The Mabinogion (Oxford World's Classics)

by Sioned Davies

  Tringad: later Twrch Trwyth kills Gwyn son of Tringad son of Neued. The first element may be cognate with Irish trèn (‘strong’), while the second element may be cad (‘battle’).

  Prydwen: ‘Fair Form’, Arthur’s ship; see note to p. 183.

  And God changed them back into their own shape for Arthur: this implies that the bitch and her two whelps were changed back into human form.

  on top of Pumlumon on Garn Gwylathr: Pumlumon (Plynlimon) is a mountain range in mid-Wales. The name Garn Gwylathr has not survived.

  a leash made from the beard of the man you see over there: the text is inconsistent, since on p. 198 it is said that the leash of Cors Cant Ewin is needed to hold Drudwyn.

  Arthur sang this englyn … Were he alive, he would kill you: for the use made of the englyn, see also the Second and Fourth Branches of the Mabinogi, pp. 31 and 61–3, and note to p. 31. As a result of Arthur’s satirical verse, Cai takes offence and disappears from the story. Further englynion are attributed to Arthur in other sources, while in the triads (TYP 12) Arthur is acknowledged as one of the Three Frivolous (Amateur?) Bards of the Island of Britain.

  Creiddylad daughter of Lludd Llaw Eraint: Creiddylad’s name appears in the Court List (p. 189).

  Glinneu son of Taran: ‘Glinneu son of Thunder’, see also p. 32.

  Gwrgwst Ledlwm … Nwython: these four characters have associations with the North of Britain, suggesting that this episode originated from there. ‘Gwrgwst Half-Bare’, according to the genealogies, was the grandson of Coel Hen (‘Coel the Old’), a ruler over much of north-west England and southern Scotland in the early fifth century; his son Dyfnarth may perhaps be identified with Dunarth, king of the North, in the Court List (p. 186), both versions of Domangart, grandfather of the Scottish ruler Aedán mac Gabráin; Pen (‘Head’) son of Nethog may well be a corruption and doublet of the fourth character, Nwython, who is associated with the area of Strathclyde.

  Cyledyr Wyllt: an onomastic explanation for the epithet (G)wyllt (‘Wild’). For an Irish parallel, see references in CaO 152.

  every May day: for the significance of May day, see note to p. 17.

  Mabon son of Mellt: ‘Mabon son of Lightning’, who also appears in the poem ‘What Man is the Gatekeeper?’ in the Black Book of Carmarthen. See Sims-Williams in AOW.

  the two dogs of Glythfyr Ledewig: these were not specified in Ysbaddaden’s list. Ledewig (‘Breton’) suggests that Glythfyr came from Brittany.

  Gwrgi Seferi: the first and only time that he is mentioned in the tale. Gwrgi means ‘Man Hound’, while Seferi may derive from Severus, a third-century emperor.

  Arthur went to the North: presumably the ‘Old North’, namely the old Brittonic kingdoms of Gododdin, Strathclyde, and Rheged located in the North of England and southern Scotland. This, ironically, is where some of the earliest surviving Welsh poetry originates, such as the Gododdin, and poems associated with Owain and his father Urien of Rheged.

  Llamrei, Arthur’s mare: ‘Grey or Swift Leaper.’ Note that Arthur’s horse is a ‘mare’—the medieval warhorse of the West was almost always a stallion.

  Porth Cerddin in Dyfed. And Mesur y Pair is there: cerddin is a ‘rowan tree’; however, the exact location of the porth (‘port’) is unknown, although Pwll Crochan (‘Pool of the Cauldron’), west of Fishguard, is a possibility, especially in view of the onomastic explanation: ‘The Measure of the Cauldron is there.’

  Gwlad yr Haf: the ‘Summer Country’, originally the whole of the southwest peninsula rather than just Somerset.

  a tribute of food: the laws describe in detail the food tributes to which the king was entitled twice a year from his subjects, including flour, mead, oats, pigs, butter, and beer (LHDd 128–9).

  seven little pigs: six of these are named as the hunt progresses: Grugyn Gwrych Eraint, Llwydog Gofyniad, Twrch Llawin, Gwys, Banw, Benwig.

  a fifth of Ireland: Ireland was traditionally divided into five provinces: Ulster, Munster, Leinster, Connacht, and Meath. The closing lines of the Second Branch tell how Ireland was repopulated after the great massacre between the Irish and the men of the Island of the Mighty (p. 34).

  Grugyn Gwrych Eraint: ‘Grugyn Silver-bristle’. He is also referred to in this tale as Grugyn Gwallt Eraint (Grugyn Silver Hair); see p. 211. For Irish parallels, see CaO 158.

  Porth Clais in Dyfed … Mynyw that night: Mynyw or Menevia is the oldname for St David’s, while Porth Clais is a harbour 5 miles south-west of the city.

  Glyn Nyfer … Cwm Cerwyn: the Nyfer (‘Nevern’) valley, north-east of St David’s, not far from Cwm Cerwyn (‘the Cerwyn valley’) in the Preseli mountains. For detailed geographical references to Twrch’s journey, together with onomastic associations and a map, see CaO. See William Rees, An Historical Atlas of Wales, for the administrative divisions of medieval Wales.

  Gwarthegydd son of Caw, and Tarog Allt Clwyd: ‘Cattle-raider son of Caw’ and ‘Tarog from the Rock of the Clyde’; neither was included in the Court List. Indeed, several of the characters mentioned here have notbeen introduced previously in the tale.

  Peuliniog: the land between Narberth and Carmarthen in south-west Wales.

  Glyn Ystun: a wooded area to the east of the Llychwr valley (Dyffryn Llwchwr).

  Mynydd Amanw … Dyffryn Amanw … Banw and Benwig were killed: ‘Amanw Mountain’ and ‘Amanw Valley’ can be linked with the name Aman, a stream which flows into the Llwchwr. There is clearly an onomastic association here, Banw meaning ‘pigling’, and Benwig being the diminutive form, ‘young pigling’.

  Llwch Ewin … Llwch Tawy … Din Tywi … Garth Grugyn … Ystrad Yw: many of these places are difficult to identify with any degree of certainty. Llwch Tawy is the old name for Llyn y Fan Fawr in the Brecon Beacons; Garth Grugyn Castle, built in 1242, stands in Llanilar; the commot of Ystrad Yw is in south-east Wales, in the cantref of Talgarth.

  Hir Peisog: ‘Long Tunic.’

  between Tawy and Ewias … Aber Hafren: the river Tawe flows into the sea at Swansea (Abertawe); Ewias was a cantref in the south-east, located between Talgarth and Erging. Aber Hafren is the estuary of the river Severn.

  between Llyn Lliwan and Aber Gwy: ‘Lliwan Lake’ can be equated with Llyn Lliw, the home of the Salmon (p. 204); it was a tidal lake reached by the Severn ‘bore’, a fast-moving tidal wave caused by the meeting of the tidal estuary and the river. The reference to ‘the estuary of the Wye’ (Aber Gwy) implies that the lake, described in the History of the Britons as one of the Wonders of Britain, was situated on the Welsh side of the Severn estuary. The description below of the waters flooding over Twrch Trwyth may be a further reference to the Severn bore. Some sixty such features are found worldwide, the largest in the river Quaintang in China, personified as the Quaintang Dragon. Today, surfing the Severn bore is popular: the experience has been described, ironically, as ‘Hunting Wild Bore’. See also the note to p. 17 on Teyrnon Twrf Liant.

  RHONABWY’S DREAM

  Madog son of Maredudd … uplands of Arwystli: Madog ruled Powys from 1130 until his death in 1160. Throughout his reign he attempted to defend his lands against the power of Gwynedd, joining forces with Henry II against Owain Gwynedd in 1157. After his death Powys was shared between his heirs, namely three of his sons, his brother Iorwerth, and his nephew Owain Cyfeiliog, leading to internal strife. Powys in the twelfth century consisted of today’s Montgomeryshire and parts of the counties of Merioneth, Denbigh, and Flint. Porffordd can be identified with Pulford in Flintshire, 5 miles south of Chester. The exact location of Gwafan is uncertain, except that it was somewhere in the cantref of Arwystli in south Montgomeryshire. The author emphasizes, therefore,that all of Powys is under Madog’s rule. For a detailed map of the places mentioned in the tale, see Melville Richards’s Welsh-language edition of the tale, Breudwyt Ronabwy (Cardiff, 1948). See also William Rees, An Historical Atlas of Wales.

  Iorwerth son of Maredudd: or Iorwerth Goch (‘Iorwerth the Red’), according to historical sources. Iorwerth wa
s a latimari (‘translator’) for the king, and was given the lordship of Chirk Castle for his services. He joined his brother in 1157 against Owain Gwynedd. But in 1165 he fought with Owain Gwynedd for a short period, against Henry II; but then restored his allegiance to the English Crown once more. The tension between Iorwerth and his brother is representative of the fragile situation in medieval Wales, where male relatives would fight for supremacy.

  head of the retinue: the teulu (‘retinue’) was integral to the role of any ruler; it would not only defend him, but also promote his cause in the bloody political sphere. The penteulu (‘head’) was usually a close relative, as attested by the Welsh laws (LHDd 8–11).

  Rhychdir Powys … Efyrnwy: the Rhychdir (meaning ‘arable land’) is the area around Oswestry. The river Ceiriog flows into the Dee at Aber Ceiriog, not far from Chirk; nearby is Halton (Halictwn). Rhyd Wilfre refers to a ford (rhyd) on the river Efyrnwy (English: Vyrnwy), between Llanymynech and Melverley.

  Didlystwn: Dudleston, to the south-east of Aber Ceiriog.

  Rhonabwy … Heilyn Goch son of Cadwgan son of Iddon: Rhonabwy’s two companions are from Powys: Cynwrig Frychgoch (‘Freckled and Red’) comes from Mawddwy, a commot in north-west Powys; Cadwgan Fras (‘stout’) comes from Moelfre in the commot of Cynllaith, 6 miles to the west of Oswestry. No details are given about Rhonabwy himself. Heilyn, like Cynwrig, is ‘Red’, presumably a reference to the colour of his hair.

  A very black old building … on one dais: a vivid description of a medieval house, quite unlike the sumptuous halls of the ‘romances’. The building is unlikely to be a hall-house (which might have a raised dais at one end of the hall for the main table), and probably represents a building lower down the social scale, such as a medieval long-house with combined cattle/living quarters, where the dais may refer to low built-in benching along the walls, either side of the central hearth, for sleeping and sitting on. My thanks to Mark Redknap, Amgueddfa Cymru/National Museum Wales. See also John B. Hilling, The Historic Architecture of Wales (Cardiff, 1976), 90–104.

  yellow ox-skin: in Irish sources sleeping on an ox-hide was a precursor to a dream, very often a prophetic vision.

  Maes Argyngroeg … Rhyd-y-groes on the Hafren: Maes Argyngroeg is the level land near Welshpool, retained in the name Gungrog today. Rhyd-ygroes (‘Ford of the Cross’) is probably at Buttington near Welshpool.

  and saw a young man … as yellow as the flowers of the broom: the first of many formulaic descriptions which, although highly elaborate, follow the traditional pattern found in most of the other tales. The horse is often an integral part of the description in ‘Rhonabwy’s Dream’. Powys was famous for its horses in the Middle Ages, as witnessed, for example, by Gerald of Wales, who emphasizes their ‘majestic proportions’ and ‘incomparable speed’: Lewis Thorpe (trans.), The Journey Through Wales and The Description of Wales (Harmondsworth, 1978) 201. See Sioned Davies, ‘Horses in the Mabinogion’, in Davies and Jones (eds.), The Horse in Celtic Culture.

  Iddog Cordd Prydain: an onomastic tale, explaining how Iddog received his nickname ‘Agitator of Britain’. He is almost unknown outside this tale, although he is included in a fifteenth-century version of the triad the Three Men of Shame (TYP 51) as one who caused strife between Arthur and Medrawd at the battle of Camlan. For further triads reflecting a strong Welsh tradition concerning Arthur’s last battle, see TYP, pp. 167–70, as well as the many references in ‘How Culhwch Won Olwen’. See note to p. 68 for further details of Medrawd. This reference to Iddog would suggest that the battle of Camlan has already taken place; however, Arthur is then introduced later in the story. Rather than read this reference to Iddog as an anachronism, it could be viewed as a deliberate attempt at parody on the part of the author, where the expected chronological sequence of events is reversed. On the notion of the story ‘running backwards’, see Edgar Slotkin, ‘The Fabula, Story, and Text of Breuddwyd Rhonabwy’, Cambridge Medieval Celtic Studies, 18 (1989), 89–111.

  Y Llech Las in Prydain: the Grey Rock in Pictland.

  Rhuawn Bebyr son of Deorthach Wledig: Rhuawn the Radiant, one of the Three Fortunate Princes of the Island of Britain (TYP 3), appears in Arthur’s Court List as Rhuawn Bebyr son of Dorath (p. 184).

  Bedwin the Bishop … Gwarthegydd son of Caw: Bishop Bedwin is mentioned in Arthur’s Court List (p. 188), while Gwarthegydd (‘Cattleraider’) is killed while hunting Twrch Trwyth (p. 210).

  Addaon son of Taliesin … Elphin son of Gwyddno: Addaon (sometimes Afaon) appears in the triads as one of the Three Bull-Chieftains (TYP 7, and one of the Three Battle-Rulers (TYP 25); his death was one of the Three Unfortunate Slaughters of the Island of Britain (TYP 33). Elphin is associated with the saga of Taliesin; see note to Morfran (p. 264).

  battle of Baddon … Osla Gyllellfawr: this was traditionally one of Arthur’s famous battles (see AOW for references in Welsh sources). Osla ‘Big Knife’ plays a prominent role in the hunting of Twrch Trwyth, where he is portrayed as one of Arthur’s own men rather than his enemy (p. 212).

  Caradog Freichfras son of Llŷr Marini: Caradog Strong Arm appears in the triads, and also in ‘Geraint son of Erbin’ (see note to p. 152).

  Cefn Digoll: Long Mountain, south of Welshpool.

  March son of Meirchawn: the King Mark of the Tristan romances. Welsh sources suggest that there existed many traditions about him. In TYP 14, for example, he is one of the Three Seafarers/Fleet Owners, which perhaps explains his association with the men of Scandinavia in the dream— they were renowned for their seafaring exploits. He is also associated with the Three Powerful Swineherds of the Island of Britain (TYP 26) through his nephew Trystan. For a discussion of ‘The Tristan of the Welsh’, see Rachel Bromwich in AOW 209–28.

  Edern son of Nudd: a character who appears in ‘Geraint son of Erbin’ (p. 148) and also ‘How Culhwch Won Olwen’ (p. 184).

  Cai: one of Arthur’s foremost warriors, who appears in five of the Mabinogion tales. See note to p. 68.

  Cadwr, earl of Cornwall: a borrowing from Geoffrey’s History of the Kings of Britain.

  Eiryn Wych Amheibyn: Eiryn the Splendid, son of Peibyn.

  Gwen was the name of the mantle: a reference is made to Arthur’s mantle in ‘How Culhwch Won Olwen’ (p. 183); it is also listed as one of the Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain—‘whoever was under it could not be seen, and he could see everyone’ (TYP, p. 240)—compare Caswallon’s mantle in the Second Branch (p. 33).

  Owain son of Urien: one of Arthur’s men, and the hero of the tale ‘The Lady of the Well’. See note to p. 66.

  gwyddbwyll: a board game not unlike chess; see discussion in the note to p. 86. The chess motif is often used to parallel real battles; however, here Arthur and Owain are on the same side, although ironically, when they begin to play their men begin to fight.

  Cordovan leather: see note to p. 38.

  your ravens: Owain is traditionally associated with ravens; compare the ending of ‘The Lady of the Well’, where reference is made to the ‘Flight of Ravens’ (see note to p. 138). ‘Raven’ is a common metaphor for warrior in Welsh poetry. Here, in the dream, Owain’s troops behave literally like ravens who swoop down and attack Arthur’s men. Owain’s ravens are commemorated in the coat of arms of the family of Sir Rhys ap Thomas of Abermarlais, which claimed descent from Owain and his father Urien.

  thin totnes cloth: twtnais, from Middle English totenais, a type of cloth from the town of Totnes.

  His horse was of a very strange colour: it is difficult to know whether the descriptions of this horse, and the two that follow, should be taken at face value. Ambiguity arises as to whether the colours, here and elsewhere in the tale, refer to the horses themselves or to their apparel. Some have attempted to link the colours with thirteenth-century heraldry, while others argue that the colours themselves are not important—this is all part of the author’s attempt to parody the formulaic descriptions of medieval narrative. See Sioned Davies, ‘Horses in the Mabinogion’, in Davie
s and Jones (eds.), The Horse in Celtic Culture, 121–40.

  Spanish latten: a yellow metal, either identical with, or very like, brass.