Mythical Creatures: Giants of Wales - Part Two

Today we are going to finish learning about the Giants of Wales, their stories and defeats, starting with the giant, Benlli Gawr, who appears in Bernard Bolingbroke Woodward’s History of Wales.  He is said to have been defeated by heavenly intervention when Saint Germain was denied entry to his stronghold.

Saint Germain l'Auxerrois statue

Saint Germain and Benlli Gawr

At the time of this mission, there lived in Powys a wicked and tyrannical king, named Benlli; - Benlli Gawr, the giant, he was more frequently called.  The saint found himself one evening at the gate of this giant’s city, and sent a mild and respectful message to him, hoping to carry on his good work where it was so greatly needed.  But the churl sent word back, that if he stayed at the gate a twelvemonth, he should not enter the city.  The saint was distressed at this, for it was becoming dark, and he knew not where to get a night’s lodging; when the keeper of the gate, who had been the unwilling bearer of his lord’s reply, courteously invited him to his own humble abode; and thither St. Germain joyfully went.  Next day he took his place at the gate again, hoping for admission.  Whilst occupied in prayer, a man covered with sweat hastily came out, and prostrated himself before the saint.  ‘Dost thou believe in the Holy Trinity?’ asks St. Germain.  ‘I do,’ replied the man.  Whereupon the saint baptized him, and told him that within an hour he should die; and so it happened; for Benlli above all things abominated want of punctuality in the men he employed, and this man coming to his work after sun-rising, was straightway beheaded.

No entrance could the saint gain; so at night he bade his host call all his friends out of the wicked city; and when he had so done, he told them to watch and pray, and whatever might happen to the tyrant’s stronghold, by no means even to look towards it.  Thus they did, and early in the night fire

Gold Cape, found 1833, Bryn yr Ellyllon, around 1900-1600BC

fell from heaven, and burned up both tyrant and stronghold, and city and people, so that not one escaped.  It was thus that, in the eighth century, our Lord’s command to the apostles to shake off the dust of their feet as a testimony against a city that refused to receive them, had become perverted.  We have mentioned this legend, however, for the purpose of calling our readers’ attention to a curious ornament of gold, somewhat resembling a corslet, which was discovered near Mold in Flintshire, under a carnedd, long known as the Bryn yr Ellyllon, or Elfin’s hill, and is now in the British Museum.  The bones of a large-sized skeleton were found with it; and it seems to have been ornamented with amber beads, as well as with chasing.  Dr. Owen Pughe conjectured that this was the burial-place of Benlli Gawr, whose stronghold was on Moel Benlli near it; the mode of sepulture being such as would prevail in the fifth century.

Our next tale comes from the folklore of Shropshire and concerns the Giant of Wales, who bore a grudge against the Mayor and people of Shrewsbury and sought to drown them all.

The Wrekin Giant - artist unknown

The Origin of the Wrekin

Once upon a time there was a wicked old giant in Wales who, for some reason or other, had a very great spite against the Mayor of Shrewsbury and all his people, and he made up his mind to dam up the Severn, and by that means cause such a flood that the town would be drowned.

So off he set, carrying a spadeful of earth, and tramped along mile after mile trying to find the way to Shrewsbury.  And how he missed it I cannot tell, but he must have gone wrong somewhere, for at last he got close to Wellington, and by that time he was puffing and blowing under his heavy load, and wishing he was at the end of his journey.  By-and-by there came a cobbler along the road with a sack of old boots and shoes on his back, for he lived at Wellington, and went once a fortnight to Shrewsbury to collect his customers old boots and shoes, and take them home with him to mend.  And the giant called out to him.  ‘I say,’ he said, ‘how far is it to Shrewsbury?’  ‘Shrewsbury,’ said the cobbler, ‘what do you want at Shrewsbury?’  ‘Why,’ said the giant, ‘to fill up the Severn with this lump of earth I’ve got here.  I’ve an old grudge against the Mayor and the folks at Shrewsbury, and now I mean to drown

The Wrekin, Telford

them out, and get rid of them all at once.’  ‘My Word!’ thought the cobbler, ‘this’ll never do!  I can’t afford to lose my customers!’ and he spoke up again, ‘Eh!’ he said, ‘you’ll never get to Shrewsbury – not today, nor tomorrow.  Why, look at me!  I’m just come from Shrewsbury, and I’ve had time to wear out all these old boots and shoes on the road since I started.’  And he showed him his sack.  ‘Oh!’ said the giant, with a great groan, ‘then it’s no use!  I’m fairly tired out already, and I can’t carry this load of mine any farther.  I shall just drop it here and go back home.’  So he dropped the earth on the ground just where he stood, and scraped his boots on the spade, and off he went home again to Wales, and nobody ever heard anything of him in Shropshire after.  But where he put down his load there stands the Wrekin to this day: and even the earth he scraped off his boots was such a pile that it made the little Ercall by the Wrekin’s side.

The Slender Man - artist unknown

Finally, before we finish looking at Welsh giants, we have the black giants of Wales.  These range from the giant black ghosts of Welsh folklore to the black giants of the Mabinogion.  The following tale tells of Edward Frank who one night saw a giant ghost on his journey home.

Of gigantic ghosts there are many examples which are very grotesque indeed.  Such an apparition which met Edward Frank, a young man who lived in the parish of Llantarnam.  As he was coming home one night he heard something walking towards him, but at first could see nothing.  Suddenly his way was barred by a tall dismal object which stood in the path before him.  It was the ghost of a marvellous thin man, whose head was so high above the observer’s line of vision that he nearly fell over backward in his efforts to gaze at it.  His knees knocked together and his heart sank.  With great difficulty he gasped forth, ‘In the name of God what is here?  Turn out of my way or I will strike thee!’  The giant ghost then disappeared, and the frightened Edward, seeing a cow not far off, went towards her to lean on her, which the cow stood still and permitted him to do.  The naiveté of this conclusion is convincing.

Another folktale tells of a giant black man who terrified Anne Jenkins, the daughter of the Reverend Mr. Herbert Jenkins.

Anne, the daughter of Mr. Herbert Jenkins, a young woman, well disposed to what is good, gave me the following relation:-

That as she was going one evening to milk the Cows by Rhiw-neweth to seek them, she saw something like a black man, standing by a holly-tree.  She had a Bitch with her which saw it also, and ran towards him to bark at him, upon which it stretched out its black tongue, and the Bitch was frightened and ran back to the young woman turning about her feet for fear; upon which the young woman was so terrified that she could scarcely speak: she found the Cows and brought them back to their own field, from whence they had strayed.  And passing by the holly-tree back again, feared to look at it, lest she should see the same sight again; but being past it, saw it again, very big in the middle and narrow at both ends, going before, treading very heavily, so that the ground seemed to tremble under it.  It went towards a spring in that field which is under it.  It went towards a spring in that field which is under Rhiw-newith, called Ffynnon yr Yspryd – (the Fountain of the Spirit); because of an Apparition formerly seen by it.  About which it fetched a turn, and went over the stile from that field into the Rhiw-newith, the common way so called, and there he whistled so exceedingly strong, that the narrow Valley echoed it back, and then departed; she then felt herself well.

The Mabinogion is ‘full of black men, usually giants, always terrible to encounter.’  One of these appears in ‘Peredur the Son of Evrawc’.

 

Peredur Illustration by Alan Lee

Excerpt from Peredur the Son of Evrawc

Arthur was in Caerllion upon Usk; and he went to hunt, and Peredur went with him.  And Peredur let loose his dog upon a hart, and the dog killed the hart in a desert place.  And a short space from him he saw signs of a dwelling, and towards the dwelling he went, and he beheld a hall, and at the door of the hall he found bald swarthy youths playing at chess.  And when he entered, he beheld three maidens sitting on a bench, and they were all clothed alike, as became persons of high rank.  And he came, and sat by them upon the bench; and one of the maidens looked steadfastly upon Peredur, and wept.  And Peredur asked her wherefore she was weeping.  ‘Through grief, that I should see so fair a youth as thou art, slain.’  ‘Who will slay me?’ inquired Peredur.  ‘If thou art so daring as to remain here tonight, I will tell thee.’  ‘How great soever my danger may be from remaining here, I will listen unto thee.’  ‘This Palace is owned by him who is my father,’ said the maiden, ‘and he slays everyone who comes hither without his leave.’  ‘What sort of man is thy father, that he is able to slay everyone thus?’  ‘A man who does violence and wrong unto his neighbours, and who renders justice unto none.’  And hereupon he saw the youths arise and clear the chessmen from the board.  And he heard a great tumult; and after the tumult there came in a huge black one-eyed man, and the maidens arose to meet him.  And they disarrayed him, and he went and sat down; and after he had rested and pondered awhile, he looked

Peredur Illustration by Alan Lee

at Peredur, and asked who the knight was.  ‘Lord,’ said one of the maidens, ‘he is the fairest and gentlest youth that ever thou didst see.  And for the sake of Heaven, and of thine own dignity, have patience with him.’  ‘For thy sake I will have patience, and I will grant him his life this night.’  Then Peredur came towards them to the fire, and partook of food and liquor, and entered into discourse with the ladies.  And being elated with the liquor, he said to the black man, ‘It is a marvel to me, so mighty as thou sayest thou art, who could have put out thine eye.’  ‘It is one of my habits,’ said the black man, ‘that whosoever puts me to question which thou hast asked, shall not escape with his life, either as a free gift or for a price.’  ‘Lord,’ said the maiden, ‘whatsoever he may say to thee in jest, and through the excitement of liquor, make good that which thou saidst and didst promise me just now.’  ‘I will do so, gladly, for thy sake,’ said he.  ‘Willingly will I grant him his life this night.’  And that night thus they remained.

And the next day the black man got up, and put on his armour, and said to Peredur, "Arise, man, and suffer death." And Peredur said unto him, "Do one of two things, black man; if thou wilt fight with me, either throw off thy own armour, or give arms to me, that I may encounter thee." "Ha, man," said he, "couldst thou fight, if thou hadst arms? Take, then, what arms thou dost choose." And thereupon the maiden came to Peredur with such arms as pleased him; and he fought with the black man, and forced him to crave his mercy. "Black man, thou shalt have mercy, provided thou tell me who thou

Peredur Illustration by Alan Lee

art, and who put out thine eye." "Lord, I will tell thee; I lost it in fighting with the Black Serpent of the Carn. There is a mound, which is called the Mound of Mourning; and on the mound there is a carn, and in the carn there is a serpent, and on the tail of the serpent there is a stone, and the virtues of the stone are such, that whosoever should hold it in one hand, in the other he will have as much gold as he may desire. And in fighting with this serpent was it that I lost my eye. And the Black Oppressor am I called. And for this reason I am called the Black Oppressor, that there is not a single man around me whom I have not oppressed, and justice have I done unto none." "Tell me," said Peredur, "how far is it hence?" "The same day that thou settest forth, thou wilt come to the Palace of the Sons of the King of the Tortures." "Wherefore are they called thus?" "The Addanc of the Lake slays them once every day. When thou goest thence, thou wilt come to the Court of the Countess of the Achievements." "What achievements are there?" asked Peredur. "Three hundred men there are in her household, and unto every stranger that comes to the Court, the achievements of her household are related. And this is the manner of it,--the three hundred men of the household sit next unto the Lady; and that not through disrespect unto the guests, but that they may relate the achievements of the household. And the day that thou goest thence, thou wilt reach the Mound of Mourning, and round about the mound there are the owners of three hundred tents guarding the serpent." "Since thou hast, indeed, been an oppressor so long," said Peredur, "I will cause that thou continue so no longer." So he slew him.

The last giant black man of the Mabinogion I want to cover here appears in ‘The Lady of the Fountain’ in a tale related by Kai to some of the Knights of the Round Table.

Excerpt from The Lady of the Fountain

Then Arthur spoke, "If I thought you would not disparage me," said he, "I would sleep while I wait for my repast; and you can entertain one another with relating tales, and can obtain a flagon of mead and some meat from Kai." And the King went to sleep. And Kynon the son of Clydno asked Kai for that which Arthur had promised them. "I, too, will have the good tale which he promised to me," said Kai. "Nay," answered Kynon, "fairer will it be for thee to fulfill Arthur's behest, in the first place, and then we will tell thee the best tale that we know." So Kai went to the kitchen and to the mead-cellar, and returned bearing a flagon of mead and a golden goblet, and a handful of skewers, upon which were broiled collops of meat. Then they ate the collops and began to drink the mead. "Now," said Kai, "it is time for you to give me my story." "Kynon," said Owain, "do thou pay to Kai the tale that is his due." "Truly," said Kynon, "thou are older, and art a better teller of tales, and hast seen more marvellous things than I; do thou therefore pay Kai his tale." "Begin thyself," quoth Owain, "with the best that thou knowest." "I will do so," answered Kynon.



The Lady of the Fountain Illustration by Alan Lee

"I was the only son of my mother and father, and I was exceedingly aspiring, and my daring was very great. I thought there was no enterprise in the world too mighty for me, and after I had achieved all the adventures that were in my own country, I equipped myself, and set forth to journey through deserts and distant regions. And at length it chanced that I came to the fairest valley in the world, wherein were trees of equal growth; and a river ran through the valley, and a path was by the side of the river. And I followed the path until mid-day, and continued my journey along the remainder of the valley until the evening; and at the extremity of a plain I came to a large and lustrous Castle, at the foot of which was a torrent. And I approached the Castle, and there I beheld two youths with yellow curling hair, each with a frontlet of gold upon his head, and clad in a garment of yellow satin, and they had gold clasps upon their insteps. In the hand of each of them was an ivory bow, strung with the sinews of the stag; and their arrows had shafts of the bone of the whale, and were winged with peacock's feathers; the shafts also had golden heads. And they had daggers with blades of gold, and with hilts of the bone of the whale. And they were shooting their daggers.
"And a little way from them I saw a man in the prime of life, with his beard newly shorn, clad in a robe and a mantle of yellow satin; and round the top of his mantle was a band of gold lace. On his feet were shoes of variegated leather, fastened by two bosses of gold. When I saw him, I went towards him and saluted him, and such was his courtesy that he no sooner received my greeting than he returned it. And he went with me towards the Castle. Now there were no dwellers in the Castle except those who were in one hall. And there I saw four-and-twenty damsels, embroidering satin at a window. And this I tell thee, Kai, that the least fair of them was fairer than the fairest maid thou hast ever beheld in the Island of Britain, and the least lovely of them was more lovely than Gwenhwyvar, the wife of Arthur, when she has appeared loveliest at the Offering, on the day of the Nativity, or at the feast of Easter. They rose up at my coming, and six of them took my horse, and divested me of my armour; and six others took my arms, and washed them in a vessel until they were perfectly bright. And the third six spread cloths upon the tables and prepared meat. And the fourth six took off my soiled garments, and placed others upon me; namely, an under-vest and a doublet of fine linen, and a robe, and a surcoat, and a mantle of yellow satin with a broad gold band upon the mantle. And they placed cushions both beneath and around me, with coverings of red linen; and I sat down. Now the six maidens who had taken my horse, unharnessed him, as well as if they had been the best squires in the Island of Britain. Then, behold, they brought bowls of silver wherein was water to wash, and towels of linen, some green and some white; and I washed. And in a little while the man sat down to the table. And I sat next to him, and below me sat all the maidens, except those who waited on us. And the table was of silver, and the cloths upon the table were of linen; and no vessel was served upon the table that was not either of gold or of silver, or of buffalo-horn. And our meat was brought to us. And verily, Kai, I saw there every sort of meat and every sort of liquor that I have ever seen elsewhere; but the meat and the liquor were better served there than I have ever seen them in any other place.
"Until the repast was half over, neither the man nor any one of the damsels spoke a single word to me; but when the man perceived that it would be more agreeable to me to converse than to eat any more, he began to inquire of me who I was. I said I was glad to find that there was some one who would discourse with me, and that it was not considered so great a crime at that Court for people to hold converse together. 'Chieftain,' said the man, 'we would have talked to thee sooner, but we feared to disturb thee during thy repast; now, however, we will discourse.' Then I told the man who I was, and what was the cause of my journey; and said that I was seeking whether any one was superior to me, or whether I could gain the mastery over all. The man looked upon me, and he smiled and said, 'If I did not fear to distress thee too much, I would show thee that which thou seekest.' Upon this I became anxious and sorrowful, and when the man perceived it, he said, 'If thou wouldest rather that I should show thee thy disadvantage than thine advantage, I will do so. Sleep here to-night, and in the morning arise early, and take the road upwards through the valley until thou reachest the wood through which thou camest hither. A little way within the wood thou wilt meet with a road branching off to the right, by which thou must proceed, until thou comest to a large sheltered glade with a mound in the centre. And thou wilt see a black man of great stature on the top of the mound. He is not smaller in size than two of the men of this world. He has but one foot; and one eye in the middle of his forehead.  And he has a club of iron, and it is certain that there are no two men in the world who would not find their burden in that club. And he is not a comely man, but on the contrary he is exceedingly ill-favoured; and he is the woodward of that wood. And thou wilt see a thousand wild animals grazing around him. Inquire of him the way out of the glade, and he will reply to thee briefly, and will point out the road by which thou shalt find that which thou art in quest of.'
"And long seemed that night to me. And the next morning I arose and equipped myself, and mounted my horse, and proceeded straight through the valley to the wood; and I followed the cross-road which the man had pointed out to me, till at length I arrived at the glade. And there was I three times more astonished at the number of wild animals that I beheld, than the man had said I should be. And the black man was there, sitting upon the top of the mound. Huge of stature as the man had told me that he was, I found him to exceed by far the description he had given me of him. As for the iron club which the man had told me was a burden for two men, I am certain, Kai, that it would be a heavy weight for four warriors to lift; and this was in the black man's hand. And he only spoke to me in answer to my questions. Then I asked him what power he held over those animals. 'I will show thee, little man,' said he. And he took his club in his hand, and with it he struck a stag a great blow so that he brayed vehemently, and at his braying the animals came together, as numerous as the stars in the sky, so that it was difficult for me to find room in the glade to stand among them. There were serpents, and dragons, and divers sorts of animals. And he looked at them, and bade them go and feed; and they bowed their heads, and did him homage as vassals to their lord.



The Lady of the Fountain Illustration by Alan Lee

"Then the black man said to me, 'Seest thou now, little man, what power I hold over these animals?' Then I inquired of him the way, and he became very rough in his manner to me; however, he asked me whither I would go? And when I told him who I was and what I sought, he directed me. 'Take,' said he, 'that path that leads towards the head of the glade, and ascend the wooded steep until thou comest to its summit; and there thou wilt find an open space like to a large valley, and in the midst of it a tall tree, whose branches are greener than the greenest pine-trees. Under this tree is a fountain, and by the side of the fountain a marble slab, and on the marble slab a silver bowl, attached by a chain of silver, so that it may not be carried away. Take the bowl and throw a bowlful of water upon the slab, and thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, so that thou wilt think that heaven and earth are trembling with its fury. With the thunder there will come a shower so severe that it will be scarce possible for thee to endure it and live. And the shower will be of hailstones; and after the shower, the weather will become fair, but every leaf that was upon the tree will have been carried away by the shower. Then a flight of birds will come and alight upon the tree; and in thine own country thou didst never hear a strain so sweet as that which they will sing. And at the moment thou art most delighted with the song of the birds, thou wilt hear a murmuring and complaining coming towards thee along the valley. And thou wilt see a knight upon a coal-black horse, clothed in black velvet, and with a pennon of black linen upon his lance; and he will ride unto thee to encounter thee with the utmost speed. If thou fleest from him he will overtake thee, and if thou abidest there, as sure as thou art a mounted knight, he will leave thee on foot. And if thou dost not find trouble in that adventure, thou needest not seek it during the rest of thy life.'
"So I journeyed on, until I reached the summit of the steep, and there I found everything as the black man had described it to me. And I went up to the tree, and beneath it I saw the fountain, and by its side the marble slab, and the silver bowl fastened by the chain. Then I took the bowl, and cast a bowlful of water upon the slab; and thereupon, behold, the thunder came, much more violent than the black man had led me to expect; and after the thunder came the shower; and of a truth I tell thee, Kai, that there is neither man nor beast that can endure that shower and live. For not one of those hailstones would be stopped, either by the flesh or by the skin, until it had reached the bone. I turned my horse's flank towards the shower, and placed the beak of my shield over his head and neck, while I held the upper part of it over my own head. And thus I withstood the shower. When I looked on the tree there was not a single leaf upon it, and then the sky became clear, and with that, behold the birds lighted upon the tree, and sang. And truly, Kai, I never heard any melody equal to that, either before or since. And when I was most charmed with listening to the birds, lo, a murmuring voice was heard through the valley, approaching me and saying, 'Oh, Knight, what has brought thee hither? What evil have I done to thee, that thou shouldst act towards me and my possessions as thou hast this day? Dost thou not know that the shower to-day has left in my dominions neither man nor beast alive that was exposed to it?' And thereupon, behold, a Knight on a black horse appeared, clothed in jet-black velvet, and with a tabard of black linen about him. And we charged each other, and, as the onset was furious, it was not long before I was overthrown. Then the Knight passed the shaft of his lance through the bridle rein of my horse, and rode off with the two horses, leaving me where I was. And he did not even bestow so much notice upon me as to imprison me, nor did he despoil me of my arms. So I returned along the road by which I had come. And when I reached the glade where the black man was, I confess to thee, Kai, it is a marvel that I did not melt down into a liquid pool, through the shame that I felt at the black man's derision. And that night I came to the same castle where I had spent the night preceding. And I was more agreeably entertained that night than I had been the night before; and I was better feasted, and I conversed freely with the inmates of the castle, and none of them alluded to my expedition to the fountain, neither did I mention it to any; and I remained there that night. When I arose on the morrow, I found, ready saddled, a dark bay palfrey, with nostrils as red as scarlet; and after putting on my armour, and leaving there my blessing, I returned to my own Court. And that horse I still possess, and he is in the stable yonder. And I declare that I would not part with him for the best palfrey in the Island of Britain.

And that concludes the Giants of Wales.  Next time we will look at the giants of Scandinavia.

Useful Resources

Giants, Monsters & Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth by Carol Rose

History of Wales by Bernard Bolingbroke Woodward

English Fairy and Folktales by Edwin Sidney Hartland
A Relation of Apparitions of Spirits in the County of Monmouth and the Principality ofWales by Edmund Jones
The Mabinogion by Lady Charlotte Guest

Mythical Creatures: Giants of Wales - Part One

Welsh legend and folklore is full of giants.  Most are bad tempered and cruel, some are black, and some are even ghostly apparitions of giants long dead.  But all are eventually defeated, sometimes through some kind of heavenly intervention and often by the mythical King Arthur who is so popular in Welsh tales.  Over the next two posts we will learn about these giants of Wales and their stories, along with their eventual defeat.

Culhwch (or Kilhwch) and Olwen, often referred to as ‘the Oldest Arthurian tale’, was written in c1090 and is the oldest and the longest to appear in the Welsh Mabinogion.  Set in the court of Arthur, the story tells of the feats which the hero, Culhwch, must accomplish in order to win Olwen, whose father is Ysbaddaden, the Chief Giant, whose eyes are so heavy that they need to be propped up with forks or spears.  Another giant to play a minor role within the tale is Gwrnach, whose sword is needed to complete one of the tasks set by Ysbaddaden.    As the original tale is a good 19 pages long, I’ll give you one version here, but if you want to read the original in its entirety you can find it here.

Ysbaddaden Chief Giant by Alan Lee

Culhwch and Olwen

Culhwch was the son of Cilydid and Goleuddydd and the cousin of the famous King Arthur.  When Goleuddydd died, Cilydid took another wife.  The new wife thought Culhwch would make a good husband to her own daughter.  When Culhwch refused her request, she became very angry.  She laid a curse on him that the only woman he could ever marry was Olwen, daughter of the fearsome giant Yspaddaden Pencawr.  Yspaddaden would not allow any man to marry his daughter because an ancient curse promised he would die on the wedding day.

Even so, Culhwch blushed at the sound of Olwen’s name.  He fell in love with the very idea of her and went to his father to ask how he could win her.  Cilydid reminded his son that he was King Arthur’s cousin.  He suggested he go to Arthur’s court and ask for Olwen as a favour.
After a long journey, Culhwch arrived at the gates of Arthur’s palace.  It was late and the gates had been closed for the night.  The gatekeeper explained that it was Arthur’s custom to keep the gates locked until morning.  Culhwch flatly refused this response.  He demanded to be allowed in.  He swore that if he were not, he would let out a shriek so loud and so shrill that it would cause every pregnant woman in the land to miscarry her child.  The gatekeeper brought this news to Arthur.  Although several of his knights advised him against doing so, Arthur went against custom and allowed Culhwch to enter.
After greeting each other, Arthur offered his cousin food and drink.  Culhwch explained that he was there for a much greater purpose and that he had a favour to ask.  Arthur promised to grant him whatever he asked.  Hearing this Culhwch replied, ‘Then I ask for Olwen daughter of Chief Giant Ysbaddaden, and I invoke her in the name of your warriors.’
Neither Arthur nor any of his knights had heard of Olwen, but they promised to help Culhwch find her nonetheless.  Arthur ordered his most skilled warriors to accompany Culhwch on his journey.  Among the men who went along were Kai, who could hold his breath for nine days and go without sleep for nine nights.  With Kai came his constant companion Bedwyr, who was as fast with a sword as he was beautiful.  The party was rounded out by Gwrhyr, who could speak the language of any man or animal, Gwalchmei, who could leave no adventure unachieved, and Menw, who could make himself and his companions invisible.

Culhwch and Olwen by Alan Lee

The party travelled together until they saw a huge fortress on an open plain.  Feeding on the plain was a seemingly endless number of sheep.  They were watched over by a hulking shepherd and his huge dog.  Menw put a spell on the dog so that they could approach the shepherd without harm.  The party asked the shepherd his name and whose fortress it was.  He replied that he was Custennin.  The fortress belonged to Ysbaddaden, who Custennin and his wife hated.  The evil giant had killed all but one of their twenty-four sons.  They kept the only survivor hidden in a stone chest to keep him from harm.  Kai offered to take the boy under his wing and train him as a knight.  In return for his generous offer Custennin’s wife offered to secure a secret meeting between Olwen and Culhwch.
Messengers were dispatched and Olwen came down to the plain to wash her hair.  According to the poets of old:

Her hair was yellower than broom, her skin whiter than sea-foam…  Neither the eye of a mewer hawk nor the eye of a thrice-mewed falcon was fairer than hers; her [skin was] whiter than the breast of a white swan, her cheeks were redder than the reddest foxgloves, and anyone who saw her would fall deeply in love.

Culhwch and Olwen talked together at Custennin’s house and quickly fell in love.  As Olwen stood up to return home, she told Culhwch to ask her father for her hand in marriage and not to deny anything he might ask of him.  In return, she promised to spend the rest of her days with him.

The next day, the party made for Ysbaddaden’s castle.  They killed the nine gatekeepers and made their was straight to the giant’s chambers.  The giant glared at them.  He said he would think about the request and give them an answer the next day.  As they turned to go, he grabbed a poisoned spear and threw it at them.  But Bedwyr, quick as lightning, caught it and hurled it back, wounding the giant’s knee.

Culhwch at Ysbadadden's court by E. Wallcousins

The next day the same thing happened.  Ysbaddaden told them to return and threw a second spear as they left.  Menw caught the spear and this time pierced the giant’s chest.  The third day they repeated the ritual once more.  This time, Culhwch caught the spear and threw it back so hard that it went through Ysbaddaden’s eye and came out the other side.  The giant finally agreed to sit down with Culhwch and his party to discuss his daughter’s marriage.
Ysbaddaden agreed to let Culhwch marry Olwen, but only after he had completed several tasks.  The giant then listed thirty-nine tasks, each more impossible than the last.  For example, Culhwch was to plow a vast hill in one day’s time, which could only be achieved if they captured two magic oxen to lead the plow, which could only be driven by a certain plowman, and so on.  After Ysbaddaden named each feat to be completed or item to be brought back, Culhwch simply responded, ‘It will be easy for me to get that, though you think otherwise.’
Culhwch and his party made their way back to Arthur’s court.  On the way, Kai fulfilled one of the trials by tricking a giant named Gwrnach into giving him his sword.  When they arrived at court, they explained to the king what they must do.  Arthur immediately promised his help and resources.  The group set out to accomplish the tasks.  They realized that the most dangerous one would be obtaining the comb and shears that rested between the ears of Twrch Trwyth, a king transformed into a monstrous boar.
On their way to find the boar king, Arthur and his companions attempted to fulfil another of their tasks – to find Mabon, the son of Modron who had been kidnapped when he was only three days old.  Arthur instructed Gwyhyr to ask an ancient Blackbird if he knew of Mabon’s whereabouts.  The Blackbird answered that while he had been sitting in that spot long enough to peck an anvil to the size of a nut, he had never heard anyone speak of the boy.  The bird suggested that they ask a beast older than he, the Stag of Rhedenwre.  The Stag could not help them, nor could an old Owl nor an ancient Eagle.  Finally, though, they were directed toward the Salmon of Lake Llyw who was said to have been the oldest living creature in the world.  The Salmon indeed knew where Mabon lived.  He even offered to take Kai and Gwrhyr there on his shoulders.  Together they made their way to a stone house, where they heard a terrible wailing.  It was Mabon, begging for his freedom.  Kai and Gwyhyr released Mabon, who then helped them fulfil many of their tasks.
After much time, Arthur decided he and his men were ready to take on Twrch.  They advanced to the castle where the boar king lived with his seven young pig sons.  The companions fought Twrch for three days with little results.


The End of the Quest by Lelek1980

Finally, Arthur sent Gwrhyr in the shape of a bird to speak with Twrch.  Gwrhyr begged the board king to give up his comb and scissors in order to put an end to all the fighting.  Twrch not only refused, he promised to do even more damaged to the land and Arthur’s men.Enraged, Twrch and his pigs swarmed across the sea into Wales.  Arthur and his men followed.  They made their way all over Britain chasing Twrch, encountering many adventures and even fulfilling other tasks in the process.  Over a long period of time, the pig sons were killed one by one until Twrch alone remained.  Finally, they cornered the king and were able to grab the comb and scissors – but not without great effort and cost on their part.  Twrch managed to escape before Arthur had a chance to kill him.
With the comb in hand, Arthur had succeeded in helping Culhwch fulfil his trials as promised.  They made their way back to Ysbaddaden, bringing him every treasure he had required.  The gifts he had demanded turned out to be his death wish.  When Culhwch asked if Olwen was his, Ysbaddaden replied, ‘She is.  And you need not thank me, rather Arthur, who won her for you; of my own will you would have never got her.  Now it is time for you to kill me.’
With that, one of Arthur’s men grabbed the giant and beheaded him.  Ysbaddaden’s head was placed on a pole in the wall.  Arthur seized the fortress and all the treasures.  Culhwch, of course, took Olwen and the couple was soon married.

Our next giant, Rhitta Gawr, was alluded to by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who wrote:

‘On the ridge cold and vast,
There the giant Ricca lies.’
Rhitta Gawr, sometimes referred to as Rhita Gawr, Rhitta Cawr, Rhicca, Ricca, or Rhicca Gawr, was a ‘monstrous aggressive giant who… terrorized the countryside of Yr Wyddfa Fawr, the Snowdon Mountain range, and challenged chieftains and kings to do battle with him.’  The giant seemed to have something of a fetish for the beards of rulers, turning them into a mantle for himself.  The tale below also contains King Arthur and tells of a cairn built for the defeated giant, called ‘Rhita’s Cairn,’ which was, unfortunately destroyed some time ago to make way for a hotel on the summit of the mountain.

Cairn at the top of Eryri, Snowdonia, like that which Rhitta was buried under

The Mantle of Kings’ Beards

There were formerly two kings in Britain named Nynio and Peibio.  One moonlit night, as they were walking the fields, ‘See,’ said Nynio, ‘what a beautiful and extensive field I possess.’  ‘Where is it?’ said Peibio.  ‘There it is,’ said Nynio, ‘the whole sky, as far as vision can extend.’  ‘And does thou see,’ said Peibio, ‘what countless herds and flocks of cattle and sheep I have grazing in thy field?’  ‘Where are they?’ said Nynio.  ‘There they are,’ said Peibio, ‘the whole host of stars which thou seest, each of golden brightness, with the Moon for their shepherdess, to look after their wanderings.’  ‘They shall not graze in my pasture,’ said Nynio.  ‘They shall,’ said Peibio.  ‘They shall not,’ said the one.  ‘They shall,’ said the other.  From contention it came to furious war, and the armies and subjects of both the kings were nearly all destroyed.

Rhitta Gawr, King of Wales, hearing of the desolation wrought by these mad monarchs, determined to attack them.  Having previously consulted the laws and his people, he marched against them, vanquished them and cut off their beards.  When the other Kings of Britain, twenty-eight in number, heard of this, they combined all their legions to avenge the degradation committed on the two disbearded kings, and made a fierce onset on Rhitta the Giant and his forces, and furiously bold was the engagement.  But Rhitta won the day.  ‘This is my extensive field,’ said he then, and he shaved the beards of these kings also, so that he now had the beards of thirty Kings of Britain.

Arthur and Rhitta Gawr - artist unknown

When the kings of the surrounding countries heard of the disgrace inflicted on all these disbearded kings, they armed themselves against Rhitta and his men, and tremendous was the conflict.  But Rhitta achieved a decisive victory, and then exclaimed, ‘This is my immense field,’ and at once ordered his men to shave off the beards of the kings.  Then pointing to them, ‘These,’ said he, ‘are the animals that grazed my field, but I have driven them out: they shall no longer depasture there.’  After that he took up all the beards and trimmed with them a mantle for himself that extended from head to heel: and Rhitta was twice as large as any other person ever seen.
Then Rhitta sent a messenger to the Court of King Arthur to say that he had trimmed a mantle with kings’ beards, and to command Arthur carefully to flay off his beard and send it to him.  Out of respect to his pre-eminence over other kings his beard should have the honour of the principal place.  But if he refused to do it, he challenged him to a duel, with this offer, that the conqueror should have the mantle and the beard of the vanquished.  Then was Arthur furiously wroth and said:
‘Were it permitted to slay a messenger, thou shouldest not go back to thy lord alive, for this is the most arrogant and villainous message that ever man sent to a king.  By the faith of my body, Rhitta shall lose his head.’
Arthur gathered his host and marched into Gwynedd and encountered Rhitta.  The twain fought on foot, and they gave one another blows so fierce, so frequent and so powerful, that their helmets were pierced and their skullcaps were broken and their arms were shattered and the light of their eyes was darkened by sweat and blood.  At the last Arthur became enraged, and he called to him all his strength: and boldly angry and swiftly resolute and furiously determined, he lifted up his sword and struck Rhitta on the crown of the head a blow so fiercely-wounding, severely-venomous and sternly-smiting that it cut through all his head armour and his skin and his flesh and clove him in twain.  And Rhitta gave up the ghost, and was buried on the top of the highest mountain of Eryri, and each of his soldiers placed a stone on his tomb.  The place was afterwards known as Gwyddfa Rhitta, Rhitta’s Barrow, but the English call it Snowdon.

Garwed the Giant terrorized Craig-y-Ddinas

Our next tale concerns Garwed the Giant, who spent his time praying on the local cattle, leaving the people so distraught that they sought the help of King Arthur to rid them of the giant.

Arthur and Garwed the Giant

The tale of another of Arthur’s giant-killing episode is directly linked to the various episodes linking Arthur to Craig-y-Ddinas near Pontneddfechan in the Vale of Neath which according to some legends is Arthur’s final resting place.

The tale itself relates to Garwed the Giant who was terrorizing the neighbourhood around Craig-y-Ddinas.  He was praying on the local cattle herds and when the cattle were moved away or he had consumed them all he terrorized the local people to supply him with live bullocks and heifers.  Matters had become so desperate that envoys were sent to Arthur’s court in Caerllion to request assistance.  It just so happened that the envoys arrived when Arthur was holding court at Caerllion and the Great Leader heard their petition himself.  On hearing of their troubles he personally vowed to rid their land of the marauding giant.
The following morning Arthur arrayed himself in his armour and mounting his favourite charger he rode out with Bedwyr and Cei at his side.
The horsemen reached the outskirts of Pontneddfechan  Something whistled through the air above them and the riders immediately halted their steeds; and only just in time as a huge, damp, clod of earth thwacked wetly onto the path just ahead of them.  Moments later and all three riders spurred their steeds off the path and into the nearby woods as wattle fences, crumbling sheets of daub, hunks of thatch and tree-trunk posts – now shredded to little more than cordwood – darkened the skies and rained down upon them.
Barking an order, Arthur, undaunted, led him compatriots onwards through the wooded verge of the track and towards the source of the destruction.  For a while the thudding of their horses’ hooves and the whipping of the branches about them almost covered the sounds of roaring and pounding ahead of them.  But soon enough, as they veered from the tree verge and back onto the path the pounding became so pronounced that the very ground beneath them began to shake.

King of the Britons by theDURRRRIAN*

Within instants they had broken through into a clearing, coming upon what had once been a farmstead – but which was now little more than a ruined wreck.  In the midst of the ruination there was a giant squatting upon his haunches within a crater of his own creation.  His hands wrapped around a byre which he held up to the sky and rattled even as one roving eye peered within.  Every now and then he would raise his hands to rattle the byre, sending clouds of clay and whitewash drifting to the ground by his feet.  Then he would tilt the building upwards so that he could peer within once more.
Arthur and his teulu reached within striking distance of the giant just as he crushed the byre in his hands and hurled it spear-like into the air.  Halting his steed, Arthur dismounted and handed the reins to Bedwyr before calmly walking towards the giant figure before him.  Tilting his head upwards Arthur addressed the giant, saying: ‘I am Arthur, protector of this realm – to whom am I addressing?’
'Puny mannikin,' replied the giant, inclining his head to look at the small figure before him, 'I am Garwed and these are my feeding grounds. If you truly are the protector of this realm, bring me kine before I start feeding on your people.'
Arthur gathered himself to his full height and suddenly he seemed to grow in both stature and majesty. 'Garwed,' he said, addressing the giant, 'you have consumed all the fair beasts of the regions hereabouts...'
The giant roared at this and raised his hand as if to swat Arthur away. But Arthur raised his own hand as if in a sign of appeasement. 'But...', he continued, '...there is a realm close to this that is overflowing with fine white cattle.'
'SHOW ME,' thundered the giant.
Instead of replying Arthur simply mounted his steed and with a wave of his hand indicated that Garwed should follow the three mounted men. As they turned their steeds' heads and cantered westwards the giant loped behind them, each footfall shaking the ground as it impacted with the earth. They rode quietly for a good half hour even as the giant's grumblings grew louder and louder behind them until they eventually emerged into a clearing beside a river. Before them stood a single imposing crag, rough inposing and shaped like a lopsided triangle. Arthur simply slowed his steed, pointed at the crag and of Craig y Ddinas and began to slowly ease his steed along the riverbank.

Giant by jjpeabodyB

Eventually they veered from the riverbank and began heading immediately towards the crag of Craig y Dinas and Arthur urged his steed into a canter and then a gallop, forcing the giant to enter into a long-legged lope to keep up with them. Within moments they were passing an ancient gnarled hazel tree at the base of Craig y Ddinas, heading for the outcrop itself. At the lower slope Arthur dismounted from his steed and motioned his companions to do likewise. Then all three warriors waited for the giant to catch-up with them.
Reaching level with Arthur and his men, the giant towered over them and roared down at them 'Where are my Kine?'.
'Through there', replied Aathur, pointing at the rock face of Craig-y-Ddinas. Beyond that lies the gateway to the Summer Realm and there there are magical kine, the fattest and most succulent that anyone has ever seen.
'Hmph...' harrumphed the giant... 'But where?'
Simply dig where I indicate, Arthur replied, and you will gain the Summer Realm.
The giant viewed the three small humans with dubious uncertainty, but he turned to face the mountain and began to tear at the soil and the rocks with his hands, sending great chunks of mountainside arcing into the air over their heads. Deeper and deeper the giant dug, until his head and then his shoulders and then almost his entire torso vanished into the hole he was forming.

Fallen Giant by Batatalion

At that point, Arthur shouted 'Now!' and he and his companions took up their spears and rushed the giant. Still half-stuck in the hole he had digged, Garwed struggled to back out, but he was wedged stuck and the three spears struck him deeply. So mighty was Arthur's strike that his spear went through the giant's back, straight into his heart and kept on going deep into the mountain. Indeed, it caused a fissure from which emerged a spring, that spring which now feeds the river which bears the giant's name, Afon Garwed.
The giant's heartblood was spilled and it trickled down the mountain side to the roots of the gnarled hazel tree at its base.
Arthur turned to his men and said to them: 'This is an enchanted place now, here, one day we shall sleep the sleep of the ages.'
Many years passed, and the giant's body decayed and merged with the tunnel he had dug to form a cave, a cave that the giant's blood enchanted to make it invisible from the gaze of mortal men.

Sion Dafydd Rhys, writing around c.1600, detailed several Welsh giants in his ‘The Giants of Wales and Their Dwellings.’  These included Maylor, or Maelor Gawr and his sons Cornippin Gawn, Crygyn Gawr and Bwba Gawr, and told of the capture of Maylor Gawr.

'Dinas Maelor' or 'Maelor's Fort', Wales

The Capture of Maylor Gawr

And in the country of Aberteifi, before the coming of Brutus to this island, there formerly lived Maylor Gawr, and the place where he lived is still called Castell Maylor which was built on a high hill or high ridge called Y Dinas on the one side of the river Ystwyth within the boundary of the town of Aber Yystwhyth.

To this Maylor Gawr were three sons, namely, Cornippin Gawr, and Crygyn Gawr, and Bwba Gawr.  Corpinnin Gawr dwelt in a castle which is still called after his own name, namely Castell Cornippin opposite the parish of Llan Ychaiam within the commote of Meifienydd.  And it came to pass that Maylor Gawr was taken prisoner in a place called Cyfeilog, about twelve miles from his own castle: and when on the point of being put to death, he begged of his enemies to permit him to blow his horn three times before suffering death, which thing was allowed to him.  And then he blew his horn the first time until the hair on his head and beard fell.  And on the second blast of his horn, so great was the strength and force of the sounding that all his finger and toe-nails fell off completely.  And on the third blast of his horn the intensity of the force of the sound caused the horn to be broken into small pieces.  And then when his son Cornippin was hunting, as he rode on his huge horse and leading his hound by hand, and hearing the sound of his father’s horn, he saddened greatly, and he longed beyond measure for his father: and that place, to this present day is called

Ystwyth river by Matt Davies

Cefn Hiraethog.  And then he began to return towards his father in seeking to help him: and in riding with such haste and swiftness, he tore the head of his hound off its body, until there only remained in the leash the head and mouth of the dog.  And that place is still called to this day, The Pass of the Dog’s Muzzle.  And when he saw that, he spurred his steed until the horse leapt at one bound over the Ystwyth River so that it was a great wonder to see such a length of leap, is called to this hour Ol Carn y March.  And in that manner Cornippin came up to his father, where after fighting he also was killed.
And Crygyn Gawr dwelt in Castell Grygyn within the parish of Llan Hilar, and in the same commote.
Bwba Gawr lived in the castle which still bears his name, namely, Castell Bwba, in the parish of Llan Bodam Fawr in the middle commote.
These giants lived in Wales before Brutus came to this island, and their custom while they lived was to kill whatever men should come to lodge within their strongholds until at last the same man came and killed them both the same night by cunning.

Another giant found within Sion’s writings is Cribwr Gawr, with the writing detailing the death of his sisters at the hands of Arthur.  This tale bears some resemblance to the tale of Odysseus and Polyphemus, in which Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his name is Nobody – a trick which enabled Odysseus to both blind and escape Polyphemus.

In the country of Morgannwg was Cribwr Gawr in Castell Cefn Cribwr by Llan Gewydd.  Arthur killed three sisters of Cribwr by treachery.  Because Arthur nicknamed him(self) Hot Pottage to the first sister, and Warm Porridge to the second sister (so the tale runs), and a Morsel of Bread to the third, and when the first sister called for help against Hot Pottage Cribwr answered: Wench, let him cool; and in the same manner he answered the second sister, when she sought assistance against Warm Porridge.  And the third sister called out that the Morsel of Bread was choking her, and to this he answered, Wench, take a smaller piece.  And when Cribwr reproached Arthur for killing his sisters Arthur replied by an englyn milwr in this manner:

Y Cribarth (The Sleeping Giant) by Ray Thomas

Cribwr take thy combs

And cease with currish anger
If I get a real chance – surely
What they have had, thou shalt have too.

No one could kill the three sisters together, so great was their strength, but singly by stealth Arthur killed them.

And the place is still called after his name Cribarth, namely, Garth Cribwr Gawr.

That's all for today.  Tomorrow we will cover the rest of the giants of Wales, including Benlli Gawr, the Giant of Wales, and the black ghost giants of Welsh folklore and the Mabinogion.

Useful Resources

The Mabinogion by Lady Charlotte Guest

Giants, Monsters & Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth by CarolRose
The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Literature in English by Ian Ousby
Celtic Mythology Rocks! By Catherine Bernard
The Welsh Fairy Book by W. Jenkyn Thomas
The Giants of Wales and their Dwellings by Sion Dafydd Rhys