The Mabinogion Vol. 2 by Sir Owen Morgan Edwards and Lady Charlotte Schreiber (best thriller novels of all time txt) 📕

Arthur and his hosts came to the place where Grugyn and Llwydawg were.  And there he let loose the whole of the dogs upon them, and with the shout and barking that was set up, Twrch Trwyth came to their assistance.

And from the time that they came across the Irish sea, Arthur had never got sight of him until then. [111c]  So he set men and dogs upon him, and thereupon he started off and went to Mynydd Amanw.  p. 112And there one of his young pigs was killed. [112a]  Then they set upon him life for life, and Twrch Llawin was slain, and then there was slain another of the swine, Gwys was his name.  After that he went on to Dyffryn Amanw, and there Banw and Bennwig were killed. [112b]  Of all his pigs there went with him alive from that place none save Grugyn Gwallt Ereint, and Llwydawg Govynnyad.

Thence he went on to Llwch Ewin, and Arthur overtook him there, and he made a stand.  And there he slew Echel Forddwytwll, and Garwyli the son of Gwyddawg Gwyr, and many men and dogs likewise.  And thence they went to Llwch Tawy.  Grugyn Gwrych Ereint parted from them there, and went to Din Tywi.  And thence he proceeded to Ceredigiawn, and Eli and Trachmyr with him, and a multitude likewise.  Then he came to Garth Gregyn, and there Llwydawg Govynnyad fought in the midst of them, and slew Rhudvyw Rhys and many others with him.  Then Llwydawg went thence to Ystrad Yw, and there the men of Armorica met him, and there he slew Hirpeissawg, the king of Armorica, and Llygatrudd Emys, and Gwrbothu, Arthur’s uncles, his mother’s brothers, and there was he himself slain.

Twrch Trwyth went from there to between Tawy and Euyas, and Arthur summoned all Cornwall and Devon unto him, to the estuary of the Severn, and he said to the warriors of this Island, “Twrch Trwyth has slain many of my men, but, by the valour of warriors, while I live he shall not go into Cornwall.  And I will not follow him any longer, but I will oppose him life to life.  Do ye as ye will.”  And he resolved that he would send a body of knights, with p. 113the dogs of the Island, as far as Euyas, who should return thence to the Severn, and that tried warriors should traverse the Island, and force him into the Severn.  And Mabon the son of Modron came up with him at the Severn, upon Gwynn Mygddon, the horse of Gweddw, and Goreu the son of Custennin, and Menw the son of Teirgwaedd; this was betwixt Llyn Lliwan and Aber Gwy.  And Arthur fell upon him together with the champions of Britain.  And Osla Kyllellvawr drew near, and Manawyddan the son of Llyr, and Kacmwri the servant of Arthur, and Gwyngelli, and they seized hold of him, catching him first by his feet, and plunged him in the Severn, so that it overwhelmed him.  On the one side, Mabon the son of Modron spurred his steed and snatched his razor from him, and Kyledyr Wyllt came up with him on the other side, upon another steed, in the Severn, and took from him the scissors.  But before they could obtain the comb, he had regained the ground with his feet, and from the moment that he reached the shore, neither dog, nor man, nor horse could overtake him until he came to Cornwall.  If they had had trouble in getting the jewels from him, much more had they in seeking to save the two men from being drowned.  Kacmwri, as they drew him forth, was dragged by two millstones into the deep.  And as Osla Kyllellvawr was running after the Boar his knife had dropped out of the sheath, and he had lost it, and after that the sheath became full of water, and its weight drew him down into the deep, as they were drawing him forth.

Then Arthur and his hosts proceeded until they overtook the Boar in Cornwall, and the trouble which they had met with before was mere play to what they encountered in seeking the comb.  But from one p. 114difficulty to another, the comb was at length obtained.  And then he was hunted from Cornwall, and driven straight forward into the deep sea.  And thenceforth it was never known whither he went; and Aned and Aethlem with him.  Then went Arthur to Gelliwic, in Cornwall, to anoint himself, and to rest from his fatigues.

* * * * *

Said Arthur, “Is there any one of the marvels yet unobtained?”  Said one of his men, “There is—the blood of the witch Orddu, the daughter of the witch Orwen, of Penn Nant Govid, on the confines of Hell.”  Arthur set forth towards the North, and came to the place where was the witch’s cave.  And Gwyn ab Nudd, and Gwythyr the son of Greidawl, counselled him to send Kacmwri, and Hygwyd his brother to fight with the witch.  And as they entered the cave, the witch seized upon them, and she caught Hygwyd by the hair of his head, and threw him on the floor beneath her.  And Kacmwri caught her by the hair of her head, and dragged her to the earth from off Hygwyd, but she turned again upon them both, [114] and drove them both out with kicks and with cuffs.

And Arthur was wroth at seeing his two attendants almost slain, and he sought to enter the cave; but Gwyn and Gwythyr said unto him, “It would not be fitting or seemly for us to see thee squabbling with a hag.  Let Hiramren, and Hireidil go to the cave.”  So they went.  But if great was the trouble of the two first that went, much greater was that of these two.  And Heaven knows that not one of the four could move from the spot, until they placed them all upon Llamrei, Arthur’s mare.  And then Arthur rushed to the door of the cave, and at the door, he struck at p. 115the witch, with Carnwennan his dagger, and clove her in twain, so that she fell in two parts.  And Kaw, of North Britain, took the blood of the witch and kept it.

Then Kilhwch set forward, and Goreu, the son of Custennin, with him, and as many as wished ill to Yspaddaden Penkawr.  And they took the marvels with them to his Court.  And Kaw of North Britain came and shaved his beard, skin and flesh, clean off to the very bone from ear to ear.  “Art thou shaved, man?” said Kilhwch.  “I am shaved,” answered he.  “Is thy daughter mine now?”  “She is thine,” said he, “but therefore needest thou not thank me, but Arthur who hath accomplished this for thee.  By my free will thou shouldest never have had her, for with her I lose my life.”  Then Goreu the son of Custennin, seized him by the hair of his head, and dragged him after him to the keep, and cut off his head, and placed it on a stake on the citadel.  Then they took possession of his castle, and of his treasures.

And that night Olwen became Kilhwch’s bride, and she continued to be his wife as long as she lived.  And the hosts of Arthur dispersed themselves, each man to his own country.  And thus did Kilhwch obtain Olwen the daughter of Yspaddaden Penkawr.

p. 116THE DREAM OF MAXEN WLEDIG.

Maxen Wledig was emperor of Rome, and he was a comelier man, and a better and a wiser than any emperor that had been before him. [116]  And one day he held a council of Kings, and he said to his friends, “I desire to go to-morrow to hunt.”  And the next day in the morning he set forth with his retinue, and came to the valley of the river that flowed towards Rome.  And he hunted through the valley until mid-day.  And with him also were two and thirty crowned kings, that were his vassals; not for the p. 117delight of hunting went the emperor with them, but to put himself on equal terms with those kings. [117]

And the sun was high in the sky over their heads, and the heat was great.  And sleep came upon Maxen Wledig.  And his attendants stood and set up their shields around him upon the shafts of their spears to protect him from the sun, and they placed a gold enamelled shield under his head, and so Maxen slept.

And he saw a dream.  And this is the dream that he saw.  He was journeying along the valley of the river towards its source; and he came to the highest mountain in the world.  And he thought that the mountain was as high as the sky; and when he came over the mountain, it seemed to him that he went through the fairest and most level regions that man ever yet beheld, on the other side of the mountain.  And he saw large and mighty rivers descending from the mountain to the sea, and towards the mouths of the rivers he proceeded.  And as he journeyed thus, he came to the mouth of the largest river ever seen.  And he beheld a great city at the entrance of the river, and a vast castle in the city, and he saw many high towers of various colours in the castle.  And he saw a fleet at the mouth of the river, the largest ever seen.  And he saw one ship among the fleet; larger was it by far, and fairer than all the others.  Of such part of the ship as he could see above the water, one plank was gilded and the other silvered over.  He saw a bridge of the bone of the whale from the ship to the land, and he thought that he went along the bridge and came into the ship.  And a sail was hoisted on the ship, and along the sea and the ocean was it borne.  Then it seemed that he came to the fairest p. 118island in the whole world, and he traversed the island from sea to sea, even to the farthest shore of the island.  Valleys he saw, and steeps, and rocks of wondrous height, and rugged precipices. [118a]  Never yet saw he the like.  And thence he beheld an island in the sea, facing this rugged [118b] land.  And between him and this island was a country of which the plain was as large as the sea, the mountain as vast as the wood.  And from the mountain he saw a river that flowed through the land and fell into the sea.  And at the mouth of the river, he beheld a castle, the fairest that man ever saw, and the gate of the castle was open, and he went into the castle.  And in the castle he saw a fair hall of which the roof seemed to be all gold, the walls of the hall seemed to be entirely of glittering precious gems, the doors all seemed to be of gold.  Golden seats he saw in the hall, and silver tables.  And on a seat opposite to him, he beheld two auburn-haired youths playing at chess.  He saw a silver board p. 119for the chess, and golden pieces thereon.  The garments of the youths were of jet black satin, and chaplets of ruddy gold bound their hair, whereon were sparkling jewels of great price, [119] rubies, and gems, alternately with imperial stones.  Buskins of new cordovan leather on their feet, fastened by slides of red gold.

And beside a pillar in the hall he saw