Book: The Mabinogion Vol. 1 (of 3)

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




Said Gwalchmai, "By my faith, I will not rest tranquilly until I have
proved if I can release the maiden." And many of Arthur's household
joined themselves with him. Then, likewise said Peredur, "By my faith, I
will not rest tranquilly until I know the story and meaning of the lance
whereof the black maiden spoke." And while they were equipping
themselves, behold a knight came to the gate. And he had the size and
the strength of a warrior, and was equipped with arms and habiliments.
And he went forward, and saluted Arthur and all his household, except
Gwalchmai. And the knight had upon his shoulder a shield, ingrained with
gold, with a fesse of azure blue upon it, and his whole armour was of the
same hue. And he said to Gwalchmai, "Thou didst slay my lord, by thy
treachery and deceit, and that will I prove upon thee." Then Gwalchmai
rose up. "Behold," said he, "here is my gage against thee, to maintain
either in this place, or wherever else thou wilt, that I am not a traitor
or deceiver." "Before the King whom I obey, will I that my encounter
with thee take place," said the knight. "Willingly," said Gwalchmai, "go
forward, and I will follow thee." So the knight went forth, and
Gwalchmai accoutred himself, and there was offered unto him abundance of
armour, but he would take none but his own. And when Gwalchmai and
Peredur were equipped, they set forth to follow him, by reason of their
fellowship, and of the great friendship that was between them. And they
did not go after him in company together, but each went his own way.

At the dawn of day, Gwalchmai came to a valley, and in the valley he saw
a fortress, and within the fortress a vast palace, and lofty towers
around it. And he beheld a knight coming out to hunt from the other
side, mounted on a spirited black snorting palfrey, that advanced at a
prancing pace, proudly stepping, and nimbly bounding, and sure of foot;
and this was the man to whom the palace belonged. And Gwalchmai saluted
him, "Heaven prosper thee, chieftain," said he, "and whence comest thou?"
"I come," answered he, "from the Court of Arthur." "And art thou
Arthur's vassal?" "Yes, by my faith," said Gwalchmai. "I will give thee
good counsel," said the knight. "I see that thou art tired and weary, go
unto my palace, if it may please thee, and tarry there to-night."
"Willingly, lord," said he, "and Heaven reward thee." "Take this ring as
a token to the porter, and go forward to yonder tower, and therein thou
wilt find my sister." And Gwalchmai went to the gate, and shewed the
ring, and proceeded to the tower. And on entering, he beheld a large
blazing fire, burning without smoke, and with a bright and lofty flame,
and a beauteous and stately maiden was sitting on a chair by the fire.
And the maiden was glad at his coming, and welcomed him, and advanced to
meet him. And he went and sat beside the maiden, and they took their
repast. And when their repast was over, they discoursed pleasantly
together. And while they were thus, behold there entered a venerable
hoary-headed man. "Ah! base girl," said he, "if thou didst think that it
was right for thee to entertain and to sit by yonder man; thou wouldest
not do so." And he withdrew his head, and went forth, "Ha! chieftain,"
said the maiden, "if thou wilt do as I counsel thee, thou wilt shut the
door, lest the man should have a plot against thee." Upon that Gwalchmai
arose, and when he came near unto the door, the man, with sixty others,
fully armed, were ascending the tower. And Gwalchmai defended the door
with a chessboard, that none might enter until the man should return from
the chase. And thereupon, behold the earl arrived. "What is all this?"
asked he. "It is a sad thing," said the hoary-headed man, "the young
girl yonder has been sitting and eating with him who slew your father. He
is Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar." "Hold thy peace, then," said the earl,
"I will go in." And the earl was joyful concerning Gwalchmai. "Ha!
chieftain," said he, "it was wrong of thee to come to my Court, when thou
knewest that thou didst slay my father; and though we cannot avenge him,
Heaven will avenge him upon thee." "My soul," said Gwalchmai, "thus it
is; I came not here either to acknowledge or to deny having slain thy
father; but I am on a message from Arthur, and therefore do I crave the
space of a year until I shall return from my embassy, and then, upon my
faith, I will come back unto this palace, and do one of two things,
either acknowledge it, or deny it." And the time was granted him
willingly; and he remained there that night. And the next morning he
rode forth. And the story relates nothing further of Gwalchmai
respecting this adventure.

And Peredur rode forward. And he wandered over the whole island, seeking
tidings of the black maiden, and he could meet with none. And he came to
an unknown land, in the centre of a valley, watered by a river. And as
he traversed the valley, he beheld a horseman coming towards him, and
wearing the garments of a priest, and he besought his blessing. "Wretched
man," said he, "thou meritest no blessing, and thou wouldst not be
profited by one, seeing that thou art clad in armour on such a day as
this." "And what day is to-day?" said Peredur. "To-day is Good Friday,"
he answered. "Chide me not, that I knew not this, seeing that it is a
year to-day since I journeyed forth from my country." Then he
dismounted, and led his horse in his hand. And he had not proceeded far
along the high road before he came to a cross road, and the cross road
traversed a wood. And on the other side of the wood he saw an
unfortified castle, which appeared to be inhabited. And at the gate of
the castle there met him the priest whom he had seen before, and he asked
his blessing. "The blessing of Heaven be unto thee," said he, "it is
more fitting to travel in thy present guise, than as thou wast erewhile;
and this night thou shalt tarry with me." So he remained there that
night.

And the next day Peredur sought to go forth. "To-day may no one journey.
Thou shalt remain with me to-day and to-morrow, and the day following,
and I will direct thee as best I may to the place which thou art
seeking." And the fourth day Peredur sought to go forth, and he
entreated the priest to tell him how he should find the Castle of
Wonders. "What I know thereof, I will tell thee," he replied. "Go over
yonder mountain, and on the other side of the mountain thou wilt come to
a river, and in the valley wherein the river runs is a King's Palace,
wherein the King sojourned during Easter. And if thou mayest have
tidings anywhere of the Castle of Wonders, thou wilt have them there."

Then Peredur rode forward. And he came to the valley in which was the
river, and there met him a number of men going to hunt, and in the midst
of them was a man of exalted rank, and Peredur saluted him. "Choose,
chieftain," said the man, "whether thou wilt go with me to the chase, or
wilt proceed to my Palace, and I will despatch one of my household to
commend thee to my daughter, who is there, and who will entertain thee
with food and liquor until I return from hunting; and whatever may be
thine errand, such as I can obtain for thee, thou shalt gladly have." And
the King sent a little yellow page with him as an attendant; and when
they came to the palace, the lady had arisen, and was about to wash
before meat. Peredur went forward, and she saluted him joyfully, and
placed him by her side. And they took their repast. And whatsoever
Peredur said unto her, she laughed loudly, so that all in the palace
could hear. Then spoke the yellow page to the lady. "By my faith," said
he, "this youth is already thy husband; or if he be not, thy mind and thy
thoughts are set upon him." And the little yellow page went unto the
King, and told him that it seemed to him that the youth whom he had met
with was his daughter's husband, or if he were not so already, that he
would shortly become so, unless he were cautious. "What is thy counsel
in this matter, youth?" said the King. "My counsel is," he replied,
"that thou set strong men upon him, to seize him, until thou hast
ascertained the truth respecting this." So he set strong men upon
Peredur, who seized him, and cast him into prison. And the maiden went
before her father, and asked him, wherefore he had caused the youth from
Arthur's Court to be imprisoned. "In truth," he answered, "he shall not
be free to-night, nor to-morrow, nor the day following, and he shall not
come from where he is." She replied not to what the king had said, but
she went to the youth. "Is it unpleasant to thee to be here?" said she.
"I should not care, if I were not," he replied. "Thy couch and thy
treatment shall be in no wise inferior to that of the King himself, and
thou shalt have the best entertainment that the palace affords. And if
it were more pleasing to thee that my couch should be here, that I might
discourse with thee, it should be so, cheerfully." "This can I not
refuse," said Peredur. And he remained in prison that night. And the
maiden provided all that she had promised him.

And the next day Peredur heard a tumult in the town. "Tell me, fair
maiden, what is that tumult?" said Peredur. "All the King's hosts and
his forces have come to the town to-day." "And what seek they here?" he
enquired. "There is an Earl near this place, who possesses two Earldoms,
and is as powerful as a king; and an engagement will take place between
them to-day." "I beseech thee," said Peredur, "to cause a horse and arms
to be brought, that I may view the encounter, and I promise to come back
to my prison again." "Gladly," said she, "will I provide thee with horse
and arms." So she gave him a horse and arms, and a bright scarlet robe
of honour over his armour, and a yellow shield upon his shoulder. And he
went to the combat; and as many of the Earl's men as encountered him that
day, he overthrew; and he returned to his prison. And the maiden asked
tidings of Peredur, and he answered her not a word. And she went and
asked tidings of her father, and enquired who had acquitted himself best
of the household. And he said that he knew not, but that it was a man
with a scarlet robe of honour over his armour, and a yellow shield upon
his shoulder. Then she smiled, and returned to where Peredur was, and
did him great honour that night. And for three days did Peredur slay the
Earl's men; and before any one could know who he was, he returned to his
prison. And the fourth day Peredur slew the Earl himself. And the
maiden went unto her father, and enquired of him the news. "I have good
news for thee," said the King, "the Earl is slain, and I am the owner of
his two Earldoms." "Knowest thou, lord, who slew him?" "I do not know,"
said the King. "It was the knight with the scarlet robe of honour, and
the yellow shield." "Lord," said she, "I know who that is." "By
Heaven," he exclaimed, "who is he?" "Lord," she replied, "he is the
knight whom thou hast imprisoned." Then he went unto Peredur, and
saluted him, and told him that he would reward the service he had done
him, in any way he might desire. And when they went to meat, Peredur was
placed beside the King, and the maiden on the other side of Peredur, "I
will give thee," said the King, "my daughter in marriage, and half my
kingdom with her, and the two Earldoms as a gift." "Heaven reward thee,
lord," said Peredur, "but I came not here to woo." "What seekest thou,
then, chieftain?" "I am seeking tidings of the Castle of Wonders." "Thy
enterprise is greater, chieftain, than thou wilt wish to pursue," said
the maiden, "nevertheless, tidings shalt thou have of the Castle, and
thou shalt have a guide through my father's dominions, and a sufficiency
of provisions for thy journey, for thou art, O chieftain, the man whom
best I love." Then she said to him, "Go over yonder mountain, and thou
wilt find a Lake, and in the middle of the Lake there is a Castle, and
that is the Castle that is called the Castle of Wonders; and we know not
what wonders are therein, but thus is it called."

And Peredur proceeded towards the Castle, and the gate of the Castle was
open. And when he came to the hall, the door was open, and he entered.
And he beheld a chessboard in the hall, and the chessmen were playing
against each other, by themselves. And the side that he favoured lost
the game, {102} and thereupon the others set up a shout, as though they
had been living men. And Peredur was wroth, and took the chessmen in his
lap, and cast the chessboard into the lake. And when he had done thus,
behold the black maiden came in, and she said to him, "The welcome of
Heaven be not unto thee. Thou hadst rather do evil than good." "What
complaint hast thou against me, maiden?" said Peredur. "That thou hast
occasioned unto the Empress the loss of her chessboard, which she would
not have lost for all her empire. And the way in which thou mayest
recover the chessboard is, to repair to the Castle of Ysbidinongyl, where
is a black man, who lays waste the dominions of the Empress; and if thou
canst slay him, thou wilt recover the chessboard. But if thou goest
there, thou wilt not return alive." "Wilt thou direct me thither?" said
Peredur. "I will show thee the way," she replied. So he went to the
Castle of Ysbidinongyl, and he fought with the black man. And the black
man besought mercy of Peredur. "Mercy will I grant thee," said he, "on
condition that thou cause the chessboard to be restored to the place
where it was when I entered the hall." Then the maiden came to him and
said, "The malediction of Heaven attend thee for thy work, since thou
hast left that monster alive, who lays waste all the possessions of the
Empress." "I granted him his life," said Peredur, "that he might cause
the chessboard to be restored." "The chessboard is not in the place
where thou didst find it; go back, therefore, and slay him," answered
she. So Peredur went back, and slew the black man. And when he returned
to the palace, he found the black maiden there. "Ah! maiden," said
Peredur, "where is the Empress?" "I declare to Heaven that thou wilt not
see her now, unless thou dost slay the monster that is in yonder forest."
"What monster is there?" "It is a stag that is as swift as the swiftest
bird; and he has one horn in his forehead, as long as the shaft of a
spear and as sharp as whatever is sharpest. And he destroys the branches
of the best trees in the forest and he kills every animal that he meets
with therein; and those that he does not slay perish of hunger. And what
is worse than that, he comes every night, and drinks up the fish pond,
and leaves the fishes exposed, so that for the most part they die before
the water returns again." "Maiden," said Peredur, "wilt thou come and
show me this animal?" "Not so," said the maiden, "for he has not
permitted any mortal to enter the forest for above a twelvemonth. Behold,
here is a little dog belonging to the Empress, which will rouse the stag,
and will chase him towards thee, and the stag will attack thee." Then
the little dog went as a guide to Peredur, and roused the stag, and
brought him towards the place where Peredur was. And the stag attacked
Peredur, and he let him pass by him, and as he did so, he smote off his
head with his sword. And while he was looking at the head of the stag,
he saw a lady on horseback coming towards him. And she took the little
dog in the lappet of her cap, and the head and the body of the stag lay
before her. And around the stag's neck was a golden collar. "Ha!
chieftain," said she, "uncourteously hast thou acted in slaying the
fairest jewel that was in my dominions." "I was intreated so to do; and
is there any way by which I can obtain thy friendship?" "There is," she
replied. "Go thou forward unto yonder mountain, and there thou wilt find
a grove; and in the grove there is a cromlech, do thou there challenge a
man three times to fight, and thou shalt have my friendship."

So Peredur proceeded onward, and came to the side of the grove, and
challenged any man to fight. And a black man arose from beneath the
cromlech, mounted upon a bony horse, and both he and his horse were clad
in huge rusty armour. And they fought. And as often as Peredur cast the
black man to the earth, he would jump again into his saddle. And Peredur
dismounted, and drew his sword; and thereupon the black man disappeared
with Peredur's horse and his own, so that he could not gain sight of him
a second time. And Peredur went along the mountain, and on the other
side of the mountain he beheld a castle in the valley, wherein was a
river. And he went to the castle; and as he entered it, he saw a hall,
and the door of the hall was open, and he went in. And there he saw a
lame grey-headed man, sitting on one side of the hall, with Gwalchmai
beside him. And Peredur beheld his horse, which the black man had taken,
in the same stall with that of Gwalchmai. And they were glad concerning
Peredur. And he went and seated himself on the other side of the hoary-
headed man. Then, behold a yellow-haired youth came, and bent upon the
knee before Peredur, and besought his friendship. "Lord," said the
youth, "it was I that came in the form of the black maiden to Arthur's
Court, and when thou didst throw down the chessboard, and when thou didst
slay the black man of Ysbidinongyl, and when thou didst slay the stag,
and when thou didst go to fight the black man of the cromlech. And I
came with the bloody head in the salver, and with the lance that streamed
with blood from the point to the hand, all along the shaft; and the head
was thy cousin's, and he was killed by the sorceresses of Gloucester, who
also lamed thine uncle; and I am thy cousin. And there is a prediction
that thou art to avenge these things." Then Peredur and Gwalchmai took
counsel, and sent to Arthur and his household, to beseech them to come
against the sorceresses. And they began to fight with them, and one of
the sorceresses slew one of Arthur's men before Peredur's face, and
Peredur bade her forbear. And the sorceress slew a man before Peredur's
face a second time, and a second time he forbade her. And the third time
the sorceress slew a man before the face of Peredur, and then Peredur
drew his sword, and smote the sorceress on the helmet, and all her head
armour was split in two parts. And she set up a cry, and desired the
other sorceresses to flee, and told them that this was Peredur, the man
who had learnt Chivalry with them, and by whom they were destined to be
slain. Then Arthur and his household fell upon the sorceresses, and slew
the sorceresses of Gloucester every one And thus is it related concerning
the Castle of Wonders.




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 despatch 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 England, 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.
{108} 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 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, {109}
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 fagots 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 therethrough, 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 calfskin 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 chesnut 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 shew
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."

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