And then Cai sulked, and spoke angry, jealous words. ‘Gwalchmai,’ he said, ‘I am certain you will lead him back by his reins. However, little praise and honour will you get from overcoming the tired knight, exhausted from fighting. Yet that is how you have overcome many of them, and while you have your tongue and fine words, a mantle of thin, fine linen will be armour enough for you. And you will not need to break a spear or a sword fighting the knight you find in that state.’
And then Gwalchmai said to Cai, ‘You could have said something more pleasant had you wished. And it is not proper for you to vent your rage and anger on me. I expect, however, that I shall bring the knight back with me, without breaking either my arm or my shoulder.’
Then Arthur said to Gwalchmai, ‘You speak like a wise and reasonable man. Go hence and put on plenty of armour, and choose your horse.’
Gwalchmai armed himself, and went forward leisurely at his horse’s pace to where Peredur was. And he was resting on his spear-shaft, thinking the same thoughts. Gwalchmai approached him with no sign of hostility about him, and said to him, ‘If I knew it would please you, as it pleases me, I would talk to you. Still, I am a messenger from Arthur, begging you to come and see him. And two men have come before me on that same errand.’
‘That is true,’ said Peredur, ‘and they were discourteous. They fought with me, and that did not please me because I disliked being distracted from my thoughts. I was thinking about the woman I loved best. This is why I was reminded of her: I was looking at the snow and at the raven, and at the drops of blood from the duck which the hawk had killed in the snow. And I was thinking that the whiteness of her skin was like the snow, and the blackness of her hair and eyebrows was like the raven, and that the two red spots in her cheeks were like the two drops of blood.’
Gwalchmai said, ‘Those thoughts were not dishonourable, and it is not surprising that you disliked being distracted from them.’
Peredur said, ‘Tell me, is Cai in Arthur’s court?’
‘He is,’ he replied. ‘He was the last knight to fight you. And no good came to him from the confrontation: he broke his right arm and his collar-bone in the fall he took from the thrust of your spear.’
‘Good,’ said Peredur, ‘I am happy that I have begun to avenge the insult to the dwarf and she-dwarf in that way.’ Gwalchmai was surprised to hear him mention the dwarf and the she-dwarf. And he approached him and embraced him, and asked what was his name.
‘I am called Peredur son of Efrog,’ he said. ‘And who are you?’
‘I am called Gwalchmai,’ he replied.
‘I am pleased to see you,’ said Peredur. ‘I have heard of your reputation for military prowess and integrity in every land I have been, and I beg for your friendship.’
‘You shall have it, by my faith, and give me yours.’
‘You shall have it gladly,’ said Peredur.
They set off together, in joyful agreement, to where Arthur was. And when Cai heard they were coming, he said, ‘I knew that Gwalchmai would not need to fight the knight. Nor is it surprising that he has received praise. He does more with his fair words than we by force of arms.’
And Peredur and Gwalchmai went to Gwalchmai’s pavilion to take off their armour. And Peredur put on the same kind of garment that Gwalchmai wore. And they went hand in hand to where Arthur was, and greeted him.
‘Lord,’ said Gwalchmai, ‘here is the man you have been seeking for a long time.’
‘Welcome to you, chieftain,’ said Arthur; ‘you shall stay with me. And had I known that your progress would be as it has been, you would not have left me when you did. Yet that was foretold by the dwarf and the she-dwarf, whom Cai harmed, and whom you have now avenged.’
Then the queen and her handmaidens approached, and Peredur greeted them. And they were happy to see him and made him welcome. Arthur showed Peredur great respect and honour. And they returned to Caerllion.
The first night Peredur came to Caerllion to Arthur’s court, he happened to be strolling in the castle after dinner. Behold, Angharad Law Eurog met him.*
‘By my faith, sister,’ said Peredur, ‘you are a dear, lovely girl. And I could love you best of all women if you wished.’
‘I give my word,’ she said, ‘I do not love you and I will never want you, ever.’
‘And I give my word’, said Peredur, ‘that I will never utter a word to any Christian until you confess that you love me best of men.’
The next day Peredur set off, and he followed the highroad along the ridge of a great mountain. At the far end of the mountain he could see a round valley, and the edges of the valley were wooded and stony, and on the floor of the valley were meadows, and ploughed land between the meadows and the forest. In the heart of the forest he could see large, black houses, roughly built. He dismounted and led his horse towards the forest. And at some distance in the forest he could see a steep rock, and the road leading to the side of the rock, and a lion tied to a chain, sleeping by the rock. He could see a deep pit, of huge proportions, below the lion, filled with the bones of men and animals. Peredur drew his sword and struck the lion, so that it fell, hanging by its chain above the pit. And with the second blow he struck the chain so that it broke and the lion fell into the pit.
Peredur led his horse along the side of the rock until he got to the valley. He could see in the middle of the valley a fair castle, and he went towards the castle. In a meadow near the castle was seated a large, grey-haired man—he was larger than any man he had ever seen—and two young lads were shooting at the whalebone handles of their knives, one an auburn-haired lad and the other a yello-haired lad. Peredur went up to the grey-haired man and greeted him. The grey-haired man said, ‘Shame on my gatekeeper’s beard.’* Then Peredur realized that the lion was the gatekeeper. And then the grey-haired man, together with the lads, went into the castle, and Peredur went with them. A fair, noble place could he see there. They made for the hall, and the tables had been set out, with plenty of food and drink on them. Then he saw coming from the chamber an old woman and a young woman, and they were the largest women he had ever seen. They washed and went to eat. The grey-haired man went to the most important place at the top of the table, and the old woman next to him; Peredur and the maiden were placed next to each other; and the two young lads waited on them. The maiden looked at Peredur and became sad. Peredur asked the maiden why she was sad.
‘Friend, since I first saw you, it is you I have loved best of men. And I am heartbroken to see the fate that will befall such a noble young man as you tomorrow. Did you see the many black houses in the heart of the forest? All those are vassals of my father, the grey-haired man over there, and they are all giants. And tomorrow they will set upon you and kill you. And this valley is called the Round Valley.’
‘Fair maiden, will you arrange that my horse and armour are in the same lodging as me tonight?’
‘I will, between me and God, if I can, gladly.’
When the time came to sleep rather than carouse, they went to sleep. And the maiden arranged that Peredur’s horse and armour were in the same lodging as him.
The next day Peredur could hear the clamour of men and horses around the castle. Peredur got up and armed himself and his horse, and came to the meadow. The old woman and the maiden went to the grey-haired man.
‘Lord,’ they said, ‘accept the squire’s word that he will not say anything about what he has seen here, and we will ensure that he keeps it.’
‘I will not, by my faith,’ said the grey-haired man. Peredur fought against the host, and by midday he had killed a third of them without anyone harming him. Then the old woman said, ‘The squire has killed many of your men. Show him mercy.’
‘I will not, by my faith,’ he replied. The old woman and the beautiful maiden were watching from the battlement of the castle.
Then Peredur attacked the yellow-haired lad and killed him.
‘Lord,’ said the maiden, ‘show mercy to the squire.’
‘
I will not, between me and God.’ Then Peredur attacked the auburn-haired lad and killed him.
‘It would have been better for you had you shown mercy to the squire before your two sons were killed. And it will not be easy for you to escape, if indeed you do.’
‘Go, maiden, and beg the squire to show us mercy, though we have not shown it to him.’ The maiden went to Peredur and asked for mercy for her father and all his men who had escaped alive.
‘Yes, on condition that your father and all those under him go to pay homage to the emperor Arthur, and tell him that it was Peredur, a vassal of his, who did this service.’
‘We will gladly, between me and God.’
‘And you will be baptized. I shall send word to Arthur and ask him to give this valley to you and your heirs after you forever.’
Then they came inside, and the grey-haired man and the large woman greeted Peredur. Then the grey-haired man said, ‘Since I have owned this valley, I have never seen a Christian leave here alive, apart from you. And we shall go and pay homage to Arthur, and receive faith and baptism.’
And then Peredur said, ‘Thanks be to God that I did not break my promise to the woman I love best, namely that I would not utter a word to a Christian.’ They stayed there that night.
Early the next morning the grey-haired man went with his followers to Arthur’s court, and they paid homage to Arthur, and Arthur had them baptized. The grey-haired man told Arthur that it was Peredur who had overcome him, and Arthur gave the valley to the grey-haired man and his followers to rule on his behalf, as Peredur had requested. And with Arthur’s permission, the grey-haired man set off for the Round Valley.
Peredur, on the other hand, travelled the next morning through a long stretch of wilderness without coming across any dwelling. At last he came to a very poor, small house. And there he heard of a serpent that lay on a golden ring, leaving no dwelling standing for seven miles around. Peredur went to where he heard the serpent was, and he fought the serpent, furious and valiant, bold and proud, and eventually he killed it and took the ring for himself. For a long time he wandered in this way, without uttering a word to any Christian, until he began to lose his colour and appearance because of a deep longing for Arthur’s court and the woman he loved best, and his companions.
From there he travelled to Arthur’s court. On the way Arthur’s retinue met him, with Cai riding ahead going on an errand for them. Peredur recognized them all, but no one in the retinue recognized him.
‘Where do you come from, lord?’ said Cai, and a second time, and a third. But Peredur would not answer. Cai struck him with a spear through his thigh, and lest he be forced to speak and break his word, Peredur rode past without taking vengeance on him. And then Gwalchmai said, ‘Between me and God, Cai, that was bad behaviour, to set upon a squire like that just because he could not speak.’ And Gwalchmai returned to Arthur’s court.
‘Lady,’ he said to Gwenhwyfar, ‘can you see how badly Cai has wounded this squire just because he could not speak? Let him have medical treatment by the time I return, and I shall repay you.’
Before the men returned from their errand, a knight came to the meadow near Arthur’s court, demanding an opponent to do battle with. And an opponent was found. And the knight overthrew him, and for a week he overthrew a knight every day.
One day Arthur and his retinue were going to the church; they saw the knight with the signal raised for battle.
‘Men,’ said Arthur, ‘by the bravery of men, I shall not leave here until I get my horse and weapons to overthrow that knave over there.’
Then the servants went to fetch Arthur his horse and weapons. Peredur met the servants as they were passing, and he took the horse and weapons, and made for the meadow. When everyone saw him get up and go and fight the knight, they went to the rooftops and hills and high places to watch the fighting. Peredur signalled to the knight with his hand, urging him to begin. And the knight charged at him; however, Peredur remained rooted to the spot. But then he spurred on his horse and set upon the knight, furious and valiant, violent and angry, eager and proud, and struck him a blow that was brutal and bitter, painful and bold in a warrior-like way under the chin, lifting him out of his saddle and throwing him a great distance away.* And Peredur returned, leaving the horse and armour with the servants as before. And he made for the court on foot. And after that Peredur was called the Mute Knight. With that Angharad Law Eurog met him.
‘Between me and God, lord, it is a shame that you cannot speak. And if you could, I would love you best of men. And by my faith, even though you cannot speak, I will still love you best.’
‘May God repay you, sister. By my faith, I love you too.’ And then they realized that he was Peredur. He renewed his friendship then with Gwalchmai and with Owain son of Urien and all the retinue. And he remained at Arthur’s court.
Arthur was in Caerllion ar Wysg, and he went to hunt, and Peredur with him. And Peredur let his dog loose on a stag, and the dog killed the stag in a deserted place. Some distance away he could see signs of a dwelling, and he approached the dwelling. He could see a hall, and at the door of the hall he could see three swarthy, bald young men playing gwyddbwyll.* And when he entered he could see three maidens sitting on a couch, dressed in garments of gold as befits noblewomen. And he went to sit with them on the couch. One of the maidens looked at Peredur intently, and wept. Peredur asked her why she was weeping.
‘Because it pains me so much to see such a handsome young man as you killed.’
‘Who would kill me?’
‘If it were not dangerous for you to stay here, I would tell you.’
‘However great the danger if I stay, I will hear you out.’
‘The man who owns this court is our father. And he kills everyone who comes to this court without permission.’
‘What sort of man is your father, that he can kill everyone like that?’
‘A man who is violent and malicious towards his neighbours, and he does not give recompense to anyone for it.’
Then Peredur saw the young men getting up and clearing the pieces from the board. And he heard a great noise, and after the noise he saw a huge, black-haired, one-eyed man coming in.* The maidens got up to meet him, and removed his armour, and he went to sit down. When he had collected his thoughts and rested, he looked at Peredur and asked who the knight was.
‘Lord,’ said the maiden, ‘the fairest and noblest young man you have ever seen. And for God’s sake, and your own pride, be patient with him.’
‘For your sake I will be patient, and I will spare his life tonight.’
Then Peredur joined them by the fire. He took food and drink, and talked with the maidens. Then, when he had become drunk, Peredur said, ‘I am surprised that you claim to be as strong as you do. Who pulled out your eye?’
‘One of my rules is that whoever asks me that question will not escape with his life, neither as a gift nor for a price.’
‘Lord,’ said the maiden, ‘although he is talking to you foolishly, because of being drunk and intoxicated, keep to your word and the promise you gave me just now.’
‘I will do so gladly, for your sake. I will gladly spare his life for tonight.’ And they left it at that for the night.
The next day the black-haired man got up and put on his armour, and told Peredur, ‘Get up, man, to meet your death,’ said the black-haired man.
Peredur said to the black-haired man, ‘Black-haired man, do one of two things if you wish to fight me: either remove your own armour or else give me additional armour to fight you.’
‘Man!’ he said. ‘Could you fight if you had weapons? Take whatever weapons you want.’ Then the maiden brought Peredur the weapons he wanted. And he and the black-haired man fought until the black-haired man had to ask Peredur for mercy.
‘Black-haired man, you shall have mercy on condition that you tell me who you are, and who pulled out your eye.’
‘Lord, I shall tell you—fighting the Black Serpent of the Cair
n. There is a mound called the Mound of Mourning, and in the mound there is a cairn, and in the cairn there is a serpent, and in the serpent’s tail there is a stone. And these are the attributes of the stone: whoever holds it in one hand will have as much gold as he wishes in the other hand. And I lost my eye fighting that serpent. And my name is the Black Oppressor. The reason I was called the Black Oppressor is because I would not leave a man around me whom I did not terrorize, and I would never give recompense to anyone.’
The Mabinogion (Oxford World's Classics) Page 14