The Story of King Arthur and Other Celtic Heroes

by Padraic Colum

  “Then the Black Man said to me, ‘Seest thou now, little man, what power I hold over these animals?’ Then I inquired of him the way, and he became very rough in his manner to me; however, he asked me whither I would go. And when I told him who I was and what I sought, he directed me. ‘Take,’ said he, ‘that path that leads towards the head of the glade, and ascend the wooded steep until thou comest to its summit; and there thou wilt find an open space like to a large valley, and in the midst of it a tall tree, whose branches are greener than the greenest pine trees. Under this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the fountain a marble slab, and on the marble slab a silver bowl, attached by a chain of silver, so that it may not be carried away. Take the bowl, and throw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so that thou wilt think that heaven and earth are trembling with its fury. With the thunder there will come a shower so severe that it will be scarce possible for thee to endure it and live. And the shower will be of hailstones; and after the shower the weather will become fair, but every leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away by the shower. Then a flight of birds will come and alight upon the tree; and in thine own country thou didst never hear a strain so sweet as that which they will sing. And at the moment thou art most delighted with the song of the birds, thou wilt hear a murmuring and complaining coming towards thee along the valley. And thou wilt see a knight upon a coal-black horse, clothed in black velvet, and with a pennon of black linen upon his lance; and he will ride unto thee to encounter thee with the utmost speed. If thou fleest from him he will overtake thee, and if thou abidest there, as sure as thou art a mounted knight, he will leave thee on foot. And if thou dost not find trouble in that adventure, thou needst not seek it during the rest of thy life.’

  “Seest thou now, little man, what power I hold over these animals?”

  “Then I journeyed on until I reached the summit of the steep, and there I found everything as the Black Man had described it to me. And I went up to the tree, and beneath it I saw the fountain, and by its side the marble slab, and the silver bowl fastened by the chain. Then I took the bowl, and cast a bowlful of water upon the slab; and thereupon, behold, the thunder came, much more violent than the Black Man had led me to expect; and after the thunder came the shower; and of a truth I tell thee, Kai, that there is neither man nor beast that can endure that shower and live. For not one of those hailstones would be stopped, either by the flesh or by the skin, until it had reached the bone. I turned my horse’s flank towards the shower, and placed the beak of my shield over his head and neck, while I held the upper part of it over my own head. And thus I withstood the shower. When I looked on the tree there was not a single leaf upon it, and then the sky became clear, and with that, behold, the birds lighted upon the tree, and sang. And truly, Kai, I never heard any melody equal to that, either before or since.

  “Then, when I was most charmed with listening to the birds, lo, a murmuring voice was heard through the valley, approaching me and saying, ‘O Knight, what has brought thee hither? What evil have I done to thee, that thou shouldst act towards me and my possessions as thou hast this day? Dost thou not know that the shower to-day has left in my dominions neither man nor beast alive that was exposed to it?’ And thereupon, behold, a knight on a black horse appeared, clothed in jet-black velvet, and with a tabard of black linen about him. We charged each other, and, as the onset was furious, it was not long before I was overthrown. Then the knight passed the shaft of his lance through the bridle rein of my horse, and rode off with the two horses, leaving me where I was. And he did not even bestow so much notice upon me as either to take me prisoner or to despoil me of my arms.

  “So I returned along the road by which I had come. And when I reached the glade where the Black Man was, I confess to thee, Kai, it is a marvel that I did not melt down into a liquid pool, through the shame that I felt at the Black Man’s derision. I returned to the castle where I had spent the night preceding. And I was more agreeably entertained that night than I had been the night before; and I was better feasted, and I conversed freely with the inmates of the castle, and none of them alluded to my expedition to the fountain, neither did I mention it to any; and I remained there that night. When I arose in the morning, I found, ready saddled, a dark bay horse, with nostrils as red as scarlet; and after putting on my armour, and leaving there my blessing, I returned to my own court. And that horse I still possess, and he is in the stable yonder, and I declare that I would not part with him for the best horse in the Island of Britain.

  “Now of a truth, Kai, no man ever before confessed to an adventure so much to his own discredit, and verily it seems strange to me, that neither before nor since have I heard of any person besides myself who knew of this adventure, and that the place of its happening should be within King Arthur’s dominions, without any other person lighting upon it.”

  “Now,” said Owen, “would it not be well to go and endeavour to discover that place?”

  “By the hand of my friend,” said Kai, “often dost thou utter things with thy tongue which thou wouldst not make good with thy deeds.”

  “In very truth,” said Gwenhuivar, “it were better thou wert hanged, Kai, than to use such uncourteous speech towards a man like Owen.”

  “By the hand of my friend, good lady,” said Kai, “thy praise of Owen is not greater than mine.”

  With that Arthur awoke, and asked if he had not been sleeping a little.

  “Yes, Lord,” said Owen, “thou hast slept a while.”

  “Is it time for us to go to meat?”

  “It is, Lord,” said Owen.

  Then the horn for washing was sounded, and the King and all his household washed, and then sat down to eat. And when the meal was finished Owen withdrew to his lodging, and there he made ready his horse and his arms.

  II

  On the morrow, with the dawn of day, Owen put on his armour, and mounted his horse, and travelled through distant lands and over desert mountains. And at length he arrived in the valley which Kynon had described to him. Journeying along the valley by the side of the river, he followed its course till he came to the plain and within sight of the castle. When he approached the castle, he saw the youths throwing their daggers in the place where Kynon had seen them, and the man in yellow standing by. And no sooner had Owen saluted the man than he was saluted by him in return.

  He went within the castle, and when he had entered the hall he beheld the maidens working at satin embroidery, in chairs of gold. And their beauty seemed to Owen far greater than Kynon had represented to him. They rose to wait upon Owen as they had done to Kynon. Then, about the middle of the repast, the man in yellow asked Owen about the object of his journey. Owen said: “I am in quest of the knight who guards the fountain.” Upon this the man in yellow said that he was as loth to show that adventure to him as he had been to the knight who had come before. However, he described the place to Owen, and they retired to rest.

  The next morning Owen found his horse made ready for him by the maidens, and he set forward and came to the glade where the Black Man was. The stature of the Black Man seemed more wonderful to Owen than Kynon had described it to him. Owen asked of him his road, and the Black Man showed it to him. He followed the road till he came to the green tree; he beheld the fountain and the slab beside the fountain with the bowl upon it. Owen took the bowl, and threw a bowlful of water upon the slab. And, lo, the thunder was heard, and after the thunder came the shower, much more violent than Kynon had described it, and after the shower the sky became bright. When Owen looked at the tree, there was not one leaf upon it. And immediately the birds came, and settled upon the tree, and sang. And when their song was most pleasing to Owen he beheld a knight coming towards him through the valley.

  The knight and Owen encountered each other violently. Having broken both their lances, they drew their swords, and fought blade to blade. Then Owen struck the knight a blow through the helmet, head-piece and visor, and through th
e skin and the flesh, and the bone. Then the Black Knight felt that he had received a mortal wound, upon which he turned his horse’s head, and fled. Owen followed close upon him, and they came to the gate of a vast and resplendent castle.

  The Black Knight was allowed to enter, and the portcullis was let fall upon Owen as he followed; it struck his horse behind the saddle, and cut the horse in two, and carried away the rowels of the spurs that were upon Owen’s heels. And the rowels of the spurs and part of the horse were without, and Owen with the other part of the horse remained between the two gates, and the inner gate was closed, so that Owen could not go hence.

  He could see through an aperture in the gate a street facing him, with a row of houses on each side. And he beheld a maiden, with yellow curling hair, and a frontlet of gold upon her head; she was clad in a dress of yellow satin, and on her feet were shoes of variegated leather. She approached the gate, and tried to have it opened.

  Then said Owen to the maiden: “Heaven knows it is no more possible for me to open to thee from hence, than it is for thee to set me free.” “Truly,” said the maiden, “it is very sad that thou canst not be released, and every woman ought to succour thee, for I think thou art most faithful in the service of ladies. Therefore,” said she, “whatever is in my power to do for thy release, I will do it. Take this ring and put it on thy finger, with the stone inside thy hand; and close thy hand upon the stone. As long as thou concealest it, it will conceal thee. When they have consulted together, they will come forth to fetch thee, in order to put thee to death; and they will be much grieved that they cannot find thee. I will await thee on the horse-block yonder; and thou wilt be able to see me, though I cannot see thee; therefore come and place thy hand upon my shoulder, that I may know that thou art near me.”

  Then she went away from him, and Owen did all that the maiden had told him. The people of the castle came to seek Owen, to put him to death, and when they found nothing but the half of his horse, they were sorely grieved.

  Owen went to the maiden, and placed his hand upon her shoulder; whereupon she set off, and he followed her, until they came to the door of a large and beautiful chamber, and the maiden opened it, and they went in, and closed the door. And Owen looked around the chamber while the maiden kindled a fire, and took water in a silver bowl, and put a towel of linen on her shoulder, and gave him water to wash. Then she placed before him a silver table, upon which was a cloth of yellow linen; and she brought him food. Owen ate and drank, and then late in the afternoon they heard a mighty clamour in the castle, and he asked the maiden what the outcry was. “They are administering extreme unction,” she said, “to the lord who owns the castle.”

  The couch which the maiden prepared for him was meet for Arthur himself; it was of scarlet and fur, and satin, and sendal, and fine linen. In the middle of the night they heard a woeful cry. “What outcry again is this?” said Owen. “The lord who owned the castle is now dead,” said the maiden. And a little after daybreak, they heard an exceeding loud clamour and wailing. Owen asked the maiden what was the cause of it. “They are bearing to the church the body of the lord who owned the castle,” she said.

  Then Owen rose up, and opened a window of the chamber, and looked towards the castle. In the midst of a throng, he beheld a bier, over which was a veil of white linen. And following the bier he beheld a lady with yellow hair falling over her shoulders, and about her a dress of yellow satin, which was torn. Truly she would have been the fairest lady Owen ever saw, had she been in her proper attire.

  He inquired of the maiden who the lady was. “She is the fairest and the wisest of women,” the maiden said. “She is the Lady of the Fountain, the wife of him whom thou didst slay yesterday.” “Verily,” said Owen, “she is the woman that, in the whole world, I love best.”

  When he had said this, the maiden whose name was Luned went from the chamber, shutting the door after her and leaving Owen within, and went towards the castle. She found the Lady of the Fountain and saluted her, but the lady answered her not. Luned bent down towards her, and said, “What aileth thee, that thou answerest no one to-day?” “Luned,” said the lady, “what change hath befallen thee, that thou hast not come to visit me in my grief? It was wrong in thee.” “Truly,” said Luned, “I thought thy good sense was greater than I find it to be. Is it well for thee to mourn after thy lord, or for anything else, that thou canst not have?” “I declare to Heaven,” said the lady, “that in the whole world there is not one to take his place.” “An ugly man would be as good as he, or better than he,” said Luned. “I declare to Heaven,” said the lady to her, “that were it not repugnant to me to cause to be put to death one whom I have brought up, I would have thee executed, for saying such a thing to me. As it is, I will banish thee.” “I am glad,” said Luned, “that thou hast no other cause to do so, than that I would have been of service to thee. And henceforth evil betide whichever of us shall make the first advance towards reconciliation to the other; whether I should seek an invitation from thee, or thou of thine own accord shouldst send to invite me.”

  With that Luned went forth, but the lady arose and followed her to the door of the chamber. “In truth,” said the lady, “evil is thy temper, Luned, but if thou knowest what is to my advantage, declare it to me.” “I will do so,” said Luned.

  “Thou knowest,” she said to the Lady of the Fountain, “that except by warfare and arms it is impossible for thee to preserve thy possessions; delay not, therefore, to seek some one who can defend them.” “How can I do that?” the Lady of the Fountain asked. “I will tell thee,” said the maiden Luned. “Unless thou canst defend the Fountain, thou canst not maintain thy dominions; and no one can defend the Fountain, except it be a knight of Arthur’s household. I will go to Arthur’s Court, and I will not return thence without a warrior who can guard the Fountain.” “Go,” said the lady, “and make proof of that which thou hast promised.”

  Then Luned went back to the chamber where she had left Owen, and she tarried as long as it might have taken her to have travelled to the Court of King Arthur. And at the end of that time, she apparelled herself and went to visit the Lady of the Fountain. The lady was much rejoiced when she saw her, and inquired what news she brought from Arthur’s Court. “I bring thee the best of news,” said Luned, “for I have brought back one who can defend the Fountain.” “Bring him here to visit me to-morrow, at mid-day,” said the Lady of the Fountain.

  Right glad was the lady of the coming of Owen and Luned when she saw them before her next day. She gazed steadfastly upon Owen, and said, “Luned, this knight has not the look of a traveller.” “What harm is there in that, lady?” asked Luned. “Go back to thine abode,” said the lady, “and I will take counsel.”

  The next day the lady took Owen for her husband, and thereafter he defended the Fountain with lance and sword. Whensoever a knight came there he overthrew him. And it was thus for the space of three years.

  But there was grief in Arthur’s Court because Owen did not return. And it befell that as Gwalchmai went forth one day with King Arthur, he perceived him to be very sad and sorrowful. And Gwalchmai was much grieved to see Arthur in this state; and he questioned him, saying, “Oh, my Lord! what has befallen thee?” “I am grieved concerning Owen, whom I have lost these three years,” said Arthur, “and I shall certainly die if the fourth year passes without my seeing him. And I am sure that it is through the tale which Kynon related that I have lost Owen.” Then said Gwalchmai: “Thou thyself and the men of thy household will be able to avenge Owen, if he be slain; or to set him free, if he be in prison; and, if alive, to bring him back with thee.” It was settled according to what Gwalchmai said: that Arthur and his household should go in search of Owen.

  They went, and Kynon acted as their guide. And Arthur came to the castle where Kynon had been before, and when he came there the youths were throwing the daggers in the same place, and the man in yellow was standing hard by. When he saw Arthur he greeted him, and invited him to the cas
tle; and Arthur accepted his invitation, and they entered the castle together. The maidens rose up to wait on them, and the service of the maidens appeared to them all to excel any attendance they had ever met with.

  “Luned, this knight has not the look of a traveller.”

  The next morning Arthur set out thence, with Kynon for his guide, and they came to the place where the Black Man was. And the stature of the Black Man was more surprising to Arthur than it had been represented to him. Then they came to the top of the wooded steep, and traversed the valley till they reached the green tree, where they saw the Fountain, and the bowl, and the slab. And upon that, Kai came to Arthur and spoke to him. “My Lord,” said he, “I know the meaning of all this, and my request is, that thou wilt permit me to throw the water on the slab, and to receive the first adventure that may befall.” Arthur gave him leave.

  Then Kai threw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and immediately there came the thunder, and after the thunder the shower. Such a thunder-storm they had never known before, and many of the attendants who were in Arthur’s train were killed by the shower. Then the sky became clear; and on looking at the tree they beheld it completely leafless. The birds descended on the tree, and the song of the birds was far sweeter than any strain they had ever heard before. Then they beheld a knight on a coal-black horse, clothed in black satin, coming rapidly towards them. Kai met him and encountered him, and it was not long before Kai was overthrown. The knight withdrew, and Arthur and his host encamped for the night.