Antonio Faten
Europe has many legends that add mystery, wonder, and horror layers. However, one particular subgroup of the ancient people of Europe is the Welsh. They are the descendants of many people from the Isles, including the ancient Celts who settled there between 500 and 100 BCE. As the original inhabitants of the Iron Age population, invasions from the Romans and Saxons would push them back to the land that would soon be named “Wales.” It was within these lands that tales and legends would emerge from the writing of these ancient people, particularly that of the Mabinogion (Mabinogi)
Orals of Legends
The Mabinogion is a collection of Welsh poems that contain detailed accounts of great battles and mythical encounters in the land’s history. But there’s one legend contained in these writs that we’d like to focus your attention on, one that blurs the lines of morality. The second branch of the poem tells the story of two giants, Llaes Gyfnewid and his wife Cymydei Cymeinfoll, who previously lived under the Irish lake once known as “The Lake of the Cauldron.” One day, the Irish king, Matholwch, would offer them shelter, but he soon drove them off when he and his men tried to burn them. They fled overseas to the Isle of Wales, where the land’s king, Bendigeidfran, would rescue them.
In return for his hospitality, the giants gave him the Pair Dadeni, a cauldron that could bring the dead back to life, but as silent souls. It wouldn’t be long before King Matholwch would ask for Bendigeidfran’s sister’s hand in marriage. But their half-brother, Efnisien, objected to his proposal and clarified his point by mutilating his prized steed. To appease Matholwch for this act of defiance, Bendigeidfran gifted him the Pair Daneni and soon sailed back to Ireland with his new bride.
After much strife between Matholwch and his bride, Branwen, King Bendigeidfran led a fleet through the Irish seas to rescue his sister. Things only escalated when Efnisien killed Matholwch’s son, Gwern, igniting a battle to ensue in the land. Even though many of the Irish were slain by the Welsh, their dead would rise again to prolong the fight. Efnisien, realizing that the Irish were using the Pair Dadeni to revive their fallen and adding the Welsh dead to their own, hid himself among the dead and was thrown into the cauldron. Once inside, the cauldron shattered around him, leaving only his lifeless remains.
Tales of the Assistant Pig Keeper
Though the Welsh won the battle, King Bendigeidfran was mortally wounded and passed, leaving his sister to die with a broken heart. This story of heroism, kindness, and loss became one of many staples in Europe’s tapestry of legend. It was because the Mabinogion inspired an author of much caliber, Lloyd Alexander. Through his study of Welsh mythology, he would write the five-book novel The Chronicles of Prydain, which tells the story of Taran, an Assistant Pigkeeper who longs to become a warrior of great renown. But his adventures with his friends and the dangers they face give him the reality check needed for him to grow into the man he will eventually become.
Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s writing, particularly that of The Lord of the Rings, Alexander’s book series would soon reach acclaim by the general audience, so much so that it would garner the attention of the Walt Disney Company in the 1980s. Disney produced The Black Cauldron through this collaboration, which tells the same story as the second book, The Chronicles of Prydain: The Black Cauldron. The only difference is that the story was cut significantly short due to the large scale of the lore in the books. The film’s story mainly focuses on Taran and his friends on a quest to find and destroy the titular object before falling into the hands of the film’s main villain, the Horned King, who replaces the book series’ true villain, Arawn, Death-Lord. Though the film received mixed and negative reviews at the time of its release, it succeeded in gaining a cult following for its splendor in traditional animation, as well as being by far the darkest film under Disney’s belt (with the lack of any musical numbers as well).
The legacy of the Welsh has carried on in memorium to this day, thanks to the contributions of not only the writings of the late Lloyd Alexander but also the legends his writings were based on: the Mabinogion. Even now, many writers are creating legends that aim to capture the hearts and minds of the audience to be remembered for generations. Just don’t bring back the dead with a pot, please. Let the dead rest in peace.
Read More From The Able Show Contributors
https://theableshow.com/from-welsh-to-the-world
Works Cited:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088814
https://prydain.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Crochan
https://folklorethursday.com/legends/ancient-celtic-cauldrons-the-magical-the-mythical-the-real/