Hunting of Twrch Trwyth
Encyclopedia
The Hunting of Twrch Trwyth is described vividly in the early Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen
.
Pencawr. Though he has never seen her, Culhwch becomes infatuated with her, but his father warns him that he will never find her without the aid of his famous cousin King Arthur
. The young man immediately sets off to seek his kinsman. He finds him at his court in Celliwig
in Cornwall
.
Arthur agrees to help, and sends six of his finest warriors (Cai
, Bedwyr
, Gwalchmei
, Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd
, Menw son of Tairgwaedd
and Cynddylig Gyfarwydd) to join Culhwch in his search for Olwen. The group meets some relatives of Culhwch's that know Olwen and agree to arrange a meeting. Olwen is receptive to Culhwch's attraction, but she cannot marry him unless her father agrees, and he, unable to survive past his daughter's wedding, will not consent until Culhwch completes a series of about forty impossible-sounding tasks. One of the tasks is to retrieve the razor, scissors and comb from the coat of Twrch Trwyth
, a king who was transformed into a boar for his sins and had "destroyed a third of Ireland
". Arthur's enchanter, Menw son of Tairgwaedd
is sent to snatch one of the treasures from the boar but is poisioned in the process and is forced to retreat. Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd
, one of Arthur's
companions is sent as an emissary to the boars but friendly negotiation lead to nothing. As a result, Arthur and his men set over towards Wales
to begin the hunt.
makes a stand at Cwm Cerwyn and slays eight of Arthur's warriors, but is wounded himself. Early the next morning, a number of Arthur's men attack Twrch Trwyth
again, leading to the deaths of the gatekeepers Huandaw, Gogigiwr and Penpingion
as well as Arthur's chief craftsman Gwlyddyn Saer. The next battles are at Peuliniog, in which a further three men are killed and at Aber Tywi, in which two more, including King Gwilenhin of France, are slain. The host lose the boars at Glan Ystun.
At Dyffryn Llychwr, two of Twrch Trwyth's
piglets massacre a number of Arthur's huntsmen, leading to a counter-attack from Arthur and his heroes. Twrch Trwyth moves to defend his piglets and then flees to Mynydd Amanw, where three of the piglets are killed. At Dyffryn Amanw, another two are slain by the Britons and their allies leaving only two of Twrch Trwyth's children left alive. At Llwch Ewin, a large number of men and dogs are killed by the boars. The piglets, Grugyn Gwallt Eraint and Llwydog Gofyniad, are separated. Grugyn succeeds in killing a number of the men before his death at Garth Grugyn, while Llwydog slaughters the Bretons under King Hir Peisog before his own death at Ystrad Yw.
Arthur calls upon the men of Devon and Cornwall to fight against Twrch Trwyth
and the combined force drives him into the Severn. Mabon son of Modron
and Cyledr Wyllt
succeed in retrieving the razor and shears. Eventually, the comb is retrieved in Cornwall and the boar is driven into the Irish sea and is drowned.
This Brythonic
epic bears comparison with the English saga Beowulf
of Nordic-Germanic
origin; notably the "boar-crested helmets " of the Saxon warriors which are archaeologically attested from southern Sweden
and England
and generally associated with the battle goddess Freyja.
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...
.
Background
Culhwch's father, King Cilydd son of Celyddon, loses his wife Goleuddydd after a difficult childbirth. When he remarries, the young Culhwch rejects his stepmother's attempt to pair him with his new stepsister. Offended, the new queen puts a curse on him so that he can marry no one besides the beautiful Olwen, daughter of the giant YsbaddadenYsbaddaden
; "Ysbaddaden, Chief of Giants," is the primary antagonist of the Welsh romance Culhwch ac Olwen. A vicious giant residing in a nigh on unreachabe castle, he is the father of Olwen and uncle of Goreu fab Custennin...
Pencawr. Though he has never seen her, Culhwch becomes infatuated with her, but his father warns him that he will never find her without the aid of his famous cousin King Arthur
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...
. The young man immediately sets off to seek his kinsman. He finds him at his court in 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:...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
Arthur agrees to help, and sends six of his finest warriors (Cai
Sir Kay
In Arthurian legend, Sir Kay is Sir Ector's son and King Arthur's foster brother and later seneschal, as well as one of the first Knights of the Round Table. In later literature he is known for his acid tongue and bullying, boorish behavior, but in earlier accounts he was one of Arthur's premier...
, Bedwyr
Bedivere
In Arthurian legend, Sir Bedivere is the Knight of the Round Table who returns Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. He serves as King Arthur's marshal and is frequently associated with Sir Kay...
, Gwalchmei
Gawain
Gawain is King Arthur's nephew and a Knight of the Round Table who appears very early in the Arthurian legend's development. He is one of a select number of Round Table members to be referred to as the greatest knight, most notably in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight...
, Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd
Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd
; "Gwrhyr, Interpreter of Languages" is a hero and shapeshifter of early Welsh literature and mythology and a warrior of King Arthur's court at Celliwig...
, Menw son of Tairgwaedd
Menw
; "Menw, son of Three-Cries" is a hero and shapeshifter of early Welsh literature and mythology and a warrior of King Arthur's court at Celliwig. He appears most prominently in the early Arthurian tale Culhwch and Olwen, in which he is handpicked among Arthur's knights to accompany Culhwch on his...
and Cynddylig Gyfarwydd) to join Culhwch in his search for Olwen. The group meets some relatives of Culhwch's that know Olwen and agree to arrange a meeting. Olwen is receptive to Culhwch's attraction, but she cannot marry him unless her father agrees, and he, unable to survive past his daughter's wedding, will not consent until Culhwch completes a series of about forty impossible-sounding tasks. One of the tasks is to retrieve the razor, scissors and comb from the coat of Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth is an enchanted wild boar in the Arthurian legend. The hunt for Twrch Trwyth by King Arthur was the subject of a popular stock narrative in medieval Welsh literature...
, a king who was transformed into a boar for his sins and had "destroyed a third of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
". Arthur's enchanter, Menw son of Tairgwaedd
Menw
; "Menw, son of Three-Cries" is a hero and shapeshifter of early Welsh literature and mythology and a warrior of King Arthur's court at Celliwig. He appears most prominently in the early Arthurian tale Culhwch and Olwen, in which he is handpicked among Arthur's knights to accompany Culhwch on his...
is sent to snatch one of the treasures from the boar but is poisioned in the process and is forced to retreat. Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd
Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd
; "Gwrhyr, Interpreter of Languages" is a hero and shapeshifter of early Welsh literature and mythology and a warrior of King Arthur's court at Celliwig...
, one 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...
companions is sent as an emissary to the boars but friendly negotiation lead to nothing. As a result, Arthur and his men set over towards Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
to begin the hunt.
The Hunt
After being chased across Wales, Twrch TrwythTwrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth is an enchanted wild boar in the Arthurian legend. The hunt for Twrch Trwyth by King Arthur was the subject of a popular stock narrative in medieval Welsh literature...
makes a stand at Cwm Cerwyn and slays eight of Arthur's warriors, but is wounded himself. Early the next morning, a number of Arthur's men attack Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth is an enchanted wild boar in the Arthurian legend. The hunt for Twrch Trwyth by King Arthur was the subject of a popular stock narrative in medieval Welsh literature...
again, leading to the deaths of the gatekeepers Huandaw, Gogigiwr and Penpingion
Penpingion
Penpingion is one of the gatekeepers at Arthur's court in early Arthurian traditions in which he is subservient to Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr. He appears in two tales: How Culhwch won Olwen and Gerain son of Erbin, and is described as having supernatural abilities: he "goes about on his head to save his...
as well as Arthur's chief craftsman Gwlyddyn Saer. The next battles are at Peuliniog, in which a further three men are killed and at Aber Tywi, in which two more, including King Gwilenhin of France, are slain. The host lose the boars at Glan Ystun.
At Dyffryn Llychwr, two of Twrch Trwyth's
Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth is an enchanted wild boar in the Arthurian legend. The hunt for Twrch Trwyth by King Arthur was the subject of a popular stock narrative in medieval Welsh literature...
piglets massacre a number of Arthur's huntsmen, leading to a counter-attack from Arthur and his heroes. Twrch Trwyth moves to defend his piglets and then flees to Mynydd Amanw, where three of the piglets are killed. At Dyffryn Amanw, another two are slain by the Britons and their allies leaving only two of Twrch Trwyth's children left alive. At Llwch Ewin, a large number of men and dogs are killed by the boars. The piglets, Grugyn Gwallt Eraint and Llwydog Gofyniad, are separated. Grugyn succeeds in killing a number of the men before his death at Garth Grugyn, while Llwydog slaughters the Bretons under King Hir Peisog before his own death at Ystrad Yw.
Arthur calls upon the men of Devon and Cornwall to fight against Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth
Twrch Trwyth is an enchanted wild boar in the Arthurian legend. The hunt for Twrch Trwyth by King Arthur was the subject of a popular stock narrative in medieval Welsh literature...
and the combined force drives him into the Severn. Mabon son of Modron
Mabon ap Modron
Mabon ap Modron is a prominent figure from Welsh literature and mythology, the son of Modron and a member of Arthur's warband. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine mother–son pair. His name is related to the Romano-British god Maponos, whose name means...
and Cyledr Wyllt
Cyledr Wyllt
Cyledr Wyllt is a warrior and madman in Welsh mythology, known from the early Arthurian tale Culhwch and Olwen....
succeed in retrieving the razor and shears. Eventually, the comb is retrieved in Cornwall and the boar is driven into the Irish sea and is drowned.
This Brythonic
Britons (historical)
The Britons were the Celtic people culturally dominating Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages. They spoke the Insular Celtic language known as British or Brythonic...
epic bears comparison with the English saga Beowulf
Beowulf
Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
of Nordic-Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...
origin; notably the "boar-crested helmets " of the Saxon warriors which are archaeologically attested from southern Sweden
Spangenhelm
The Spangenhelm was a popular European war combat helmet design of the Early Middle Ages. The name is of German origin. Spangen refers to the metal strips that form the framework for the helmet and could be translated as clips, and -helm simply means helmet. The strips connect three to six steel or...
and England
Benty Grange helmet
The Benty Grange helmet is an archaeological artefact excavated by Thomas Bateman in 1848 from an Anglo-Saxon tumulus at the Benty Grange Farm in the civil parish of Monyash in the English county of Derbyshire....
and generally associated with the battle goddess Freyja.