Mythology and Folklore UN-Textbook: Unit: Mabinogion

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Myth-Folklore Unit: Mabinogion - Pwyll and Taliesin

Overvew. The Mabinogion (or, more correctly, The Mabinogi) is a collection of Welsh stories that were preserved in manuscript form in the 14th century but which date back many centuries earlier to the oral storytelling traditions of the Welsh people. The version you will read here is a pioneering 19th-century English translation of The Mabinogion by Lady Charlotte Guest. Out of the many story cycles that make up Lady Guest's edition of the Mabinogion, I have chosen for this unit the story of Pwyll, Prince of Dyved, and his mysterious wife Rhiannon. As you will see, theirs is a story of supernatural magic and also of love and loyalty. In addition, you will also get to read the story of the Taliesin, a comical bard and mystical prophet who was later associated with the legends of King Arthur (as, for example, in the novel Taliesin which begins Stephen Lawhead's modern series of Arthurian fantasy fiction, The Pendragon Cycle).

Language. This is a prose version of the original Welsh which attempts to give you a feel for the original oral storytelling style, and the Taliesin stories contain the poems of Taliesin translated into English.

Story Length. This unit consists of two long stories: the first half of the unit contains the story of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and the second half contains the story of Taliesin.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page: Mabinogion.

READING A:

READING B:

(from the Medieval Welsh Prose page,

a very useful resource!)

Mabinogion: Pwyll Goes Hunting

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Pwyll Goes Hunting

Pwyll, Prince of Dyved, was lord of the seven Cantrevs of Dyved, and once upon a time he was at Narberth, his chief palace, and he was minded to go and hunt, and the part of his dominions in which it pleased him to hunt was Glyn Cuch. So he set forth from Narbeth that night and went as far as Llwyn Diarwyd.

And that night he tarried there, and early on the morrow he rose and came to Glyn Cuch, when he let loose the dogs in the wood and sounded the horn, and began the chase. And as he followed the dogs, he lost his companions, and whilst he listened to the hounds, he heard the cry of other hounds, a cry different from his own, and coming in the opposite direction.

And he beheld a glade in the wood forming a level plain, and as his dogs came to the edge of the glade, he saw a stag before the other dogs. And lo, as it reached the middle of the glade, the dogs that followed the stag overtook it and brought it down.

Then looked he at the colour of the dogs, staying not to look at the stag, and of all the hounds that he had seen in the world, he had never seen any that were like unto these. For their hair was of a brilliant shining white, and their ears were red, and as the whiteness of their bodies shone, so did the redness of their ears glisten. And he came towards the dogs and drove away those that had brought down the stag, and set his own dogs upon it.

And as he was setting on his dogs, he saw a horseman coming towards him upon a large light-grey steed, with a hunting horn round his neck and clad in garments of grey woollen in the fashion of a hunting garb. And the horseman drew near and spoke unto him thus. "Chieftain," said he, "I know who thou art, and I greet thee not."

"Peradventure," said Pwyll, "thou art of such dignity that thou shouldest not do so."

"Verily," answered he, "it is not my dignity that prevents me."

"What is it then, O Chieftain?" asked he.

"By Heaven, it is by reason of thine own ignorance and want of courtesy."

"What discourtesy, Chieftain, hast thou seen in me?"

"Greater discourtesy saw I never in man," said he, "than to drive away the dogs that were killing the stag and to set upon it thine own. This was discourteous, and though I may not be revenged upon thee, yet I declare to Heaven that I will do thee more dishonour than the value of an hundred stags."

"O Chieftain," he replied, "if I have done ill, I will redeem thy friendship."

"How wilt thou redeem it?"

"According as thy dignity may be, but I know not who thou art."

"A crowned king am I in the land whence I come."

"Lord," said he, "may the day prosper with thee, and from what land comest thou?"

"From Annwvyn," answered he; "Arawn, a King of Annwvyn, am I."

"Lord," said he, "how may I gain thy friendship?"

"After this manner mayest thou," he said. "There is a man whose dominions are opposite to mine, who is ever warring against me, and he is Havgan, a King of Annwvyn, and by ridding me of this oppression, which thou canst easily do, shalt thou gain my friendship."

"Gladly will I do this," said he. "Show me how I may."

"I will show thee. Behold thus it is thou mayest. I will make firm friendship with thee, and this will I do. I will send thee to Annwvyn in my stead, and I will give thee the fairest lady thou didst ever behold to be thy companion, and I will put my form and semblance upon thee so that not a page of the chamber, nor an officer, nor any other man that has always followed me shall know that it is not I. And this shall be for the space of a year from to-morrow, and then we will meet in this place."

"Yes," said he, "but when I shall have been there for the space of a year, by what means shall I discover him of whom thou speakest?"

"One year from this night," he answered, "is the time fixed between him and me that we should meet at the Ford; be thou there in my likeness, and with one stroke that thou givest him, he shall no longer live. And if he ask thee to give him another, give it not, how much soever he may entreat thee, for when I did so, he fought with me next day as well as ever before."

"Verily," said Pwyll, "what shall I do concerning my kingdom?"

Said Arawn, "I will cause that no one in all thy dominions, neither man nor woman, shall know that I am not thou, and I will go there in thy stead."

"Gladly then," said Pwyll, "will I set forward."

"Clear shall be thy path, and nothing shall detain thee, until thou come into my dominions, and I myself will be thy guide!"

Next: In the Stead of Arawn

(900 words)

Mabinogion: In the Stead of Arawn

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

In the Stead of Arawn

So he conducted him until he came in sight of the palace and its dwellings. "Behold," said he, "the Court and the kingdom in thy power. Enter the Court; there is no one there who will know thee, and when thou seest what service is done there, thou wilt know the customs of the Court."

So he went forward to the Court, and when he came there, he beheld sleeping-rooms, and halls, and chambers, and the most beautiful buildings ever seen. And he went into the hall to disarray, and there came youths and pages and disarrayed him, and all as they entered saluted him. And two knights came and drew his hunting-dress from about him, and clothed him in a vesture of silk and gold. And the hall was prepared, and behold he saw the household and the host enter in, and the host was the most comely and the best equipped that he had ever seen.

And with them came in likewise the Queen, who was the fairest woman that he had ever yet beheld. And she had on a yellow robe of shining satin, and they washed and went to the table, and sat, the Queen upon one side of him, and one who seemed to be an Earl on the other side.

And he began to speak with the Queen, and he thought, from her speech, that she was the seemliest and most noble lady of converse and of cheer that ever was. And they partook of meat, and drink, with songs and with feasting, and of all the Courts upon the earth, behold this was the best supplied with food and drink, and vessels of gold and royal jewels.

And the year he spent in hunting, and minstrelsy, and feasting, and diversions, and discourse with his companions until the night that was fixed for the conflict. And when that night came, it was remembered even by those who lived in the furthest part of his dominions, and he went to the meeting, and the nobles of the kingdom with him.

And when he came to the Ford, a knight arose and spake thus. "Lords," said he, "listen well. It is between two kings that this meeting is, and between them only. Each claimeth of the other his land and territory, and do all of you stand aside and leave the fight to be between them."

Thereupon the two kings approached each other in the middle of the Ford, and encountered, and at the first thrust, the man who was in the stead of Arawn struck Havgan on the centre of the boss of his shield, so that it was cloven in twain, and his armour was broken, and Havgan himself was borne to the ground an arm's and a spear's length over the crupper of his horse, and he received a deadly blow.

"O Chieftain," said Havgan, "what right hast thou to cause my death? I was not injuring thee in anything, and I know not wherefore thou wouldest slay me. But, for the love of Heaven, since thou hast begun to slay me, complete thy work."

"Ah, Chieftain," he replied, "I may yet repent doing that unto thee; slay thee who may, I will not do so."

"My trusty Lords," said Havgan, "bear me hence. My death has come. I shall be no more able to uphold you."

"My Nobles," also said he who was in the semblance of Arawn, "take counsel and know who ought to be my subjects."

"Lord," said the Nobles, "all should be, for there is no king over the whole of Annwvyn but thee."

"Yes," he replied, "it is right that he who comes humbly should be received graciously, but he that doth not come with obedience, shall be compelled by the force of swords."

And thereupon he received the homage of the men, and he began to conquer the country, and the next day by noon the two kingdoms were in his power. And thereupon he went to keep his tryst, and came to Glyn Cuch.

And when he came there, the King of Annwvyn was there to meet him, and each of them was rejoiced to see the other.

"Verily," said Arawn, "may Heaven reward thee for thy friendship towards me. I have heard of it. When thou comest thyself to thy dominions," said he, "thou wilt see that which I have done for thee."

"Whatever thou hast done for me, may Heaven repay it thee."

Then Arawn gave to Pwyll Prince of Dyved his proper form and semblance, and he himself took his own, and Arawn set forth towards the Court of Annwvyn, and he was rejoiced when he beheld his hosts, and his household, whom he had not seen so long, but they had not known of his absence, and wondered no more at his coming than usual. And that day was spent in joy and merriment, and he sat and conversed with his wife and his nobles. And when it was time for them rather to sleep than to carouse, they went to rest.

Next: Pwyll and the Wondrous Lady

(800 words)

Mabinogion: Pwyll and the Wondrous Lady

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Pwyll and the Wondrous Lady

Pwyll Prince of Dyved came likewise to his country and dominions and began to inquire of the nobles of the land how his rule had been during the past year, compared with what it had been before.

"Lord," said they, "thy wisdom was never so great, and thou wast never so kind or so free in bestowing thy gifts, and thy justice was never more worthily seen than in this year."

"By Heaven," said he, "for all the good you have enjoyed, you should thank him who hath been with you, for behold, thus hath this matter been."

And thereupon Pwyll related the whole unto them.

"Verily, Lord," said they, "render thanks unto Heaven that thou hast such a fellowship and withhold not from us the rule which we have enjoyed for this year past."

"I take Heaven to witness that I will not withhold it," answered Pwyll.

And thenceforth they made strong the friendship that was between them, and each sent unto the other horses, and greyhounds, and hawks, and all such jewels as they thought would be pleasing to each other.

And by reason of his having dwelt that year in Annwvyn, and having ruled there so prosperously and united the two kingdoms in one day by his valour and prowess, he lost the name of Pwyll Prince of Dyved, and was called Pwyll Chief of Annwvyn from that time forward.

Once upon a time, Pwyll was at Narberth his chief palace, where a feast had been prepared for him, and with him was a great host of men. And after the first meal, Pwyll arose to walk, and he went to the top of a mound that was above the palace and was called Gorsedd Arberth.

"Lord," said one of the Court, "it is peculiar to the mound that whosoever sits upon it cannot go thence without either receiving wounds or blows or else seeing a wonder."

"I fear not to receive wounds and blows in the midst of such a host as this, but as to the wonder, gladly would I see it. I will go therefore and sit upon the mound."

And upon the mound he sat. And while he sat there, they saw a lady, on a pure white horse of large size, with a garment of shining gold around her, coming along the highway that led from the mound, and the horse seemed to move at a slow and even pace, and to be coming up towards the mound.

"My men," said Pwyll, "is there any among you who knows yonder lady?"

"There is not, Lord," said they.

"Go one of you and meet her, that we may know who she is."

And one of them arose, and as he came upon the road to meet her, she passed by, and he followed as fast as he could, being on foot, and the greater was his speed, the further was she from him. And when he saw that it profited him nothing to follow her, he returned to Pwyll and said unto him, "Lord, it is idle for any one in the world to follow her on foot."

"Verily," said Pwyll, "go unto the palace, and take the fleetest horse that thou seest, and go after her."

And he took a horse and went forward. And he came to an open level plain, and put spurs to his horse, and the more he urged his horse, the further was she from him. Yet she held the same pace as at first. And his horse began to fail, and when his horse's feet failed him, he returned to the place where Pwyll was.

"Lord," said he, "it will avail nothing for any one to follow yonder lady. I know of no horse in these realms swifter than this, and it availed me not to pursue her."

"Of a truth," said Pwyll, "there must be some illusion here. Let us go towards the palace."

So to the palace they went, and they spent that day. And the next day they arose, and that also they spent until it was time to go to meat. And after the first meal, "Verily," said Pwyll, "we will go the same party as yesterday to the top of the mound. And do thou," said he to one of his young men, "take the swiftest horse that thou knowest in the field." And thus did the young man.

And they went towards the mound, taking the horse with them. And as they were sitting down, they beheld the lady on the same horse and in the same apparel, coming along the same road.

"Behold," said Pwyll, "here is the lady of yesterday. Make ready, youth, to learn who she is."

"My lord," said he, "that will I gladly do."

And thereupon the lady came opposite to them. So the youth mounted his horse; and before he had settled himself in his saddle, she passed by, and there was a clear space between them. But her speed was no greater than it had been the day before. Then he put his horse into an amble, and thought that notwithstanding the gentle pace at which his horse went, he should soon overtake her. But this availed him not, so he gave his horse the reins. And still he came no nearer to her than when he went at a foot's pace. And the more he urged his horse, the further was she from him. Yet she rode not faster than before.

When he saw that it availed not to follow her, he returned to the place where Pwyll was. "Lord," said he, "the horse can no more than thou hast seen."

"I see indeed that it avails not that any one should follow her. And by Heaven," said he, "she must needs have an errand to some one in this plain if her haste would allow her to declare it. Let us go back to the palace."

And to the palace they went, and they spent that night in songs and feasting, as it pleased them.

Next: Pwyll and Rhiannon

(1000 words)

Mabinogion: Pwyll and Rhiannon

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Pwyll and Rhiannon

And the next day they amused themselves until it was time to go to meat. And when meat was ended, Pwyll said, "Where are the hosts that went yesterday and the day before to the top of the mound?"

"Behold, Lord, we are here," said they.

"Let us go," said he, "to the mound to sit there. And do thou," said he to the page who tended his horse, "saddle my horse well, and hasten with him to the road, and bring also my spurs with thee." And the youth did thus.

And they went and sat upon the mound, and ere they had been there but a short time, they beheld the lady coming by the same road, and in the same manner, and at the same pace.

"Young man," said Pwyll, "I see the lady coming; give me my horse."

And no sooner had he mounted his horse than she passed him. And he turned after her and followed her. And he let his horse go bounding playfully and thought that at the second step or the third he should come up with her. But he came no nearer to her than at first.

Then he urged his horse to his utmost speed, yet he found that it availed nothing to follow her. Then said Pwyll, "O maiden, for the sake of him whom thou best lovest, stay for me."

"I will stay gladly," said she, "and it were better for thy horse hadst thou asked it long since."

So the maiden stopped, and she threw back that part of her headdress which covered her face. And she fixed her eyes upon him, and began to talk with him.

"Lady," asked he, "whence comest thou, and whereunto dost thou journey?"

"I journey on mine own errand," said she, "and right glad am I to see thee."

"My greeting be unto thee," said he.

Then he thought that the beauty of all the maidens, and all the ladies that he had ever seen, was as nothing compared to her beauty.

"Lady," he said, "wilt thou tell me aught concerning thy purpose?"

"I will tell thee," said she. "My chief quest was to seek thee."

"Behold," said Pwyll, "this is to me the most pleasing quest on which thou couldst have come, and wilt thou tell me who thou art?"

"I will tell thee, Lord," said she. "I am Rhiannon, the daughter of Heveydd Hen, and they sought to give me to a husband against my will. But no husband would I have, and that because of my love for thee, neither will I yet have one unless thou reject me. And hither have I come to hear thy answer."

"By Heaven," said Pwyll, "behold this is my answer. If I might choose among all the ladies and damsels in the world, thee would I choose."

"Verily," said she, "if thou art thus minded, make a pledge to meet me ere I am given to another."

"The sooner I may do so, the more pleasing will it be unto me," said Pwyll, "and wheresoever thou wilt, there will I meet with thee."

"I will that thou meet me this day twelvemonth at the palace of Heveydd. And I will cause a feast to be prepared, so that it be ready against thou come."

"Gladly," said he, "will I keep this tryst."

"Lord," said she, "remain in health, and be mindful that thou keep thy promise, and now I will go hence."

So they parted, and he went back to his hosts and to them of his household. And whatsoever questions they asked him respecting the damsel, he always turned the discourse upon other matters.

And when a year from that time was gone, he caused a hundred knights to equip themselves and to go with him to the palace of Heveydd Hen. And he came to the palace, and there was great joy concerning him, with much concourse of people and great rejoicing, and vast preparations for his coming. And the whole Court was placed under his orders.

Next: Gwawl's Request

(700 words)

Mabinogion: Gwawl's Request

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Gwawl's Request

And the hall was garnished and they went to meat, and thus did they sit; Heveydd Hen was on one side of Pwyll, and Rhiannon on the other. And all the rest according to their rank.

And they ate and feasted and talked one with another, and at the beginning of the carousal after the meat, there entered a tall auburn-haired youth, of royal bearing, clothed in a garment of satin. And when he came into the hall, he saluted Pwyll and his companions.

"The greeting of Heaven be unto thee, my soul," said Pwyll; "come thou and sit down."

"Nay," said he, "a suitor am I, and I will do mine errand."

"Do so willingly," said Pwyll.

"Lord," said he, "my errand is unto thee, and it is to crave a boon of thee that I come."

"What boon soever thou mayest ask of me, as far as I am able, thou shalt have."

"Ah," said Rhiannon, "wherefore didst thou give that answer?"

"Has he not given it before the presence of these nobles?" asked the youth.

"My soul," said Pwyll, "what is the boon thou askest?"

"The lady whom best I love is to be thy bride this night; I come to ask her of thee, with the feast and the banquet that are in this place."

And Pwyll was silent because of the answer which he had given.

"Be silent as long as thou wilt," said Rhiannon. "Never did man make worse use of his wits than thou hast done."

"Lady," said he, "I knew not who he was."

"Behold this is the man to whom they would have given me against my will," said she. "And he is Gwawl the son of Clud, a man of great power and wealth, and because of the word thou hast spoken, bestow me upon him lest shame befall thee."

"Lady," said he, "I understand not thine answer. Never can I do as thou sayest."

"Bestow me upon him," said she, "and I will cause that I shall never be his."

"By what means will that be?" asked Pwyll.

"In thy hand will I give thee a small bag," said she. "See that thou keep it well, and he will ask of thee the banquet, and the feast, and the preparations which are not in thy power. Unto the hosts and the household will I give the feast. And such will be thy answer respecting this. And as concerns myself, I will engage to become his bride this night twelvemonth. And at the end of the year be thou here," said she, "and bring this bag with thee, and let thy hundred knights be in the orchard up yonder. And when he is in the midst of joy and feasting, come thou in by thyself, clad in ragged garments and holding thy bag in thy hand, and ask nothing but a bagful of food, and I will cause that if all the meat and liquor that are in these seven Cantrevs were put into it, it would be no fuller than before. And after a great deal has been put therein, he will ask thee whether thy bag will ever be full. Say thou then that it never will, until a man of noble birth and of great wealth arise and press the food in the bag with both his feet, saying, 'Enough has been put therein,' and I will cause him to go and tread down the food in the bag, and when he does so, turn thou the bag so that he shall be up over his head in it, and then slip a knot upon the thongs of the bag. Let there be also a good bugle horn about thy neck, and as soon as thou hast bound him in the bag, wind thy horn, and let it be a signal between thee and thy knights. And when they hear the sound of the horn, let them come down upon the palace."

"Lord," said Gwawl, "it is meet that I have an answer to my request."

"As much of that thou hast asked as it is in my power to give, thou shalt have," replied Pwyll.

"My soul," said Rhiannon unto him, "as for the feast and the banquet that are here, I have bestowed them upon the men of Dyved, and the household, and the warriors that are with us. These can I not suffer to be given to any. In a year from tonight, a banquet shall be prepared for thee in this palace that I may become thy bride."

Next: The Game of Badger in the Bag

(800 words)

Mabinogion: The Game of Badger in the Bag

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

The Game of Badger in the Bag

So Gwawl went forth to his possessions, and Pwyll went also back to Dyved. And they both spent that year until it was the time for the feast at the palace of Heveydd Hen. Then Gwawl the son of Clud set out to the feast that was prepared for him, and he came to the palace and was received there with rejoicing.

Pwyll also, the Chief of Annwvyn, came to the orchard with his hundred knights as Rhiannon had commanded him, having the bag with him. And Pwyll was clad in coarse and ragged garments, and wore large clumsy old shoes upon his feet. And when he knew that the carousal after the meat had begun, he went towards the hall, and when he came into the hall, he saluted Gwawl the son of Clud, and his company, both men and women.

"Heaven prosper thee," said Gwawl, "and the greeting of Heaven be unto thee."

"Lord," said he, "may Heaven reward thee, I have an errand unto thee."

"Welcome be thine errand, and if thou ask of me that which is just, thou shalt have it gladly."

"It is fitting," answered he. "I crave but from want, and the boon that I ask is to have this small bag that thou seest filled with meat."

"A request within reason is this," said he, "and gladly shalt thou have it. Bring him food."

A great number of attendants arose and began to fill the bag, but for all that they put into it, it was no fuller than at first.

"My soul," said Gwawl, "will thy bag be ever full?"

"It will not, I declare to Heaven," said he, "for all that may be put into it, unless one possessed of lands and domains and treasure shall arise and tread down with both his feet the food that is within the bag and shall say, 'Enough has been put therein.'"

Then said Rhiannon unto Gwawl the son of Clud, "Rise up quickly."

"I will willingly arise," said he.

So he rose up and put his two feet into the bag. And Pwyll turned up the sides of the bag so that Gwawl was over his head in it. And he shut it up quickly, and slipped a knot upon the thongs, and blew his horn.

And thereupon, behold, his household came down upon the palace. And they seized all the host that had come with Gwawl and cast them into his own prison.

And Pwyll threw off his rags, and his old shoes, and his tattered array, and, as they came in, every one of Pwyll's knights struck a blow upon the bag and asked, "What is here?"

"A Badger," said they. And in this manner they played, each of them striking the bag either with his foot or with a staff. And thus played they with the bag.

Every one as he came in asked, "What game are you playing at thus?"

"The game of Badger in the Bag," said they. And then was the game of Badger in the Bag first played.

"Lord," said the man in the bag, "if thou wouldest but hear me, I merit not to be slain in a bag."

Said Heveydd Hen, "Lord, he speaks truth. It were fitting that thou listen to him, for he deserves not this."

"Verily," said Pwyll, "I will do thy counsel concerning him."

"Behold this is my counsel then," said Rhiannon; "thou art now in a position in which it behoves thee to satisfy suitors and minstrels: let him give unto them in thy stead and take a pledge from him that he will never seek to revenge that which has been done to him. And this will be punishment enough."

"I will do this gladly," said the man in the bag.

"And gladly will I accept it," said Pwyll, "since it is the counsel of Heveydd and Rhiannon."

"Such then is our counsel," answered they.

"I accept it," said Pwyll. "Seek thyself sureties."

"We will be for him," said Heveydd, "until his men be free to answer for him."

And upon this he was let out of the bag, and his liegemen were liberated.

"Demand now of Gwawl his sureties," said Heveydd; "we know which should be taken for him."

And Heveydd numbered the sureties.

Said Gwawl, "Do thou thyself draw up the covenant."

"It will suffice me that it be as Rhiannon said," answered Pwyll. So unto that covenant were the sureties pledged.

"Verily, Lord," said Gwawl, "I am greatly hurt, and I have many bruises. I have need to be anointed; with thy leave, I will go forth. I will leave nobles in my stead to answer for me in all that thou shalt require."

"Willingly," said Pwyll, "mayest thou do thus."

So Gwawl went towards his own possessions.

Next: The Son of Pwyll

(800 words)

Mabinogion: The Son of Pwyll

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

The Son of Pwyll

And the hall was set in order for Pwyll and the men of his host and for them also of the palace, and they went to the tables and sat down. And as they had sat that time twelvemonth, so sat they that night. And they ate, and feasted, and spent the night in mirth and tranquillity. And the time came that they should sleep, and Pwyll and Rhiannon went to their chamber.

And next morning at the break of day, "My Lord," said Rhiannon, "arise and begin to give thy gifts unto the minstrels. Refuse no one today that may claim thy bounty."

"Thus shall it be gladly," said Pwyll, "both today and every day while the feast shall last."

So Pwyll arose, and he caused silence to be proclaimed and desired all the suitors and the minstrels to show and to point out what gifts were to their wish and desire. And this being done, the feast went on, and he denied no one while it lasted.

And when the feast was ended, Pwyll said unto Heveydd, "My Lord, with thy permission I will set out for Dyved tomorrow."

"Certainly," said Heveydd; "may Heaven prosper thee. Fix also a time when Rhiannon may follow thee."

"By Heaven," said Pwyll, "we will go hence together."

"Willest thou this, Lord?" said Heveydd.

"Yes, by Heaven," answered Pwyll.

And the next day, they set forward towards Dyved and journeyed to the palace of Narberth where a feast was made ready for them. And there came to them great numbers of the chief men and the most noble ladies of the land, and of these there was none to whom Rhiannon did not give some rich gift, either a bracelet, or a ring, or a precious stone. And they ruled the land prosperously both that year and the next.

And in the third year, the nobles of the land began to be sorrowful at seeing a man whom they loved so much, and who was moreover their lord and their foster-brother, without an heir. And they came to him. And the place where they met was Preseleu, in Dyved.

"Lord," said they, "we know that thou art not so young as some of the men of this country, and we fear that thou mayest not have an heir of the wife whom thou hast taken. Take therefore another wife of whom thou mayest have heirs. Thou canst not always continue with us, and though thou desire to remain as thou art, we will not suffer thee."

"Truly," said Pwyll, "we have not long been joined together, and many things may yet befall. Grant me a year from this time, and for the space of a year we will abide together, and after that I will do according to your wishes." So they granted it.

And before the end of a year a son was born unto him. And in Narberth was he born, and on the night that he was born, women were brought to watch the mother and the boy. And the women slept, as did also Rhiannon, the mother of the boy. And the number of the women that were brought into the chamber was six. And they watched for a good portion of the night, and before midnight every one of them fell asleep, and towards break of day they awoke, and when they awoke, they looked where they had put the boy, and, behold: he was not there.

"Oh," said one of the women, "the boy is lost?"

"Yes," said another, "and it will be small vengeance if we are burnt or put to death because of the child."

Said one of the women, "Is there any counsel for us in the world in this matter?"

"There is," answered another. "I offer you good counsel."

"What is that?" asked they.

"There is here a stag-hound bitch, and she has a litter of whelps. Let us kill some of the cubs, and rub the blood on the face and hands of Rhiannon, and lay the bones before her, and assert that she herself hath devoured her son, and she alone will not be able to gainsay us six."

And according to this counsel it was settled.

And towards morning Rhiannon awoke, and she said, "Women, where is my son?"

"Lady," said they, "ask us not concerning thy son; we have nought but the blows and the bruises we got by struggling with thee, and of a truth we never saw any woman so violent as thou, for it was of no avail to contend with thee. Hast thou not thyself devoured thy son? Claim him not therefore of us."

"For pity's sake," said Rhiannon, "the Lord God knows all things. Charge me not falsely. If you tell me this from fear, I assert before Heaven that I will defend you."

"Truly," said they, "we would not bring evil on ourselves for anyone in the world."

"For pity's sake," said Rhiannon, "you will receive no evil by telling the truth."

But for all her words, whether fair or harsh, she received but the same answer from the women.

Next: Gwri Wallt Euryn

(900 words)

Mabinogion: Gwri Wallt Euryn

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Gwri Wallt Euryn

And Pwyll the chief of Annwvyn arose, and his household, and his hosts. And this occurrence could not be concealed, but the story went forth throughout the land, and all the nobles heard it.

Then the nobles came to Pwyll and besought him to put away his wife because of the great crime which she had done. But Pwyll answered them that they had no cause wherefore they might ask him to put away his wife, save for her having no children.

"But children has she now had; therefore will I not put her away: if she has done wrong, let her do penance for it."

So Rhiannon sent for the teachers and the wise men, and as she preferred doing penance to contending with the women, she took upon her a penance. And the penance that was imposed upon her was that she should remain in that palace of Narberth until the end of seven years, and that she should sit every day near unto a horseblock that was without the gate. And that she should relate the story to all who should come there whom she might suppose not to know it already, and that she should offer the guests and strangers, if they would permit her, to carry them upon her back into the palace. But it rarely happened that any would permit.

And thus did she spend part of the year.

Now at that time Teirnyon Twryv Vliant was Lord of Gwent Is Coed, and he was the best man in the world. And unto his house there belonged a mare than which neither mare nor horse in the kingdom was more beautiful. And on the night of every first of May she foaled, and no one ever knew what became of the colt.

And one night Teirnyon talked with his wife: "Wife," said he, "it is very simple of us that our mare should foal every year, and that we should have none of her colts."

"What can be done in the matter?" said she.

"This is the night of the first of May," said he.

"The vengeance of Heaven be upon me, if I learn not what it is that takes away the colts."

So he caused the mare to be brought into a house, and he armed himself and began to watch that night. And in the beginning of the night, the mare foaled a large and beautiful colt. And it was standing up in the place. And Teirnyon rose up and looked at the size of the colt, and as he did so, he heard a great tumult, and after the tumult, behold: a claw came through the window into the house, and it seized the colt by the mane.

Then Teirnyon drew his sword and struck off the arm at the elbow, so that portion of the arm together with the colt was in the house with him. And then did he hear a tumult and wailing, both at once. And he opened the door and rushed out in the direction of the noise, and he could not see the cause of the tumult because of the darkness of the night, but he rushed after it and followed it.

Then he remembered that he had left the door open, and he returned. And at the door, behold: there was an infant boy in swaddling-clothes, wrapped around in a mantle of satin.

And he took up the boy, and behold: he was very strong for the age that he was of.

Then he shut the door and went into the chamber where his wife was. "Lady," said he, "art thou sleeping?"

"No, lord," said she, "I was asleep, but as thou camest in I did awake."

"Behold, here is a boy for thee if thou wilt," said he, "since thou hast never had one."

"My lord," said she, "what adventure is this?"

"It was thus," said Teirnyon, and he told her how it all befell.

"Verily, lord," said she, "what sort of garments are there upon the boy?"

"A mantle of satin," said he.

"He is then a boy of gentle lineage," she replied.

"My lord," she said, "if thou wilt, I shall have great diversion and mirth. I will call my women unto me and tell them that I have been pregnant."

"I will readily grant thee to do this," he answered.

And thus did they, and they caused the boy to be baptized, and the ceremony was performed there, and the name which they gave unto him was Gwri Wallt Euryn because what hair was upon his head was as yellow as gold.

And they had the boy nursed in the Court until he was a year old. And before the year was over, he could walk stoutly. And he was larger than a boy of three years old, even one of great growth and size. And the boy was nursed the second year, and then he was as large as a child six years old. And before the end of the fourth year, he would bribe the grooms to allow him to take the horses to water.

"My lord," said his wife unto Teirnyon, "where is the colt which thou didst save on the night that thou didst find the boy?"

"I have commanded the grooms of the horses," said he, "that they take care of him."

"Would it not be well, lord," said she, "if thou wert to cause him to be broken in and given to the boy, seeing that on the same night that thou didst find the boy, the colt was foaled, and thou didst save him?"

"I will not oppose thee in this matter," said Teirnyon. "I will allow thee to give him the colt."

"Lord," said she, "may Heaven reward thee; I will give it him." So the horse was given to the boy.

Then she went to the grooms and those who tended the horses and commanded them to be careful of the horse so that he might be broken in by the time that the boy could ride him.

Next: An End to Rhiannon's Trouble

(1000 words)

Mabinogion: An End to Rhiannon's Trouble

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

An End to Rhiannon's Trouble

And while these things were going forward, they heard tidings of Rhiannon and her punishment. And Teirnyon Twryv Vliant, by reason of the pity that he felt on hearing this story of Rhiannon and her punishment, inquired closely concerning it until he had heard from many of those who came to his court.

Then did Teirnyon, often lamenting the sad history, ponder within himself, and he looked steadfastly on the boy, and as he looked upon him, it seemed to him that he had never beheld so great a likeness between father and son as between the boy and Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn. Now the semblance of Pwyll was well known to him, for he had of yore been one of his followers.

And thereupon he became grieved for the wrong that he did in keeping with him a boy whom he knew to be the son of another man. And the first time that he was alone with his wife, he told her that it was not right that they should keep the boy with them and suffer so excellent a lady as Rhiannon to be punished so greatly on his account, whereas the boy was the son of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn.

And Teirnyon's wife agreed with him that they should send the boy to Pwyll. "And three things, lord," said she, "shall we gain thereby. Thanks and gifts for releasing Rhiannon from her punishment; and thanks from Pwyll for nursing his son and restoring him unto him; and thirdly, if the boy is of gentle nature, he will be our foster-son, and he will do for us all the good in his power." So it was settled according to this counsel.

And no later than the next day was Teirnyon equipped, and two other knights with him. And the boy, as a fourth in their company, went with them upon the horse which Teirnyon had given him. And they journeyed towards Narberth, and it was not long before they reached that place.

And as they drew near to the palace, they beheld Rhiannon sitting beside the horseblock. And when they were opposite to her, "Chieftain," said she, "go not further thus; I will bear every one of you into the palace, and this is my penance for slaying my own son and devouring him."

"Oh, fair lady," said Teirnyon, "think not that I will be one to be carried upon thy back."

"Neither will I," said the boy.

"Truly, my soul," said Teirnyon, "we will not go."

So they went forward to the palace, and there was great joy at their coming. And at the palace a feast was prepared because Pwyll was come back from the confines of Dyved. And they went into the hall and washed, and Pwyll rejoiced to see Teirnyon. And in this order they sat: Teirnyon between Pwyll and Rhiannon, and Teirnyon's two companions on the other side of Pwyll, with the boy between them.

And after meat they began to carouse and to discourse. And Teirnyon's discourse was concerning the adventure of the mare and the boy, and how he and his wife had nursed and reared the child as their own.

"And behold here is thy son, lady," said Teirnyon. "And whosoever told that lie concerning thee, has done wrong. And when I heard of thy sorrow, I was troubled and grieved. And I believe that there is none of this host who will not perceive that the boy is the son of Pwyll," said Teirnyon.

"There is none," said they all, "who is not certain thereof."

"I declare to Heaven," said Rhiannon, "that if this be true, there is indeed an end to my trouble."

"Lady," said Pendaran Dyved, "well hast thou named thy son Pryderi, and well becomes him the name of Pryderi son of Pwyll Chief of Annwvyn."

"Look you," said Rhiannon, "will not his own name become him better?"

"What name has he?" asked Pendaran Dyved.

"Gwri Wallt Euryn is the name that we gave him."

"Pryderi," said Pendaran, "shall his name be."

"It were more proper," said Pwyll, "that the boy should take his name from the word his mother spoke when she received the joyful tidings of him." And thus was it arranged.

"Teirnyon," said Pwyll, "Heaven reward thee that thou hast reared the boy up to this time, and, being of gentle lineage, it were fitting that he repay thee for it."

"My lord," said Teirnyon, "it was my wife who nursed him, and there is no one in the world so afflicted as she at parting with him. It were well that he should bear in mind what I and my wife have done for him."

"I call Heaven to witness," said Pwyll, "that while I live, I will support thee and thy possessions as long as I am able to preserve my own. And when he shall have power, he will more fitly maintain them than I. And if this counsel be pleasing unto thee and to my nobles, it shall be that, as thou hast reared him up to the present time, I will give him to be brought up by Pendaran Dyved, from henceforth. And you shall be companions and shall both be foster-fathers unto him."

"This is good counsel," said they all.

So the boy was given to Pendaran Dyved, and the nobles of the land were sent with him. And Teirnyon Twryv Vliant and his companions set out for his country and his possessions with love and gladness. And he went not without being offered the fairest jewels and the fairest horses and the choicest dogs, but he would take none of them.

Thereupon they all remained in their own dominions. And Pryderi, the son of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn, was brought up carefully as was fit, so that he became the fairest youth and the most comely and the best skilled in all good games of any in the kingdom.

And thus passed years and years, until the end of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn's life came, and he died.

And Pryderi ruled the seven Cantrevs of Dyved prosperously, and he was beloved by his people and by all around him. And at length he added unto them the three Cantrevs of Ystrad Tywi, and the four Cantrevs of Cardigan, and these were called the Seven Cantrevs of Seissyllwch. And when he made this addition, Pryderi the son of Pwyll the Chief of Annwvyn desired to take a wife. And the wife he chose was Kicva, the daughter of Gwynn Gohoyw, the son of Gloyw Wallt Lydan, the son of Prince Casnar, one of the nobles of this Island.

And thus ends this portion of the Mabinogion.

Next: Gwion Bach and the Cauldron

(1100 words)

Mabinogion: Gwion Bach and the Cauldron

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Gwion Bach and the Cauldron

IN times past there lived in Penllyn a man of gentle lineage, named Tegid Voel, and his dwelling was in the midst of the lake Tegid, and his wife was called Caridwen. And there was born to him of his wife a son named Morvran ab Tegid, and also a daughter named Creirwy, the fairest maiden in the world was she. And they had a brother, the most ill-favoured man in the world, Avagddu.

Now Caridwen his mother thought that he was not likely to be admitted among men of noble birth by reason of his ugliness unless he had some exalted merits or knowledge. For it was in the beginning of Arthur's time and of the Round Table.

So she resolved, according to the arts of the books of the Fferyllt, to boil a cauldron of Inspiration and Science for her son that his reception might be honourable because of his knowledge of the mysteries of the future state of the world. Then she began to boil the cauldron, which from the beginning of its boiling might not cease to boil for a year and a day until three blessed drops were obtained of the grace of Inspiration.

And she put Gwion Bach, the son of Gwreang of Llanfair in Caereinion in Powys, to stir the cauldron, and a blind man named Morda to kindle the fire beneath it, and she charged them that they should not suffer it to cease boiling for the space of a year and a day. And she herself, according to the books of the astronomers, and in planetary hours, gathered every day of all charm-bearing herbs.

And one day, towards the end of the year, as Caridwen was culling plants and making incantations, it chanced that three drops of the charmed liquor flew out of the cauldron and fell upon the finger of Gwion Bach. And by reason of their great heat, he put his finger to his mouth, and the instant he put those marvel-working drops into his mouth, he foresaw everything that was to come, and perceived that his chief care must be to guard against the wiles of Caridwen, for vast was her skill. And in very great fear, he fled towards his own land.

And the cauldron burst in two because all the liquor within it except the three charm-bearing drops was poisonous, so that the horses of Gwyddno Garanhir were poisoned by the water of the stream into which the liquor of the cauldron ran, and the confluence of that stream was called the Poison of the Horses of Gwyddno from that time forth.

Thereupon came in Caridwen and saw all the toil of the whole year lost. And she seized a billet of wood and struck the blind Morda on the head until one of his eyes fell out upon his cheek.

And he said, "Wrongfully hast thou disfigured me, for I am innocent. Thy loss was not because of me."

"Thou speakest truth," said Caridwen, "it was Gwion Bach who robbed me."

And she went forth after him, running.

And he saw her, and changed himself into a hare and fled. But she changed herself into a greyhound and turned him.

And he ran towards a river, and became a fish. And she in the form of an otter-bitch chased him under the water, until he was fain to turn himself into a bird of the air. She, as a hawk, followed him and gave him no rest in the sky.

And just as she was about to stoop upon him, and he was in fear of death, he espied a heap of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn, and he dropped among the wheat, and turned himself into one of the grains. Then she transformed herself into a high-crested black hen, and went to the wheat and scratched it with her feet, and found him out and swallowed him.

And, as the story says, she bore him nine months, and when she was delivered of him, she could not find it in her heart to kill him by reason of his beauty.

So she wrapped him in a leathern bag and cast him into the sea to the mercy of God on the twenty-ninth day of April.

Next: The Finding of Taliesin

(700 words)

Mabinogion: The Finding of Taliesin

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

The Finding of Taliesin

And at that time the weir of Gwyddno was on the strand between Dyvi and Aberystwyth, near to his own castle, and the value of an hundred pounds was taken in that weir every May eve.

And in those days Gwyddno had an only son named Elphin, the most hapless of youths and the most needy. And it grieved his father sore, for he thought that he was born in an evil hour. And by the advice of his council, his father had granted him the drawing of the weir that year to see if good luck would ever befall him and to give him something wherewith to begin the world.

And the next day when Elphin went to look, there was nothing in the weir. But as he turned back he perceived the leathern bag upon a pole of the weir.

Then said one of the weir-ward unto Elphin, "Thou wast never unlucky until tonight, and now thou hast destroyed the virtues of the weir, which always yielded the value of an hundred pounds every May eve, and tonight there is nothing but this leathern skin within it."

"How now," said Elphin, "there may be therein the value of an hundred pounds."

Well, they took up the leathern bag, and he who opened it saw the forehead of the boy and said to Elphin, "Behold a radiant brow!"

"Taliesin be he called," said Elphin.

And he lifted the boy in his arms, and, lamenting his mischance, he placed him sorrowfully behind him. And he made his horse amble gently that before had been trotting, and he carried him as softly as if he had been sitting in the easiest chair in the world.

And presently the boy made a Consolation and praise to Elphin, and foretold honour to Elphin, and the Consolation was as you may see:

Fair Elphin, cease to lament!
Let no one be dissatisfied with his own:
To despair will bring no advantage.

No man sees what supports him;
The prayer of Cynllo will not be in vain;
God will not violate his promise:
Never in Gwyddno's weir
Was there such good luck as this night.

Fair Elphin, dry thy cheeks!
Being too sad will not avail.

Although thou thinkest thou hast no gain,
Too much grief will bring thee no good;
Nor doubt the miracles of the Almighty:
Although I am but little, I am highly gifted.

From seas and from mountains
And from the depths of rivers,
God brings wealth to the fortunate man.

Elphin of lively qualities,
Thy resolution is unmanly;
Thou must not be over sorrowful:
Better to trust in God than to forbode ill.

Weak and small as I am,
On the foaming beach of the ocean
In the day of trouble I shall be
Of more service to thee than three hundred salmon.

Elphin of notable qualities,
Be not displeased at thy misfortune;
Although reclined thus weak in my bag,
There lies a virtue in my tongue.

While I continue thy protector,
Thou hast not much to fear;
Remembering the names of the Trinity,
None shall be able to harm thee.

And this was the first poem that Taliesin ever sang, being to console Elphin in his grief for that the produce of the weir was lost and, what was worse, that all the world would consider that it was through his fault and ill-luck.

And then Gwyddno Garanhir asked him what he was, whether man or spirit. Whereupon he sang this tale and said:

"First, I have been formed a comely person;
In the court of Caridwen, I have done penance.
Though little I was seen, placidly received,
I was great on the floor of the place to where I was led;
I have been a prized defence,
the sweet muse the cause,
And by law without speech I have been liberated
By a smiling black old hag, when irritated
Dreadful her claim when pursued:

I have fled with vigour,
I have fled as a frog,
I have fled in the semblance of a crow, scarcely finding rest;
I have fled vehemently,
I have fled as a chain,
I have fled as a roe into an entangled thicket;
I have fled as a wolf cub,
I have fled as a wolf in a wilderness,
I have fled as a thrush of portending language;
I have fled as a fox, used to concurrent bounds of quirks;
I have fled as a martin, which did not avail;
I have fled as a squirrel, that vainly hides,
I have fled as a stag's antler, of ruddy course,
I have fled as iron in a glowing fire,
I have fled as a spear-head, of woe to such as has a wish for it;
I have fled as a fierce hull, bitterly fighting,
I have fled as a bristly boar seen in a ravine,
I have fled as a white grain of pure wheat,
On the skirt of a hempen sheet entangled
That seemed of the size of a mare's foal
That is filling like a ship on the waters.

Into a dark leathern bag I was thrown,
And on a boundless sea I was sent adrift,
Which was to me an omen of being tenderly nursed,
And the Lord God then set me at liberty.

Next: Elphin and Taliesin

(900 words)

Mabinogion: Elphin and Taliesin

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Elphin and Taliesin

Then came Elphin to the house or court of Gwyddno his father, and Taliesin with him. And Gwyddno asked him if he had had a good haul at the weir, and he told him that he had got that which was better than fish.

"What was that?" said Gwyddno.

"A Bard," answered Elphin.

Then said Gwyddno, "Alas, what will he profit thee?"

And Taliesin himself replied and said, "He will profit him more than the weir ever profited thee."

Asked Gwyddno, "Art thou able to speak, and thou so little?"

And Taliesin answered him, "I am better able to speak than thou to question me."

"Let me hear what thou canst say," quoth Gwyddno.

Then Taliesin sang:

In water there is a quality endowed with a blessing.
On God it is most just to meditate aright;
To God it is proper to supplicate with seriousness
Since no obstacle can there be to obtain a reward from him.

Three times have I been born, I know by meditation.
It were miserable for a person not to come and obtain
All the sciences of the world, collected together in my breast,
For I know what has been, what in future will occur.

I will supplicate my Lord that I get refuge in him,
A regard I may obtain in his grace.
The Son of Mary is my trust; great in him is my delight
For in him is the world continually upholden.

God has been to instruct me and to raise my expectation,
The true Creator of heaven, who affords me protection;
It is rightly intended that the saints should daily pray
For God, the renovator, will bring them to him.

And forthwith Elphin gave his haul to his wife, and she nursed him tenderly and lovingly.

Thenceforward Elphin increased in riches more and more day after day, and in love and favour with the king, and there abode Taliesin until he was thirteen years old, when Elphin son of Gwyddno went by a Christmas invitation to his uncle, Maelgwn Gwynedd, who some time after this held open court at Christmastide in the castle of Dyganwy, for all the number of his lords of both degrees, both spiritual and temporal, with a vast and thronged host of knights and squires.

And amongst them there arose a discourse and discussion. And thus was it said: "Is there in the whole world a king so great as Maelgwn, or one on whom Heaven has bestowed so many spiritual gifts as upon him? First form, and beauty, and meekness, and strength, besides all the powers of the soul!" And together with these, they said that Heaven had given one gift that exceeded all the others, which was the beauty, and comeliness, and grace, and wisdom, and modesty of his queen, whose virtues surpassed those of all the ladies and noble maidens throughout the whole kingdom.

And with this they put questions one to another amongst themselves: Who had braver men? Who had fairer or swifter horses or greyhounds? Who had more skilful or wiser bards — than Maelgwn?

Now at that time, the bards were in great favour with the exalted of the kingdom, and then none performed the office of those who are now called heralds unless they were learned men, not only expert in the service of kings and princes, but studious and well versed in the lineage and arms and exploits of princes and kings, and in discussions concerning foreign kingdoms and the ancient things of this kingdom, and chiefly in the annals of the first nobles, and also were prepared always with their answers in various languages, Latin, French, Welsh, and English. And together with this, they were great chroniclers and recorders, and skilful in framing verses and ready in making englyns [poems] in every one of those languages.

Now of these there were at that feast within the palace of Maelgwn as many as four-and-twenty, and chief of them all was one named Heinin Vardd.

Next: The Ring upon the Finger

(700 words)

Mabinogion: The Ring upon the Finger

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

The Ring upon the Finger

When they had all made an end of thus praising the king and his gifts, it befell that Elphin spoke in this wise. "Of a truth none but a king may vie with a king, but were he not a king, I would say that my wife was as virtuous as any lady in the kingdom and also that I have a bard who is more skilful than all the king's bards."

In a short space some of his fellows showed the king all the boastings of Elphin, and the king ordered him to be thrown into a strong prison until he might know the truth as to the virtues of his wife and the wisdom of his bard.

Now when Elphin had been put in a tower of the castle with a thick chain about his feet (it is said that it was a silver chain because he was of royal blood), the king, as the story relates, sent his son Rhun to inquire into the demeanour of Elphin's wife.

Now Rhun was the most graceless man in the world, and there was neither wife nor maiden with whom he had held converse but was evil spoken of.

While Rhun went in haste towards Elphin's dwelling, being fully minded to bring disgrace upon his wife, Taliesin told his mistress how that the king had placed his master in durance in prison and how that Rhun was coming in haste to strive to bring disgrace upon her. Wherefore he caused his mistress to array one of the maids of her kitchen in her apparel, which the noble lady gladly did, and she loaded her hands with the best rings that she and her husband possessed.

In this guise Taliesin caused his mistress to put the maiden to sit at the board in her room at supper, and he made her to seem as her mistress and the mistress to seem as the maid. And when they were in due time seated at their supper in the manner that has been said, Rhun suddenly arrived at Elphin's dwelling and was received with joy for all the servants knew him plainly, and they brought him in haste to the room of their mistress, in the semblance of whom the maid rose up from supper and welcomed him gladly.

And afterwards she sat down to supper again the second time, and Rhun with her. Then Rhun began jesting with the maid, who still kept the semblance of her mistress. And verily this story shows that the maiden became so intoxicated that she fell asleep, and the story relates that it was a powder that Rhun put into the drink that made her sleep so soundly that she never felt it when he cut from off her hand her little finger, whereupon was the signet ring of Elphin, which he had sent to his wife as a token a short time before.

And Rhun returned to the king with the finger and the ring as a proof to show that he had cut it from off her hand without her awaking from her sleep of intemperance.

The king rejoiced greatly at these tidings, and he sent for his councillors, to whom he told the whole story from the beginning. And he caused Elphin to be brought out of his prison, and he chided him because of his boast. And he spake unto Elphin on this wise. "Elphin, be it known to thee beyond a doubt that it is but folly for a man to trust in the virtues of his wife further than he can see her, and that thou mayest be certain of thy wife's vileness, behold her finger, with thy signet ring upon it, which was cut from her hand last night while she slept the sleep of intoxication."

Then thus spake Elphin. "With thy leave, mighty king, I cannot deny my ring, for it is known of many, but verily I assert strongly that the finger around which it is was never attached to the hand of my wife, for in truth and certainty there are three notable things pertaining to it, none of which ever belonged to any of my wife's fingers. The first of the three is that it is certain, by your grace's leave, that wheresoever my wife is at this present hour — whether sitting, or standing, or lying down — this ring would never remain upon her thumb, whereas you can plainly see that it was hard to draw it over the joint of the little finger of the hand whence this was cut. The second thing is that my wife has never let pass one Saturday since I have known her without paring her nails before going to bed, and you can see fully that the nail of this little finger has not been pared for a month. The third is, truly, that the hand whence this finger came was kneading rye dough within three days before the finger was cut therefrom, and I can assure your goodness that my wife has never kneaded rye dough since my wife she has been."

Next: Taliesin's Power

(900 words)

Mabinogion: Taliesin's Power

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Taliesin's Power

Then the king was mightily wroth with Elphin for so stoutly withstanding him respecting the goodness of his wife, wherefore he ordered him to his prison a second time, saying that he should not be loosed thence until he had proved the truth of his boast, as well concerning the wisdom of his bard as the virtues of his wife.

In the meantime, his wife and Taliesin remained joyful at Elphin's dwelling. And Taliesin showed his mistress how that Elphin was in prison because of them, but he bade her be glad for that he would go to Maelgwn's court to free his master. Then she asked him in what manner he would set him free.

And he answered her:

A journey will I perform,
And to the gate I will come;
The hall I will enter,
And my song I will sing.
My speech I will pronounce
To silence royal bards;
In presence of their chief,
I will greet to deride:
Upon them I will break,
And Elphin I will free.

Should contention arise,
In presence of the prince
With summons to the bards
For the sweet-flowing song
And wizards' posing lore
And wisdom of Druids,
In the court of the sons of the distributor
Some are who did appear
Intent on wily schemes
By craft and tricking means
In pangs of affliction
To wrong the innocent;
Let the fools be silent
As erst in Badon's fight
With Arthur, of liberal ones
The head, with long red blades,
Through feats of testy men,
And a chief with his foes.
Woe be to them, the fools,
When revenge comes on them.

I, Taliesin, chief of bards,
With a sapient Druid's words,
Will set kind Elphin free
From haughty tyrant's bonds.

To their fell and chilling cry,
By the act of a surprising steed
From the far distant North,
There soon shall be an end.

Let neither grace nor health
Be to Maelgwn Gwynedd,
For this force and this wrong;
And be extremes of ills
And an avenged end
To Rhun and all his race:
Short be his course of life,
Be all his lands laid waste,
And long exile be assigned
To Maelgwn Gwynedd!"

After this, he took leave of his mistress and came at last to the Court of Maelgwn, who was going to sit in his hall and dine in his royal state, as it was the custom in those days for kings and princes to do at every chief feast.

And as soon as Taliesin entered the hall, he placed himself in a quiet corner, near the place where the bards and the minstrels were wont to come in doing their service and duty to the king as is the custom at the high festivals when the bounty is proclaimed. And so, when the bards and the heralds came to cry largess and to proclaim the power of the king and his strength, at the moment that they passed by the corner wherein he was crouching, Taliesin pouted out his lips after them and played "Blerwm, blerwm" with his finger upon his lips.

Neither took they much notice of him as they went by, but proceeded forward till they came before the king, unto whom they made their obeisance with their bodies as they were wont, without speaking a single word, but pouting out their lips and making mouths at the king, playing "Blerwm, blerwm" upon their lips with their fingers as they had seen the boy do elsewhere.

This sight caused the king to wonder and to deem within himself that they were drunk with many liquors. Wherefore he commanded one of his lords who served at the board to go to them and desire them to collect their wits and to consider where they stood and what it was fitting for them to do. And this lord did so gladly. But they ceased not from their folly any more than before.

Whereupon he sent to them a second time, and a third, desiring them to go forth from the hall. At the last, the king ordered one of his squires to give a blow to the chief of them named Heinin Vardd, and the squire took a broom and struck him on the head, so that he fell back in his seat. Then he arose and went on his knees, and besought leave of the king's grace to show that this their fault was not through want of knowledge, neither through drunkenness, but by the influence of some spirit that was in the hall.

And after this Heinin spoke on this wise. "Oh, honourable king, be it known to your grace that not from the strength of drink or of too much liquor are we dumb, without power of speech like drunken men, but through the influence of a spirit that sits in the corner yonder in the form of a child."

Forthwith the king commanded the squire to fetch him, and he went to the nook where Taliesin sat and brought him before the king, who asked him what he was and whence he came.

Next: Taliesin's Reply

(900 words)

Mabinogion: Taliesin's Reply

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Taliesin's Reply

And he answered the king in verse.

Primary chief bard am I to Elphin,
And my original country is the region of the summer stars:
Idno and Heinin called me Merddin;
At length every king will call me Taliesin.

I was with my Lord in the highest sphere
On the fall of Lucifer into the depth of hell.

I have borne a banner before Alexander;
I know the names of the stars from north to south;
I have been on the galaxy at the throne of the Distributor;
I was in Canaan when Absalom was slain;
I conveyed the Divine Spirit to the level of the vale of Hebron;
I was in the court of Don before the birth of Gwdion.

I was instructor to Eli and Enoc;
I have been winged by the genius of the splendid crosier;
I have been loquacious prior to being gifted with speech;
I was at the place of the crucifixion of the merciful Son of God;
I have been three periods in the prison of Arianrod;
I have been the chief director of the work of the tower of Nimrod;
I am a wonder whose origin is not known.

I have been in Asia with Noah in the ark,
I have seen the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra;
I have been in India when Roma was built,
I am now come here to the remnant of Troia.

I have been with my Lord in the manger of the ass;
I strengthened Moses through the water of Jordan;
I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene;
I have obtained the muse from the cauldron of Caridwen;
I have been bard of the harp to Lleon of Lochlin.

I have been on the White Hill in the court of Cynvelyn
For a day and a year in stocks and fetters.

I have suffered hunger for the Son of the Virgin;
I have been fostered in the land of the Deity;
I have been teacher to all intelligences;
I am able to instruct the whole universe.

I shall be until the day of doom on the face of the earth,
And it is not known whether my body is flesh or fish.

Then I was for nine months
In the womb of the hag Caridwen;
I was originally little Gwion,
And at length I am Taliesin.

And when the king and his nobles had heard the song, they wondered much for they had never heard the like from a boy so young as he.

And when the king knew that he was the bard of Elphin, he bade Heinin, his first and wisest bard, to answer Taliesin and to strive with him.

But when he came, he could do no other but play "blerwm" on his lips, and when he sent for the others of the four-and-twenty bards, they all did likewise and could do no other.

And Maelgwn asked the boy Taliesin what was his errand, and he answered him in song.

Puny bards, I am trying
To secure the prize, if I can.
By a gentle prophetic strain
I am endeavouring to retrieve
The loss I may have suffered;
Complete the attempt I hope,
Since Elphin endures trouble
In the fortress of Teganwy.
On him may there not be laid
Too many chains and fetters!
The Chair of the fortress of Teganwy
Will I again seek;
Strengthened by my muse I am powerful.
Mighty on my part is what I seek,
For three hundred songs and more
Are combined in the spell I sing.

There ought not to stand where I am
Neither stone neither ring,
And there ought not to be about me
Any bard who may not know
That Elphin the son of Gwyddno
Is in the land of Artro,
Secured by thirteen locks,
For praising his instructor,
And then I, Taliesin,
Chief of the bards of the west,
Shall loosen Elphin
Out of a golden fetter.

If you be primary bards
To the master of sciences,
Declare ye mysteries
That relate to the inhabitants of the world.

There is a noxious creature
From the rampart of Satanas
Which has overcome all
Between the deep and the shallow;
Equally wide are his jaws
As the mountains of the Alps;
Him death will not subdu,
Nor hand or blades:
There is the load of nine hundred wagons
In the hair of his two paws;
There is in his head an eye
Green as the limpid sheet of icicle;
Three springs arise
In the nape of his neck;
Sea-roughs thereon
Swim through it.
There was the dissolution of the oxen
Of Deivrdonwy, the water-gifted.

The names of the three springs
From the midst of the ocean:
One generated brine
Which is from the Corina,
To replenish the flood
Over seas disappearing;
The second, without injury
It will fall on us
When there is rain abroad
Through the whelming sky;
The third will appear
Through the mountain veins
Like a flinty banquet,
The work of the King of kings.

You are blundering bards,
In too much solicitude;
You cannot celebrate
The kingdom of the Britons.

And I am Taliesin,
Chief of the bards of the west,
Who will loosen Elphin
Out of the golden fetter.

Next: The Wisdom of Taliesin

(900 words)

Mabinogion: The Wisdom of Taliesin

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

The Wisdom of Taliesin

Taliesin's answer continues:

Be silent, then, ye unlucky rhyming bards,
For you cannot judge between truth and falsehood.
If you be primary bards formed by heaven,
Tell your king what his fate will be.

It is I who am a diviner and a leading bard,
And know every passage in the country of your king.

I shall liberate Elphin from the belly of the stony tower
And will tell your king what will befall him.

A most strange creature will come from the sea marsh of Rhianedd
As a punishment of iniquity on Maelgwn Gwynedd:
His hair, his teeth, and his eyes being as gold,
And this will bring destruction upon Maelgwn Gwynedd.

Discover thou what is
The strong creature from before the flood
Without flesh, without bone,
Without vein, without blood,
Without head, without feet;
It will neither be older nor younger
Than at the beginning;
For fear of a denial
There are no rude wants
With creatures.

Great God! How the sea whitens
When first it comes!
Great are its gusts
When it comes from the south;
Great are its evaporations
When it strikes on coasts.

It is in the field, it is in the wood,
Without hand and without foot,
Without signs of old age,
Though it be coeval
With the five ages or periods,
And older still,
Though they be numberless years.

It is also so wide
As the surface of the earth;
And it was not born,
Nor was it seen.

It will cause consternation
Wherever God willeth.

On sea and on land
It neither sees nor is seen.

Its course is devious
And will not come when desired;
On land and on sea
It is indispensable.

It is without an equal;
It is four-sided;
It is not confined,
It is incomparable;
It comes from four quarters;
It will not be advised;
It will not be without advice.

It commences its journey
Above the marble rock;
It is sonorous; it is dumb;
It is mild;
It is strong; it is bold.

When it glances over the land,
It is silent; it is vocal;
It is clamorous:
It is the most noisy
On the face of the earth.

It is good; it is bad:
It is extremely injurious.

It is concealed
Because sight cannot perceive it.

It is noxious; it is beneficial.
It is yonder; it is here.

It will discompose,
But will not repair the injury.

It will not suffer for its doings,
Seeing it is blameless.

It is wet; it is dry.

It frequently comes,
Proceeding from the heat of the sun
And the coldness of the moon.
The moon is less beneficial,
Inasmuch as her heat is less.

One Being has prepared it
Out of all creatures
By a tremendous blast
To wreak vengeance
On Maelgwn Gwynedd.

And while he was thus singing his verse near the door, there arose a mighty storm of wind, so that the king and all his nobles thought that the castle would fall on their heads.

And the king caused them to fetch Elphin in haste from his dungeon and placed him before Taliesin. And it is said that immediately he sang a verse, so that the chains opened from about his feet.

I adore the Supreme, Lord of all animation,
Him that supports the heavens, Ruler of every extreme,
Him that made the water good for all,
Him who has bestowed each gift, and blesses it;
May abundance of mead be given Maelgwn of Anglesey, who supplies us
From his foaming meadhorns with the choicest pure liquor.
Since bees collect and do not enjoy,
We have sparkling distilled mead, which is universally praised.

The multitude of creatures which the earth nourishes
God made for man with a view to enrich him;
Some are violent; some are mute: he enjoys them,
Some are wild; some are tame: the Lord makes them.
Part of their produce becomes clothing;
For food and beverage till doom will they continue.

I entreat the Supreme Sovereign of the region of peace
To liberate Elphin from banishment,
The man who gave me wine and ale and mead,
With large princely steeds of beautiful appearance;
May he yet give me, and, at the end,
May God of his good will grant me in honour
A succession of numberless ages in the retreat of tranquillity.

Elphin, knight of mead, late be thy dissolution!

Next: Taliesin Sings of the Bards

(700 words)

Mabinogion: Taliesin Sings of the Bards

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Taliesin Sings of the Bards

And afterwards Taliesin sang the ode which is called "The Excellence of the Bards."

What was the first man
Made by the God of heaven?
What the fairest flattering speech
That was prepared by Ieuav?
What meat, what drink,
What roof his shelter?
What the first impression
Of his primary thinking?
What became his clothing?
Who carried on a disguise
Owing to the wilds of the country
In the beginning?

Wherefore should a stone be hard?
Why should a thorn be sharp-pointed?

Who is hard like a flint?
Who is salt like brine?
Who sweet like honey?
Who rides on the gale?

Why ridged should be the nose?
Why should a wheel be round?
Why should the tongue be gifted with speech
Rather than another member?

If thy bards, Heinin, be competent,
Let them reply to me, Taliesin.

And after that he sang the address which is called "The Reproof of the Bards."

If thou art a bard completely imbued
With genius not to be controlled,
Be thou not untractable
Within the court of thy king
Until thy rigmarole shall be known.
Be thou silent, Heinin,
As to the name of thy verse
And the name of thy vaunting,
And as to the name of thy grandsire
Prior to his being baptized.
And the name of the sphere,
And the name of the element,
And the name of thy language,
And the name of thy region.
Avaunt, ye bards above;
Avaunt, ye bards below!

My beloved is below
In the fetter of Arianrod.
It is certain you know not
How to understand the song I utter,
Nor clearly how to discriminate
Between the truth and what is false;
Puny bards, crows of the district,
Why do you not take to flight?

A bard that will not silence me,
Silence may he not obtain
Till he goes to be covered
Under gravel and pebbles:
Such as shall listen to me,
May God listen to him.

Then sang he the piece called "The Spite of the Bards."

Minstrels persevere in their false custom;
Immoral ditties are their delight;
Vain and tasteless praise they recite;
Falsehood at all times do they utter;
The innocent persons they ridicule;
Married women they destroy;
Innocent virgins of Mary they corrupt.

As they pass their lives away in vanity,
Poor innocent persons they ridicule.

At night they get drunk; they sleep the day;
In idleness without work they feed themselves.

The Church they hate, and the tavern they frequent;
With thieves and perjured fellows they associate.

At courts they inquire after feasts;
Every senseless word they bring forward;
Every deadly sin they praise;
Every vile course of life they lead;
Through every village, town, and country they stroll.

Concerning the gripe of death they think not;
Neither lodging nor charity do they give,
Indulging in victuals to excess.

Psalms or prayers they do not use;
Tithes or offerings to God they do not pay;
On holidays or Sundays they do not worship;
Vigils or festivals they do not heed.

The birds do fly; the fish do swim;
The bees collect honey; worms do crawl:
Everything travails to obtain its food,
Except minstrels and lazy useless thieves.

I deride neither song nor minstrelsy
For they are given by God to lighten thought,
But him who abuses them
For blaspheming Jesus and his service.

Taliesin, having set his master free from prison and having protected the innocence of his wife and silenced the Bards so that not one of them dared to say a word, now brought Elphin's wife before them and showed that she had not one finger wanting.

Right glad was Elphin; right glad was Taliesin.

Next: Elphin's Reward

(600 words)

Mabinogion: Elphin's Reward

This story is part of the Mabinogion unit. Story source: The Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877).

Elphin's Reward

Then he bade Elphin wager the king that he had a horse both better and swifter than the king's horses. And this Elphin did, and the day and the time and the place were fixed, and the place was that which at this day is called Morva Rhiannedd, and thither the king went with all his people and four-and-twenty of the swiftest horses he possessed.

And after a long process, the course was marked, and the horses were placed for running. Then came Taliesin with four-and-twenty twigs of holly which he had burnt black, and he caused the youth who was to ride his master's horse to place them in his belt, and he gave him orders to let all the king's horses get before him and, as he should overtake one horse after the other, to take one of the twigs and strike the horse with it over the crupper and then let that twig fall, and after that to take another twig and do in like manner to every one of the horses as he should overtake them, enjoining the horseman strictly to watch when his own horse should stumble and to throw down his cap on the spot.

All these things did the youth fulfil, giving a blow to every one of the king's horses and throwing down his cap on the spot where his horse stumbled. And to this spot Taliesin brought his master after his horse had won the race. And he caused Elphin to put workmen to dig a hole there, and, when they had dug the ground deep enough, they found a large cauldron full of gold.

And then said Taliesin, "Elphin, behold a payment and reward unto thee for having taken me out of the weir and for having reared me from that time until now."

And on this spot stands a pool of water, which is to this time called Pwllbair.

After all this, the king caused Taliesin to be brought before him, and he asked him to recite concerning the creation of man from the beginning, and thereupon he made the poem which is now called "One of the Four Pillars of Song."

The Almighty made,
Down the Hebron vale,
With his plastic hands,
Adam's fair form:
And five hundred years,
Void of any help,
There he remained and lay
Without a soul.

He again did form,
In calm paradise,
From a left-side rib,
Bliss-throbbing Eve.

Seven hours they were
The orchard keeping,
Till Satan brought strife,
With wiles from hell.

Thence were they driven,
Cold and shivering,
To gain their living,
Into this world,
To bring forth with pain
Their sons and daughters,
To have possession
Of Asia's land.

Twice five, ten and eight,
She was self-bearing,
The mixed burden
Of man-woman.

And once, not hidden,
She brought forth Abel,
And Cain the forlorn,
The homicide.

To him and his mate
Was given a spade,
To break up the soil,
Thus to get bread.

The wheat pure and white,
Summer tilth to sow,
Every man to feed,
Till great yule feast.

An angelic hand
From the high Father,
Brought seed for growing
That Eve might sow;
But she then did hide
Of the gift a tenth,
And all did not sow
Of what was dug.

Black rye then was found,
And not pure wheat grain,
To show the mischief
Thus of thieving.

For this thievish act,
It is requisite,
That all men should pay
Tithe unto God
Of the ruddy wine,
Planted on sunny days,
And on new-moon nights,
And the white wine.

The wheat rich in grain
And red flowing wine
Christ's pure body make,
Son of Alpha.

The wafer is flesh,
The wine is spilt blood,
The Trinity's words
Sanctify them.

The concealed books
From Emmanuel's hand
Were brought by Raphael
As Adam's gift,
When in his old age,
To his chin immersed
In Jordan's water,
Keeping a fast,
Moses did obtain
In Jordan's water,
The aid of the three
Most special rods.

Solomon did obtain
In Babel's tower,
All the sciences
In Asia land.

So did I obtain,
In my bardic books,
All the sciences
Of Europe and Africa.

Their course, their bearing,
Their permitted way,
And their fate I know,
Unto the end.

Oh! What misery,
Through extreme of woe,
Prophecy will show
On Troia's race!

A coiling serpent
Proud and merciless,
On her golden wings,
From Germany.

She will overrun
England and Scotland,
From Lychlyn sea-shore
To the Severn.

Then will the Brython
Be as prisoners,
By strangers swayed,
From Saxony.

Their Lord they will praise,
Their speech they will keep,
Their land they will lose,
Except wild Walia.

Till some change shall come,
After long penance,
When equally rife
The two crimes come.

Britons then shall have
Their land and their crown,
And the stranger swarm
Shall disappear.

All the angel's words
As to peace and war,
Will be fulfilled
To Britain's race.

(800 words)

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