The Thirteen Precious Things of the Island of Britain#
A note in volume II of Lady Charlotte Guest’s Mabinogion, 1849, itemises the rather splendid “thirteen precious things of the Island of Britain”; there are surely many tales that can be told of, or riffed around, these items:
The thirteen precious things of the Island of Britain
In The Mabinogion: From the Llyfr Coch O Hergest, and Other Ancient Welsh Manuscripts, Charlotte Guest, Volume II, 1849, p353-5:
The basket of Gwyddno Garanhir (Vol II, p. 293)
The marvellous basket is reckoned amongst the thirteen precious things of the Island of Britain. In the following Catalogue of these treasures, which is copied from an old MS. in the Collection of Mr. Justice Bosanquet, its properties are, however, made to differ slightly from those assigned to it by Yspaddaden.
…
Dyrnwyn the sword of Rhydderch Hael; if any man drew it except himself, it burst into a flame from the cross to the point, and all who asked it received it; but because of this property all shunned it: and therefore was he called Rhydderch Hael.
The basket of Gwyddno Garanhir; if food for one man were put into it, when opened it would be found to contain food for one hundred.
The horn of Bran Galed; what liquor soever was desired was found therein.
The chariot of Morgan Mwynvawr; whoever sat in it would be immediately wheresoever he wished.
The halter of Clydno Eiddyn, which was in a staple below the feet of his bed; and whatever horse he wished for in it, he would find it there.
The knife of Llwfrodded Farchawg; which would serve four and twenty men at meat all at once.
The cauldron of Tyrnog; if meat were put in it to boil for a coward it would never be boiled, but if meat were put in it for a brave man it would be boiled forthwith.
The whetstone of Tudwal Tudclud; if the sword of a braye man were sharpened thereon, and any one were wounded therewith, he would be sure to die, but if it were that of a coward that was sharpened on it, he would be none the worse.
The garment of Padarn Beisrudd; if a man of gentle birth put it on, it suited him well, but if a churl it would not fit him.
The pan and the platter of Rhegynydd Ysgolhaig; whatever food was required was found therein.
The chessboard of Gwenddolen; when the men were placed upon it, they would play of themselyes. The chessboard was of gold, and the men of silver.
The mantle of Arthur; whosoever was beneath it could see every thing, while no one could see him.
This version is rather different from that given by Jones in his Welsh Bards, [Jones, Welsh Bards, II p.47] which omits the halter of Clydno Eiddyn, but adds the mantle of Tegau Eurvron, which would only fit such ladies as were perfectly correct in their conduct, and the ring of Luned, by which she effected the release of Owain the son of Urien, as has already been seen in the story of the Lady of the Fountain; whoever concealed the stone of this ring became invisible.
Gwyddno Garanhir, the possessor of the basket, was the Prince of Cantref y Gwaelod, which was overflowed by the sea. This event will be detailed hereafter in the notes to another Mabinogi, where it is more particularly referred to.
Lady Guest notes that this differs from the list given in Jones’ Welsh Bards, which describes the “Thirteen Rarities of Kingly Regalia” as follows:
Thirteen Rarities of Kingly Regalia, Jones, 1802
https://archive.org/details/The_Bardic_Museum/page/n67/mode/2up The Bardic Museum (SECOND VOLUME OF THE Musical poetical, and historical relics of The Welsh Bards and Druids
by Edward Jones
Publication date 1802
pp. 47-49
Here are the THIRTEEN RARITIES of KINGLY REGALIA, of the ISLAND of BRITAIN; which were formerly kept at Caerlleon [According to an old Welsh Chronicle, Beli ab Dyferwal, a chief King of Britain, about 400 years before Christ, built a city on the river Uske, (where there had been the Castle of Lleon;) which afterwards was the principal city in all Britain, because there the King resided, and the Parliament of the country was held, about 65 years before Christ.], on the river Uske, in Monmouthshire. These Curiosities went with Myrddin, the son of Morvan, into the house of Glass, in Enlli, or Bardsey Island [When the Britons were no longer able to defend their country against the Saxons, and others, in the time of Egbert, about A. D. 750, (or 800,) there was a proclamation, that all the Britons should depart out of England within six months, upon pain of death. This was probably after the great overthrow of Caradoc, when the Pagan Saxons razed the British churches to the ground; at which time Theon, the Archbishop of London, and Thadioc, the Archbishop of York, removed with their relicks of Saints, books, and ornaments, and fled into Wales, into the adjacent islands, and some into Britany, and many priests with them. Lewis's Ancient History of Britain, page 208: and Gibson's Camden. ———— "These are the haunts of meditation, these "The scenes where ancient Bards th' inspiring breath, "Extatic felt, and from this world retired."——Thomson.]. It has also been recorded by others, that it was Taliesin, the King of the Bards, who possessed them.
These Royal Regalia, or Curiosities, were held in high estimation in the Sixth Century: They are rather hyperbolically described; but they convey to us some original heroic traits, of the manner of promoting Chivalry, and of ancient Liberality, and Hospitality.
It appears that this Museum of admirable Rarities was kept at Caerlleon, in King Arthur’s time; and upon the dissolution of that place, it was carried by Myrddin, the Caledonian Bard, to the famous Monastery of Enlli, in the Island of Bards.
“Myrddin aeth, mawr daawn ai awedd,
Mewn Gwydr, er mwyn ei gyduedd.”——I. Dyfí.
i. e. Myrddin went, greatly to his praise, for his good intentions;
Into the House of Glass, for the sake of preservation.——
The ancient Monastery of Bardsey was one of the Druidical and Bardic conventicles, founded in the beginning of Christianity, where Myrddin studied, and where he ended his days and was buried, about A. D. 570. Dubricius, the Archbishop of Caerlleon, and many other religious men, retired to the Monastery of Bardsey about the year 522. Giraldus’s Itinerary of Wales mentions this Monastic institution, by the name of Cwysan Ddion, or Black Cowls; a College of Lay Monks: and Martial calls them Bardo cucullus, or Bardic Cowls.
The Metropolitan See of Caer Lleon, in Monmouthshire, was removed to Menevia, in Pembrokeshire, about A. D. 447; which, ever since, has been called Ty Dewi, or St. David’s.
The Veil, or Mask of King Arthur, in Cornwall: whoever look’d from under it, could see every body, and no one could know him.
[It is recorded, that great military officers anciently wore hoods, or helmets, to obscure their faces during the time of battle. See in page 23, note |: Also, Sir William Dugdale's Ancient Usage of Arms, page 1.]The Sword of Rhydderch the Generous: whoever drew it out of the scabbard, (except the owner;) it would appear a gleaming flame of fire in his hand.
[Rhydderch, son of Tudwal, surnamed Hael, or the generous, King of Cumbria, who lived at Alclwyd, now Dumbarton, in Scotland, and was also King of the Isle of Man. He was esteemed the most liberal, and one of the greatest warriors of his time; he fought the famous battle of Arderydd, in A. D. 577, against Aeddan Vradoc, and Gwenddolan ab Ceidiaw, in which Rhydderch gained the victory, and Gwinnddolau was slain, with a great number of his followers. See Carte's History, Vol. I. p. 210. The name of Prince Rhydderch's sword was Dyrnwyn, or the white grasps; and from the above description it was probably highly polished, and not dissimilar to the elegant account given of the Grecian army, when marching against the Trojans:
"As on some mountain, thro' the lofty grove,
"The crackling flames ascend, and blaze above,
"The fires expanding as the winds arise,
"Shoot their long beams, and kindle half the skies:
"So from the polish'd arms, and brazen shields,
"A gleamy splendor flash'd along the fields. *—Pope's Homer.*
King Arthur's exploits were so great, during the reign of King Henry the Second, says Lord Lyttelton in his history of that Monarch, that a sword, supposed to have been King Arthur's, was presented in the year 1191, to *Tancred*, King of Sicily, by Richard the First, King of England, as a valuable gift. The swords of heroes in those days had names given them, and this was called *Caledwrn*, or *Caledvwlch*, that is, hard handled, or hard-notched. (See the previous pages, 23 & 25.) How Richard got it, and whether it was found in the Abbey of Glastonbury, together with the body, or in some other place, we are not told; but I presume, when that Monarch took it with him out of England, he intended to use it himself, in the war against the infidels.
It was the custom among other warlike nations to give names to their swords; but the Ancient Britons took a particular pride in adorning their swords, and making them polished handles of the teeth of sea animals; (see *Solinus Poly-histor*, c. 25;) And their warlike disposition and love of the sword was such, that it was the custom for the mother of every male child to put the first victuals into the child's mouth, at the point of his father's sword, and with the food to give her first blessing, or vow to him, that he might die no other death than in war, and arms. *Sol. Pol. Hist.* and *Selden's Mare Clausum*, l. 2, c. 2, and 10.]
*Odard* has a sword of dignity, like his kinsman, *Hugh Lupus*, which formerly was kept at *Dutton*, in Cheshire, as an heirloom of the family; and in the year 1665, was the property of Lady Kilmorey, sole daughter and heiress of *Thomas Dutton*, of Dutton. This sword of dignity is still preserved in the *British Museum*; it is four feet long; the blade is two edged, and with this inscription upon it: *Hugo Comes Cestriae*. "*Hugh Lupus* received the Earldom of Chester from William the Conqueror, who gave him the whole county of Cheshire, to hold to him and his heirs, as freely, by the sword, as the King held the Crown of England." *See Peter Leicester's History of Cheshire.*
"Shall I fear, that have this truly and invisible sword by my side?— For, as King Arthur's sword was called Caledvwlch; as Edward the Confessor's Curtana; as Charlemagne's Joyeuse; Orlando's Durindana; Rinaldo's Fusberta; and Rogero's Balisarda; so Pistol, in imitation of these heroes, calls his sword Hiren. I have been told, Amadis de Gaul, had a sword of this name; Hirer, or Hirian, in the British, signifies a long sheathing sword." M. Westmonasteriensis, page 98; and Stephens' Edition of Shakespeare's Henry the IVth. Second Part, the Notes, to Act the Second.
The Budget, Basket, (or Weel,) of Gwyddno with the high Crown: if provision for a single person were put into it to keep, a sufficiency of victuals for a hundred persons would be found in it when opened
[Gwyddno Garanhir was a King of North Wales, about the end of the 4th, and in the beginning of the 5th century. His budget was probably some kind of vessel, or basket; and perhaps used to carry victuals in, by the person who went to the wear to take up the nets; and in lieu of the vistuals therein, which he eat, and filled the basket, or pannier, with the fish caught in the wear, to bring home; or probably the Weel was baited with raw meat to entice the fish into it. Mwys Gwyddno is often mentioned by the poets as the most famous wear in the country, which was somewhere about the mouth of Conway river. See pages 17, 19 & 31.].The Horn of Brân the Hardy, of the North: The drink that might be desired in it, would appear as soon as it was wished for
[Brân the Hardy was a northern prince, of the fifth century, and distinguished for his generosity. His drinking horn was probably a general horn, for the use of his hall, to supply all strangers with what drink they chose; or it might have been a magic cup, so contrived as to convey liquors through secret pipes into it. According to the ancient Welsh lore, there were three social horns allotted for the use of the Lord, or Prince; that is, his banqueting horn, his war horn, and the horn for the chace; but these latter were made of the horns of the Bugle, or wild Ox; and formed in a semicircle, and occasionally used both for sounding, and for drinking. See a Delineation of one in the musical trophy, in the first Volume of this work, page 89, and a full description in the account of the musical instruments of the Welsh, page 117, &c.].——The Câr, or Chariot of Morgan the Courteous: whoever sat in it, would find himself wherever he wished to be
[Morgan Mwynvawr was a valiant king of Gla'morgan, from whom that county derives its name. Morgan was born about the year 872; he married Elen, the daughter of Roderic the Great; and lived to be a hundred years old; and on that account he was called Morgan hên, or the Aged. He is also honourably recorded in the Ancient Historical Triads, as follows: The three clearers of Great Britain from invaders were, King Arthur; Rhûn, the son of Beli; and Morgan the Gracious and Great. It seems that his Car was a common and free chariot, kept by this popular prince, for the use of his friends, or something of that nature. Cæsar, in the 4th Book, and chapter 29, of his Commentaries, says, that the Britons were so expert in their war chariots, that they often broke his ranks.].——The Whetstone, (or Hone,) of Tudno Tydglyd: which would sharpen the sword of every hero immediately; and always destroy the weapons of a coward
[Tudno Tydclyd, the son of Ithel Hael, of Armorica. There was a Welsh Saint of this name, the founder of Llan-Dudno, on Trwyn y Gogarth; on which hill formerly stood the ancient city of Diganwy, near Conway, in Caernarvonshire.]: (in another manuscript it is expressed thus: whoever should be wounded with the arms that are whetted thereon, would soon die.)——The Purple Cassock of Padarn Beifrydd; no person of ignoble birth could wear it, without dying
[Padarn Beisrydd, the son of Tegid ab Iago, was a British Bishop, and a reputed Saint, founder of the Monastery of Llan-ba-darn-vawr, (or the Church of Padarn the Great,) beside fifteen other churches, in Cardiganshire, and in other places. He was a great friend with St. David, and St. Teilo, and with whom he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. According to Britannia Sancta, Padarn's name is found subscribed with Samson, the Bishop of Vannes, to the third council of Paris, about A.D. 560. It is said he was originally a native of Little Britain, and that the inhabitants of Bretagne formerly kept three days to the honour of this Saint, and the 15th of April was the last of them. Padarn's purple robe, or short cassock, became no man so well as Padarn himself.].——The Cauldron of Dyrnog, the Chief, or Prince: if flesh should be put into it to boil for a cowardly man, it would never be done: but if it was for a hardy hero, it would soon be boiled enough
[Dyrnog Gawr was a Cambrian prince, in the time of the Romans in Britain. It seems his pot, or boiler, was intended only for the Hero, and not for the Coward; and probably meant as an encouragement to warlike enterprises. The Cauldron of Dyrnog the Chief, was probably a similar kind of vessel to that of the Porridge Pot, of Guy, Earl of Warwick, which is an immense kettle, or cauldron, still preserved at Warwick Castle.].——The Table-Cloth, (in another MS. called the Dish,) of the illustrious-born Rhydderch, the Scholar: whatever victuals and drink were wished thereon, were instantly obtained
[King Rhydderch, the Generous, who probably kept an open house; and I suppose this was his common hall dish, which was kept in memory of his munificence, where there was nothing refused that was desired. This hero is recorded in the ancient British Triads, as follows: The three liberal Princes of the Island of Britain; Rhydderch Hael, the son of Tudwal Tytglyd; Moraav Hael, the son of Servan; and Nudd Hael, the son of Senylit. Rhydderch Hael lived to the age of 85; died in the year 601, and was buried at Abererch, (St. Caurda's Church,) British Saints, p. 34. See more in the previous note (4.)].The Chessboard, (or Draughtboard) of Gwenddolau, the son of Ceidio: if the men were placed upon it, they would play of themselves. The chequers were of gold, and the men were of silver.
[Gwenddolau ab Ceidio was a northern chief. It is said of his chessboard, that when the men were arranged upon it, they would play of themselves; which seems to be a figurative allusion to the famous battle of Arderydd, fought about the year 577, by Aeddan the Treacherous and Gwenddolau, against Rhydderch Hael, where Gwenddolau was slain, notwithstanding which, his men continued fighting and skirmishing for six weeks afterwards; therefore, they are called in the Triads one of the three loyal armies of Britain. See that battle mentioned in Myrddin's poem of the Orchard, in page 24 of the first Volume of this work.].The Mantle of Tegau Eurvron: no one could put it on who had dishonoured marriage; nor a young damsel who had committed incontinence; but it would cover a chaste woman from top to toe
[Tegau Eurvron, the wife of Caradoc with the strong arm, who is celebrated by the Bards as a model of female virtue and chastity, as Penelope is described by Homer: she is recorded in the British Triads as one of the three noble and excellent ladies of King Arthur's Court. She had three rarities, which befitted none but herself; and these were, her mantle, her golden goblet, and her knife; and in another Triad she is mentioned thus: There are three things, no one knows their colour: the feathers of the peacock's tail when expanded; the mantle of Tegau Eurvron; and the miser's pence. Probably her mantle was a shotted silk of various colours, and perhaps a novel thing at that time. Tegau Eurvron, was the daughter of Nudd, the Liberal hand, King of the North. The story of her Mantle is copied from the Welsh by the English Minstrels, in the old English Ballad of The Boy and the Mantle, as well as that of the Knife, and the Cap. Likewise, the Horn, occurs in the old French Romance of Morte Arthur, &c. See Dr. Percy's Reliques of ancient English Poetry.].——The Stone of the Ring of Eluned, which liberated Owen, the son of Urien, from between the portcullis and the wall. Whoever concealed that stone, the stone or bezil, would conceal him
[Eluned was the daughter of Brychan, yngors-chawl, or Crûg Gorfeddawl, and the lover of Owen ab Urien: the Bezil of Eluned's ring had the virtues of Gyges's ring. When Owen, Prince of Reged, was confined in prison, Eluned gave him her ring, which rendered him invisible; (perhaps it might be given to the jailer, and by that means he escaped from prison.) It is said, in old times, when two persons were married, the young couple used to present one another with a ring-key, as an emblem of secrecy; whence some derive the word wedlock. The wearing of rings appears to be of great antiquity; among the Hebrews, Gen. xxxviii, where Judah, Jacob's son, gives Tamar his ring, or signet, as a pledge of his promise: but rings seem to have been used at the same time among the Egyptians, Genesis xli, where Pharaoh put his ring on Joseph's hand as a mark of the power he gave him. Of the Regalia of France, a costly ring was presented by a King of France to St. Thomas of Canterbury, and worn afterwards by King Henry the Eighth. The circumstance of Queen Elizabeth sending her ring to save the Earl of Essex is too well known to need a repetition.].——The Knife of Llawvrodedd, the Knight: which would serve four-and-twenty persons, from one hand to another, as the occasion might be
[Llawvrodedd, the Red Knight, or Ruddy horseman, who had a famous knife, which probably was his carving knife, that served all his company. The Bretons of France likewise, had formerly but one knife for each company, and that was chained to the table. The following addition to the previous note 4, in page 47:- "Shall I fear, that have this truly and invisible sword by my side (— Twas blessed Colbruand, as Paladin the Confessor's Curtana; as Charlemagne's Joyeuse; Orlando's Durindana; Rinaldo's Fusberta; and Rogero's Balisarda; so Pisiast, in imitation of these heroes, calls his sword Hiren. I have been told, Amadis de Gaul, had a sword of this name; Hirer, or Hirian, in the British, signifies a long sheathing sword." M. Wygmonnus-terrensis, page 98; and Stephens' Edition of Shakespeare's Henry the IVth. Second Part, the Notes, to Act the Second.].——
The original Welsh account of the above Regalia was transcribed from a transcript of Mr. Edward Llwyd, the Antiquary; who informs us that he copied it from an old parchment manuscript: and I have collated this with two other manuscripts.
Jones also records the triads, many triples of notable things (pp. 1-7), the seven wonder of North Wales (p. 50).
There is also a list of precious things of Britain in Brewer’s Reader’s handbook of allusions, references, plots and stories of 1890:
Thirteen Precious Things of Britain, in Brewer’s Reader’s Handbook, 1890
In The reader’s handbook of allusions, references, plots and stories: with two appendices, Ebenezer Cobham Brewer, 1880, p994-5:
Thirteen Precious Things of Britain.
Dyrnwyn (the sword of Rhydderch Hael). If any man except Hael drew this blade, it burst into a flame from point to hilt.
The Basket of Gwyddno Garanhir. If food for one man were put therein, it multiplied till it sufficed for a hundred.
The Horn of Bran Galad, in which was always found the very beverage that each drinker most desired.
The Platter of Rehegynydd Ysgolhaig, which always contained the very food that the eater most liked.
The Chariot of Morgan Mynvawr. Whoever sat therein was transported instantaneously to the place he wished to go to.
The Halter of Clydno Eiddyn. Whatever horse he wished for was always found therein. It hung on a staple at the foot of his bed.
The Knife of Llawfrodded Farchawg, which would serve twentyfour men simultaneously at any meal.
The Caldron of Tyrnog. If meat were put in for a brave man, it was cooked instantaneously: but meat for a coward would never get boiled therein.
The Whetstone of Tudwal Tudclud. If the sword of a brave man were sharpened thereon, its cut was certain deah; but if of a coward, the cut was harmless.
The Robe of Padarn Beisrudd, which fitted every one of gentle birth, but no churl could wear it.
The Mantle of Tegau Eurvron, which only fitted ladies whose conduct was irreproachable.
The Mantle of King Arthur, which could be worn or used as a carpet, and whoever wore it or stood on it was invisible. This mantle or carpet was called Gwenn.
*.* The ring of Luned rendered the wearer invisible so long as the stone of it was concealed.
The Chessboard of Grendolen. When the men were placed upon it they played of themselves. The board was of gold, and the men silver. — Welsh Romance.
In The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, 1884, a passing reference is made in notes on the ballad The Boy and the Mantle to the (drinking) Horn of Bran Galad and the Knife of Llawfrodded Farchawg. (A passing mention is also made to three Welsh rarities, which are perhaps worth exploring elsewhere?)
In The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, 1884
https://archive.org/details/englishandscott09kittgoog/page/n22/mode/2up
The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by George Lyman Kittredge
Publication date 1884
p.265-6
If we may trust the author of The Welsh Bards, Tegau was the possessor of three treasures or rarities “which befitted none but herself,” a mantle, a goblet, and a knife. The mantle is mentioned in a triad, [Myvyrian Archchaeology, III, 247a, No 10, pointed out to me by Professor Evans. The story of the 'Boy and the Mantle,' says Warton, "is recorded in many manuscript Welsh chronicles, as I learn from original letters of Llwyd, in the Ashmolean Museum: " History of English Poetry, ed. 1871, 1, 97, note 1.] and is referred to as having the variable hue attributed to it in our ballad and elsewhere. There are three things, says the triad, of which no man knows the color; the peacock’s expanded tail, the mantle of Tegau Eurvron, and the miser’s pence. Of this mantle, Jones, in whose list of “Thirteen Rarities of Kingly Regalia” of the Island of Britain it stands eleventh, says. No one could put it on who had dishonored marriage, nor a young woman from top to toe: Welsh Bards, II, 49. The mantle certainly seems to be identified by what is said of its color in the (not very ancient) triad, and so must have the property attributed to it by Jones, but one would be glad to have had Jones cite chapter and verse for his description.
There is a drinking-horn among the Thirteen Precious Things of the Island of Britain, which, like the conjurer’s bottle of our day, will furnish any liquor that is called for, and a knife which will serve four-and-twenty men at meat “all at once.” [The horn is No 4 in Jones's list, and No 5 in a manuscript of Justice Bosanquet; the knife is 13th in Jones and 6th in the other; the mantle of invisibility is 13th in the Bosanquet series, and, under the title of Arthur's veil or mask, 1st in Jones. The mantle of Tegau Eurvron does not occur in the Bosanquet MS. Jones says, "The original Welsh account of the above regalia was transcribed from a transcript of Mr Edward Llwyd, the antiquary, who informs me that he copied it from an old parchment MS. I have collated this with two other MSS." Not a word of dates. Jones's Welsh Bards, II, 47-49; Lady Charlotte Quest's Mabinogion, II, 353-55. Lady Charlotte Guest remarks that a boar's head in some form appears as the armorial bearing of all of Caradawc's name. Though most anxious to believe all that is raid of Caradawc, I am compelled to doubt whether this goes far to prove that he owned the knife celebrated in the ballad.]
Several of the wonders are remarked on as appearing populalry in European folk tales and fables. For example, in the Editor’s preface to the History Of English Poetry of 1829:
In History Of English Poetry, 1829
https://archive.org/details/historyofenglish0001thom/page/n75/mode/2up
The History Of English Poetry from the Close of the Eleventh to the Commencement of the Eighteenth Century.
by Thomas Warton B.D.
Publication date 1824
pp. 66-7
A still more favourite ornament of popular fiction is the highly-gifted object, of whatever form or name, which is to supply the fortunate owner with the gratification of some particular wish, or to furnish him with the golden means of satisfying every want. In British fable this property has been given to the dish or napkin of Rhydderch the Scholar, which like the table, or table-cloth, introduced into a variety of German tales, no sooner received its master’s commands, than it became covered with a sumptuous banquet. The counterpart of Rhydderch’s dish is to be found in another British marvel, the horn of Bran, which spontaneously produced whatever liquor was called for: and a repetition of the same idea occurs in the goblet given by Oberon to Huon of Bourdeaux, which in the hands of a good man became filled with the most costly wine. In Fortunatus, and those tales which are either imitations of his adventures or copied from a common original, an inexhaustible purse is made to meet the demands of every occasion; while in others a bird, a tree, and even the human person, are made to generate in the same miraculous manner a daily provision of gold [Mr. Gorres has observed, in speaking of Fortunatus, that the story of the goose which laida golden egg is only a variation of this prolific subject; and that the history of the world contains little more than a kind of Argonautic expedition after the same golden fleece. For the other particulars referred to in the text, see Kinder-und Haus-Märchen, No. 60. 122. 130.]. A modification of the same idea is also found in the basket of Gwyddno, which no sooner received a deposit of food for one, than the gift became multiplied into a supply for a hundred ; or in those stories where the charity bestowed upon the houseless wanderer, is rewarded by an endless stock of some requisite article of subsistence [See Der Arme und der Reiche, in MM. Grimm's collection. The note on this story contains references to the same idea in the fictions of Greece, China, and India. It seems to have escaped these learned German antiquaries, that a much earlier notice of the same miraculous agency is to be found in the "widow's cruse" of the Old Testament, 2 Kings, chap. iv.].
Certainly, in the Ass, the Stick and the Tablecloth, it’s not harsd to see features of the tablecloth of Rhydderch the Scholar.
Further Notes on Magical Chessboards#
Chessboards seem to make a frequent appearance across several tales, and as such provide a good opportunity for description.
Chess references in Ancient Irish Minstrelsy, 1852
In Ancient Irish Minstrelsy, William Hamilton Drummond, 1852, p50-1 footnote:
The game of chess is repeatedly noticed in connexion with various historical incidents in the early history of Ireland, Theophilus O’Flanagan, in a note to his translation of Deirdri, an ancient Irish tale published in the transactions of the Gaelic Society of Dublin, speaks of it as a “military game that engages the mental faculties, like mathematical science.” O’Flaherty’s Ogygia states that Cathir, the 120th king of Ireland, left among his bequests to Crimthan “two chess-boards with their chess-men distinguished with their specks and power: on which account he was constituted master of the games in Leinster.”
In the first book of Homer’s Odyssey the suitors are described as amusing themselves with the game of chess:—
With rival art and ardour in their mein,
At chess they vie to captivate the queen,
Divining of their loves.
In Pope’s translation there is a learned note on the subject, to which the curious reader is referred; and also toa passage in Vallancey’s Essay on the Celtic Language.
The Welch appear to have been passionately addicted to this game, as appears from the frequent notice of it in the Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest. Some of the chess boards described in that work were magnificent, and endowed with magical properties.
When Peredur entered the hall of the castle, “he beheld a chess board in the hall, and the chessmen were playing against each other, by themselves. And the side that he favoured lost the game, and thereupon the others set up a shout, as though they had been living men.”
Among the thirteen precious things of the Island of Britain was the chess board of Gwenddolen, the celebrated beauty of Arthur’s court. “When the men were placed upon it, they would play of themselves. The chess board was of gold and the men of silver.” “In the romance of Sir Gaheret, that champion is entertained in the enchanted castle of a beautiful fairy, who engages him in a party at chess, in a large hall, where flags of black and white marble form the chequer, and the pieces, consisting of massive statues of gold and silver, move at the touch of the magic rod held by the player.”? In the Irish version of Nennius, translated for the Irish Archeological Society by James Henthorn Todd, D.D., M.R.1.A., additional notes, p. xvi, the Roman Emperor Maximus is described as having a wonderful dream “of a fine city, and in it a hall or palace of great splendour; and in the hall were two bay-haired youths playing chess, on a chess board of silver, with chessmen of gold. They were dressed in black, with frontlets of red gold on their hair and precious stones therein. At the foot of the column supporting the hall sat a grey-haired man on an ivory throne, with golden bracelets, chain, and frontlet, and with a golden chess board on his breast, and in his hand a golden wand and a steel saw; and he was carving chessmen. A maiden sat opposite to him in a golden chair, arrayed in white silk and jewels. Maximus sat down in the chair beside her, and threw his arms round her neck; and at this moment of his dream awoke.”
This was a dream—but when the emperor conquered Britain the whole of it was realized.
Notable Men#
Some more potential colour… In the tale Kilhwch and Olwen, there are several descriptions of notable people we can also use for colour (p261+):
Notable Men
In, The Mabinogion, Lady Charlotte Guest, Vol. II, 1849, Kilhwch and Olwen:
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Morvran the son of Tegid, (no one struck him in the battle of Camlan by reason of his ugliness; all thought he was an auxiliary devil. Hair had he upon him like the hair of a stag.) And Sandde Bryd Angel, (no one touched him with a spear in i;he battle of Clunlan because of his beauty; all thought he was a ministering angel.)
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[A]nd Henwas Adoinawg the son of Erim, and Henbedestyr the son of Erim, and Sgiiti Yscawndroed son of Erim. (Unto these three men belonged these three qualities, — With Henbedestyr there was not any one who could keep pace, either on horseback or on foot; with Henwas Adeinawg, no four-footed beast could run the distance of an acre, much less could it go beyond it; and as to Sgiiti Yscawndroed, when he intended to go upon a message for his Lord, he never sought to find a path, but knowing whither he was to go, if his way lay through a wood he went along the tops of the trees. During his whole life, a blade of reed grass bent not beneath his feet, much less did one ever break, so lightly did he tread.) Teithi Hein the son of Gwynhan, (his dominions were swallowed up by the sea, and he himself hardly escaped, and he came to Arthur; and his knife had this peculiarity, that from the time that he came there, no haft would ever remain upon it, and owing to this a sickness came over him, and he pined away during the remainder of his life, and of this he died.)
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Drem the son of Dremidyd, (when the gnat arose in the morning with the sun, he could see it from Gelli Wic in Cornwall, as far off as Pen Blathaon in North Britain.) And Eidyol the son of Ner, and Glwyddyn Saer, (who constructed Ehangwen, Arthur’s Hall.) Kynyr Keinvarvawc, (when he was told he had a son born, he said to his wife, * Damsel, if thy son be mine, his heart will be always cold, and there will be no warmth in his hands; and he will have another peculiarity, if he is my son he will always be stubborn; and he will have another peculiarity, when he carries a burden, whether it be large or small, no one will be able to see it, either before him or at his back; and he will have another peculiarity, no one will be able to resist water and fire so well as he will; and he will have another peculiarity, there will never be a servant or an officer equal to him). … Gwallgoyc, (another; when he came to a town, though there were throe hundred houses in it, if he wanted any tiling, he would not let sleep come to the eyes of any one whilst he remained there.) … Osia Gyllellvawr, (who bore a short broad dagger. When Arthur and his hosts came before a torrent, they would seek for a narrow place where they might pass the water, and would lay the sheathed dagger across the torrent, and it would form a bridge sufficient for the armies of the three Islands of Britain, and of the three Islands adjacent, with their spoil.) … Gilla Coes Hydd, (he would clear three hundred acres at one bound. The chief leaper of Ireland was he.) Sol, and Gwadyn Ossol, and Gwadyn Odyeith. (Sol could stand all day upon one foot Gwadyn Ossol, if he stood upon the top of the highest mountain in the world, it would become a level plain under his feet Gwadyn Odyeith, the soles of his feet emitted sparks of fire when they struck upon things hard, like the heated mass when drawn out of the forge. He cleared the way for Arthur when he came to any stoppage.) Hirerwm and Hiratnvm. (The day they went on a visit three Cantrevs provided for their entertainment, and they feasted until noon and drank until night, when they went to sleep. And then they devoured the heads of the vermin through hunger, as if they had never eaten any thing. When they made a visit, they left neither the fat nor the lean, neither the hot nor the cold, the sour nor the sweet, the fresh nor the salt, the boiled nor the raw.) … Sugyn the son Sugnedydd, (who would suck up the sea on which were three hundred ships, so as to leave nothing but a dry strand. He was broad chested.) Rhacymwri, the attendant of Arthur; whatever barn he was shewn, were there the produce of thirty ploughs within it, he would strike it with an iron flail until the rafters, the beams, and the boards, were no better than the small oats in the mow upon the floor of the barn.) … Uchtryd Varyf Draws, (who spread his red untrimmed beard over the eight and forty rafters which were in Arthur’s Hall.) … Clust the son of Clustyeinad, (though he were buried seven cubits beneath the earthy he would hear the ant, fifty miles off, rise from her nest in the morning.) Medyr the son of Methredydd, (from Gelli Wic he could, in a twinkling, shoot the wren through the two legs upon Esgeir Oervel in Ireland.) Gwiawn Llygad Cath, (who would cut a haw from the eye of the gnat without hurting him.) 01 the son of Olwydd; (seven years before he was bom his father’s swine were carried off, and when he grew up a man, he tracked the swine, and brought them back in seven herds.)