Celts -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Great Britain; Folklore -- Great Britain; Tales -- Great Britain
And Powel the chief of Annuvyn arose, and his household and his hosts.
And this occurrence could not be concealed; but the story went forth
throughout the land, and all the nobles heard it. Then the nobles came
to Powel, and besought him to put away his wife because of the great
crime which she had done. But Powel answered them that they had no cause
wherefore they might ask him to put away his wife.
So Rhiannon sent for the teachers and the wise men, and as she preferred
doing penance to contending with the women, she took upon her a penance.
And the penance that was imposed upon her was that she should remain in
that palace of Narberth until the end of seven years, and that she
should sit every day near unto a horse-block that was without the gate;
and that she should relate the story to all who should come there whom
she might suppose not to know it already; and that she should offer the
guests and strangers, if they would permit her, to carry them upon her
back into the palace. But it rarely happened that any would permit. And
thus did she spend part of the year.
Now at that time Teirnyon Twryv Vliant was lord of Gwent Is Coed, and
he was the best man in the world. And unto his house there belonged a
mare than which neither mare nor horse in the kingdom was more
beautiful. And on the night of every first of May she foaled, and no one
ever knew what became of the colt. And one night Teirnyon talked with
his wife: "Wife," said he, "it is very simple of us that our mare should
foal every year, and that we should have none of her colts."
"What can be done in the matter?" said she.
"This is the night of the first of May," said he. "The vengeance of
Heaven be upon me, if I learn not what it is that takes away the colts."
So he armed himself, and began to watch that night. Teirnyon heard a
great tumult, and after the tumult behold a claw came through the window
into the house, and it seized the colt by the mane. Then Teirnyon drew
his sword, and struck off the arm at the elbow: so that portion of the
arm, together with the colt, was in the house with him. And then, did he
hear a tumult and wailing both at once. And he opened the door, and
rushed out in the direction of the noise, and he could not see the cause
of the tumult because of the darkness of the night; but he rushed after
it and followed it. Then he remembered that he had left the door open,
and he returned. And at the door behold there was an infant-boy in
swaddling clothes, wrapped around in a mantle of satin. And he took up
the boy, and behold he was very strong for the age that he was of.
Then he shut the door, and went into the chamber where his wife was.
"Lady," said he, "art thou sleeping?"
"No, lord," said she: "I was asleep, but as thou camest in I did
awake."
"Behold, here is a boy for thee, if thou wilt," said he, "since thou
hast never had one."
"My lord," said she, "what adventure is this?"
"It was thus," said Teirnyon. And he told her how it all befell.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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