The Mabinogion Vol. 3 | Page 9

her away, if she has done wrong, let her do
penance for it."
So Rhiannon sent for the teachers and the wise men, and as she
preferred doing penance to contending with the women, she took upon
her a penance. And the penance that was imposed upon her was, that
she should remain in that palace of Narberth until the end of seven
years, and that she should sit every day near unto a horse-block that
was without the gate. And that she should relate the story to all who
should come there, whom she might suppose not to know it already;
and that she should offer the guests and strangers, if they would permit
her, to carry them upon her back into the palace. But it rarely happened
that any would permit. And thus did she spend part of the year.
Now at that time Teirnyon Twryv Vliant was Lord of Gwent Is Coed,
and he was the best man in the world. And unto his house there
belonged a mare, than which neither mare nor horse in the kingdom
was more beautiful. And on the night of every first of May she foaled,
and no one ever knew what became of the colt. And one night Teirnyon
talked with his wife; "Wife," said he, "it is very simple of us that our
mare should foal every year, and that we should have none of her
colts." "What can be done in the matter?" said she. "This is the night of
the first of May," said he. "The vengeance of Heaven be upon me, if I
learn not what it is that takes away the colts." So he caused the mare to
be brought into a house, and he armed himself, and began to watch that
night. And in the beginning of the night, the mare foaled a large and

beautiful colt. And it was standing up in the place. And Teirnyon rose
up and looked at the size of the colt, and as he did so he heard a great
tumult, and after the tumult behold a claw came through the window
into the house, and it seized the colt by the mane. Then Teirnyon drew
his sword, and struck off the arm at the elbow, so that portion of the
arm together with the colt was in the house with him. And then did he
hear a tumult and wailing, both at once. And he opened the door, and
rushed out in the direction of the noise, and he could not see the cause
of the tumult, because of the darkness of the night; but he rushed after
it and followed it. Then he remembered that he had left the door open,
and he returned. And at the door behold there was an infant boy in
swaddling clothes, wrapped around in a mantle of satin. And he took up
the boy, and behold he was very strong for the age that he was of.
Then he shut the door, and went unto the chamber where his wife was.
"Lady," said he, "art thou sleeping?" "No, Lord," said she, "I was
asleep, but as thou camest in I did awake." "Behold here is a boy for
thee if thou wilt," said he, "since thou hast never had one." "My Lord,"
said she, "What adventure is this?" "It was thus," said Teirnyon; and he
told her how it all befell. "Verily, Lord," said she, "What sort of
garments are there upon the boy?" "A mantle of satin," said he. "He is
then a boy of gentle lineage," she replied. "My Lord," she said, "if thou
wilt, I shall have great diversion and mirth. I will call my women unto
me, and tell them that I have been pregnant." "I will readily grant thee
to do this," he answered. And thus did they, and they caused the boy to
be baptized, and the ceremony was performed there; {33} and the name
which they gave unto him, was Gwri Wallt Euryn, because what hair
was upon his head was as yellow as gold. And they had the boy nursed
in the court until he was a year old. And before the year was over, he
could walk stoutly. And he was larger than a boy of three years old,
even one of great growth and size. And the boy was nursed the second
year, and then he was as large as a child six years old. And before the
end of the fourth year, he would bribe the grooms to allow him to take
the horses to water. "My Lord," said his wife unto Teirnyon, "Where is
the colt which thou didst save on the night that thou foundest the boy?"
"I have commanded the grooms of the horses," said he, "that