MATH THE SON OF
MATHONWY
(Welsh)
This tale is the fourth branch of the Mabinogi,
part of the Mythology of Ancient Britain. It is
adapted from the translation of Lady Charlotte
Guest.
Math
the son of Mathonwy was the lord of Gwynedd. He
didn't travel around his land, but always
remained at his home in Caer Dathyl. This was
because he was bound, except in time of war, to
live with his feet cushioned in the lap of a
virgin.
At
this time Goewin, the fairest maiden in Gwynedd,
kept Math's feet warm in her lap, and the land
was at peace. All was well until Math's nephew
Gilvaethwy fell in love with Goewin. Gilvaethwy
knew that Math would not release Goewin from her
task, and would be angry even to hear of his
desires towards her. Gilvaethwy's hopeless love
was making him ill. His older brother Gwydion
noticed the change in Gilvaethwy's manner, and
asked him what was wrong. "Brother,"
Gilvaethwy answered, "it won't do either of
us any good to tell you what's wrong. You know
that Math has the ability to know whatever is
said, even if it is whispered most quietly."
Gwydion guessed at once what the situation was,
and he decided to help his brother obtain the
lovely Goewin.
The Pigs of Pryderi
After
some thought, Gwydion took Gilvaethwy with him to
see Math. Gwydion told Math about some animals
that Pryderi, the lord of South Wales, had
recently obtained from Arawn, King of Annwn.
"These animals have never before been seen
in our island, and their flesh is very sweet, I
hear. They are called pigs or swine." Math
was very interested by this and asked Gwydion how
some of these swine could be obtained. "I
have a plan for this," Gwydion replied,
"I will go with a company, disguised as
bards to seek the swine for you".
So
Gwydion and Gilvaethwy set out with ten men, and
they were received joyfully by Pryderi, who was
looking forward to hearing tales from this
impressive band of bards. Now Gwydion was the
best story-teller in the world, and he
entertained and charmed everyone at Pryderi's
court that night. At the end of the evening,
Gwydion raised the matter he had come to discuss.
Pryderi was eager to please this eloquent bard
but, he said, "There is a covenant between
me and my land, that I may not sell or give away
the swine until they have produced double their
number."
"Very
well," said Gwydion, "let us leave this
matter open for tonight, and tomorrow I shall
show you a way around this obstacle."
That
night Gwydion worked a magic charm, fashioning
twelve richly clad horses, twelve greyhounds and
twelve gold shields. The next morning he took
them to Pryderi, and offered them in exchange for
the swine. "You cannot sell or give the
swine away, Lord, but you can exchange them for
something better. In this way, you are released
from your word." After consulting his men,
Pryderi agreed to the exchange, and Gwydion set
off with the swine as soon as he could, because
he knew that the charm he had worked would only
last a day.
The War with Pryderi and the
Rape of Goewin
When
Gwydion's company arrived home at Caer Dathyl,
they found that Math was preparing for war.
Pryderi had found them out and was marching on
Gywnedd. Gwydion and his men had only a few hours
to rest before Math called them to join him in
meeting Pryderi's army.
That
night Math's army made camp at Penardd, and
Gwydion called his brother to him. "See how
I help you, Gilvaethwy," he said, "Math
is at war, and Goewin sits alone back at Caer
Dathyl. Would you like to visit her?" The
two brothers set off and found Goewin in Math's
room, sitting with the other court ladies.
Gilvaethwy sat himself in Math's couch, and
turned out the other women, but would not let
Goewin leave with them.
At
dawn, the brothers went back to the army's camp,
and took up positions for the battle. Pryderi
attacked and there was great slaughter, but in
the end the men of the South were forced to flee,
pursued by the men of Gwynedd. Pryderi made a
number of stands against Math's army, but each
time he was forced to retreat again, and so
eventually he decided to seek peace. He sent a
messenger to Math, asking him to restrain his
armies and challenging Gwydion to single handed
combat to resolve the dispute, since Gwydion had
been the cause of it.
After
consulting Gwydion, Math agreed to this and
Gwydion came forth to meet Pryderi alone on the
battlefield. Gwydion used his strength and
fierceness, his magic and charms, and he killed
Pryderi. The men of the South went home grieving,
and Math returned to Caer Dathyl in triumph.
The Punishment
As
Math came into his room at Caer Dathyl, Goewin
approached him, and told him how Gilvaethwy had
taken her against her will, with Gwydion's
support. Math was very angry at this dishonour to
himself and to Goewin. In order to make amends to
Geowin, Math made her his wife. He then waited
for his two nephews to return and face his
judgement.
Gilvaethwy
and Gwydion had not returned directly from the
battle with Pryderi. Aware of what was likely to
happen, they avoided Caer Dathyl, travelling
around Gwynedd instead. Finally Math forbade
anyone to give them food or lodging, and they
were forced to return to Caer Dathyl and to
accept Math's punishment.
Taking
his magic wand, Math struck Gilvaethwy and
Gwydion, turning them into deers. He turned them
out to survive as they could in their new form,
and to return to him in twelve months time.
A
year later, two deer and a fawn appeared outside
the castle. Math's anger had not yet died, and
lifting his wand, he turned the two deer into
wild hogs for another year. The fawn he
transformed into a young boy, calling him Hydwn.
Another
year passed, and two wild hogs appeared outside
the castle, accompanied by a well-grown young
one. Math transformed the young hog into a fine
youth, calling him Hychdwn, but his anger against
Gilvaethwy and Gwydion was not yet exhausted, and
he made them wolves for the next year.
At
the appointed time, the two wolves returned, a
strong cub with them. "This one I will
take," said Math, transforming the cub into
a youth, "and his name will be Bleiddwn.
Such are these three:"
"The
three sons on Gilvaethwy the false, The three
faithful combatants, Bleiddwn, Hydwn, and Hychdwn
the Tall"
Then
he struck Gilvaethwy and Gwydion with his wand,
and restored them to their original form, saying,
"You have had sufficient punishment and
dishonour for the wrong you did me. We are now at
peace."
Arianrod's Disgrace
Having
made his peace with the two brothers, Math now
sought another maiden to hold his feet, and he
asked Gwydion for his advice. Gwydion suggested
Arianrod, his sister, and brought her before
Math. Math asked her if she was a virgin, and
Arianrod answered only that she believed so. Math
gave her a test, making her step over his wand to
see if she was indeed a virgin, and as she did so
there appeared a fine, fair yellow-haired boy. At
the crying of the boy, she turned to leave, and a
small form appeared, but Gwydion bundled it away
in his scarf before anyone could see it, and then
hid it in the chest at the bottom of his bed.
Math
named the yellow-haired boy Dylan, and baptized
him in the sea. But as soon as he entered the sea
he took it's nature and swam away like a fish.
For this reason he was called Dylan, the son of
the wave.
The Naming of Arianrod's son
One
morning Gwydion heard a soft crying coming from
the chest at the bottom of his bed, and opening
it, he found an infant boy within. Gwydion put
the infant out to nurse, and he grew quickly, so
that at two years old he came to court, and he
and Gwydion became friendly. When he was four, he
was as big as an eight year old, and Gwydion
decided to take the boy to see his mother,
Arianrod.
Arianrod
welcomed Gwydion when he arrived at her castle,
and she asked him who the boy was that followed
him. When Gwydion told her that the boy was her
son she became angry. "Why do you remind me
of the shame and dishonour of that day, bringing
with you the proof that I was no virgin?"
She brooded awhile, and then asked what the boy's
name was. Gwydion replied that he had no name
yet, and Arianrod replied, "Well, I lay this
destiny on him, that he shall never have a name
until I give him one." Gwydion was angry at
this, and told Arianrod that she was wicked to
deprive the child of his name because of her own
feelings of shame. "But the boy shall have a
name, no matter how displeasing to you!" he
said, leaving Arianrod.
Gwydion
and the boy returned to Caer Dathyl, and the next
day they set out to the sea-shore. Gwydion took
some sedges and seaweed and turned them into a
boat, and out of dry sticks and sedges he made
some fine coloured leather. Loading the leather
onto the boat, they set sail for the port by
Arianrod's castle. Arriving there, Gwydion
disguised himself and the boy, and set about
making beautiful shoes from the leather. Before
long Arianrod noticed them working, and asked her
attendants to find out what they were doing. When
she heard of the lovely shoes they were making,
she told her messenger to take the measure of her
foot and to have them make a pair of shoes for
her.
Gwydion
made a pair of shoes, but made them larger than
the measure Arianrod had sent, so that they did
not fit. She then sent for him to make some
smaller, but he made them too small to fit. When
she sent back again, he told the messenger that
he would not make any more shoes for her until he
saw her foot for himself. By this ruse, he drew
Arianrod out of her castle to visit them by their
boat. As she was with them a wren alighted on the
deck of the boat, and the boy shot at it, hitting
it in the leg between sinew and bone. Arianrod
smiled, "The lion aimed with a steady
hand!", she exclaimed. Gwydion let out a
yell of triumph, "Despite yourself, he has a
name, and a good one: Llew Llaw Gyffes he shall
be called, the lion with the steady hand!"
With that, his illusions faded, their work
disappeared in sea weed and sedges, and Arianrod
saw who they were.
Arianrod
berated Gwydion for his trickery, and then
pronounced a further curse on the boy, that he
would not get arms and armour except from her own
hand. Gwydion swore to her that no matter her
malice, Llew should have his arms.
The Getting of Arms for Llew
Gwydion
continued to bring up Llew Llaw Gyffes, until the
youth was full grown, perfect in features,
strength and stature. He taught him how to ride
horses, and to fight with arms. Then Gwydion saw
how Llew was downcast because he had no arms of
his own, so he decided to tackle Arianrod again.
They
set off to the Castle of Arianrod, and Gwydion
changed their forms so that they appeared as two
youths unrecognisable to any. They announced
themselves as bards from Glamorgan, and Arianrod
welcomed them in. Gwydion entertained them that
night with tales and stories, and they all went
happily to bed. In the half light of dawn,
Gwydion rose early and called to himself his
magic and his power, and by the time the sun had
risen, the castle resounded with trumpets and
shouting.
Arianrod
came knocking at their door, "Help us,"
she begged, "for a large fleet of ships is
about to land and attack." Gwydion agreed to
help, but pointed out that they would need arms.
Arianrod thanked them and rushed away, returning
shortly with sets of arms for the two men. At
Gwydion's request Arianrod armed Llew, whilst her
serving maid helped Gwydion. When they had
finished, Gwydion paused, and then began to take
his arms off again. "Why are you taking off
you arms, when the army still stands around the
castle?", Arianrod asked. "There is no
army," Gwydion responded, "It was only
an illusion to break your prophecy. And now the
lad has got his arms, without any thanks to
you!" At this Arianrod recognised the two,
and became very angry, "Many a man might
have lost his life today due to your trickery!
Now I will lay a further destiny on this youth -
he shall never have a wife of the race that now
inhabits the earth!"
"You
were always a malicious woman," Gwydion
responded, "but he will have a wife despite
what you say!"
Blodeuwedd
Gwydion
went straight to Math and complained bitterly of
Arianrod's malice, telling how he had obtained
arms for Llew and how Arianrod had then denied
the boy a wife. Math pondered for a while and
then decided that he and Gwydion should form a
wife for Llew by charms and illusion. So they
took the blossoms of oak, broom and meadowsweet,
and produced from them a fair and graceful
maiden, who they baptized Blodeuwedd, or
Flower-face.
At
their marriage feast, Math gave to Llew the
Cantrev of Dinodig, and they went to live in a
palace at Mur y Castell. For many years, Llew and
Blodeuwedd lived happily there, loved by their
people.
One
day, when Llew was away visiting Math, Blodeuwedd
heard the sounds of a hunt nearby the castle, and
she asked to find out who the huntsman was. Gronw
Pebyr, Lord of Penllynn, came the reply. Gronw
was chasing a stag, and finally overtook it and
killed it near the river. It took him the rest of
the day to flay it, and in the evening he came up
to the castle gate. Blodeuwedd invited him in to
eat, and from the moment she set eyes on him she
was filled with love for him. He also fell in
love with her, and could not conceal his
feelings. He stayed with her that night and the
next two, but was anxious about her lord
returning. They thought of how they could be
together always, and Gronw advised Blodeuwedd to
trick Llew into revealing how he could be killed.
The Death of Llew
Accordingly,
when Llew returned, Blodeuwedd pretended great
concern for him, saying that she was so worried
he might be taken from her by death. "Don't
worry," he said, "I cannot be slain
except by a wound, and the spear that makes the
wound must have been a year in the making, being
worked on only during the sacrifice on Sundays.
And I cannot be slain in a house, or outside, nor
on horseback or on foot." Blodeuwedd
expressed her surprise, asking how could he
possibly be killed? "Only in one way,"
he replied, "by making a bath for me by the
side of a river, and by putting a roof over the
cauldron, and putting a buck beside the cauldron.
Then if I put one foot on the buck's back, and
the other on the cauldron's edge, whoever strikes
me can kill."
At
the first opportunity, Blodeuwedd called for
Gronw and explained what Llew had said. Gronw
immediately set to work on a spear, and a year
later it was complete, ready for wounding Llew.
That very day, Blodeuwedd approached Llew and
said how she had been thinking about what he had
told her a year ago, and that she did not
understand how it would be possible to stand on a
buck and a cauldron at the same time. Could he
not show her? Trustful Llew agreed, and she
ordered the bath with a roof prepared by the
river. Meanwhile, she sent word to Gronw to wait
in ambush on the hill above the river, and had a
herd of goats brought near.
The
next day she accompanied Llew down to the bath,
and getting into it, he told her to fetch a buck
alongside. When it drew near, he rose out of the
bath and placed one foot on it's edge, and the
other on the buck's back. At the fatal moment,
Gronw stood up from his hiding place and threw
his carefully prepared spear. It struck Llew in
the side, and immediately he was transformed into
an eagle which flew up into the sky with a
fearful scream.
Gronw
and Blodeuwedd returned to the castle, and Gronw
set about taking possession of the land from the
departed Llew.
The Revenge of Llew
When
Math and Gwydion heard what had happened they
were greatly grieved, for they both loved Llew,
and Gwydion set out in search of him. He
travelled all over the land, until he came to the
house of a vassal in Maenawr Penardd, where he
encountered a mystery. The man's sow would run
off each day and would disappear until evening.
Gwydion was curious and followed the sow next
morning, until she arrived at a brook now called
Nant y Llew, where began feeding under a tree.
Gwydion approached and saw that the sow was
feeding on putrid flesh and vermin. Looking up,
he saw an eagle perched in the tree, dropping
vermin and putrid flesh when it shook. It seemed
to Gwydion that the eagle was Llew, and he sang
to it until the eagle came down and settled on
his knee. He struck the eagle with his wand and
indeed it was transformed back to Llew, but in a
piteous wasted state.
Gwydion
took Llew back to Caer Dathyl and put him in the
care of the doctors, so that within a year he was
quite healed. Llew's thoughts turned to
vengeance, and with Math's support he gathered
the hosts of Gwynedd and set forth to Mur y
Castell.
When
she heard of their approach, Blodeuwedd fled into
the mountains with her women. They were so afraid
that they fell down into a lake and all the women
except Blodeuwedd drowned. Then Gwydion overtook
her and pronounced her punishment, "I will
not kill you, but do worse than that. I will
transform you into a hateful bird. Because of the
harm you have done to Llew you will never show
your face in the light of day, for all other
birds will hate and attack you. You shall keep
your name, but henceforth Blodeuwedd shall mean
Owl."
Meanwhile
Gronw Pebyr withdrew to his castle at Pennllyn,
and sent embassies to Llew asking if he would
take compensation for the injury Gronw had done
to him. Llew refused all recompense and demanded
that Gronw return to the spot where Llew was
wounded and stand there while Llew threw a spear
at him. Gronw was unwilling to do this, but his
tribe would not support him, and so in the end he
complied, and went to the place on the river
Cynvael where Llew had stood that fateful day,
whilst Llew took up his own place. Gronw asked
Llew for mercy, saying that he had only attacked
Llew because of the woman's wiles, and asking if
Llew would not allow him to place a boulder
between the two of them. Llew agreed, but when he
flung his spear, it pierced the boulder and went
on through Gronw's body. Thus was Gronw Pebyr
killed, and the slab of stone with the hole
driven through it still stands by the river
Cynvael in Ardudwy.
~
This tale is the fourth branch
of the Mabinogi, part of the Mythology of Ancient
Britain. It is adapted from the translation of
Lady Charlotte Guest. It has been adapted and
translated into modern language by Saros.
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