The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends

by Peter Berresford Ellis

  “If you do all these things, you may marry Olwen. Fail in just one of the deeds and you shall die.”

  “It will not be me who meets his end, Ysbaddadan Pencawr,” Culhwch said solemnly. “Count the days to your own death.”

  With that, Culhwch turned and left the hall, followed by his companions.

  So it was that Culhwch set off to fulfil the impossible tasks placed on him by Ysbaddadan Pencawr.

  He and his seven companions, for now young Gorau was journeying with them, rode for many days until they came to a great stone castle, at whose gate a giant stood.

  “Whose castle is this?” demanded Cai.

  The giant gatekeeper stared at them in surprise. “You are foolish men, if you do not know the castle of Wrnach Cawr. Be off with you, lest you lose your lives.”

  The companions exchanged glances. Getting the sword of Wrnach Cawr was an important task on the list.

  “Is that a fine way to display hospitality?” Cai replied.

  “No guests ever leave this castle alive,” smiled the gatekeeper.

  “Even so,” Cai said, “Wrnach might like to bide awhile with me.”

  “Why so?”

  “I have a craft. I am the best sharpener and polisher of swords in all the world.”

  Now when Wrnach was told this by his gatekeeper, he asked him to go and fetch Cai in. Cai entered the castle by himself while Culhwch and his companions waited outside.

  “I have long been in need of a man who could polish my sword,” cried the giant as Cai came into his presence. “Is it true that you know how to polish swords?”

  Cai smiled briefly. “I have polished the greatest swords in all the world. I have even polished the sword of Arthur himself.”

  Then Wrnach took out his great sword and laid it before Cai. “This sword is one that I let no one have, not for money nor for favour. Can you polish it?”

  “That I can,” said Cai.

  He took out a whetstone from his pocket and set to work. But he cleaned and sharpened one side. Then he stopped and showed the giant Wrnach.

  “Is this work pleasing to you, my lord?”

  Wrnach looked on it with approval.

  “Indeed it is. Do the other side.”

  “That I will, but I noticed your scabbard stands in need of cleaning and I have a friend outside with as great a craft as mine.”

  “Who is this man?”

  “Oh, a companion who owns a wondrous spear, whose head will spring from its shaft and draw blood even from the air before returning.”

  “This man I must see, especially if he will polish my scabbard.”

  So the gatekeeper went to summon Bedwyr. While Bedwyr was being let into the castle, Gorau, the son of Custennin, managed to secrete the key so that, while Bedwyr was being conducted into the presence of Wrnach, Gorau let Culhwch and the rest of the warriors secretly into the castle.

  When Cai had finished polishing the sword and Bedwyr had finished cleaning the scabbard, Wrnach examined them in satisfaction.

  Then Cai gently took the sword and the scabbard, saying: “I will check that our work is acceptable, for the sword should be able to slide smoothly into the scabbard.” With the sword in his right hand and scabbard in his left, Cai raised the sword as if to sheathe it. Sheathe it he did, but into the breast of Wrnach, pressing forth with all his might. Then, as Wrnach toppled sideways, Cai cut off the giant’s head.

  Culhwch and his companions sacked the castle and carried off a great treasure and then they returned in triumph to Arthur’s palace. There they told Arthur all about the quest and Arthur, delighted by the challenges, told Culhwch that he and all his warriors would help fulfil the list of tasks.

  Now to achieve the main tasks that Ysbaddadan had set, they had to perform the deeds in a certain sequence. The next important deed was to seek Mabon, son of Modron, but to find him they first had to find his kinsman Eidoel, who was a prisoner in Glini’s castle. So Arthur and his warriors surrounded the castle. Arthur summoned Glini forth by the sound of trumpet.

  “What is it that you want?” demanded Glini surlily. “I have no great treasure here.”

  “I am come for Eidoel, whom you hold prisoner in your deepest dungeon. Surrender him to me and I shall leave you in peace. If you do not, I shall leave your castle in ruins.”

  So Eidoel was brought forward and asked where his kinsman Mabon was.

  “This is only known by the beasts, the birds and the fishes,” confessed Eidoel. “I do not know.”

  At this, some of Arthur’s men began to chuckle. Arthur silenced them with a frown.

  “Come forth, Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd, interpreter of all languages. Question those, even as Eidoel suggests.”

  So Gwrhyr came forward and set off to question the birds, beasts and fishes. For his companions he had Cai and Bedwyr. First Gwrhyr asked the Ouzel of Cilgwri, but in all her long life she had not heard of Mabon. She believed that the Stag of Rhedynfre was older and wiser than her.

  So Gwrhyr questioned the Stag of Rhedynfre, but in all his long life he had not heard of Mabon. He believed that the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd was older and wiser and might know.

  Then Gwrhyr found the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd, but in all her long life she had not heard of Mabon. She believed that the Eagle of Gwernabwy was older and wiser than her.

  So Gwrhyr asked the Eagle of Gwernabwy but, in all his long life he had not heard of Mabon.

  They were about to despair when the Eagle suddenly said: “But I do recall that I tried to capture a salmon once, and this was the wisest salmon in all the world. He was so strong he nearly drowned me by dragging me into his river. Eventually we made peace and I did him a favour by plucking out fifty fishing javelins from his great back. I will take you to him. If he does not know, then no one else in all the world does.”

  So the Eagle of Gwernabwy took them to Llyn Llyw and summoned the Salmon.

  “Mabon?” the Salmon said to Gwrhyr. “I will tell you what I know. Often I swim up the river Sabrann on the tide until I come to the wall of Caer Loyw; every time I reach that spot I hear the most distressing cry that I have ever heard. I am sure this cry belongs to Mabon, who was stolen away from his mother when he was three nights old.”

  “Will you take us there?” asked Gwrhyr.

  “That I will,” agreed the Salmon of Llyn Llyw.

  So Gwrhyr, Cai and Bedwyr sat on the Salmon’s great broad back and he took them up river, the great river Sabrann, which is now called the Severn, to Caer Loyw, which is now called Gloucester. At the wall, they heard a great lamentation.

  “Ho there!” cried Gwrhyr. “What man can make this lament?”

  “It is Mabon son of Modron,” wailed a voice. “I am imprisoned here, and that is cause enough for my lament. Further, none was more cruelly imprisoned than I; no, not Lludd Llaw Ereint nor Greid ap Eri had worse imprisonments than mine.”

  “Does your captor seek a ransom for your release?” demanded Cai.

  “No. I can only be rescued by force.”

  With that news, Gwrhyr hastened back to tell Arthur and his warriors, but even before Arthur and his men came near to Caer Loyw, Cai and Bedwyr launched an attack at the river wall and rescued Mabon and returned him to Arthur’s palace a free man.

  One of the greatest problems was to find the nine hectares of flax seed, from which to grow the flax to make the white veil for Olwen. As fate would have it, Gwythyr ap Greidawl was passing a mountain slope. Gwythyr was a great warrior whose bride-to-be was Creiddylad, daughter of Lludd Llaw Ereint. She had been abducted by Gwyn ap Nudd, king of the Otherworld, and in struggling to get her back, it was decreed that once a year Gwythyr and Gwyn would fight a combat. The annual combats would last until doomsday and whoever was the victor of the combat on doomsday would have the beautiful Creiddylad.

  Now Gwythyr heard a terrible lamentation as he was crossing the mountain. He saw an anthill which was on fire. Drawing his sword, he dug off the pieces that were on fire and thus prevented the f
ire from consuming the entire anthill.

  “Blessings on you, Gwythyr; what reward can we give you?” asked the king ant.

  Gwythyr thought of Culhwch’s quest and, on explaining matters, he discovered that long ago it had been the ants that had carried off the flax seed. In reward for saving them, the ants agreed to return it. They did so, save one seed and finally, just before nightfall on the appointed day, a lame ant brought it to the pile.

  The story went further, for when the time came for one of the annual combats, it was Gwyn who won the day and, among the hostages he took from Gwythyr, there were several people important to Culhwch’s quest. Hetwyn the Leper was slain and Gwyn compelled Cyledyr the Wild, his son, to eat his father’s heart, by reason of which Cyledyr went mad and fled into the wilderness to avoid the company of men.

  Now Arthur was angry when he heard this and rode forth to bring about peace and, as a price of peace, he obtained Dunmane the steed of Gweddw, the leash of Cors Hundred Claws and many another of the marvels which Ysbaddadan had listed.

  Another most important task was the plucking of the hair of the giant Dissull while he was alive. Ysbaddadan had said that there was no leash in the world which would hold the dogs Aned and Aethlem, save one made from the beard of Dissull. They not only had to pluck his beard while he was alive but with wooden tweezers.

  It happened that Cai and Bedwyr came on Dissull cooking a wild boar over a fire. They knew that when the giant had cooked his boar and eaten it, he would fall asleep. So they waited and watched and passed the time making the tweezers. When Dissull had fallen asleep, they dug a great pit under his feet, almost to the height of the giant. Then Cai went forward. He struck the giant such a blow as to precipitate him feet first into the pit.

  While the giant slumped senseless in the pit, Bedwyr went forward and plucked the hairs from his beard. Then he and Cai killed Dissull. They made the leash and hastened back to Arthur’s court. It happened that Arthur made some jest about the stealth they had used to overcome Dissull which offended both Cai and Bedwyr and they retired to Celli Wig, in the land of Cernyw, and refused to have anything more to do with the quest.

  Now Ysbaddadan had decreed that he would only be shaved with the tusk of the Chief of Boars, Ysgithyrwyn. It happened that Arthur had gone in search of Cyledyr the Wild and, on the way, he managed to find Bwlch, Cyfwlch and Syfwlch and also Cadw of the Pictii, whom he persuaded to return with him. How all this happened is too lengthy to recount. Yet it was on the return that they came across the great boar, Ysgithyrwyn. It was Cadw who saw the chance and, having no horse near at the time save Arthur’s own mare, Llamrei, he brought the great boar to bay. He split the boar’s head in two and took into his keeping the tusk with which to shave the beard of Ysbaddadan Pencawr.

  There was, however, no greater task than the hunting of the fabulous Twrch Trwyth, the Otherworld boar who made Ysgithyrwyn seem quite tame. Now this boar was said to dwell in Éireann, where it was known as Tore Triath, among the prized possessions of The Dagda and the goddess of fertility Brigid. But that does not concern our story.

  When most of Ysbaddadan’s requests had been fulfilled, save the great hunt, Arthur gathered his men and first sent Menw out to spy. Menw changed himself into a bird, for he had to find out where the magic boar was dwelling and whether, of course, he still had the comb and shears between his ears.

  Now Menw set off and found the boar in its lair. There was the comb and shears and Menw tried his luck at snatching the marvels from his head. He managed to get a single bristle but a speck of the boar’s angry spittle touched his bird feathers and, though Menw managed to get back to Arthur and report his findings, he was never without sickness from that day forth.

  So all the warriors of Arthur set forth on this quest and off they went in his ship called Prydwen, the Fair Aspect, to Éireann. The warriors of Éireann came forward to find out why the battle array of the Britons had come to their shores and, on being told, they offered to join Arthur in his hunt for the magical boar. If the truth were known, the men of Éireann were pleased at the idea of ridding themselves of the magical boar, which was always causing trouble in their land.

  At Esgeir Oerfel, they found Twrch Trwyth, surrounded by seven young pigs; each pig was as fearsome and magical as each other. As it was their territory, the warriors of Éireann went forward first with their dogs but, by evening, the magical boar had the best of them and he had laid waste one of the five great kingdoms of Éireann in revenge.

  The next day, Arthur’s warriors went forward and, by the end of that evening, they won nothing but death and destruction and another kingdom lay waste. On the third day, Arthur and his best warriors went against the Twrch Trwyth and, when nightfall came, there was more death and destruction and a third kingdom lay waste.

  So it was that they battled with the magic boar for nine nights and nine days, yet Twrch Trwyth remained unscathed.

  That evening, around their encampment, one of his warriors called on Arthur to tell them more about this fearsome creature.

  “He was once a great king in this land but he thought himself too mighty and the gods transformed him into a boar.”

  “Then, perhaps,” said the warrior, “we might be able to negotiate with him, for he would know the meaning of diplomacy, having been a king.”

  This was not so naive as many thought.

  While they rested, Arthur decided to sent Gwrhyr the Interpreter to speak with the boar for, in truth, all they wanted were the comb and shears that lay between his ears. However, Twrch Trwyth would not deign to answer him and it was his son, Grugyn Silver-Bristle, who told Gwrhyr to tell Arthur that he would have to take the comb and shears by force, because he had attacked first without trying to talk with him.

  “Until you have killed us and Twrch Trwyth’s life has run its course, the comb and shears stay where they are. Tell Arthur and his warriors to leave us in peace, or we will go to his own land and destroy it even as we have destroyed this one.”

  Now when Gwrhyr told Arthur, Arthur was angry and made ready to attack at dawn again. But before he could do so, he found that Twrch Trwyth and his seven young pigs had swum across the sea to the Island of the Mighty. They landed at Porth Cleis in the kingdom of Dyfed and killed all the inhabitants and cattle, except a few who managed to flee before them.

  Arthur and his men set off after Twrch Trwyth and the beast led him into the mountains of Mynydd Preseli. There Arthur gathered his men on both sides of the river Nyfer, but off went the great boar and his seven pigs to Cwm Cerwyn, where he slew four of Arthur’s best champions. Twice he stood and each time four great champions suffered their deaths, including Arthur’s young son Gwydre. It is said that a spear-cast grazed the boar and made him draw off in anger, otherwise more would have died.

  The following day, Twrch Trwyth was as fierce as ever. Huandaw and Gogigwr, Penpingion and three champions serving under Glewlwyd of the Mighty Grip went down beneath his tusks. Gwlyddyn the Craftsman, who was chief builder to Arthur, was also slain.

  At Peluniawg, they almost had him, but three more champions went down and the beast burst through their ring to Gyn Ystun, where the dogs lost his scent and no one could find him.

  Arthur demanded of Gwyn, son of Nudd, if he knew the beast’s whereabouts, but Gwyn denied knowledge. So on moved the hunt with their dogs. An advance party came to Dyffryn Llychwr, where two of Twrch Trwyth’s pigs, Grugyn Silver-Bristle and Llwydawg Torrwr, the Hewer, burst into their camp and killed all, save one, who managed to flee back to Arthur and report.

  Arthur immediately attacked these two great pigs and got the best of them. But so fierce a clamour did they set up that Twrch Trwyth roused himself from where he had been resting, and leapt forward to defend them. Life for life and death for death was the order of the day. The first of the pigs was slain at Mynydd Amanw and then others fell; Twrch Llawin, Gwys, Banw and Benwig were killed. Indeed, only Grugyn and Llwydawg were left alive with Twrch Trwyth himself.

&nbs
p; The three magical creatures were brought to bay at Llwch Ewin, and here Twrch Trwyth slew Echil Big-hip, as well as countless other champions of lesser degree. The pigs then retreated to Llwch Tawy and here Grugyn was forced to leave them, making for Din Tywi and Garth Grugyn, where he was eventually slain, though not without destroying four more of Arthur’s champions in his death-struggle.

  Llwydawg went on to Ystrad Yw where he, too, was overtaken and slain, but not before he slew two great kings. One of them was Arthur’s own uncle.

  In rage at the loss of his children, Twrch Trwyth destroyed all the countryside and its people between Tawy and Ewyas and began to move south across the Sabrann river.

  Arthur called his champions together once more.

  “While I live, I shall not let this magical boar pass into the land of Cernyw. I intend to stand before him and not chase after him. Life for life and death for death. One of us shall be the victor. You may do as you will.”

  Not one warrior chose any other course but to stand with Arthur.

  So they gathered on the banks of the great Sabrann where Twrch Trwyth stood at bay.

  Then it was that Mabon, son of Modron, seized his chance. On the stallion Dunmane, with Gorau ap Custennin and the sick Menw, crying for revenge, they rode forward. Then came Arthur, and Osla Big Knife, and Manawydan ap Llyr and Cyledyr the Wild. They surrounded the great boar and, in the struggle, Mabon seized the comb from beneath the boar’s ears while Cyledyr the Wild seized the shears.

  Then the great boar raced forward, chased by the hounds Aned and Aethlem, along the watery course of the Sabrann and into the sea, south-west to Annwn, the Otherworld, and vanished from men’s sight. Some say – and who will deny them? – that Twrch Trwyth sleeps under a giant oak in Annwn, his snout among the lush acorns that drop from it. He is only resting. One day he will return to this world to continue his fearsome contest with Arthur and humankind.

  So the greatest task asked by Ysbaddadan was now completed.

  But one task still remained, and that was the blood of the black witch, Dewines Du, with which Ysbaddadan wanted his beard dressed. Now she was the daughter of the White Witch who dwelt at the head of the Valley of Grief in the uplands of Hell.