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 honorably received.
And his horse was well cared for, and plenty of fodder was placed
before him. Then the lion went and laid 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 any thing 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 staid there that night.
The next morning they heard an exceeding great clamor, 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 armor, 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.
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 honor 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[9] 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.
[Footnote 9: This strange army of ravens figures in a tale given
presently--"The Dream of Rhonabay."]
KILHWCH[10] AND OLWEN; OR, THE TWRCH TRWYTH.
[Footnote 10: [Pronounced in two syllables "Kil-hooch," the _oo_ sound
prolonged or drawled and the _ch_ very guttural as in the vigorous
utterance of Scotch lo_ch_, German _ach_, etc. So "Twrch Trwyth" like
_Toorch Trooweth_.]]
[Kilhwch, having grown to be a youth in the palace of his father, was
one day sent for by his stepmother, who said to him], "I declare to
thee that it is thy destiny not to be suited with a wife until thou
obtain Olwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr."
And the youth blushed, and the love of the maiden diffused itself
through all his frame, although he had never seen her. And his father
inquired of him, "What has come over thee, my son, and what aileth
thee?"
"My stepmother has declared to me that I shall never have a wife until
I obtain Olwen, the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr."
"That will be easy for thee," answered his father. "Arthur is thy
cousin. Go, therefore, unto Arthur to cut thy hair, and ask this of him
as a boon."
And the youth pricked forth upon a steed with head dappled-gray, of
four winters old, firm of limb, with shell-formed hoofs, having a
bridle of linked gold on his head, and upon him a saddle of costly
gold.[11] And in the youth's hand were two spears of silver, sharp,
well-tempered, headed with steel, three ells in length, of an edge to
wound the wind and cause blood to flow, and swifter than the fall of
the dewdrop from the blade of reed-grass upon the earth when the dew
of June is at the heaviest. A gold-hilted sword was upon his thigh,
the blade of which was of gold, bearing a cross of inlaid gold of the
hue of the lightning of heaven. His war-horn was of ivory. Before him
were two brindled white-breasted greyhounds, having strong collars of
rubies about their necks reaching from the shoulder to the ear. And the
one that was on the left side bounded across to the right side, and the
one on the right to the left, and like two sea-swallows sported around
him. And his courser cast up four sods with his four hoofs, like four
swallows in the air, about his head, now above, now below. About him
was a four-cornered cloth of purple; and an apple of gold was at each
corner, and every one of the apples was of the value of an hundred
kine. And there was precious gold of the value of three hundred kine
upon his shoes, and upon his stirrups, from his knee to the tip of his
toe. And the blade of grass bent not beneath him, so light was his
courser's tread, as he journeyed towards the gate of Arthur's palace.
[Footnote 11: A wonderful bracing air seems to blow through this
description. The superb details make up really a typic picture of youth
in all times and countries.]
Spoke the youth, "Is there a porter?"
"There is; and, if thou holdest not thy peace, small will be thy
welcome. I am Arthur's porter every first day of January. And, during
every other part of the year but this, the office is filled by Huandaw,
and Gogigwc, and Llaeskenym, and Pennpingyon, who goes upon his head to
save his feet, like a rolling stone upon the floor of the court."
"Open the portal."
"I will not open it."
"Wherefore not?"
"The knife is in the meat, and the drink is in the horn, and there is
revelry in Arthur's hall; and none may enter therein, but the son of a
king of a privileged country, or a craftsman bringing his craft."
Said the youth, "That will I not do. If thou openest the gate, it is
well. If thou dost not open it, I will bring disgrace upon thy lord,
and evil report upon thee. And I will set up three shouts at this very
gate, than which none were ever more deadly, from the top of Pengwaed
in Cornwall, to the bottom of Dinsol in the north, and to Esgair Oervel
in Ireland."
"What clamor soever thou mayest make," said Glewlwyd Gavaelvawr,
"against the laws of Arthur's palace, shalt thou not enter therein,
until I first go and speak with Arthur."
Then Glewlwyd went into the hall. And Arthur said to him, "Hast thou
news from the gate?"
"Half of my life is past, and half of thine. I was heretofore in Kaer
Se and Asse, in Sach and Salach, in Lotor and Fotor; and I have been
heretofore in India the Great and India the Lesser; and I was in
the battle of Dau Ynyr, when the twelve hostages were brought from
Llychlyn; and I have also been in Europe, and in Africa, and in the
islands of Corsica, and in Caer Brythwch and Brythach and Verthach; and
I was present when formerly thou didst slay the family of Clis the son
of Merin, and when thou didst slay Mil Du the son of Ducum, and when
thou didst conquer Greece in the East; and I have been in Caer Oeth and
Annoeth, and in Caer Nevenhyr; nine supreme sovereigns, handsome men,
saw we there, but never did I behold a man of equal dignity with him
who is now at the door of the portal."
Then said Arthur, "If walking thou didst enter in here, return thou
running. And every one that beholds the light, and every one that opens
and shuts the eye, let them show him respect, and serve him; some with
gold-mounted drinking-horns, others with collops cooked and peppered,
until food and drink can be prepared for him. It is unbecoming to keep
such a man as thou sayest he is in the wind and the rain."
Said Kai, "By the hand of my friend, if thou would'st follow my
counsel, thou would'st not break through the laws of the court because
of him."
"Not so, blessed Kai. It is an honor to us to be resorted to; and the
greater our courtesy the greater will be our renown, and our fame, and
our glory."
And Glewlwyd came to the gate, and opened the gate before him; and,
although all dismounted upon the horseblock at the gate, yet did he not
dismount, but rode in upon his charger. Then said Kilhwch, "Greeting be
unto thee, sovereign ruler of this island; and be this greeting no less
unto the lowest than unto the highest."
[Illustration: Kilhwch Riding into Arthur's Hall.]
"Greeting unto thee, also," said Arthur. "Sit thou between two of my
warriors, and thou shalt have minstrels before thee; and thou shalt
enjoy the privileges of a king born to a throne, as long as thou
remainest here."
Said the youth, "I came not here to consume meat and drink; but, if I
obtain the boon that I seek, I will requite it thee, and extol thee.
And, if I have it not, I will bear forth thy dispraise to the four
quarters of the world, as far as thy renown has extended."
Then said Arthur, "Since thou wilt not remain here, chieftain, thou
shalt receive the boon whatsoever thy tongue may name, as far as the
wind dries, and the rain moistens, and the sun revolves, and the sea
encircles, and the earth extends; save only my ship, and my mantle, and
Caledvwlch, my sword, and Rhongomyant, my lance, and Wynebgwrthucher,
my shield, and Carnwenhau, my dagger, and Gwenhwyvar, my wife. Name
what thou wilt."
"I would that thou bless my hair."
"That shall be granted thee."
And Arthur took a golden comb, and scissors whereof the loops were of
silver, and he combed his hair. And Arthur inquired of him who he
was. "For my heart warms unto thee, and I know that thou art come of my
blood. Tell me, therefore, who thou art."
"I will tell thee," said the youth. "I am Kilhwch, the son of Kilydd,
the son of Prince Kelyddon by Goleuddydd my mother, the daughter of
Prince Anlawdd."
"That is true," said Arthur. "Thou art my cousin. Whatsoever boon thou
mayest ask, thou shalt receive, be it what it may that thy tongue shall
name."
"I crave of thee, then, that thou obtain for me Olwen, the daughter
of Yspaddaden Penkawr; and this boon I likewise seek at the hands of
thy warriors. I seek it from Kai, and Geraint the son of Erbin, and
Osla Gylleillvawr (who bore a short, broad dagger: when Arthur and his
hosts came before a torrent, they would seek for a narrow place where
they might pass the water, and would lay the sheathed dagger across the
torrent, and it would form a bridge sufficient for the armies of the
three islands of Britain, and of the three islands adjacent, with their
spoil); and Gilla Coes Hydd (he would clear three hundred acres at one
bound: the chief leaper of Ireland was he); Sol, and Gwadyn Ossol, and
Gwadyn Odyeith (Sol could stand all day upon one foot; Gwadyn Ossol, if
he stood upon the top of the highest mountain in the world, it would
become a level plain under his feet; Gwadyn Odyeith, the soles of his
feet emitted sparks of fire when they struck upon things hard, like the
heated mass when drawn out of the forge: he cleared the way for Arthur
when he came to any stoppage); and Gwevyl, the son of Gwestad (on the
day that he was sad, he would let one of his lips drop below his waist,
while he turned up the other like a cap upon his head); Uchtryd Varyf
Draws (who spread his red untrimmed beard over the eight and forty
rafters which were in Arthur's hall); Brys, the son of Bryssethach
(from the Hill of the Black Fernbrake in North Britain); Clust, the
son of Clustveinad (though he were buried seven cubits beneath the
earth, he would hear the ant fifty miles off rise from her nest in the
morning), Medyr, the son of Methredydd (from Gelli Wic he could, in a
twinkling, shoot the wren through the two legs upon Esgeir Oervel in
Ireland); and Henwas Adeinawg, the son of Erim; and Henbedestyr, the
son of Erim; and Sgilti Yscawndroed, the son of Erim (unto these three
men belonged these three qualities: with Henbedestyr there was not any
one who could keep pace, either on horseback or on foot; with Henwas
Adeinawg, no four-footed beast could run the distance of an acre, much
less could go beyond it; and as to Sgilti Yscawndroed, when he intended
to go upon a message for his lord, he never sought to find a path,
but knowing whither he was to go, if his way lay through a wood, he
went along the tops of the trees); and Hueil, the son of Kaw (he never
yet made a request at the hand of any lord); and Taliesin, the chief
of the bards; and Manawyddan, the son of Llyr; Bwlch and Kyfwlch and
Sefwlch, the sons of Cleddyf Kyfwlch (their three shields were three
gleaming glitterers; their three spears were three pointed piercers;
their three swords were three griding gashers,--Glas, Glessic, and
Gleisad; their three dogs, Call, Cuall, and Cavall; their three horses,
Hwyrdyddwd and Drwgdyddwd and Llwyrdyddwg; their three wives, Och and
Garym and Diaspad; their three grandchildren, Lluched and Neved and
Eissiwed; their three daughters, Drwg and Gwaeth and Gwaethav Oll;
their three handmaids, Eheubryd the daughter of Kyfwlch, Gorascwrn
the daughter of Nerth, Ewaedan the daughter of Kynvelyn Keudawd Pwyll
the half-man); and Morvran, the son of Tegid (no one struck him in
the battle of Camlan by reason of his ugliness; all thought he was an
auxiliary devil; hair had he upon him like the hair of a stag); and
Sandde Bryd Angel (no one touched him with a spear in the battle of
Camlan, because of his beauty; all thought he was a ministering angel);
and Glwyddyn Saer (who constructed Ehangwen, Arthur's hall); for the
sake of the golden-chained daughters of this island--for the sake of
Gwenhwyvar, its chief lady, and Gwennhwyach, her sister, and Rathtyeu,
the only daughter of Clemenhill, and Rhelemon, the daughter of Kai;
Morvudd, the daughter of Urien Rheged; Gwenllian Deg, the majestic
maiden; Creiddylad,[12] the daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint (she was the
most splendid maiden in the three islands of the mighty, and in the
three islands adjacent; and for her, Gwythyr the son of Greidawl, and
Gwynn the son of Nudd, fight every first of May until the day of doom)."
[Footnote 12: "Creiddylad" is the old Welsh name out of which the
English tongue has made "Cordelia;" and this lady is no other than
the loving daughter of King Lear. Lear's name in the Welsh originals
lying far back beyond Shakspere's play is sometimes "Llyr" (as
in "Manawyddan, the son of Llyr," who gives name to one of the
Mabinogion), and sometimes, as here, "Lludd Llaw Ereint."]
And all these[13] did Kilhwch, son of Kilydd, adjure to obtain his boon.
[Footnote 13: It would be the grossest injustice to the tongue and
the memory of our astounding Kilhwch not to mention carefully at this
point that the names of Arthur's warriors and attendants which I have
here given form but a small portion of the truly surprising list which
he actually pours forth in the original story, as he stands before
the king. These amount to more than two hundred; and there is no risk
whatever in saying that the resources of the English alphabet have
never met with a like strain as in the reproduction of them presented
by Lady Guest. "Uchtryd Ardywad Kad," and "Gwrhyr Gwarthegvras," and
"Esgeir Gulhwch Govynkawn," and "Drustwrn Hayarn," and "Glewlwyd
Gavaelvawr," and "Lloch Llawwynnyawc," may serve as examples. Kihwch
recites most of these without comment. I have selected those, but not
all, to which he adds some parenthetic description. I have given them,
too, in a different order from that of the original.]
Then said Arthur, "O chieftain! I have never heard of the maiden
of whom thou speakest, nor of her kindred; but I will gladly send
messengers in search of her. Give me time to seek her."
And the youth said, "I will willingly grant from this night to that at
the end of the year to do so."
Then Arthur sent messengers to every land within his dominions to seek
for the maiden; and at the end of the year Arthur's messengers returned
without having gained any knowledge or intelligence concerning Olwen,
more than on the first day. Then said Kilhwch, "Every one has received
his boon, and I yet lack mine. I will depart, and bear away thy honor
with me."
Then said Kai, "Rash chieftain! dost thou reproach Arthur? Go with us,
and we will not part until thou dost confess that the maiden exists not
in the world, or until we obtain her."
Thereupon Kai rose up. Kai had this peculiarity, that his breath lasted
nine nights and nine days under water, and he could exist nine nights
and nine days without sleep. A wound from Kai's sword no physician
could heal. Very subtle was Kai. When it pleased him, he could render
himself as tall as the highest tree in the forest. And he had another
peculiarity: so great was the heat of his nature that, when it rained
hardest, whatever he carried remained dry for a handbreadth above, and
a handbreadth below, his hand; and, when his companions were coldest,
it was to them as fuel with which to light their fire.
And Arthur called Bedwyr, who never shrank from any enterprise upon
which Kai was bound. None was equal to him in swiftness throughout
this island, except Arthur and Drych Ail Kibddar. And, although he was
one-handed, three warriors could not shed blood faster than he on the
field of battle. Another property he had: his lance would produce a
wound equal to those of nine opposing lances.
And Arthur called to Kynddelig the guide, "Go thou upon this expedition
with the chieftain."
For as good a guide was he in a land which he had never seen as he was
in his own.
He called Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, because he knew all tongues.
He called Gwalchmai, the son of Gwyar, because he never returned home
without achieving the adventure of which he went in quest. He was the
best of footmen and the best of knights. He was nephew to Arthur, the
son of his sister and his cousin.
And Arthur called Menw, the son of Teirgwaedd, in order that if they
went into a savage country he might cast a charm and an illusion over
them, so that none might see them, whilst they could see every one.
They journeyed until they came to a vast, open plain, wherein they saw
a great castle, which was the fairest of the castles of the world. And
they journeyed that day until the evening; and, when they thought they
were nigh to the castle, they were no nearer to it than they had been
in the morning. And the second and the third day they journeyed, and
even then scarcely could they reach so far. And, when they came before
the castle, they beheld a vast flock of sheep, which was boundless
and without an end. And upon the top of a mound there was a herdsman
keeping the sheep. And a rug made of skins was upon him; and by his
side was a shaggy mastiff, larger than a steed nine winters old. Never
had he lost even a lamb from his flock, much less a large sheep. He let
no occasion ever pass without doing some hurt and harm. All the dead
trees and bushes in the plain he burnt with his breath down to the very
ground.
Then said Kai, "Gwrhyr Gwalstawt Ieithoedd, go thou, and salute yonder
man."
"Kai," said he, "I engaged not to go farther than thou thyself."
"Let us go then, together," answered Kai.
Said Menw, the son of Teirgwaedd, "Fear not to go thither; for I will
cast a spell upon the dog, so that he shall injure no one."
And they went up to the mound whereon the herdsman was; and they said
to him, "Whose are the sheep that thou dost keep? and to whom does
yonder castle belong?"