The Mabinogion Vol. 3 by Sir Owen Morgan Edwards and Lady Charlotte Schreiber (ereader for textbooks TXT) 📗

leaped forth, and set off with great speed.  And Gwydion followed her, and she went against the course of a river, and made for a brook, which is now called Nant y Llew.  And there she halted and began feeding.  And Gwydion came under the tree, and looked what it might be that the sow was feeding on.  And he saw that she was eating putrid flesh and vermin.  Then looked he up to the top of the tree, and as he looked he beheld on the top of the tree an eagle, and when the eagle shook itself, there fell vermin and putrid flesh from off it, and these the sow devoured.  And it seemed to him that the eagle was Llew.  And he sang an Englyn.

“Oak that grows between the two banks;
Darkened is the sky and hill!
Shall I not tell him by his wounds,
That this is Llew?”

p. 104Upon this the eagle came down until he reached the centre of the tree.  And Gwydion sang another Englyn.

“Oak that grows in upland ground,
Is it not wetted by the rain?  Has it not been drenched
By nine score tempests?
It bears in its branches Llew Llaw Gyffes!”

Then the eagle came down until he was on the lowest branch of the tree, and thereupon this Englyn did Gwydion sing.

“Oak that grows beneath the steep;
Stately and majestic is its aspect!
Shall I not speak it?
That Llew will come to my lap?”

And the eagle came down upon Gwydion’s knee.  And Gwydion struck him with his magic wand, so that he returned to his own form.  No one ever saw a more piteous sight, for he was nothing but skin and bone.

Then he went unto Caer Dathyl, and there were brought unto him good physicians that were in Gwynedd, and before the end of the year he was quite healed.

“Lord,” said he unto Math the son of Mathonwy, “it is full time now that I have retribution of him by whom I have suffered all this woe.”  “Truly,” said Math, “he will never be able to maintain himself in the possession of that which is thy right.”  “Well,” said Llew, “the sooner I have my right, the better shall I be pleased.”

Then they called together the whole of Gwynedd, and set forth to Ardudwy.  And Gwydion went on p. 105before and proceeded to Mur y Castell.  And when Blodeuwedd heard that he was coming, she took her maidens with her, and fled to the mountain.  And they passed through the river Cynvael, and went towards a court that there was upon the mountain, and through fear they could not proceed except with their faces looking backwards, so that unawares they fell into the lake.  And they were all drowned except Blodeuwedd herself, and her Gwydion overtook.  And he said unto her, “I will not slay thee, but I will do unto thee worse than that.  For I will turn thee into a bird; and because of the shame thou hast done unto Llew Llaw Gyffes, thou shall never show thy face in the light of day henceforth; and that through fear of all the other birds.  For it shall be their nature to attack thee, and to chase thee from wheresoever they may find thee.  And thou shalt not lose thy name, but shalt be always called Blodeuwedd.”  Now Blodeuwedd is an owl in the language of this present time, and for this reason is the owl hateful unto all birds.  And even now the owl is called Blodeuwedd.

Then Gronw Pebyr withdrew unto Penllyn, and he despatched thence an embassy.  And the messengers he sent, asked Llew Llaw Gyffes, if he would take land, or domain, or gold, or silver, for the injury he had received.  “I will not, by my confession to Heaven,” said he.  “Behold this is the least that I will accept from him; that he come to the spot where I was when he wounded me with the dart, and that I stand where he did, and that with a dart I take my aim at him.  And this is the very least that I will accept.”

And this was told unto Gronw Pebyr.  “Verily,” p. 106said he, “is it needful for me to do thus?  My faithful warriors, and my household, and my foster-brothers, is there not one among you who will stand the blow in my stead?”  “There is not, verily,” answered they.  And because of their refusal to suffer one stroke for their lord, they are called the third disloyal tribe even unto this day.  “Well,” said he, “I will meet it.”

Then they two went forth to the banks of the river Cynvael, and Gronw stood in the place where Llew Llaw Gyffes was when he struck him, and Llew in the place where Gronw was.  Then said Gronw Pebyr unto Llew, “Since it was through the wiles of a woman that I did unto thee as I have done, I adjure thee by Heaven to let me place between me and the blow, the slab thou seest yonder on the river’s bank.”  “Verily,” said Llew, “I will not refuse thee this.”  “Ah,” said he, “may Heaven reward thee.”  So p. 107Gronw took the slab and placed it between him and the blow.

Then Llew flung the dart at him, and it pierced the slab and went through Gronw likewise, so that it pierced through his back.  And thus was Gronw Pebyr slain.  And there is still the slab on the bank of the river Cynvael, in Ardudwy, having the hole through it.  And therefore it is even now called Llech Gronw.

A second time did Llew Llaw Gyffes take possession of the land, and prosperously did he govern it.  And as the story relates, he was lord after this over Gwynedd.  And thus ends this portion of the Mabinogi.

p. 108HERE IS THE STORY OF LLUDD AND LLEVELYS.

Beli the Great, son of Manogan, had three sons, Lludd, and Caswallawn, and Nynyaw; and according to the story he had a fourth son called Llevelys.  And after the death of Beli, the kingdom of the Island of Britain fell into the hands of Lludd his eldest son; and Lludd ruled prosperously, and rebuilt the walls of London, and encompassed it about p. 109with numberless towers.  And after that he bade the citizens build houses therein, such as no houses in the kingdom could equal.  And moreover he was a mighty warrior, and generous and liberal in giving meat and drink to all that sought them.  And though he had many castles and cities, this one loved he more than any.  And he dwelt therein most part of the year, and therefore was it called Caer Ludd, and at last Caer London.  And after the stranger-race came there, it was called London, or Lwndrys.

Lludd loved Llevelys best of all his brothers, because he was a wise and a discreet man.  Having heard that the king of France had died, leaving no heir, except a daughter, and that he had left all his possessions in her hands, he came to Lludd his brother, to beseech his counsel and aid.  And that not so much for his own welfare, as to seek to add to the glory and honour and dignity of his kindred, if he might go to France to woo the maiden for his wife.  And forthwith his brother conferred with him, and this counsel was pleasing unto him.

So he prepared ships and filled them with armed knights, and set forth towards France.  And as soon as they had landed, they sent messengers to show the nobles of France the cause of the embassy.  And by the joint counsel of the nobles of France and of the princes, the maiden was given to Llevelys, and the crown of the kingdom with her.  And thenceforth he ruled the land discreetly, and wisely, and happily, as long as his life lasted.

After a space of time had passed, three plagues fell on the Island of Britain, such as none in the Islands had ever seen the like.  The first was a certain race that came, and was called the Coranians; and so p. 110great was their knowledge, that there was no discourse upon the face of the Island, however low it might be spoken, but what, if the wind met it, it was known to them.  And through this they could not be injured.

The second plague was a shriek which came on every May eve, over every hearth in the Island of Britain.  And this went through people’s hearts, and so scared them, that the men lost their hue and their strength, and the women their children, and the young men, and the maidens lost their senses, and all the animals and trees and the earth and the waters, were left barren.

The third plague was, that however much of provisions and food might be prepared in the king’s courts, were there even so much as a year’s provision of meat and drink, none of it could ever be found, except what was consumed in the first night.  And two of these plagues, no one ever knew their cause, therefore was there better hope of being freed from the first than from the second and third.

And thereupon King Lludd felt great sorrow and care, because that he knew not how he might be freed from these plagues.  And he called to him all the nobles of his kingdom, and asked counsel of them what they should do against these afflictions.  And by the common counsel of the nobles, Lludd the son of Beli, went to Llevelys his brother, king of France, for he was a man great of counsel and wisdom, to seek his advice.

And they made ready a fleet, and that in secret and in silence, lest that race should know the cause of their errand, or any besides the king and his counsellors.  And when they were made ready, they went into their ships, Lludd and those whom he p. 111chose with him.  And they began to cleave the seas towards France.

And when these tidings came to Llevelys, seeing that he knew not the cause of his brother’s ships, he came on the other side to meet him, and with him was a fleet vast of size.  And when Lludd saw this, he left all the ships out upon the sea except one only; and in that one he came to meet his brother, and he likewise with a single ship came to meet him.  And when they were come together, each put his arms about the other’s neck, and they welcomed each other with brotherly love.

After that Lludd had shewn his brother the cause of his errand, Llevelys said that he himself knew the cause of the coming to those lands.  And they took counsel together to discourse [111] on the matter otherwise than thus, in order that the wind might not catch their words, nor the Coranians know what they might say.  Then Llevelys caused a long horn to be made of brass, and through this horn they discoursed.  But whatsoever words they spoke through this horn, one to the other, neither of them could hear any other but harsh and hostile words.  And when Llevelys saw this, and that there was a demon thwarting them and disturbing through this horn, he caused wine to be put therein to wash it.  And through the virtue of the wine the demon was driven out of the horn.  And when their discourse was unobstructed, Llevelys told his brother that he would give him some insects, whereof he should keep some to breed, lest by chance the like affliction might come a second time.  And other of these insects he should take and bruise in water.  And he assured him that it would have p. 112power to destroy the race of the