
follow me to the meadow, and there I will await him." So the knight
took his horse, and rode to the meadow. And all the household hung
down their heads, lest any of them should be requested to go and
avenge the insult to Gwenhwyvar. For it seemed to them, that no one
would have ventured on so daring an outrage, unless he possessed such
powers, through magic or charms, that none could be able to take
vengeance upon him. Then, behold, Peredur entered the Hall, upon the
bony piebald horse, with the uncouth trappings upon it; and in this
way he traversed the whole length of the Hall. In the centre of the
Hall stood Kai. "Tell me, tall man," said Peredur, "is that Arthur
yonder?" "What wouldest thou with Arthur?" asked Kai. "My mother
told me to go to Arthur, and receive the honour of knighthood." "By
my faith," said he, "thou art all too meanly equipped with horse and
with arms." Thereupon he was perceived by all the household, and
they threw sticks at him. Then, behold, a dwarf came forward. He
had already been a year at Arthur's Court, both he and a female
dwarf. They had craved harbourage of Arthur, and had obtained it;
and during the whole year, neither of them had spoken a single word
to any one. When the dwarf beheld Peredur, "Haha!" said he, "the
welcome of Heaven be unto thee, goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc, the
chief of warriors, and flower of knighthood." "Truly," said Kai,
"thou art ill-taught to remain a year mute at Arthur's Court, with
choice of society; and now, before the face of Arthur and all his
household, to call out, and declare such a man as this the chief of
warriors, and the flower of knighthood." And he gave him such a box
on the ear that he fell senseless to the ground. Then exclaimed the
female dwarf, "Haha! goodly Peredur, son of Evrawc; the welcome of
Heaven be unto thee, flower of knights, and light of chivalry." "Of
a truth, maiden," said Kai, "thou art ill-bred to remain mute for a
year at the Court of Arthur, and then to speak as thou dost of such a
man as this." And Kai kicked her with his foot, so that she fell to
the ground senseless. "Tall man," said Peredur, "shew me which is
Arthur." "Hold thy peace," said Kai, "and go after the knight who
went hence to the meadow, and take from him the goblet, and overthrow
him, and possess thyself of his horse and arms, and then thou shalt
receive the order of knighthood." "I will do so, tall man," said
Peredur. So he turned his horse's head towards the meadow. And when
he came there, the knight was riding up and down, proud of his
strength, and valour, and noble mien. "Tell me," said the knight,
"didst thou see any one coming after me from the Court?" "The tall
man that was there," said he, "desired me to come, and overthrow
thee, and to take from thee the goblet, and thy horse and thy armour
for myself." "Silence!" said the knight; "go back to the Court, and
tell Arthur, from me, either to come himself, or to send some other
to fight with me; and unless he do so quickly, I will not wait for
him." "By my faith," said Peredur, "choose thou whether it shall be
willingly or unwillingly, but I will have the horse, and the arms,
and the goblet." And upon this the knight ran at him furiously, and
struck him a violent blow with the shaft of his spear, between the
neck and the shoulder. "Haha! lad," said Peredur, "my mother's
servants were not used to play with me in this wise; therefore, thus
will I play with thee." And thereupon he struck him with a sharp-
pointed fork, and it hit him in the eye, and came out at the back of
his neck, so that he instantly fell down lifeless.
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