Book: The Mabinogion Vol. 1 (of 3)

O >> Owen M. Edwards >> The Mabinogion Vol. 1 (of 3)




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.
{46a} 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 I should voluntarily give up my daughter to
him to ill-treat and destroy." Then they talked about other things, and
Owain staid 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. {46b}
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
{47} 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, {48} 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 they 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 the 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 his father and brothers. His
mother was a scheming and thoughtful woman, and she was very solicitous
concerning this her only son and his {52} 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
enquirest 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 hast 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 seeming to him to be a church, he repeated his Paternoster to
the tent. 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 avenge 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. {56}
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, "Ha ha!" 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, "Ha ha! 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, "show 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 {58} with the
shaft of his spear, between the neck and the shoulder. "Ha ha! 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.

"Verily," said Owain the son of Urien to Kai, "thou wert ill advised,
when thou didst send that madman after the knight, for one of two things
must befall him. He must either be overthrown, or slain. If he is
overthrown by the knight, he will be counted by him to be an honourable
person of the Court, and an eternal disgrace will it be to Arthur and his
warriors. And if he is slain, the disgrace will be the same, and
moreover, his sin will be upon him; therefore will I go to see what has
befallen him." So Owain went to the meadow, and he found Peredur
dragging the man about. "What art thou doing thus?" said Owain. "This
iron coat," said Peredur, "will never come from off him; not by my
efforts, at any rate." {59a} And Owain unfastened his armour and his
clothes. "Here, my good soul," said he, "is a horse and armour better
than thine. Take them joyfully, and come with me to Arthur, to receive
the order of knighthood, for thou dost merit it." "May I never shew my
face again, if I go," said Peredur, "but take thou the goblet to
Gwenhwyvar, and tell Arthur, that wherever I am, I will be his vassal,
and will do him what profit and service I am able. And say that I will
not come to his Court, until I have encountered the tall man that is
there, to avenge the injury he did to the dwarf and dwarfess." And Owain
went back to the Court, and related all these things to Arthur and
Gwenhwyvar, and to all the household. {59b}

And Peredur rode forward. And as he proceeded, behold a knight met him.
"Whence comest thou?" said the knight. "I come from Arthur's Court,"
said Peredur. "Art thou one of his men?" asked he. "Yes, by my faith,"
he answered. "A good service, truly, is that of Arthur." "Wherefore
sayest thou so?" said Peredur. "I will tell thee," said he, "I have
always been Arthur's enemy, and all such of his men as I have ever
encountered, I have slain." And without further parlance, they fought,
and it was not long before Peredur brought him to the ground, over his
horse's crupper. Then the knight besought his mercy. "Mercy thou shalt
have," said Peredur, "if thou wilt make oath to me, that thou wilt go to
Arthur's Court, and tell him that it was I that overthrew thee, for the
honour of his service; and say that I will never come to the Court, until
I have avenged the insult offered to the dwarf and dwarfess." The knight
pledged him his faith of this, and proceeded to the Court of Arthur, and
said as he had promised, and conveyed the threat to Kai.

And Peredur rode forward. And within that week he encountered sixteen
knights, and overthrew them all shamefully. And they all went to
Arthur's Court, taking with them the same message which the first knight
had conveyed from Peredur, and the same threat which he had sent to Kai.
And thereupon Kai was reproved by Arthur; and Kai was greatly grieved
thereat.

And Peredur rode forward. And he came to a vast and desert wood, on the
confines of which was a lake. And on the other side was a fair castle.
And on the border of the lake he saw a venerable hoary-headed man sitting
upon a velvet cushion, and having a garment of velvet upon him. And his
attendants were fishing in the lake. When the hoary-headed man beheld
Peredur approaching, he arose, and went towards the castle. And the old
man was lame. Peredur rode to the palace, and the door was open, and he
entered the hall. And there was the hoary-headed man sitting on a
cushion, and a large blazing fire burning before him. And the household
and the company arose to meet Peredur, and disarrayed him. And the man
asked the youth to sit on the cushion; and they sat down, and conversed
together. When it was time, the tables were laid, and they went to meat.
And when they had finished their meal, the man enquired of Peredur, if he
knew well how to fight with the sword. "I know not," said Peredur, "but
were I to be taught, doubtless I should." "Whoever can play well with
the cudgel and shield, will also be able to fight with a sword." And the
man had two sons; the one had yellow hair, and the other auburn. "Arise,
youth," said he, "and play with the cudgel and the shield." And so did
they. "Tell me, my soul," said the man, "which of the youths thinkest
thou plays best?" "I think," said Peredur, "that the yellow-haired youth
could draw blood from the other, if he chose." "Arise thou, my life, and
take the cudgel and the shield from the hand of the youth with the auburn
hair, and draw blood from the yellow-haired youth, if thou canst." So
Peredur arose, and went to play with the yellow-haired youth; and he
lifted up his arm, and struck him such a mighty blow, that his brow fell
over his eye, and the blood flowed forth. "Ah, my life," said the man,
"come now, and sit down, for thou wilt become the best fighter with the
sword of any in this island; and I am thy uncle, thy mother's brother.
And with me shalt thou remain a space, in order to learn the manners and
customs of different countries, and courtesy, and gentleness, and noble
bearing. Leave, then, the habits and the discourse of thy mother, and I
will be thy teacher; and I will raise thee to the rank of knight from
this time forward. And thus do thou. If thou seest aught to cause thee
wonder, ask not the meaning of it; if no one has the courtesy to inform
thee, the reproach will not fall upon thee, but upon me that am thy
teacher." And they had abundance of honour and service. And when it was
time, they went to sleep. At the break of day, Peredur arose, and took
his horse, and with his uncle's permission, he rode forth. And he came
to a vast desert wood, and at the further end of the wood was a meadow,
and on the other side of the meadow he saw a large castle. And
thitherward Peredur bent his way, and he found the gate open, and he
proceeded to the hall. And he beheld a stately hoary-headed man sitting
on one side of the hall, and many pages around him, who arose to receive
and to honour Peredur. And they placed him by the side of the owner of
the palace. Then they discoursed together; and when it was time to eat,
they caused Peredur to sit beside the nobleman during the repast. And
when they had eaten and drank as much as they desired, the nobleman asked
Peredur, whether he could fight with a sword? "Were I to receive
instruction," said Peredur, "I think I could." Now, there was on the
floor of the hall a huge staple, as large as a warrior could grasp. "Take
yonder sword," said the man to Peredur, "and strike the iron staple." So
Peredur arose, and struck the staple, so that he cut it in two; and the
sword broke into two parts also. "Place the two parts together, and
reunite them," and Peredur placed them together, and they became entire
as they were before. And a second time he struck upon the staple, so
that both it and the sword broke in two, and as before they reunited. And
the third time he gave a like blow, and placed the broken parts together,
and neither the staple nor the sword would unite, as before. "Youth,"
said the nobleman, "come now, and sit down, and my blessing be upon thee.
Thou fightest best with the sword of any man in the kingdom. Thou hast
arrived at two-thirds of thy strength, and the other third thou hast not
yet obtained; and when thou attainest to thy full power, none will be
able to contend with thee. I am thy uncle, thy mother's brother, and I
am brother {62} to the man in whose house thou wast last night." Then
Peredur and his uncle discoursed together, and he beheld two youths enter
the hall, and proceed up to the chamber, bearing a spear of mighty size,
with three streams of blood flowing from the point to the ground. And
when all the company saw this, they began wailing and lamenting. But for
all that, the man did not break off his discourse with Peredur. And as
he did not tell Peredur the meaning of what he saw, he forebore to ask
him concerning it. And when the clamour had a little subsided, behold
two maidens entered, with a large salver between them, in which was a
man's head, surrounded by a profusion of blood. And thereupon the
company of the court made so great an outcry, that it was irksome to be
in the same hall with them. But at length they were silent. And when
time was that they should sleep, Peredur was brought into a fair chamber.

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