Dywel fab Erbin is a minor character and warrior of Welsh tradition

Welsh mythology

Welsh mythology, the remnants of the mythology of the pre-Christian Britons, has come down to us in much altered form in medieval Welsh manuscripts such as the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin....

, the son of Erbin

Erbin of Dumnonia

Erbin of Dumnonia was a 5th century King of Dumnonia and saint of Wales.-Monarch:Traditionally, Erbin was a King of Dumnonia, the son of Constantine Corneu and the father of Geraint...

 and the brother of Geraint

Geraint

Geraint is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, a king of Dumnonia and a valiant warrior. He may have lived during or shortly prior to the reign of the historical Arthur, but some scholars doubt he ever existed...

 and Ermid. Alongside his brothers, he is named in the early Arthurian tale Culhwch ac Olwen

Culhwch and Olwen

Culhwch and Olwen is a Welsh tale about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors that survives in only two manuscripts: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, ca. 1400, and a fragmented version in the White Book of Rhydderch, ca. 1325. It is the longest of the surviving Welsh prose...

as a knight

Knight

A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....

 of Arthur's

King Arthur

King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...

 court at Celliwig

Celliwig

Celliwig, Kelliwic or Gelliwic, is perhaps the earliest named location for the court of King Arthur. It may be translated as 'forest grove'.-Literary references:...

.

His death in battle is recorded in the Black Book of Carmarthen

Black Book of Carmarthen

The Black Book of Carmarthen is thought to be the earliest surviving manuscript written entirely or substantially in Welsh. Written in around 1250, the book's name comes from its association with the Priory of St. John the Evangelist and Teulyddog at Carmarthen, and is referred to as black due to...

 poem The Dialogue of Myrddin

Myrddin Wyllt

Myrddin Wyllt , Merlinus Caledonensis or Merlin Sylvestris is a figure in medieval Welsh legend, known as a prophet and a madman...

 and Taliesin

Taliesin

Taliesin was an early British poet of the post-Roman period whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the Book of Taliesin...

, in which it is written:

Again and again, in great throngs they came,

There came Bran and Melgan to meet me.

At the last, they slew Dyel,

The son of Erbin, with all his men.

In the Stanzas of the Graves

Englynion y Beddau

The Englynion y Beddau is a Middle Welsh verse catalogue listing the resting places of legendary heroes. It consists of a series of englynion, or short stanzas in quantitative meter, and survives in a number of manuscripts...

, Dywel's final resting place is given as "Caewaw" or "Caeo", a commot in south-west Wales. The englyn

Englyn

Englyn is a traditional Welsh and Cornish short poem form. It uses quantitative metres, involving the counting of syllables, and rigid patterns of rhyme and half rhyme. Each line contains a repeating pattern of consonants and accent known as cynghanedd.- The Eight Types :There are eight types of...

extolls Dywel's bravery on the battlefield.

The Grave of Dywel, thc son of Erbin, is in the plain of Caewaw

He would not be a vassal to a king;

Blameless, he would not shrink from battle.

Sources

• A. O. Jarman (gol.), Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin (Cardiff, 1982)
• eto (gol.), Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin (Cardiff, 1951)