Mythology, Celtic -- Wales; Tales -- Wales; Welsh literature -- 1100-1400 -- Translations into English
Then he instantly put down the hamper on the floor, and awaited him. And
a fierce encounter was between them, so that the glittering fire flew out
from their arms. And at the last Lludd grappled with him, and fate
bestowed the victory on Lludd. And he threw the plague to the earth.
And after he had overcome him by strength and might, he besought his
mercy. “How can I grant thee mercy,” said the king, “after all the many
injuries and wrongs that thou hast done me?” “All the losses that ever I
have caused thee,” said he, “I will make thee atonement for, equal to
what I have taken. And I will never do the like from this time forth.
But thy faithful vassal will I be.” And the king accepted this from him.
And thus Lludd freed the Island of Britain from the three plagues. And
from thenceforth until the end of his life, in prosperous peace did Lludd
the son of Beli rule the Island of Britain. And this Tale is called the
Story of Lludd and Llevelys. And thus it ends.
TALIESIN
In times past there lived in Penllyn a man of gentle lineage, named Tegid
Voel, and his dwelling was in the midst of the lake Tegid, and his wife
was called Caridwen. And there was born to him of his wife a son named
Morvran ab Tegid, and also a daughter named Creirwy, the fairest maiden
in the world was she; and they had a brother, the most ill-favoured man
in the world, Avagddu. Now Caridwen his mother thought that he was not
likely to be admitted among men of noble birth, by reason of his
ugliness, unless he had some exalted merits or knowledge. For it was in
the beginning of Arthur’s time and of the Round Table.
So she resolved, according to the arts of the books of the Fferyllt, to
boil a cauldron of Inspiration and Science for her son, that his
reception might be honourable because of his knowledge of the mysteries
of the future state of the world.
Then she began to boil the cauldron, which from the beginning of its
boiling might not cease to boil for a year and a day, until three blessed
drops were obtained of the grace of Inspiration.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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