Apr 17, 2009

The Legend Of Pwyll And Rhiannon (part 3)


Rhiannon's father said that Pwyll should listen as no man deserves this treatment. Pwyll asked for Rhiannon's council. Rhiannon said that that she would take Gwawl's pledge that he would never seek revenge for what has happened to him, and she would let him out of the bag. Gwawl said he would pledge this. Pwyll said that this will be done, but that he wanted a covenant to be drawn up. And the covenant was drawn, that Gwawl would be set free, and Pwyll would keep Gwawl's counselors in the Palace, as a surety that no revenge would be taken.

Gwawl was set free, and returned to his own palace to heal from his wounds

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The next day, Rhiannon said to Pwyll, that he should give gifts to all the minstrels and should refuse no one his bounty. So Pwyll called all the court together and said for them to point out what they wanted as a gift. And he gave freely from all that he had.

So Pwyll and Rhiannon were married, and set off for Dyfed, to the palace of Narberth, and Rhiannon gave precious gifts to all of the noble Lords and Ladies of the land.

They ruled the land prosperously for four years.

In the forth year of a son was born to them, and women were brought to watch the child at night. Instead of caring for the baby, the women fell asleep, and when they awoke, the looked in the cradle, and the child was not there.

They became frightened and plotted together to accuse Rhiannon of murdering the child before their own eyes. Rhiannon pleaded with them not to accuse her falsely, and that if they told the truth, she would defend them before the Gods. But they said that they would not, for Pwyll would surely kill them for having slept, and not watching over the baby.

And Pwyll the Prince of Anuvyn, arose and the Nurses told him falsely of what happened. Word got around to all the nobles of the land, and they came and pleaded with Pwyll to execute his wife. But this he would not do.

Rhiannon, in her spirit, could not bring herself to punish the women, so she decided that she would take a penance from Pwyll, and that for Seven years she would sit everyday by the horseblock at the gates of the Palace, and offer anyone who came that she would carry them into the Palace on her back

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And she did this for most of a year. Tiernyon Twryv Vliant was Lord of Gwent Is Coed, and he was the best man in the world. And into his house there belonged a mare, and there was no other horse in the kingdom as beautiful as she.

Every year on Beltane, she foaled and no one ever knew what became of the colt. One night Tiernyon asked his wife, what could be done about the disappearing colts. and his wife couldn't answer.

The next Beltane, Tiernyon hid in the stable and when the mare foaled, he saw a great claw come in the window and grab the colt by it's mane.

Tiernyon drew his sword and cut off the arm by the elbow and heard a great wailing. He rushed off after the creature and followed it, but he remembered that he had left the door open, so he went back and at the door was an infant baby boy, wrapped in the purest silk. So he took the baby to his wife, and as they had no other children, she kept the baby for her own.

They named the baby "Goldenlocks" and he grew more strongly and quickly than any other child.

By the time two years had passed the child was as big as a six year old.

So at a certain age, they gave the colt that had been saved from the beast, to the child, being that the colt was born on the night the child was found.

Rumor came to Tiernyon of the plight of Rhiannon, and he wondered on it. And as the child grew, he noticed a strong likeness between the child and Pwyll Prince of Annuvyn, for Tiernyon had once been in the court of Pwyll.

So Tienyon said to his wife that they should not keep the boy, and send him back to Pwyll and release Rhiannon from her punishment and that Pwyll would reward them greatly for raising the child.

So Tiernyon set off for Dyfed with the child. He met Rhiannon at the gate, and both him and the child refused to be carried in on Rhiannon's back

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They went to Pwyll and presented the child as his long lost son. And Rhiannon asked what name they had given him. Tiernyon said that they called the child Goldenlocks. And Pwyll said that from hence forth the child shall be called Pryderi, which is "end of trouble" for this ends the punishment of Rhiannon.

Pwyll richly rewarded Tiernyon and all his company, and said that the child and he would support them for all of their life. and Tiernyon and his wife became the foster parents of the child, that they would be able to be with him during his life.

And Pryderi, son of Pwyll prince of Dyfed, grew up strong and fair and ruled fairly for many a year .

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