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.He can be assumed to know most of the material we have already covered.He is not necessarily an independent witness to the traditions he relays.After setting out Culhwch’s birth and curse, the author turns to Pa gur.In his version, the hero Culhwch comes to Arthur’s court.He asks the question: ‘Is there a porter?’, and is answered by Glewlwyt Gavaelvawr.Glewlwyt recites a catalogue of strange faraway places, including Caer Oeth and Anoeth.Arthur lists his own inviolate possessions but it is left to Culhwch to enumerate the warriors of Arthur.Glewlwyt’s catalogue is interesting because it credits Arthur with overseas victories.He mentions Greater and Lesser India, ‘Lychlyn’ (Norway), Europe and Africa, Greece and other locations such as Sach and Salach – unknown to us and probably to the author, too.They give us no confidence that they are anything other than legendary encounters spread throughout the world.Actual locations where Dark Age Britons were active, such as Brittany or the Loire Valley, are not mentioned.The one slight Breton connection is that Arthur is said to have killed Mil Du, son of Ducum, a giant in an early life of St Malo.The next catalogue is of Arthur’s possessions.He lists his ship, his mantle, his sword Caletvwlch, spear Rongomynyat, his shield Wyneb Gwrthucher, knife Carnwenhan and wife Gwenhwyvar.The ship is later named as Prytwen.This catalogue seems to be of some antiquity.We know this because Geoffrey of Monmouth preserves it in an earlier form.Bromwich and Evans point out that Geoffrey’s version, Caliburnus (from whence our form ‘Excalibur’ derives) comes from a much older form than Caletvwlch.Geoffrey knows Arthur’s spear simply as ron, an old word meaning spear.It is not used in Culhwch and Olwen.Gomyniad means striker/slayer and is used in the Gododdin.It seems that the writer has mistaken this description as part of the name.For the reasons covered above, it seems likely that Geoffrey’s naming the shield Prydwen is an earlier tradition.The name Wyneb Gwrthucher means ‘face – evening’, suggesting a dark colour rather than the universal white in the early poems.This list sees the first appearance of Arthur’s wife – ‘The first lady of the island’ – Gwenhwyvar.Geoffrey gave her name, too, and her appearance in Culhwch and Olwen is evidence of a common tradition older than the tenth century.She plays no part in the action.We cannot say what stories were told about her, whether, for instance, she is the mother of Gwydre, son of Arthur, killed later in the story.Gwenhwyvar is listed as one of the ‘gentle gold-torqued women of the island’ alongside her sister Gwenhwyach.The Triads connect the two with the battle of Camlan, but Culhwch and Olwen does not.Instead, it gives Arthur’s man, Gwynn Hyvar, ‘Mayor’ of Devon and Cornwall, as one of the nine men who ‘threaded out’ the battle of Camlan.This shows that the name Gwenhwyvar/Gwynn Hyvar was given to the causer of the battle of Camlan, but that different stories have been spun from that meagre tradition.For the author, Camlan is a battle featuring three larger-than-life characters, presumably derived from a triad on the survivors of Camlan.The three men who were not struck by weapons at the battle were Morvran, descendant of Tegit – ‘because of his ugliness everyone thought he was a devil helping’, Sande Angel-Face – ‘because of his beauty everyone thought he was an angel helping’, and St Cynwyl, ‘the last to leave Arthur’, possibly implying that this was the battle where Arthur died.Medraut is not mentioned in the story, nor Badon, nor any of the other battles in Historia Brittonum, another indication that the Historia and Annales have different sources from Culhwch and Olwen.The men who escaped Camlan, and the gold-torqued ladies, are part of the catalogue of Arthur’s companions.Some have feats attached to them, others short descriptions, the majority are just names.From Pa gur come Kei, Bedwyr, Anwas Edeinawc, Glewlwyt Gavaelvawr, Llwch Windy-hand, Manawydan son of Llyr, and Gwynn Gotyvron.Mabon, son of Modron and Mabon, son of Mellt turn up later, although they are not in the catalogue.Only Llacheu and Bridlau are unaccounted for.Gwair, the prisoner of Preideu Annwfyn, could be one of four warriors of that name, ‘all uncles of Arthur, his mother’s brothers, all sons of Llwch Windy-hand from beyond the fierce/Tyrrhene sea’.Presumably the author intends that Llwch is Arthur’s grandfather.Taliessin the chief bard is also among Arthur’s men, as is Gildas!One warrior mentioned is Gwawrdur, the man compared to Arthur in the Gododdin.His three sons Duach, Brathach and Nerthach ‘sprung from the highlands of Hell’ and his daughter Gwenwledyr are named in the catalogue.Gwawrdur himself is called ‘the hunchback’.If the author knows the Gododdin, which is quite likely, he may construe the verse differently from the way we have interpreted it.If Gwawrdur is a hunchback, it could be read that his feats were comparable to Arthur’s although physically ‘he was no Arthur’.The poet may intend to invoke surprise that, in extremity at Catraeth, the physically unfit Gwawrdur fought as well as even the famous Arthur, a more flattering and dramatic comparison.Culhwch and Olwen is the first source to present a comprehensive picture of who ‘King Arthur’ is.The six sons of Iaen, ‘all men from Caer Tathal’, are related to Arthur on his (unnamed) father’s side.Llwch Windy-hand has already been mentioned.Culhwch himself is Arthur’s first cousin and therefore shares one of his grandfathers, Kyledon Wledig or Anlawd Wledig.Gormant, son of Ricca, chief elder of Cornwall, is described as Arthur’s half-brother, sharing the same mother.Gereint, son of Erbin, and his son Cadwy are in the catalogue.A Custenhin and his son Goreu (often interpreted as Gorneu – of Cornwall) figure in the story [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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