The Mabinogion Vol. 1 by Sir Owen Morgan Edwards and Lady Charlotte Schreiber (best big ereader txt) 📗

the animal that is with thee.”  Upon that Owain took the lion back to the Castle, and shut the gate upon him.  And then he returned to fight the giant, as before.  And the lion roared very loud, for he heard that it went hard with Owain.  And he climbed up, till he reached the top of the Earl’s Hall; and thence he got to the top of the Castle, and he sprang down from the walls, and went and joined Owain.  And the lion gave the giant a stroke with his paw, which tore him from his shoulder to his hip, and his heart was laid bare.  And the giant fell down dead.  Then Owain restored the two youths to their father.

The Earl besought Owain to remain with him, and he would not, but set forward towards the meadow, where Luned was.  And when he came there, he saw a great fire kindled, and two youths with beautiful curling auburn hair, were leading the maiden to cast her into the fire.  And Owain asked them what charge they had against her.  And they told him of the compact [47] that was between them; as the maiden had done the night before.  “And,” said they, “Owain has failed her, therefore we are taking her to be burnt.”  “Truly,” said Owain, “he is a good knight, and if he knew that the maiden was in such peril, I marvel that he came not to her rescue.  But if you will accept me in his stead, I will do battle with you.”  “We will,” said the youths, “by him who made us.”

And they attacked Owain, and he was hard beset by them.  And with that the lion came to Owain’s assistance; and they two got the better of the young men.  And they said to him, “Chieftain, it was not p. 48agreed that we should fight, save with thyself alone, and it is harder for us to contend with yonder animal, than with thee.”  And Owain put the lion in the place where the maiden had been imprisoned, and blocked up the door with stones.  And he went to fight with the young men as before.  But Owain had not his usual strength, [48] and the two youths pressed hard upon him.  And the lion roared incessantly at seeing Owain in trouble.  And he burst through the wall, until he found a way out, and rushed upon the young men, and instantly slew them.  So Luned was saved from being burned.

Then Owain returned with Luned, to the dominions of the Countess of the Fountain.  And when he went thence, he took the Countess with him to Arthur’s Court, and she was his wife as long as she lived.

And they took the road that led to the Court of the savage black man.  And Owain fought with him, and the lion did not quit Owain, until he had vanquished him.  And when he reached the Court of the savage black man, he entered the hall: and beheld four and twenty ladies, the fairest that could be seen.  And the garments which they had on, were not worth four and twenty pence.  And they were as sorrowful as death.  And Owain asked them the cause of their sadness.  And they said, “We are the daughters of Earls, and we all came here, with our husbands, whom we dearly loved.  And we were received with honour and rejoicing.  And we were thrown into a state of stupor, and while we were thus, the demon who owns this Castle, slew all our husbands, and took from us our horses, and our raiment, and our gold, and our silver.  And the corpses of our husbands are still in this house, and many others with them.  And this, p. 49Chieftain, is the cause of our grief, and we are sorry that thou art come hither, lest harm should befall thee.”

And Owain was grieved, when he heard this.  And he went forth from the Castle, and he beheld a Knight approaching him, who saluted him, in a friendly and cheerful manner, as if he had been a brother.  And this was the savage black man.  “In very sooth,” said Owain, “it is not to seek thy friendship that I am here.”  “In sooth,” said he, “thou shalt not find it then.”  And with that they charged each other, and fought furiously.  And Owain overcame him, and bound his hands behind his back.  Then the black savage besought Owain to spare his life, and spoke thus, “My lord Owain,” said he, “it was foretold, that thou shouldst come hither and vanquish me, and thou hast done so.  I was a robber here, and my house was a house of spoil.  But grant me my life, and I will become the keeper of an Hospice, and I will maintain this house as an Hospice for weak and for strong, as long as I live, for the good of thy soul.”  And Owain accepted the proposal of him, and remained there that night.

And the next day he took the four and twenty ladies, and their horses, and their raiment, and what they possessed of goods, and jewels, and proceeded with them to Arthur’s Court.  And if Arthur was rejoiced when he saw him, after he had lost him the first time, his joy was now much greater.  And of those ladies, such as wished to remain in Arthur’s Court, remained there; and such as wished to depart, departed.

And thenceforward Owain dwelt at Arthur’s Court, greatly beloved as the head of his household, until he went away with his followers; and those were the p. 50army of three hundred ravens which Kenverchyn had left him.  And wherever Owain went with these, he was victorious.

And this is the tale of The Lady of the Fountain.

p. 51PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC.

Earl Evrawc owned the Earldom of the North.  And he had seven sons.  And Evrawc maintained himself not so much by his own possessions as by attending tournaments, and wars, and combats.  And, as it often befalls those who join in encounters and wars, he was slain, and six of his sons likewise.  Now the name of his seventh son was Peredur, and he was the youngest of them.  And he was not of an age to go p. 52to wars and encounters, otherwise he might have been slain as his father and brothers.  His mother was a scheming and thoughtful woman, and she was very solicitous concerning this her only son and his [52] possessions.  So she took counsel with herself to leave the inhabited country, and to flee to the deserts and unfrequented wildernesses.  And she permitted none to bear her company thither but women and boys, and spiritless men, who were both unaccustomed and unequal to war and fighting.  And none dared to bring either horses or arms where her son was, lest he should set his mind upon them.  And the youth went daily to divert himself in the forest, by flinging sticks and staves.  And one day he saw his mother’s flock of goats, and near the goats two hinds were standing.  And he marvelled greatly that these two should be without horns, while the others had them.  And he thought they had long run wild and on that account they had lost their horns.  And by activity and swiftness of foot, he drove the hinds and the goats together into the house which there was for the goats at the extremity of the forest.  Then Peredur returned to his mother.  “Ah, mother,” said he, “a marvellous thing have I seen in the wood; two of thy goats have run wild, and lost their horns; through their having been so long missing in the wood.  And no man had ever more trouble than I had to drive them in.”  Then they all arose and went to see.  And when they beheld the hinds, they were greatly astonished.

And one day they saw three knights coming along the horse-road on the borders of the forest.  And the three knights were Gwalchmai the son of Gwyar, and Geneir Gwystyl, and Owain the son of Urien.  p. 53And Owain kept on the track of the knight who had divided the apples in Arthur’s Court, whom they were in pursuit of.  “Mother,” said Peredur, “what are those yonder?”  “They are angels, my son,” said she.  “By my faith,” said Peredur, “I will go and become an angel with them.”  And Peredur went to the road, and met them.  “Tell me, good soul,” said Owain, “sawest thou a knight pass this way, either to-day or yesterday?”  “I know not,” answered he, “what a knight is.”  “Such an one as I am,” said Owain.  “If thou wilt tell me what I ask thee, I will tell thee that which thou askest me.”  “Gladly will I do so,” replied Owain.  “What is this?” demanded Peredur, concerning the saddle.  “It is a saddle,” said Owain.  Then he asked about all the accoutrements which he saw upon the men, and the horses, and the arms, and what they were for, and how they were used.  And Owain shewed him all these things fully, and told him what use was made of them.  “Go forward,” said Peredur, “for I saw such an one as thou enquirest for, and I will follow thee.”

Then Peredur returned to his mother and her company, and he said to her, “Mother, those were not angels, but honourable knights.”  Then his mother swooned away.  And Peredur went to the place where they kept the horses that carried firewood, and that brought meat and drink from the inhabited country to the desert.  And he took a bony piebald horse, which seemed to him the strongest of them.  And he pressed a pack into the form of a saddle, and with twisted twigs he imitated the trappings which he had seen upon the horses.  And when Peredur came again to his mother, the Countess had recovered from her swoon.  “My son,” said she, p. 54“desirest thou to ride forth?”  “Yes, with thy leave,” said he.  “Wait then, that I may counsel thee before thou goest.”  “Willingly,” he answered, “speak quickly.”  “Go forward,” then she said, “to the Court of Arthur, where there are the best, and the boldest, and the most bountiful of men.  And wherever thou seest a church, repeat there thy Paternoster unto it.  And if thou see meat and drink, and hast need of them, and none have the kindness or the courtesy to give them to thee, take them thyself.  If thou hear an outcry, proceed towards it, especially if it be the outcry of a woman.  If thou see a fair jewel, possess thyself of it, and give it to another, for thus thou shalt obtain praise.  If thou see a fair woman, pay thy court to her, whether she will or no; for thus thou wilt render thyself a better and more esteemed man than thou wast before.”

After this discourse, Peredur mounted the horse, and taking a handful of sharp pointed forks in his hand, he rode forth.  And he journeyed two days and two nights in the woody wildernesses, and in desert places, without food and without drink.  And then he came to a vast wild wood, and far within the wood he saw a fair even glade, and in the glade he saw a tent, and seeming to him to be a church, he repeated his Paternoster to the tent.  And he went towards it, and the door of the tent was open.  And a golden chair was near the door.  And on the chair sat a lovely auburn-haired maiden, with a golden frontlet on her forehead, and sparkling stones in the frontlet, and with a large gold ring on her hand.