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Trioedd Ynys Prydein
Extract from the "Triads of the Island of Britain"

Three Red Ravagers of the Island of Britain:
Arthur,
and Rhun son of Beli,
and Morgant the Wealthy.

Three Generous Men of the Island of Britain:
Nudd the Generous, son of Senyllt,
Mordaf the Generous, son of Serwan,
Rhydderch the Generous, son of Tudwal Tudglyd.
And Arthur himself was more generous than the three.

Three Well-Endowed Men of the Island of Britain:
Gwalchmai son of Gwyar,
and Llachau son of Arthur,
and Rhiwallawn Broom-Hair.

Three Chieftains of Arthur's Court:
Gobrwy son of Echel Mighty-Thigh,
Cadr(i)eth ('Fine-Speech') son of Porthawr Gadw,
and Fleudur Fflam ('Flame').

Three Frivolous (some say "scurrilous") Bards of the Island of Britain:
Arthur,
and Cadwallawn son of Cadfan,
and Rahawd son of Morgant.

Three Powerful Swineherds of the Island of Britain:
Drystan son of Tallwch, who guarded the swine of March son of Meirchiawn, while the swineherd went to ask Essyllt to come to a meeting with him. And Arthur was seeking (to obtain) one pig from among them, either by deceit or by force, but he did not get it;

And Pryderi son of Pwyll, Lord of Annwfn, who guarded the swine of Pendaran Dyfed in Glyn Cuch in Emlyn;

And Coll son of Collfrewy, who guarded Henwen, the sow of Dallwyr Dallben, who went (when) about to bring forth(?), to Penrhyn Awstin in Cornwall, (and there she went into the sea). And at Aber Tarogi in Gwent Is Coed she came to land. And Coll son of Collfrewy with his hand on her bristles wherever she went, whether by sea or by land. And in the Wheat Field in Gwent she brought forth a grain of wheat and a bee; and therefore that place is the best for wheat and bees. And from there she went to Llonion in Pembroke, and there she brought forth a grain of barley and a bee. From thence she made for the Hill of Cyferthwch in Eryri; there she brought forth a wolf-cub and a young eagle. And Coll son of Collfrewy gave the eagle to Bre(r)nnach the Irishman of the North, and the wolf he gave to Me(n)waedd son of ... Arllechwedd; and these were (the Wolf of) Me(n)waedd and the Eagle of Brennach. And from thence she went to the Black Stone in Llanfair in Arfon, and there she brought forth a kitten; and Coll son of Collfrewy threw that kitten into Menai. And she was afterwards Palug's Cat.

Three Unfortuate Counsels of the Island of Britain:
To give place for their horse's fore-feet on the land to Julius Caesar and the men of Rome, in requital for Meinlas;
and the second: to allow Horse and Hengist and Rhonwen into this Island;
and the third: the three-fold dividing by Arthur of his men with Medrawd at Camlann.

Three Unrestricted Guests of the Arthur's Court, and Three Wanderers:
Llywarch the Old,
and Llemenig,
and Heledd.

Arthur's Three Great Queens:
Gwenhwyfar daughter of (Cywryd) Gwent,
and Gwenhwyfar daughter of (Gwythyr) son of Greidiawl,
and Gwenhwyfar daughter of (G)ogfran the Giant.

And his Three Mistresses were these:
Indeg daughter of Garwy the Tall,
and Garwen ("Fair Leg") daughter of Henin the Old,
and Gwyl ("Modest") daughter of Gendawd ("Big Chin").

 

    © Nash Ford Publishing 2001. All Rights Reserved.