The Mythology of the British Islands: An Introduction to Celtic Myth, Legend, Poetry, and RomanceSquire, Charles
General
The Mythology of the British Islands: An Introduction to Celtic Myth, Legend, Poetry, and Romance
Squire, Charles
Celts -- Folklore; Mythology, Celtic
Whether it was easy or not will be seen from the conditions under which
alone the hunt could be brought to a successful end. No ordinary hounds
or huntsmen would avail. The chief of the pack must be Drudwyn, the
whelp of Greid the son of Eri, led in the one leash that would hold him,
fastened, by the one chain strong enough, to the one collar that would
contain his neck. No huntsman could hunt with this dog except Mabon son
of Modron; and he had, ages before, been taken from between his mother
and the wall when he was three nights old, and it was not known where he
was, or even whether he were living or dead. There was only one steed
that could carry Mabon, namely Gwynn Mygdwn, the horse of Gweddw. Two
other marvellous hounds, the cubs of Gast Rhymhi, must also be obtained;
they must be held in the only leash they would not break, for it would
be made out of the beard of the giant Dissull, plucked from him while he
was still alive. Even with this, no huntsman could lead them except
Kynedyr Wyllt, who was himself nine times more wild than the wildest
beast upon the mountains. All Arthur’s mighty men must come to help,
even Gwyn son of Nudd, upon his black horse; and how could he be spared
from his terrible duty of restraining the devils in hell from breaking
loose and destroying the world?
Here is material for romance indeed! But, unhappily, we shall never know
the full story of how all these magic treasures were obtained, all these
magic hounds captured and compelled to hunt, all these magic huntsmen
brought to help. The story—which Mr. Nutt[448] considers to be, “saving
the finest tales of the ‘Arabian Nights’, the greatest romantic fairy
tale the world has ever known”—is not, as we have it now, complete. It
reads fully enough; but, on casting backwards and forwards, between the
list of feats to be performed and the body of the tale which is supposed
to relate them all, we find many of them wanting. “The host of Arthur”,
we are told, “dispersed themselves into parties of one and two”, each
party intent upon some separate quest. The adventures of some of them
have come down, but those of others have not. We are told how Kai slew
Gwrnach the Giant with his own sword; how Gwyrthur son of Greidawl,
Gwyn’s rival for the love of Creudylad, saved an anthill from fire, and
how the grateful ants searched for and found the very flax-seeds sown by
Hawthorn in his youth; how Arthur’s host surrounded and took Gast
Rhymhi’s cubs, and how Kai and Bedwyr overcame Dissull, and plucked out
his beard with wooden tweezers, to make a leash for them. We learn how
Arthur went to Ireland, and brought back the cauldron of Diwrnach the
Gael, full of Irish money; how White-tusk the Boar-king was chased and
killed; and how Arthur condescended to slay the perfectly black
sorceress with his own hand. That others of the treasures were acquired
is hinted rather than said. Most important of all (for so much depended
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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