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Authors: Sioned Davies
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‘with your permission, I will set out for Dyfed tomorrow.’
‘Well and good,’ said Hyfaidd, ‘may God ease your path; arrange a time and date for Rhiannon to follow you.’
‘Between me and God,’ said Pwyll, ‘we will leave here together.’
‘Is that your wish, lord?’ said Hyfaidd.
‘It is, between me and God,’ said Pwyll.
The next day they travelled to Dyfed, and made for the court at Arberth where a feast had been prepared for them. The best men and women in the land and the realm assembled before them. Neither a man nor woman among them left Rhiannon without beinggiven a notable gift, either a brooch or a ring or a precious stone. They ruled the land successfully that year, and the next. But in the third year the noblemen of the land began to worry at seeing a man whom they loved as much as their lord and foster-brother * without an heir, and they summoned him to them. The place where they met was Preseli in Dyfed.
‘Lord,’ they said, ‘we know that you are not as old as some of the men of this land, but we are afraid that you will not get an heir from the wife that you have. And because of that, take another wife from whom you may have an heir. You will not live for ever,’ they said, ‘and although you may want to stay as you are, we will not allow it.’
‘Well,’ said Pwyll, ‘we have not been together for long yet, and much may happen. Delay the matter until the end of the year. A year from now we will arrange to meet, and I will abide by your decision.’
The meeting was arranged. Before the whole period had elapsed a son was born to him, and he was born in Arberth. On the night of his birth women were brought to keep watch over the boy and his mother, but the women fell asleep and so, too, did the boy’s mother, Rhiannon. Six women had been brought to the chamber. They kept watch for part of the night; however, before midnight each one fell asleep, and woke up towards cock-crow. When they woke up, they looked to where they had put the boy, but there was no sign of him there.
‘Oh,’ said one of the women, ‘the boy has disappeared.’
‘Truly,’ said another, ‘burning us alive or putting us to death would be too small a punishment for this.’
‘Is there anything in the world we can do?’ said one of the women.
‘Yes, there is,’ said another; ‘I have a good plan,’ she said.
‘What is that?’ they said.
‘There is a stag-hound bitch here,’ she said, ‘and she has pups. Let us kill some of the pups, and smear Rhiannon’s face and hands with the blood, and throw the bones beside her, and swear that she herself destroyed her son. * And the word of the six of us will prove stronger than hers.’ They agreed on that.
Towards daybreak Rhiannon woke up and said, ‘My women,’ she said, ‘where is the boy?’
‘Lady,’ they said, ‘do not ask
us
for the boy. We are nothing but bruises and blows from struggling with you; and we are certain that we have never seen a woman fight like you did, and it was uselessfor us to struggle with you. You yourself have destroyed your son, and do not ask us for him.’
‘You poor creatures,’ said Rhiannon, ‘for the sake of the Lord God who knows everything, do not tell lies about me. God, who knows everything, knows that to be a lie. And if you are afraid, by my confession to God, I will protect you.’
‘God knows,’ they said, ‘we will not let ourselves come to any harm for anyone in the world.’
‘You poor creatures,’ she replied, ‘you shall come to no harm if you tell the truth.’ Whatever she said, out of fairness or pity, she received only the same answer from the women.
Then Pwyll Pen Annwfn got up, and his company and retinue, and the incident could not be concealed. The news spread throughout the land, and all the noblemen heard it. And they gathered together to make representations to Pwyll, to ask him to divorce his wife for having committed such a terrible outrage. But Pwyll gave this
‘Well and good,’ said Hyfaidd, ‘may God ease your path; arrange a time and date for Rhiannon to follow you.’
‘Between me and God,’ said Pwyll, ‘we will leave here together.’
‘Is that your wish, lord?’ said Hyfaidd.
‘It is, between me and God,’ said Pwyll.
The next day they travelled to Dyfed, and made for the court at Arberth where a feast had been prepared for them. The best men and women in the land and the realm assembled before them. Neither a man nor woman among them left Rhiannon without beinggiven a notable gift, either a brooch or a ring or a precious stone. They ruled the land successfully that year, and the next. But in the third year the noblemen of the land began to worry at seeing a man whom they loved as much as their lord and foster-brother * without an heir, and they summoned him to them. The place where they met was Preseli in Dyfed.
‘Lord,’ they said, ‘we know that you are not as old as some of the men of this land, but we are afraid that you will not get an heir from the wife that you have. And because of that, take another wife from whom you may have an heir. You will not live for ever,’ they said, ‘and although you may want to stay as you are, we will not allow it.’
‘Well,’ said Pwyll, ‘we have not been together for long yet, and much may happen. Delay the matter until the end of the year. A year from now we will arrange to meet, and I will abide by your decision.’
The meeting was arranged. Before the whole period had elapsed a son was born to him, and he was born in Arberth. On the night of his birth women were brought to keep watch over the boy and his mother, but the women fell asleep and so, too, did the boy’s mother, Rhiannon. Six women had been brought to the chamber. They kept watch for part of the night; however, before midnight each one fell asleep, and woke up towards cock-crow. When they woke up, they looked to where they had put the boy, but there was no sign of him there.
‘Oh,’ said one of the women, ‘the boy has disappeared.’
‘Truly,’ said another, ‘burning us alive or putting us to death would be too small a punishment for this.’
‘Is there anything in the world we can do?’ said one of the women.
‘Yes, there is,’ said another; ‘I have a good plan,’ she said.
‘What is that?’ they said.
‘There is a stag-hound bitch here,’ she said, ‘and she has pups. Let us kill some of the pups, and smear Rhiannon’s face and hands with the blood, and throw the bones beside her, and swear that she herself destroyed her son. * And the word of the six of us will prove stronger than hers.’ They agreed on that.
Towards daybreak Rhiannon woke up and said, ‘My women,’ she said, ‘where is the boy?’
‘Lady,’ they said, ‘do not ask
us
for the boy. We are nothing but bruises and blows from struggling with you; and we are certain that we have never seen a woman fight like you did, and it was uselessfor us to struggle with you. You yourself have destroyed your son, and do not ask us for him.’
‘You poor creatures,’ said Rhiannon, ‘for the sake of the Lord God who knows everything, do not tell lies about me. God, who knows everything, knows that to be a lie. And if you are afraid, by my confession to God, I will protect you.’
‘God knows,’ they said, ‘we will not let ourselves come to any harm for anyone in the world.’
‘You poor creatures,’ she replied, ‘you shall come to no harm if you tell the truth.’ Whatever she said, out of fairness or pity, she received only the same answer from the women.
Then Pwyll Pen Annwfn got up, and his company and retinue, and the incident could not be concealed. The news spread throughout the land, and all the noblemen heard it. And they gathered together to make representations to Pwyll, to ask him to divorce his wife for having committed such a terrible outrage. But Pwyll gave this
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