Mythology, Celtic -- Wales; Tales -- Wales; Welsh literature -- 1100-1400 -- Translations into English
“What wilt thou more?” he
asked. “I will that there be no more charm upon the seven Cantrevs of
Dyved, and that none shall be put upon it henceforth.” “This thou shalt
have,” said he. “Now set her free.” “I will not, by my faith,” he
answered. “What wilt thou furthermore?” asked he. “Behold,” said he,
“this will I have; that vengeance be never taken for this, either upon
Pryderi or Rhiannon, or upon me.” “All this shalt thou have. And truly
thou hast done wisely in asking this. Upon thy head would have lighted
all this trouble.” “Yea,” said he, “for fear thereof was it, that I
required this.” “Set now my wife at liberty.” “I will not, by Heaven,”
said he, “until I see Pryderi and Rhiannon with me free.” “Behold, here
they come,” he answered.
And thereupon behold Pryderi and Rhiannon. And he rose up to meet them,
and greeted them, and sat down beside them. “Ah, Chieftain, set now my
wife at liberty,” said the bishop. “Hast thou not received all thou
didst ask?” “I will release her gladly,” said he. And thereupon he set
her free.
Then Llwyd struck her with a magic wand, and she was changed back into a
young woman, the fairest ever seen.
“Look around upon thy land,” said he, “and then thou wilt see it all
tilled and peopled, as it was in its best state.” And he rose up and
looked forth. And when he looked he saw all the lands tilled, and full
of herds and dwellings. “What bondage,” he inquired, “has there been
upon Pryderi and Rhiannon?” “Pryderi has had the knockers of the gate of
my palace about his neck, and Rhiannon has had the collars of the asses,
after they have been carrying hay, about her neck.”
And such had been their bondage.
And by reason of this bondage is this story called the Mabinogi of
Mynnweir and Mynord.
And thus ends this portion of the Mabinogi.
MATH THE SON OF MATHONWY
THIS IS THE FOURTH PORTION OF THE MABINOGI
Math the son of Mathonwy was lord over Gwynedd, and Pryderi the son of
Pwyll was lord over the one-and-twenty Cantrevs of the South; and these
were the seven Cantrevs of Dyved, and the seven Cantrevs of Morganwc, the
four Cantrevs of Ceredigiawn, and the three of Ystrad Tywi.
At that time, Math the son of Mathonwy could not exist unless his feet
were in the lap of a maiden, except only when he was prevented by the
tumult of war. Now the maiden who was with him was Goewin, the daughter
of Pebin of Dôl Pebin, in Arvon, and she was the fairest maiden of her
time who was known there.
And Math dwelt always at Caer Dathyl, in Arvon, and was not able to go
the circuit of the land, but Gilvaethwy the son of Don, and Eneyd the son
of Don, his nephews, the sons of his sisters, with his household, went
the circuit of the land in his stead.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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