_ Kilydd, a son of Prince Kelyddon, desired a wife as a helpmate,
and the wife that he chose was Goleudid, the daughter of Prince
Anlawd. And after their union the people put up prayers that they
might have an heir. And they had a son through the prayers of the
people; and called his name Kilwich.
After this the boy's mother, Goleudid, the daughter of Prince
Anlawd, fell sick. Then she called her husband to her, and said to
him, "Of this sickness I shall die, and thou wilt take another
wife. Now wives are the gift of the Lord, but it would be wrong
for thee to harm thy son. Therefore I charge thee that thou take
not a wife until thou see a briar with two blossoms upon my
grave." And this he promised her. Then she besought him to dress
her grave every year, that no weeds might grow thereon. So the
queen died. Now the king sent an attendant every morning to see if
anything were growing upon the grave. And at the end of the
seventh year they neglected that which they had promised to the
queen.
One day the king went to hunt; and he rode to the place of burial,
to see the grave, and to know if it were time that he should take
a wife: and the King saw the briar. And when he saw it, the king
took counsel where he should find a wife. Said one of his
counsellors, "I know a wife that will suit thee well; and she is
the wife of King Doged." And they resolved to go to seek her; and
they slew the king, and brought away his wife. And they conquered
the kings' lands. And he married the widow of King Doged, the
sister of Yspadaden Penkawr.
And one day his stepmother said to Kilwich, "It were well for thee
to have a wife." "I am not yet of an age to wed," answered the
youth. Then said she unto him, "I declare to thee that it is thy
destiny not to be suited with a wife until thou obtain Olwen, the
daughter of Yspadaden 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 Yspadaden 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,
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. 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 dew-drop from the blade of reed-grass, when the
dew of June is at the heaviest. A gold-hilted sword was upon his
thigh, the blade of which was gilded, 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 upon 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 toward the gate of
Arthur's palace.
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." "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. But there will be
refreshment for thy dogs and for thy horse; and for thee there
will be collops cooked and peppered, and luscious wine, and
mirthful songs; and food for fifty men shall be brought unto thee
in the guest-chamber, where the stranger and the sons of other
countries eat, who come not into the precincts of the palace of
Arthur. Thou wilt fare no worse there than thou wouldst with
Arthur in the court. A lady shall smooth thy couch, and shall lull
thee with songs; and early to-morrow morning, when the gate is
open for the multitude that came hither to-day, for thee shall it
be opened first, and thou mayest sit in the place that thou shalt
choose in Arthur's hall, from the upper end to the lower." 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 heard more deadly."
"What clamor soever thou mayest make," said Glewlwyd, the porter,
"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 passed," said
Glewlwyd, "and half of thine. I was heretofore in Kaer Se and
Asse, in Sach and Salach, in Lotor and Fotor, and I have been in
India the Great and India the Lesser, and I have also been in
Europe and Africa, and in the islands of Corsica, and I was
present when thou didst conquer Greece in the East. 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 here,
return thou running. It is unbecoming to keep such a man as thou
sayest he is in the wind and the rain." Said Kay: "By the hand of
my friend, if thou wouldst follow my counsel, thou wouldst not
break through the laws of the court because of him." "Not so,
blessed Kay," said Arthur; "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 Kilwich:
and although all dismounted upon the horse-block at the gate, yet
did he not dismount, but he rode in upon his charger. Then said
he, "Greeting be unto thee, sovereign ruler of this island, and be
this greeting no less unto the lowest than unto the highest, and
be it equally unto thy guests, and thy warriors, and thy
chieftains; let all partake of it as completely as thyself. And
complete be thy favor, and thy fame, and thy glory, throughout all
this island." "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. And when I disperse my
presents to the visitors and strangers in this court, they shall
be in thy hand at my commencing." 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; but 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 Prydwen, and my mantle, and
Caliburn, my sword, and Rhongomyant, my lance, and Guenever, my
wife. By the truth of Heaven, thou shalt have it cheerfuly, name
what thou wilt." "I would that thou bless my hair," said he. "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 Kilwich, the son of Kilydd, the son
of Prince Kelyddon, by Goleudyd, my mother, the daughter of Prince
Anlawd." "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." "Pledge the truth of Heaven and
the faith of thy kingdom thereof." "I pledge it thee gladly." "I
crave of thee, then, that thou obtain for me Olwen, the daughter
of Yspadaden Penkawr, to wife; and this boon I likewise seek at
the hands of thy warriors. I seek it from Kay and from Bedwyr; and
from Gwynn, the son of Nudd, and Gadwy, the son of Geraint, and
Prince Flewddur Flam and Iona, king of France, and Sel, the son of
Selgi, and Taliesin, the chief of the bards, and Geraint, the son
of Erbin, Garanwyn, the son of Kay, and Amren, the son of Bedwyr,
Ol, the son of Olwyd, Bedwin, the bishop, Guenever, the chief
lady, and Guenhywach, her sister, Morved, the daughter of Urien,
and Gwenlian Deg, the majestic maiden, Creiddylad, [Footnote:
Creiddylad is no other than Shakspeare's Cordelia, whose father,
King Lear, is by the Welsh authorities called indiscriminately
Llyr or Lludd. All the old chronicles give the story of her
devotion to her aged parent, but none of them seem to have been
aware that she is destined to remain with him till the day of
doom, whilst Gwyn ap Nudd, the king of the fairies, and Gwythyr op
Greidiol, fight for her every first of May, and whichever of them
may be fortunate enough to be the conqueror at that time will
obtain her as a bride.] the daughter of Lludd, the constant
maiden, and Ewaedah, the daughter of Kynvelyn, [Footnote: The
Welsh have a fable on the subject of the half man, taken to be
illustrative of the force of habit. In this allegory Arthur is
supposed to be met by a sprite, who appears at first in a small
and indistinct form, but who, on approaching nearer, increases in
size, and, assuming the semblance of half a man, endeavors to
provoke the king to wrestle. Despising his weakness, and
considering that he should gain no credit by the encounter, Arthur
refuses to do so, and delays the contest until at length the half
man (Habit) becomes so strong that it requires his utmost efforts
to overcome him.] the half-man." All these did Kilwich, the son of
Kilydd, adjure to obtain his boon.
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 Kilwich, "Every one has received his boon, and I
yet lack mine. I will depart, and bear away thy honor with me."
Then said Kay, "Rash chieftain! dost thou reproach Arthur? Go with
us, and we will not part until thou dost either confess that the
maiden exists not in the world, or until we obtain her." Thereupon
Kay rose up. And Arthur called Bedwyr, who never shrank from any
enterprise upon which Kay was bound. None were equal to him in
swiftness throughout this island except Arthur alone; and although
he was one handed; three warriors could not shed blood faster than
he on the field of battle.
And Arthur called to Kyndelig, 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 Gurhyr Gwalstat, because he knew all tongues.
He called Gawain, the son of Gwyar, because he never returned home
without achieving the adventure of which he went in quest.
And Arthur called Meneu, the son of Teirgwed, 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 when they came before the castle, they beheld a vast
flock of sheep. 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.
Then said Kay, "Gurhyr Gwalstat, go thou and salute yonder man."
"Kay," said he, "I engaged not to go further than thou thyself."
"Let us go then together." answered Kay. Said Meneu, "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, "How dost thou fare, herdsman?" "Not
less fair be it to you than to me." "Whose are the sheep that thou
dost keep, and to whom does yonder castle belong?" "Stupid are ye,
truly! not to know that this is the castle of Yspadaden Penkawr.
And ye also, who are ye?" "We are an embassy from Arthur, come to
seek Olwen, the daughter of Yspadaden Penkawr." "O men! the mercy
of Heaven be upon you; do not that for all the world. None who
ever came hither on this quest has returned alive." And the
herdsman rose up. And as he rose Kilwich gave unto him a ring of
gold. And he went home and gave the ring to his spouse to keep.
And she took the ring when it was given her, and she said, "Whence
came this ring, for thou art not wont to have good fortune." "O
wife, him to whom this ring belonged thou shalt see here this
evening." "And who is he?" asked the woman. "Kilwich, the son of
Kilydd, by Goleudid, the daughter of Prince Anlawd, who is come to
seek Olwen as his wife." And when she heard that, she had joy that
her nephew, the son of her sister, was coming to her, and sorrow,
because she had never known any one depart alive who had come on
that quest.
And the men went forward to the gate of the herdsman's dwelling.
And when she heard their footsteps approaching, she ran out with
joy to meet them. And Kay snatched a billet out of the pile. And
when she met them, she sought to throw her arms about their necks.
And Kay placed the log between her two hands, and she squeezed it
so that it became a twisted coil. "O woman," said Kay, "if thou
hadst squeezed me thus, none could ever again have set their
affections on me. Evil love were this." They entered into the
house and were served; and soon after, they all went forth to
amuse themselves. Then the woman opened a stone chest that was
before the chimney-corner, and out of it arose a youth with
yellow, curling hair. Said Gurhyr, "It is a pity to hide this
youth. I know that it is not his own crime that is thus visited
upon him." "This is but a remnant," said the woman. "Three and
twenty of my sons has Yspadaden Penkawr slain, and I have no more
hope of this one than of the others." Then said Kay, "Let him come
and be a companion with me, and he shall not be slain unless I
also am slain with him." And they ate. And the woman asked them,
"Upon what errand come you here?" "We come to seek Olwen for this
youth." Then said the woman, "In the name of Heaven, since no one
from the castle hath yet seen you, return again whence you came."
"Heaven is our witness, that we will not return until we have seen
the maiden. Does she ever come hither, so that she may be seen?"
"She comes here every Saturday to wash her head, and in the vessel
where she washes she leaves all her rings, and she never either
comes herself or sends any messengers to fetch them." "Will she
come here if she is sent to?" "Heaven knows that I will not
destroy my soul, nor will I betray those that trust me; unless you
will pledge me your faith that you will not harm her, I will not
send to her." "We pledge it," said they. So a message was sent,
and she came.
The maiden was clothed in a robe of flame-colored silk, and about
her neck was a collar of ruddy gold, on which were precious
emeralds and rubies. More yellow was her head than the flower of
the broom, [Footnote: The romancers dwell with great complacency
on the fair hair and delicate complexion of their heroines. This
taste continued for a long time, and to render the hair light was
an object of education. Even when wigs came into fashion they were
all flaxen. Such was the color of the hair of the Gauls and of
their German conquerors. It required some centuries to reconcile
their eyes to the swarthy beauties of their Spanish and Italian
neighbors.] and her skin was whiter than the foam of the wave, and
fairer were her hands and her fingers than the blossoms of the
wood-anemone amidst the spray of the meadow fountain. The eye of
the trained hawk was not brighter than hers. Her bosom was more
snowy than the breast of the white swan, her cheek was redder than
the reddest roses. Whoso beheld her was filled with her love. Four
white trefoils sprung up wherever she trod. And therefore was she
called Olwen.
She entered the house and sat beside Kilwich upon the foremost
bench; and as soon as he saw her, he knew her. And Kilwich said
unto her, "Ah! maiden, thou art she whom I have loved; come away
with me, lest they speak evil of thee and of me. Many a day have I
loved thee." "I cannot do this, for I have pledged my faith to my
father not to go without his counsel, for his life will last only
until the time of my espousals. Whatever is to be, must be. But I
will give thee advice, if thou wilt take it. Go, ask me of my
father, and that which he shall require of thee, grant it, and
thou wilt obtain me; but if thou deny him anything, thou wilt not
obtain me, and it will be well for thee if thou escape with thy
life." "I promise all this, if occasion offer," said he.
She returned to her chamber, and they all rose up, and followed
her to the castle. And they slew the nine porters, that were at
the nine gates, in silence. And they slew the nine watch-dogs
without one of them barking. And they went forward to the hall.
"The greeting of Heaven and of man be unto thee, Yspadaden
Penkawr," said they. "And you, wherefore come you?" "We come to
ask thy daughter Olwen for Kilwich, the son of Kilydd, the son of
Prince Kelyddon." "Where are my pages and my servants? Raise up
the forks beneath my two eyebrows, which have fallen over my eyes,
that I may see the fashion of my son-in-law." And they did so.
"Come hither to-morrow, and you shall have an answer."
They rose to go forth, and Yspadaden Penkawr seized one of the
three poisoned darts that lay beside him, and threw it after them.
And Bedwyr caught it, and flung it, and pierced Yspadaden Penkawr
grievously with it through the knee. Then he said, "A cursed
ungentle son-in-law, truly! I shall ever walk the worse for his
rudeness, and shall ever be without a cure. This poisoned iron
pains me like the bite of a gad-fly. Cursed be the smith who
forged it, and the anvil on which it was wrought! So sharp is it!"
That night also they took up their abode in the house of the
herdsman. The next day, with the dawn, they arrayed themselves and
proceeded to the castle, and entered the hall; and they said,
"Yspadaden Penkawr, give us thy daughter in consideration of her
dower and her maiden fee, which we will pay to thee, and to her
two kinswomen likewise." Then he said, "Her four great-
grandmothers and her four great-grandsires are yet alive; it is
needful that I take counsel of them." "Be it so," they answered,
"we will go to meat." As they rose up he took the second dart that
was beside him, and cast it after them. And Meneu, the son of
Gawedd, caught it, and flung it back at him, and wounded him in
the centre of the breast. "A cursed ungentle son-in-law, truly!"
said he; "the hard iron pains me like the bite of a horse-leech.
Cursed be the hearth whereon it was heated, and the smith who
formed it! So sharp is it! Henceforth, whenever I go up hill, I
shall have a scant in my breath, and a pain in my chest, and I
shall often loathe my food." And they went to meat.
And the third day they returned to the palace. And Yspadaden
Penkawr said to them, "Shoot not at me again unless you desire
death. Where are my attendants? Lift up the forks of my eyebrows,
which have fallen over my eyeballs, that I may see the fashion of
my son-in-law." Then they arose, and, as they did so, Yspadaden
Penkawr took the third poisoned dart and cast it at them. And
Kilwich caught it, and threw it vigorously, and wounded him
through the eyeball. "A cursed ungentle son-in-law, truly! As long
as I remain alive, my eyesight will be the worse. Whenever I go
against the wind, my eyes will water; and peradventure my head
will burn, and I shall have a giddiness every new moon. Like the
bite of a mad dog is the stroke of this poisoned iron. Cursed be
the fire in which it was forged!" And they went to meat.
And the next day they came again to the palace, and they said,
"Shoot not at us any more, unless thou desirest such hurt and harm
and torture as thou now hast, and even more." Said Kilwich, "Give
me thy daughter; and if thou wilt not give her, thou shalt receive
thy death because of her." "Where is he that seeks my daughter?
Come hither where I may see thee." And they placed him a chair
face to face with him.
Said Yspadaden Penkawr, "Is it thou that seekest my daughter?"
"It is I," answered Kilwich.
"I must have thy pledge that thou wilt not do toward me otherwise
than is just; and when I have gotten that which I shall name, my
daughter thou shalt have."
"I promise thee that willingly," said Kilwich; "name what thou
wilt."
"I will do so," said he. "Seest thou yonder red tilled ground?"
"I see it."
"When first I met the mother of this maiden, nine bushels of flax
were sown therein, and none has yet sprung up, white nor black. I
require to have the flax to sow in the new land yonder, that when
it grows up it may make a white wimple for my daughter's head on
the day of thy wedding."
"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest
think it will not be easy."
"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get--
the harp of Teirtu, to play to us that night. When a man desires
that it should play, it does so of itself; and when he desires
that it should cease, it ceases. And this he will not give of his
own free will, and thou wilt not be able to compel him."
"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest
think it will not be easy."
"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get.
I require thee to get me for my huntsman Mabon, the son of Modron.
He was taken from his mother when three nights old, and it is not
known where he now is, nor whether he is living or dead."
"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest
think it will not be easy."
"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get--
the two cubs of the wolf Gast Rhymhi; no leash in the world will
hold them, but a leash made from the beard of Dillus Varwawc, the
robber. And the leash will be of no avail unless it be plucked
from his beard while he is alive. While he lives he will not
suffer this to be done to him, and the leash will be of no use
should he be dead, because it will be brittle."
"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest
think it will not be easy."
"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get--
the sword of Gwernach the Giant; of his own free will he will not
give it, and thou wilt never be able to compel him."
"It will be easy for me to compass this, although thou mayest
think it will not be easy."
"Though thou get this, there is yet that which thou wilt not get.
Difficulties shalt thou meet with, and nights without sleep, in
seeking this, and if thou obtain it not, neither shalt thou obtain
my daughter."
"Horses shall I have, and chivalry; and my lord and kinsman,
Arthur, will obtain for me all these things. And I shall gain thy
daughter, and thou shalt lose thy life."
"Go forward. And thou shalt not be chargeable for food or raiment
for my daughter while thou art seeking these things; and when thou
hast compassed all these marvels, thou shalt have my daughter for
thy wife." _