The Mabinogion Vol. 3 | Page 2

do so."
"Verily," answered he, "it is not my dignity that prevents me." "What is
it then, O chieftain?" asked he. "By Heaven, it is by reason of thine
own ignorance and want of courtesy." "What discourtesy, Chieftain,
hast thou seen in me?" "Greater discourtesy saw I never in man," said
he, "than to drive away the dogs that were killing the stag, and to set
upon it thine own. This was discourteous, and though I may not be
revenged upon thee, yet I declare to Heaven that I will do thee more
dishonour than the value of an hundred stags." "O chieftain," he replied,
"if I have done ill I will redeem thy friendship." "How wilt thou redeem
it?" "According as thy dignity may be, but I know not who thou art?"
"A crowned King am I in the land whence I come." "Lord," said he,
"may the day prosper with thee, and from what land comest thou?"
"From Annwvyn," answered he; "Arawn, a King of Annwvyn, {13} am
I." "Lord," said he, "how may I gain thy friendship?" "After this
manner mayest thou," he said. "There is a man whose dominions are
opposite to mine, who is ever warring against me, and he is Havgan, a
King of Annwvyn, and by ridding me of this oppression which thou
canst easily do shalt thou gain my friendship." "Gladly will I do this,"
said he, "show me how I may." "I will show thee. Behold thus it is thou
mayest. I will make firm friendship with thee; and this will I do, I will
send thee to Annwvyn in my stead, and I will give thee the fairest lady
thou didst ever behold, to be thy companion, and I will put my form
and semblance upon thee, so that not a page of the chamber, nor an
officer, nor any other man that has always followed me shall know that
it is not I. And this shall be for the space of a year from to-morrow, and
then will we meet in this place." "Yes," said he; "but when I shall have
been there for the space of a year, by what means shall I discover him
of whom thou speakest?" "One year from this night," he answered, "is
the time fixed between him and me, that we should meet at the Ford; be
thou there in my likeness, and with one stroke that thou givest him, he
shall no longer live. And if he ask thee to give him another, give it not,
how much soever he may entreat thee, for when I did so, he fought with
me next day as well as ever before." "Verily," said Pwyll, "what shall I

do concerning my kingdom?" Said Arawn, "I will cause that no one in
all thy dominions, neither man, nor woman, shall know that I am not
thou, and I will go there in thy stead." "Gladly then," said Pwyll, "will I
set forward." "Clear shall be thy path and nothing shall detain thee,
until thou come into my dominions, and I myself will be thy guide!"
So he conducted him until he came in sight of the palace and its
dwellings. "Behold," said he, "the Court and the kingdom in thy power.
Enter the Court, there is no one there who will know thee, and when
thou seest {15} what service is done there, thou wilt know the customs
of the Court."
So he went forward to the Court, and when he came there, he beheld
sleeping rooms, and halls, and chambers, and the most beautiful
buildings ever seen. And he went into the hall to disarray, and there
came youths and pages and disarrayed him, and all as they entered
saluted him. And two knights came and drew his hunting dress from
about him, and clothed him in a vesture of silk and gold. And the hall
was prepared, and behold he saw the household and the host enter in,
and the host was the most comely and the best equipped that he had
ever seen. And with them came in likewise the Queen, who was the
fairest woman that he ever yet beheld. And she had on a yellow robe of
shining satin; and they washed and went to the table, and they sat, the
Queen upon one side of him, and one who seemed to be an Earl on the
other side.
And he began to speak with the Queen, and he thought from her speech,
that she was the seemliest, and most noble lady of converse and of
cheer that ever was. And they partook of meat, and drink, with songs,
and with feasting; and of all the Courts upon the earth, behold this was
the best supplied with food and drink, and vessels