The Mabinogion (Oxford World's Classics) (27 page)

‘What are you doing there?’ said Owain.

‘I have been imprisoned,’ she said, ‘because of a young man who came from the emperor’s court to claim the countess as his wife, and he was with her a short time. And he went to visit Arthur’s court, but he never returned. And he was the friend I think I loved best in the whole world. Two of the countess’s chamberlains made fun of him in front of me and called him a cheat and traitor. And I said that the two of them together could not stand up to him alone. And because of that they imprisoned me in this stone vessel, and said that I would die unless he came to defend me by a certain day. And that day is no later than the day after tomorrow, and I have no one to look for him. He was Owain son of Urien.’

‘Are you sure’, said Owain, ‘that if that young man knew this he would come to defend you?’

‘I am certain, between me and God,’ she said. And when the chops were cooked through, Owain divided them in half between himself and the maiden, and they ate. And after that they conversed until it was light the next day.

And the next day Owain asked the maiden if there was anywhere he could find food and hospitality that night.

‘Yes, lord,’ she said. ‘Go on over to the ford,’ she said, ‘and take the road alongside the river, and before long you’ll see a great castle with many towers. And the earl who owns that castle is the best man for providing food, and you can stay there tonight.’ And no watchman ever guarded his lord as well as the lion guarded Owain the night before.

And then Owain saddled his horse and travelled on through the ford until he saw the castle. And Owain entered the castle and he was given an honourable welcome, and his horse was groomed to perfection and given plenty of food. And the lion went to lie down in the horse’s manger, so that no one from the castle dared go near the horse because of the lion. And Owain was certain that he had never seen a place with such good service as that. Yet everyone there was as sad as if death were on each of them. And they went to eat, and the earl sat on one side of Owain, and his only daughter on Owain’s other side. And Owain was certain that he had never seen such a beautiful girl. And the lion came to lie between Owain’s feet under the table, and he fed it with every dish that he was given. The greatest failing Owain saw there was the men’s sadness.

Halfway through the meal the earl welcomed Owain.

‘It’s high time to be more cheerful,’ said Owain.

‘God knows, it’s not on your account that we’re sad, but rather because a matter for sadness and grief has come upon us.’

‘What’s that?’ said Owain.

‘I had two sons, and yesterday they went to the mountain to hunt. And there is a monster there, and he kills men and devours them. And he has captured my sons, and tomorrow is the day set between us to hand over this maiden, or else he will kill my sons in front of me. And although he looks like a human, he is as big as a giant.’

‘God knows,’ said Owain, ‘that is a tragedy. And which one of those things will you do?’

‘God knows,’ said the earl, ‘I find it more honourable for him to kill my sons whom he got against my will than to give him my daughter willingly, to be raped and killed.’ And they talked of other matters. Owain stayed there that night.

The next morning they heard an incredibly loud noise—it was the huge man coming with the two lads. And the earl wanted to defend
the castle from him and abandon his two sons. Owain put on his armour and went out to contend with the man, followed by the lion. And when the man saw Owain in armour, he made for him and fought against him. And the lion fought much better than Owain against the huge man.

‘Between me and God,’ said the man to Owain, ‘it would not be difficult for me to fight you if the animal were not with you.’

And then Owain threw the lion into the castle and closed the gate on him, and returned to fight as before with the huge man. But the lion howled upon hearing Owain’s distress, and he climbed up on the earl’s hall, and from the hall to the castle wall, and from there jumped until he was with Owain. And the lion struck a blow with its paw on the huge man’s shoulder until the paw came out at the fork of his legs, so that all his entrails could be seen slithering out of him. And then the huge man fell down dead. Then Owain gave the earl his two sons; and the earl invited Owain to stay, and Owain did not want that but returned to the meadow where Luned was.

He could see there a huge blazing fire, and two handsome lads with curly auburn hair taking the maiden to throw her into the fire. And Owain asked them what they wanted of the maiden. And they told him their story as the maiden had told it the night before: ‘and Owain has failed her, and so we are going to burn her.’

‘God knows,’ said Owain, ‘he was a good knight, and I would be surprised that he did not come to defend her if he knew the maiden needed him. And if you want me to take his place, then I will.’

‘We do,’ said the lads, ‘by Him who made us.’ And they went to fight Owain. And he came to grief at the hands of the two lads, and with that the lion came to Owain’s assistance, and they overcame the lads. And then they said, ‘Lord, we agreed to fight with you alone, and it is harder for us to fight with that animal than with you.’

And then Owain placed the lion where the maiden had been imprisoned, and made a wall of stones at the entrance, and went to fight the men as before. But Owain’s strength had not fully recovered, and the two lads were getting the better of him. And the lion was howling all the time because Owain was in trouble. And the lion tore at the wall until he found a way out, and quickly he killed one of the lads, and straightaway he killed the other. And so they saved Luned from being burned. And then Owain, accompanied by Luned, went to the kingdom of the Lady of the Well,
and when he left there he took the countess with him to Arthur’s court, and she was his wife as long as she lived.

And after that Owain came to the court of the Black Oppressor,
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and fought against him, and the lion did not leave Owain until he had overcome the Black Oppressor. And when Owain came to the court of the Black Oppressor he made for the hall, and there he saw twenty-four ladies, the most beautiful that anyone had ever seen, but the clothes they wore were not worth twenty-four pieces of silver. And they were as sad as death itself.

And Owain asked them why they were sad. They said that they were the daughters of earls, and that they had arrived there, each accompanied by the man she loved best. ‘And when we came here we were made welcome and were treated properly, and were made drunk. And when we were drunk the fiend who owns this court came and killed all our husbands, and stole our horses and our clothes and our gold and our silver. And the bodies of our husbands are in this very house, and many other bodies besides. And that, lord, is why we are sad. And we are sorry, lord, that you too have come here for fear that you shall come to harm.’ And Owain was sad to hear that, and went out to walk.

And he saw a knight approaching him, greeting him with joy and love as if he were his brother. That was the Black Oppressor.

‘God knows,’ said Owain, ‘I have not come here to seek your welcome.’

‘God knows,’ he replied, ‘then you will not get it.’

And at once they rushed at each other, and fought each other fiercely, and Owain got the better of him, and tied him up with his hands behind his back. And the Black Oppressor asked Owain for mercy, and said to him, ‘Lord Owain,’ he said, ‘it was prophesied that you would come here and overthrow me, and you have come and done that. And I lived here as a robber, and my house was a robber’s den. But spare me my life, and I will become a hospitaller,
*
and run this house as a hostel for the weak and the strong as long as I live, for your soul’s sake.’ And Owain accepted that, and spent that night there.

And the next day he took the twenty-four ladies with their horses and clothes, and all the wealth and jewels they had brought with them, and he travelled, together with the ladies, to Arthur’s court.
And Arthur had been happy to see him before when he was lost, but he was even happier now. And any of those women wishing to stay at Arthur’s court were allowed to do so, and any wishing to leave were allowed to leave. And Owain remained at Arthur’s court from then on as captain of the retinue, and was dear to Arthur, until he went to his own people. They were the Three Hundred Swords of Cenferchyn and the Flight of Ravens.
*
And wherever Owain went, and they with him, he was victorious.

And this tale is called the tale of the Lady of the Well.

I
T
was Arthur’s custom to hold court at Caerllion ar Wysg,
*
and he held it there continually for seven Easters and five Christmasses. Once upon a time he held court there at Whitsuntide,
*
for Caerllion was the most accessible place in his territory, by sea and by land. He gathered about him there nine crowned kings who were vassals of his, and with them earls and barons, because these would be his guests at every high feast unless pressure of circumstances prevented them. Whenever he was at Caerllion holding court, thirteen churches would be taken up with his Masses. This is how they would be used: a church for Arthur and his kings and his guests, and the second for Gwenhwyfar and her ladies, and the third would be for the steward
*
and the petitioners, and the fourth for Odiar the Frank
*
and the other officers. Nine other churches would be set aside for the nine captains of the bodyguard,
*
and for Gwalchmai above all, for he, on account of his excellent reputation for military feats and his honourable pedigree, was chief of the nine captains of the bodyguard. And not one church would hold more than we have mentioned above.

Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr was his chief gatekeeper, but he did not concern himself with the office save at one of the three high feasts; but seven men who served under him would share the duties of the year between them, namely Gryn and Penpingion and Llaesgymyn and Gogyfwlch and Gwrddnei Lygaid Cath (who could see as well by night as by day) and Drem son of Dremidydd and Clust son of Clustfeinydd,
*
who were warriors of Arthur’s.

On Whit Tuesday, as the emperor was sitting at his feast, behold, a tall, auburn-haired lad entered, wearing a tunic and surcoat of ribbed brocaded silk, and a gold-hilted sword around his neck, and two low boots of Cordovan leather on his feet. And he came up to Arthur.

‘Greetings, lord,’ he said.

‘May God prosper you,’ he replied, ‘and God’s welcome to you. And do you have any fresh news?’

‘I do, lord,’ he replied.

‘I do not recognize you,’ said Arthur.

‘Now I’m surprised that you do not recognize me. I am a forester of yours, lord, in the Forest of Dean. Madog is my name, son of Twrgadarn.’

‘Tell us your news,’ said Arthur.

‘I will, lord,’ he said. ‘A stag have I seen in the forest, and I have never in my life seen anything like it’.

‘What is there about it for you never to have seen anything like it?’ said Arthur.

‘It is pure white, lord, and it does not walk with any other animal out of arrogance and pride because it is so majestic. And it is to ask your advice, lord, that I have come. What is your advice on the matter?’

‘I shall do the most appropriate thing,’ said Arthur, ‘and go and hunt it tomorrow at dawn; and let everyone in the lodgings know that, and Rhyferys (who was a chief huntsman of Arthur’s) and Elifri (who was the chief squire), and everyone else.’
*
They agreed on that, and he sent the squire on ahead.

Then Gwenhwyfar said to Arthur, ‘Lord,’ she said, ‘will you let me go tomorrow and watch and listen to the hunting of the stag which the squire spoke of?’

‘I will, gladly,’ said Arthur.

‘Then I will go,’ she said.

Then Gwalchmai said to Arthur, ‘Lord,’ he said, ‘would it not be appropriate for you to allow the one who catches the stag while hunting to cut off its head and give it to anyone he wishes, either to his own lover or the lover of a friend of his, whether it is a mounted man or a man on foot?’
*

‘I will allow that, gladly,’ said Arthur, ‘and let the steward take the blame if everyone is not ready in the morning to go hunting.’

They spent the night in moderation, with songs and entertainment and stories and abundant service. And when they all thought it was time to go to sleep, they went to bed.

When dawn broke the next day they woke up, and Arthur called on the servants who were in charge of his bed, namely four squires. This is who they were: Cadyriaith son of Porthor Gandwy, and
Amhren son of Bedwyr, and Amhar son of Arthur, and Gorau son of Custennin.
*
These men came to Arthur and greeted him and dressed him. And Arthur was surprised that Gwenhwyfar had not woken up and had not turned over in her bed. The men wanted to wake her.

‘Do not wake her,’ said Arthur, ‘since she would rather sleep than go and watch the hunt.’

Then Arthur went on his way, and he could hear two horns sounding, one near the lodging of the chief huntsman and the other near the lodging of the chief squire. And a full complement of all the men came to Arthur, and they travelled towards the forest. And crossing the Wysg, they made for the forest and left the highroad and travelled exposed high land until they came to the forest.