the island, as far as Euyas, who should return thence to the Severn,
and that tried warriors should traverse the island, and force him
into Severn. And Mabon, the son of Modron, came up with him at the
Severn, upon Gwynn Mygddon, the horse of Gweddw, and Goreu the son of
Custennin, and Menw the son of Teirgwaedd. This was betwixt Llyn Lliwan
and Aber Gwy. And Arthur fell upon him together with the champions
of Britain. And Osla Kyllellvawr drew near, and Manawyddan the son
of Llyr, and Kacmwri the servant of Arthur, and Gwyngelli; and they
seized hold of him, catching him first by his feet, and plunged him
in the Severn, so that it overwhelmed him. On the one side Mabon the
son of Modron spurred his steed, and snatched his razor from him; and
Kyledyr Wyllt came up with him on the other side, upon another steed,
in the Severn, and took from him the scissors. But before they could
obtain the comb, he had regained the ground with his feet, and from
the moment that he reached the shore, neither dog, nor man, nor horse
could overtake him until he came to Cornwall. If they had had trouble
in getting the jewels from him, much more had they in seeking to save
the two men from being drowned. Kacmwri, as they drew him forth, was
dragged by two millstones into the deep. And as Osla Kyllellvawr was
running after the boar, his knife had dropped out of the sheath, and he
had lost it; and after that, the sheath became full of water, and its
weight drew him down into the deep as they were drawing him forth.
Then Arthur and his hosts proceeded, until they overtook the boar in
Cornwall; and the trouble which they had met with before was mere play
to what they encountered in seeking the comb. But from one difficulty
to another, the comb was at length obtained. And then he was hunted
from Cornwall, and driven straight forward into the deep sea. And
thenceforth it was never known whither he went, and Aned and Aethlem
with him. Then went Arthur to Gelliwic in Cornwall, to anoint himself,
and to rest from his fatigues.
Said Arthur, "Is there any one of the marvels yet unobtained?"
Said one of his men, "There is,--the blood of the witch Orddu, the
daughter of the witch Owen of Penn Nant Govid, on the confines of Hell."
Arthur set forth towards the North, and came to the place where was
the witch's cave. And Gwyn ab Nudd, and Gwythyr the son of Greidawl,
counselled him to send Kacmwri and Hygwyd his brother to fight with
the witch. And as they entered the cave, the witch seized upon them,
and she caught Hygwyd by the hair of his head, and threw him on the
floor beneath her. And Kacmwri caught her by the hair of her head, and
dragged her to the earth from off Hygwyd; but she turned again upon
them both, and drove them both out with kicks and with cuffs.
And Arthur was wroth at seeing his two attendants almost slain, and he
sought to enter the cave; but Gwyn and Gwythyr said unto him, "It would
not be fitting or seemly for us to see thee squabbling with a hag. Let
Hiramreu and Hireidil go to the cave."
So they went. But if great was the trouble of the first two that went,
much greater was that of these two. And Heaven knows that not one of
the four could move from the spot, until they placed them all upon
Llamrei, Arthur's mare. And then Arthur rushed to the door of the cave;
and at the door he struck at the witch with Carnwennan, his dagger, and
clove her in twain, so that she fell in two parts. And Kaw of North
Britain took the blood of the witch, and kept it.
Then Kilhwch set forward, and Goreu, the son of Custennin, with him,
and as many as wished ill to Yspaddaden Penkawr. And they took the
marvels with them to his court. And Kaw of North Britain came and
shaved his beard, skin, and flesh clean off to the very bone from ear
to ear.
"Art thou shaved, man?" said Kilhwch.
"I am shaved," answered he.
"Is thy daughter mine now?"
"She is thine," said he; "but therefor needest thou not thank me,
but Arthur who hath accomplished this for thee. By my free will thou
should'st never have had her; for with her I lose my life."
Then Goreu, the son of Custennin, seized him by the hair of his head,
and dragged him after him to the keep, and cut off his head, and placed
it on a stake on the citadel. Then they took possession of his castle
and of his treasures.
And Olwen became Kilhwch's bride, and she continued to be his wife as
long as she lived. And the hosts of Arthur dispersed themselves, each
man to his own country. And thus did Kilhwch obtain Olwen, the daughter
of Yspaddaden Penkawr.
PEREDUR[15] THE SON OF EVRAWC.
[Footnote 15: This "Peredur" is the Welsh original of "Sir Percival"
who figures so finely in the search for the Sangreal along with Sir
Galahad and the rest.]
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 anxious 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 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 showed 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 honorable 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 demeanor." 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 honor 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
harborage 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, "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 valor 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
armor 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.
"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
honorable 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."
And Owain unfastened his armor and his clothes. "Here, my good soul,"
said he, "is a horse and armor 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 show 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 revenge 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.
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 honor 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
inquired 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, youths," 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 honor 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 honor 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 drunk 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."
[Then] 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 re-unite 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 re-united. 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 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 forbore to ask him concerning it. And when the clamor 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.
And the next day, with his uncle's permission, he rode forth. And he
came to a wood, and far within the wood he heard a loud cry, and he saw
a beautiful woman with auburn hair, and a horse with a saddle upon it
standing near her, and a corpse by her side. And as she strove to place
the corpse upon the horse it fell to the ground, and thereupon she made
a great lamentation.
"Tell me, sister," said Peredur, "wherefore art thou bewailing?"
"Oh, accursed Peredur! little pity has my ill fortune ever met with
from thee."
"Wherefore," said Peredur, "am I accursed?"
"Because thou wast the cause of thy mother's death; for, when thou
didst ride forth against her will, anguish seized upon her heart so
that she died; and therefore art thou accursed. And the dwarf and the
dwarfess that thou sawest at Arthur's court were the dwarfs of thy
father and mother. And I am thy foster-sister, and this was my wedded
husband, and he was slain by the knight that is in the glade in the
wood. And do not thou go near him, lest thou shouldest be slain by him
likewise."
"My sister, thou dost reproach me wrongfully. Through my having so
long remained amongst you, I shall scarcely vanquish him; and, had
I continued longer, it would indeed be difficult for me to succeed.
Cease, therefore, thy lamenting, for it is of no avail. And I will bury
the body, and then I will go in quest of the knight, and see if I can
do vengeance upon him."
And when he had buried the body, they went to the place where the
knight was, and found him riding proudly along the glade; and he
inquired of Peredur whence he came.
"I come from Arthur's court."
"And art thou one of Arthur's men?"
"Yes, by my faith!"