Welsh mythology —some wikilinks double indented here

Books[edit]

The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain (1973, expanded 1999)

F	The Foundling
Stone	The Stone
TE	The True Enchanter
RC	The Rascal Crow
Sword	The Sword
SWH	The Smith, the Weaver, and the Harper
CWP	Coll and His White Pig
TH	The Truthful Harp

List of Characters[edit]

The Truthful Harp
Author	Lloyd Alexander
Illustrator	Evaline Ness
Cover artist	Ness
Country	United States
Series	The Chronicles of Prydain (companion book)
Genre	Children's picture book, chapter book; fairy tale, high fantasy
Publisher	Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Publication date	1967
Media type	hard; col. illus., 21 x 22 cm.
Pages	[32]
OCLC	297069
LC Class	PZ8.A37 Tr ISFDB 48900
Preceded by	Coll and His White Pig

Coll and His White Pig
Author	Lloyd Alexander
Illustrator	Evaline Ness
Cover artist	Ness
Country	United States
Series	The Chronicles of Prydain (companion book)
Genre	Children's picture book, chapter book; fairy tale, high fantasy
Publisher	Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Publication date	1965
Media type	hard; col. illus. 21 x 22 cm.
Pages	[32]
OCLC	302875
LC Class	PZ8.A37 Co ISFDB 7517
Followed by	The Truthful Harp

Prydain Abbreviation Key
BT:	1) The Book of Three
BC:	2) The Black Cauldron (novel)
CL:	3) The Castle of Llyr
TW:	4) Taran Wanderer
HK:	5) The High King
Tales:	The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain

compare List of The Chronicles of Narnia characters

compare List of Narnian creatures

compare List of places in The Chronicles of Narnia

Caer Dallben, Taran, and frequent companions

1)2)5) CWP) kahl

Coll son of Collfrewr, farmer and retired soldier, pig-keeper and Dallben's companion (BT 1)

1)2)3)4)5) F) DAHL-ben

Dallben, a sage and enchanter, his residence Caer Dallben is Coll's farm (southeast; south of Great Avren, far south and east) 379 ya (BT 1) 380 ya (BC 12) foundling (BC 12)

1)5) CWP) Hen Wen, the oracular white pig kept at Caer Dallben (BT 1); seized "long ago" by Arawn (BT 3); letter sticks, ash wood rods carved with ancient symbols (HK 2b)

1)2)3)4)5) TAH-ran

Taran of Caer Dallben, an assistant pig-keeper of unknown birth (BT 1)

1)2)4)5) Stone) DOH-lee

Doli, a dwarf with flaming red hair, wields an axe (BT 15)

1)2)3)5) eye-LAHN-wee

Princess Eilonwy daughter of Angharad daughter of Regat of the House of Llyr, a young enchantress, tall with red-gold hair (BT 6)

1)2)3)4)5) TH) FLEW-der flam

Fflewddur Fflam son of Godo, a minor king and unofficial bard, kinsman of Gwydion and liege of the House of Don (BT 9) "several days east of Caer Dathyl (far north east)

1)2)3)4)5) GHER-ghee

Gurgi, between beast and man (BT 3)

1)2)3)5) GWIH-dyon

Gwydion, Son of Don (descendant), the High Prince of Prydain (BT 1)(BT 2)

Gwydion

Alphabetical

1)3)5) AHK-ren

Queen Achren, a sorceress, formerly ruled Prydain from Spiral Castle with Arawn her consort (central) (BT 3)(BT 5) knows Annuvin & Arawn (HK 2), recognizes Arawn (HK 19)

2) ah-DAY-on

^[a]Adaon, son of chief bard Taliesin, tall with dark hair, betrothed to Arianllyn (BC 1)

4) EE-dan

Aeddan and Alarca, farmers in Cantrev Cadiffor (south central) (TW 2)

Sword) Amrys, a shepherd ruined by King Rhitta and his cavalry, whose ghost haunted Rhitta
TE) an-GAR-ad

Angharad, sorceress, daughter of Queen Regat, mother of Princess Eilonwy (CL 15)

Angharad

4) Annlaw Clay-Shaper, expert potter, Commot Merin, life is a potter's wheel (TW 19)
5) SWH) ah-RAWN

Arawn Death-Lord, Lord of Annuvin (west central), formerly Achren's consort and protege (BT 1, CL 18) (HK 2)

Arawn

2) ahree-AHN-lin

Arianllyn, betrothed to Adaon (BC ?)

4) ^[a]Craddoc, a shepherd, who seems to be Taran's father (southeast) (TW 13)
4) Dorath, a bandit (greater southeast) (TW 11)

Gloff, a member of Dorath's band (TW 11)

4) Drudwas son of Pebyr, a farmer in poor Commot I (TW 20)

Llassar son of Drudwas, younger than Taran (TW 20)

4) DWIH-vak

Dwyvach the Weaver-Woman, expert weaver, Commot Gwenith, life is a loom (TW 18)

1) eye-DILL-eg

King Eiddileg of the Fair Folk, resident at the Fair Folk heartland or capital (northeast underground) (BT 15)

2) ELLI-deer

^[a]Prince Ellidyr son of Pen-Llarcau (youngest son), a minor kingdom, location unknown (BC 1)

SWH) Follin the weaver
4) Lord Gast, subject of King Smoit, in feud with Goryon (CL 11) (TW 3)
TE) GHER-aint

Geraint, common man who won the hand of Angharad in marriage, father of Eilonwy (CL 15)

TE) Gildas, enchanter who tried to win the hand of Angharad
3)5) Glew, a self-centered giant (CL 6)(CL 11)(HK 1)
4) Lord Goryon, subject of King Smoit, in feud with Gast (CL 11) (TW 3)
4) go-VAH-nyon

Govannion the Lame, legendary master craftsman of Prydain, bequeathed magical implements and written secrets of all the crafts, most later stolen by Arawn(SWH)(TW 19)(HK 2 Dyrnwyn)

TE) Grimgower, enchanter who tried to win the hand of Angharad
1) Gwyn the Hunter, with hounds and horn, foreknowledge of death (BT 4,17)

Gwyn ap Nudd, Cŵn Annwn, the Wild Hunt

2) Gwystyl of the Fair Folk, keeper of the waypost nearest Annuvin (west central) (BC 6)
4) Hevydd the Smith, expert metalsmith, Commot Cenarth, life is a forge (TW 18)
1) ^[a]The Horned King, leader of the southern cantrevs against the Sons of Don, loyal to Arawn (BT 1,2)(BT 18)
SWH) Iscovan the smith
4) Llonio son of Llonwen, fisher and gatherer, life is a net for luck (TW 16)

GOH-win] Goewin and Gwenlliant, wife and eldest? daughter of Llonio the lucky (TW 16)

3)5) Magg, Chief Steward to King Rhuddlum and assistant to Achren (CL 2) "long I wandered ... there were those I served humbly" btw CL and HK, counseled Arawn to gain allegiance by taking Dyrnwyn (HK4
Stone) Maibon and Modrona, husband and wife farmers, region unknown; Maibon discovers and assists Doli and claims "the Stone" in return
1)5) King Math, son of Mathonwy, the High King of Prydain at Caer Dathyl (north central) (BT 1)(BT 19)
1) RC) Medwyn, a protector of animals, like Noah, keeper of a refuge in the valley where his ship ran aground (east central) --presumably Nevvid Nav Neivion (BT 4)(BT 13), rallies creatures of air and forest (HK 6)
SWH) Menwy the harper, "M Son of Teirgwaedd, first of the bards" (BC 15)
4) ^[a]Morda, a sorcerer (southeast) (TW 7)(TW 8)
2) ^[a]King Morgant, king of Madoc, a northern realm (BC 1,3)
2)4)5) OR-doo, OR-wen, OR-gahk

Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch, three witches akin to the Fates, resident at the southern fringe of the Marshes of Morva (far southwest) (BC 7)(BC 11)

5) prih-DAY-ree

^[a]King Pryderi, son of Pwyll, king of the west domains (northwest) [ ? ] demands surrender (HK 10/11)

TE) Queen Regat, sorceress of the House of Llyr, mother of Angharad who calls for enchanters to try for her daughter's hand (BT 6)
Sword) King Rhitta, the last High King of Prydain to wield the sword Dyrnwyn, builder of labyrinthine chambers expanding his castle underground --subsequently "Spiral Castle"; grandson of Rhydderch Hael

Rhydderch Hael

3) ROOD-lum

King Rhuddlum, son of Rhudd, Rhun's father, king of the Isle of Mona, castle or capital Dinas Rhydnant (west of the western domains, northern Prydain) (CL 1)(CL 2)

3)5) roon

Prince Rhun, a well-meaning but inept young man (CL 1)(CL 2) whose parents plan he and Eilonwy will marry (CL 5) later King Rhun

2)4)5) smoyt

King Smoit, king of Cantrev Cadiffor, castle Caer Cadarn (south central) (BC 1)

5) TH) tally-ESS-in

Taliesin, the chief bard, resident at Caer Cathyl (BT 10)

3) tell-EHR-ya

Queen Teleria, daughter of Tannwen, Rhun's mother (CL 1)(CL 2)

* * *

DISNEY

Horned King, Cauldron-Born
Dallben, Hen Wen, Taran, Eilonwy, Fflewddur Fflam, Gurgi
Eiddileg/Fair Folk, Doli, O O O
Caer Dallben, (Spiral Castle)
Book of Three, Black Cauldron, (bauble) (sword)

Forces of Arawn and Annuvin

1)2)5) Cauldron-Born, undead soldiers whose strength wanes with time and distance from Annuvin; currently slaves of Arawn, primarily guards (BT 4) (BC 1)
1)5) CWP) GWIH-thaint

Gwythaints, birds of prey enslaved by Arawn, "Eyes of Annuvin" (BT 4) (BT 13) the first and only animals enslaved before Medwyn raised the alarm

2)5) RC)CWP) Huntsmen of Annuvin, living men, formerly traitors and criminals, who serve Arawn in small bands; the strength of each band is approximately maintained until all are deceased, because individuals gain when their numbers decrease (BC 3) (BC 5)

Peoples

Fair Folk (BT 15)(BC 6)

Tylwyth Teg —scorned by King Eiddileg of the Fair Folk

Free Commots (south far east; north of Great Avren, east of small Avren)

they recognize only the High King, rule themselves --Smoit (TW 4)

"what matters in the Free Commots is the skill in a man's hands, not the blood in his veins" (TW 10)

leer

House of Llyr, sorceresses, "The Sea People" (BT 6); Shield-Maidens fought ...

Children of Llŷr

dahn

Sons of Dôn, descendants of Don and Belin, and their people (BT 1) (HK 10,11,12,20 p126,142,154,262)

Children of Dôn

Animals

2) iss-LIM-ahk

^[a]Islimach, the horse of Ellidyr, roan mare, red and yellow speckled (BC 1)

2)3)4)5) Kaw, a talking crow, pet of Gwystyl (BC 6) acquired by Taran (BC 20)
5) Llamrei, sorrel mare, foal of Melynlas and Lluagor (age 2.5? 3.5?), Coll's steed (HK 3)
2) lew-AH-gore

Lluagor, the horse of Adaon, later Eilonwy (BC 4); bay mare (HK 3)

3)4)5) lee-AHN

Llyan, a horse-sized cat, magically enlarged by Glew as a trial before he made himself a giant (CL 6)(CL 7)

Cath Palug (in the triads, offspring of the sow Hen Wen

1) MELLIN-gar

Melyngar, the horse of Prince Gwydion, white mare (BT 2) golden-maned (HK 3)

2) MELLIN-lass

Melynlas, the horse of Taran, gray colt of Melyngar, silver-maned

Other animals

CWP) Ash-wing the owl
CWP) Oak-horn the stag
CWP) Star-nose the mole

5) RC) BRIHN-ak : Brynach, gray wolf (HK 8)
5) bree-AH-vel : Briavael (HK 8)
RC) Crugan-Crawgan, turtle
5) RC) eh-DIR-nyon : Edyrnion, eagle (HK 8)
RC) Gwybeddin, gnat
RC) Kadwyr, crow
RC) Nedir, spider
unnamed owl, fox, bee, bear, stag, badger

lame ant, Tale of the: Kilhuch, Olwen dtr of Ysbaddaden chief Giant

Culhwch and Olwen

Gwythyr son of Greidawl

Geography

prih-DANE : Prydain

Realms, etc - western, northern, eastern in the north

Cantrevs and Commots

Castles

kare KAH-darn : Caer Cadarn
kare KOH-loor : Caer Colur (CL 11)(CL 15)
kare DA-thil : Caer Dathyl (BT 1) stronghold, ornamented, treasures of craftsmanship, plainest building is Hall of Lore (HK 10)
Dinas Rhydnant
eth AHN-eth : Oeth-Anoeth
Spiral Castle
ah-NOO-vin

Annuvin unnamed? incl Hall of Warriors

Annwn

Mountains

Eagle M
Dark Gate
M Dragon
Hills of B (w. Brân Galed "not to be confused with Bran the Blessed")
law-GAD-arn : Llawgadarn M

Rivers

Alaw
Avren, Great and Small
Kynvael
Tevvyn

Forest of Idris

LOO-net : Mirror of Llunet

Marshes of Morva

Objects

Black Crochan

Pair Dadeni (Cauldron of Rebirth)

Book of Three

DUHRN-win : Dyrnwyn (BT )(HK 2)(HK 19)

Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain#The Dyrnwyn of Rhydderch Hael

Golden Pelydryn, Eilonwy's "bauble", magical companion to the empty book

Letter Sticks, ash wood rods carved with ancient symbols, shattered (HK 2b)

Notes[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h deceased in the chronicle where s/he first appeared

Redirects[edit]

for general, Middle-earth, and Narnia redirects information, self-discussion, documentation in progress, proposal in progress see TALK User talk:P64/FSF/Alexander/List of Prydain characters

Category:The Chronicles of Prydain

Four Prydain redirect categories (entirely autopopulated by redirect templates) new late June 2015, each tagged {underconstruction} with explanatory preface.

Category:Prydain redirects 21 + three subcats; 61 = 21 +4+27+9 [was 63 before un-diffuse]

Category:Prydain element redirects to lists 4 [was 14 before un-diffuse]

Category:Prydain character redirects to lists 27 [was 40 before un-diffuse]

Category:Prydain location redirects 9 [was 9]

The following pages redirect to The Chronicles of Prydain and are grouped by target anchor. No anchor or section

l  Caer Dallben
l  Caer Dathyl (Prydain)
 . Chronicles of Prydain
l  Free Commots
   Gwythaints
   Huntsmen of Annuvin
 . Huntsmen of annuvin
l  Isle of Mona old
l  Marshes of Morva
   Melyngar
 . Prydain Chronicles
l  Spiral Castle
l  Summer Country
 . The Prydain Chronicles

articles: Black Crochan, Cauldron-Born, Fair Folk, Golden Pelydryn, Mirror of Llunet

f = speaking parts in the film (11 inclg 3 witches)
x = non-speaking

Characters

   Achren
   Adaon (cut from the film)
 . Arawn - Death Lord
   Arawn Death-Lord
 . Chronicles of Prydain characters
 . Coll (Prydain)
   Coll (character)
 f Dallben
 f Doli (character)
 . Doli (fictional character) --moved today
 f Eilonwy  Done

 . Evil Horned King
 f Fflewddur Fflam
 x Hen Wen
 . Hen-Wen
 f Horned King
 . Horned King (Prydain)
 . Horned King (The Chronicles of Prydain)
   Kaw (character)
   Llyan
   Prince Rhun
 . Princess Eilonwy --also printworthy because it begins with P
 . The Horned King

Pages (characters who are not redirects 2015-06-13 primarily because they were restored after conversion to redirects)

  Ellidyr -- (cut from film)

.

  Glew (character) - Tunnell

Rcat w explnote fc Prydain; +1 cat

f Gurgi - notes/refs ; Gurgi#Disney
  Gwystyl - notes/refs (cut from film that depicts Doli, Eiddeleg)
  Magg - Tunnell (cut from film)

.

  High King Math --

.

3 Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch -- Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch#In film
  King Pryderi --

.

f Taran (character) -- Taran (character)#In Disney Version

Redirects to other pages

The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain

  Maibon
  Rhitta

novels

x The Black Crochan --but see Black Crochan
  Caer Colur

The Black Cauldron (film)

  Horned King (Disney)

Fair Folk

f Eiddeleg

Redlinks

Prince Gwydion --but see Gwydion
Medwyn --disambiguation

STUB ARTICLES[edit]

characters

Angharad — Welsh mythology with section Angharad#Literature

Gwydion — Welsh mythology with section Gwydion#Gwydion in other media

Adaon

Coll (character)

Ellidyr

Fair Folk

Glew (character)

Gwythaints

High King Math

Kaw (character)

Llyan

Melyngar

Prince Rhun

Rhitta

(other: 9 who appear in the Disney film; Achren, Arawn Death-Lord, Magg; Gwystyl

locations

(Annuvin redirects to Annwyn which does not mention P)
(Caer Colur is a section of The Castle of Llyr)

Caer Dallben

Caer Dathyl (Prydain)

Isle of Mona

Spiral Castle

Summer Country

(other: Free Commots, Marshes of Morva

general

(Dyrnwyn redirects to Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain#The Dyrnwyn of Rhydderch Hael which does not mention P)

Golden Pelydryn

Mirror of Llunet

(other: Black Crochan, Cauldron-Born,

2014 deletions/merges[edit]

Prydain fictional element articles deleted by TTN Feb/Mar 2014. Some with content beyond the scope of edit summary "nothing but plot information to support it" and/or sourced content not merged.

--perhaps most notably Gwystyl (latest), not even a major character

Prydain navigation box Template:The Chronicles of Prydain – 2014-03-02 and perhaps later

"preceding version of same" – preceding 2014-02-26 and reverted changes

YYYYMMDD – (date of) the linked version, which is latest preceding work by TTN *and* reverted changes

20130901 – This "latest version" date represents the category rename/move from simply Prydain characters to a long name. No change to the page, except as reverted, prior to its conversion to redirect by TTN.

Major

Taran, Eilonwy, prospectively Gwystyl

Fflewddur Fflam – 20130901

notes 1-2, 5

lacks coverage of The Truthful Harp (1967 picture book); text collected in The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain

Gurgi – 20140206 = 20130901

sec 3-5, espy refs 2-3;

links Peredur's brother and (wrong target) "magic wallet"

Gwystyl – 20130901

Minor

Black Crochan 20130420

links a cauldron in Welsh mythology (Pair Dadeni); also (wrong target?) Taliesin

Cauldron-Born 20140109

?

Tidbit

Adaon 20130901

tools[edit]

Template:FictR to list entry Template:CharR to list entry

Fictional element redirects to lists – should be the subcat

Redirected fictional element articles – now the subcat

Category:Prydain character redirects to lists

Category:StarCraft element redirects to lists

Picture books[edit]

The Chronicles of Prydain#Short stories

The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain#Expanded contents

Narnia model[edit]

Main characters

Aslan===

Perhaps for both primary and secondary characters in one alphabetical list; for primary characters only, a summary of the main article.

Characters, etc[edit]

TABLE CHARACTERS[edit]

Character	Book
Character	The Book of Three (1964)	The Black Cauldron (1965)	The Castle of Llyr (1966)	Taran Wanderer (1967)	The High King (1968)	The Foundling and Other Tales ... (expanded, 1999)
Taran
Coll	minor					& beasts
Dallben	minor					& Orddu, O, O
Doli	minor					minor
Eilonwy
Fflewddur Fflam	minor					& Taliesin
Gurgi	minor
Gwydion	minor				minor

Glew			minor		minor
Orddu, O, O		minor		minor		minor
(list)	Eiddileg, Math	Ellidyr, Adaon, Morgant, Smoit, Gwystyl	Rhun	Aeddan, Smoit, Morda, Craddoc, Dorath, Llonio, Hevydd, Dwyvach, Annlaw, Llassar	Rhun, Smoit, Gwystyl, (Aeddan, Llonio, Hevydd, Dwyvach, Annlaw, Llassar), Math, Pryderi, Dorath
Hen Wen	minor					minor
Kaw		minor				Kadwyr
Llyan			minor
Medwyn	minor				minor	minor
Taliesin					minor	minor

Achren	minor		Major	minor (d.)
Arawn	unseen				Major (d.)	& craftsmasters
Magg			Major		minor (d.)
The Horned King	Major
Angharad	mention					& suitors
Maibon						& wife
Rhitta	mention					& shepherd (d.)

Angharad#Literature[edit]

One recent Angharad is the mother of Princess Eilonwy in Lloyd Alexander's fictional land of Prydain, inspired by Wales and Welsh mythology. In the five-volume Chronicles of Prydain she is deceased and peripheral: her daughter is "Eilonwy, daughter of Angharad, daughter of Regat, Princess of Llyr", and some of Angharad's magical implements survive importantly. A later short story, "The True Enchanter" (1973), explains how Geraint won the hand of Princess Angharad in marriage, and they departed her home (namely, the Castle of Llyr). The pronunciation in Prydain is "an-GAR-ad".

Lloyd Alexander, The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain, New York: Henry Holt, 1999 (expanded edition). "The True Enchanter" and "Prydain Pronunciation Guide".

Gwydion#Gwydion in other media[edit]

Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, a series of fantasy novels inspired by Welsh myths, features a character named Gwydion, based somewhat on the Gwydion of myth, but markedly different in terms of moral character. In the Chronicles of Prydain, Prince Gwydion is a member of the Sons of Don, Prydain's ruling house, and King Math's war leader. It is never stated if he is the son of High King Math, but he takes the throne when the High King dies. Gwydion meets Taran when the Assistant Pig-Keeper chases after Hen Wen. The two travel together until they are separated at Spiral Castle. In the course of the five-novel series, Gywdion defeats the Horned King by shouting his real name, leads the attempt to gain the Black Cauldron and helps Taran, Fflewddur Fflam, Gurgi and Prince Rhun rescue Princess Eilonwy from Achren. It is Gwydion who leads an assault on Annuvin by the sea shortly after he becomes High King. In the books, Prince Gwydion is an expert tracker, forester and warrior. As a member of the Royal House of Don, he often wears a pendant depicting a simple golden disk meant to represent the sun.

LISTS CHARACTERS[edit]

List of characters with wikipedia articles

"Major" including all with Disney roles (d)

Achren - secondary villain

Arawn Death-Lord - main villain

Coll (character) - main

d Dallben - main

d Doli (fictional character) - main

d Princess Eilonwy - main

d Fflewddur Fflam - main

d Gurgi - main

Prince Gwydion - section Gwydion

Gwystyl

d Hen Wen - repeated in the below list of animals

d Fair Folk - includes redirect King Eiddileg featured by Disney

d The Horned King - main villain thanks to Disney

Magg - secondary villain

d Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch

d Taran (character) - main

"Minor" wikipedia articles transcribed below: section Angharad; section Gwydion; Adaon; Ellidyr; Glew (character); High King Math; King Rhitta; Prince Rhun

Adaon[edit]

Adaon is the son of the Chief Bard Taliesin, in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. He is featured solely in the second book, The Black Cauldron, although he is mentioned in the third and fifth books. He is a gifted minstrel, though not yet an official bard, a strong-hearted warrior, and a capable healer. His most precious possessions are his packets of healing herbs; his bay mare Lluagor; and a distinctive brooch which was a gift from Arianllyn, his betrothed.

Adaon joins the protagonist, Taran, and his companions in their efforts to find and destroy the Black Cauldron, with which Arawn Death-Lord creates his armies of deathless warriors, the Cauldron-Born. He quickly endears himself to Taran, Princess Eilonwy, Fflewddur Fflam, and Gurgi through his kindness, sense, and upright character. One night, Adaon, having glimpses of the future, extracts an unusual promise from Taran: should Adaon fall in battle, Taran will take his healing herbs, brooch and horse and keep them for his own. Taran is troubled by this request, but makes the promise, and Adaon professes his heart to be at ease.

During the ensuing struggles, Adaon is mortally wounded. He reminds Taran of his promise and, remarking that his thoughts are with his beloved Arianllyn, dies. The grieving companions give him a hero's burial as best they can; Eilonwy adopts Lluagor as her own preferred steed, and Taran carries the healing herbs and wears the brooch.

Adaon's brooch, as it turns out, is the source of his visions of the future, and more than once it compels Taran to undertake a course of action in the quest which, at first, seems like folly, but proves to be very wise. This helpful prescience remains with Taran for as long as he retains possession of the brooch.

In the Marshes of Morva, however, they encounter the three enchantresses, Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch. The sisters have taken the Black Cauldron from Arawn's stronghold, noting that they are its rightful owners; they are willing to give it to the companions for the right price. The friends attempt a series of offers, including Fflewddur's harp and Eilonwy's bauble, but all are rejected. Finally, and reluctantly, Taran offers to surrender Adaon's brooch and this is accepted. This purchase is a vital act in order to ensure the destruction of the cauldron later in the book, and Adaon, by insisting that Taran take the brooch, is thus a hero even after his own death.

Ellidyr[edit]

Ellidyr is a fictional character in the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. He plays a tragic, pivotal role in the second book of the series, The Black Cauldron.

Ellidyr is described as a prince, the son of a king who had nothing left to leave his son but "his name and his sword." He is deeply sensitive about his poverty, and covers this with arrogance, treating all whom he does not see as social equals with disdain and contempt. Adaon, with the aid of a magic talisman, sees this as a "black beast," sitting on Ellidyr's shoulders and tormenting him.

Shortly after arriving at Caer Dallben, Ellidyr quarrels with and offends Taran; their interactions afterward are marked with friction for most of the rest of the book. When Taran, Princess Eilonwy, Fflewddur Fflam and Gurgi are bogged down by the Black Crochan, Ellidyr only agrees to help them after they promise to allow him to have the glory of recovering the Crochan to himself.

Later, when Ellidyr has been captured by an enemy along with Taran and his companions, Ellidyr finally comes to wisdom and realizes what sort of person he has been. He makes amends by destroying the Crochan (only a living person throwing himself into the Crochan, knowing that to do so is fatal, will accomplish this). Afterwards, Ellidyr is buried with honour, along with Islimach, his horse; the horse threw herself from a cliff right after Ellidyr's death.

Ellidyr is described as having extraordinary strength and seems to only truly love Islimach. Though arrogant, he is not evil and swears to Taran though he would have taken credit for finding the Crochan, he would have seen it destroyed and never would have used it to create Cauldron-Born. Despite their obvious differences, Ellidyr and Taran are in fact very similar. Both are headstrong, brash, and search for ways to sate their desires for honor and glory. However, it eventually is proven that Taran values his companions and their mission over his own honor. Ellidyr too comes to realize that there are more important things than his own glory, and it is after his noble sacrifice that he is honored among his comrades.

Parallels could be drawn from him to one of the villains of The Mabinogion Evnisien whom, although he is much more villainous (Murdering his own nephew to continue a war) also sacrifices himself in the end, by throwing himself into the cauldron of that story, giving up his life and ending the cauldron, which was the basis of Ellidyrs cauldron.

Fair Folk[edit]

This article is for the fictional race in the fiction of Lloyd Alexander. For the mythological Fair Folk, see Fairy.

The Fair Folk are a race of supernatural beings in The Chronicles of Prydain, a series of children's fantasy novels by Lloyd Alexander. The term "Fair Folk" is one of several titles often given to fairies, elves and similar human-like supernatural races in folklore, such as the Welsh Tylwyth Teg. Alexander's Fair Folk most closely resemble dwarves or diminutive elves in appearance. Some of the Fair Folk appear in more beautiful forms.

In the novels, the Fair Folk live underground. They have outposts throughout Prydain and mines where they get supplies of beautiful gems, from which they take only the best, most flawless examples. The entrance to the subterranean Fair Folk kingdom is hidden under the Black Lake.

The Fair Folk are ruled by King Eiddileg, a hot-tempered and easily excitable little man. He harbors a great dislike and distrust for humans since his coronation as king. In The Book of Three, the companions enter the realm of the Fair Folk and come face to face with the King. He withholds from them the oracular pig Hen Wen.

Other significant Fair Folk include the dwarf Doli, a companion of the series' protagonist Taran, and Gwystyl, a depressed and melancholy fae who provides the heroes with information and aid (often unwillingly or after threat of "squeezing").

The Fair Folk are portrayed as ambivalent towards humans, though usually not antagonistic. They generally keep to themselves and have disdain for the foolish and awkward "mortals" who live above. However, they have less love for the Death-Lord Arawn and his minions and occasionally aid the forces of Prydain against him. It was mentioned by Doli in Taran Wanderer that the Fair Folk always honored the House of Llyr (Eilonwy's house). They also are honorbound to repay any debts they have to mortals. Usually this comes in the form of granting wishes or bestowing magical treasures.

At the conclusion of the series, following the downfall of Arawn, the Fair Folk retreat into their underground world (seemingly for good) when beings of magic depart from Prydain and a new age begins. This diminishing of magic resembles similar events in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and other works of fantasy.

The Fair Folk appear in the Disney animated film The Black Cauldron, loosely adapted from the first two novels of the Chronicles of Prydain. Unlike Alexander's dwarf-like description, the Disney Fair Folk more closely resemble the contemporary Victorian version of fairies and are depicted as tiny winged beings.

Glew (character)[edit]

Glew is a fictional character in The Castle of Llyr, the third book in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy series, The Chronicles of Prydain. He is discovered by accident when the companions fall into and are trapped in an underground cavern on the Isle of Mona.

Background

Glew was formerly a very small man. In his younger days he tried unsuccessfully to enter a number of careers including slaying dragons or being a wandering bard. He found none of them to his liking, mostly due to his own sniveling disposition. Finally he decided the only answer was to turn to sorcery, and he attempted to buy a book of spells from the enchanter Morda. When Glew got the book home he discovered he has been cheated- the book appeared to be nothing but blank pages (in actuality there was writing in the book, however the light from Eilonwy's bauble was required to see it).

Glew then turned his mind to creating a potion that would make him a giant, in hopes that he might finally achieve the power and respect he felt he deserved. He began cooking up growth potions in his hut, and testing them on Llyan, a small wildcat he had trapped and put in a cage. The potions worked, and Llyan grew larger. When the cat had grown to the size of a draft horse, she broke free and attacked Glew. Forced to flee, he ran into series of caverns, and as he ran he drank the potion. He grew quickly, and was forced to run deep into the caverns to find large enough rooms to accommodate him. He found a huge chamber in which he could rest, but he was trapped because of his large size.

Glew lives in the damp and darkness of the caverns for many years, until he encounters the companions in The Castle of Llyr. Despite the fact that he attempts to trap them to use one of them as a final ingredient for a shrinking potion he is concocting, Taran promises that he will ask Dallben if he can do anything to help the miserable giant. Dallben eventually sends the potion, which restores him to his original dwarfish size and enables him to leave the cave. He makes his way to the Castle of Mona, where he is given refuge despite the fact that he keeps complaining about all sorts of things.

In The High King, Glew had been taken by Prince Rhun from Mona to Caer Dalben, where he did nothing except eat and whine about how much he missed being a giant. He is forced to accompany Taran and the others when they go on their conquests against Arwan.

Accompanying Taran's Commot men after the fall of Caer Dathyl, he inadvertendly causes the collapse of a Fair Folk mine shaft the Commot people are passing through whilst greedily digging up jewels, forcing them to turn back. In Annuvin, he and Gurgi stumble upon Arwan's treasure room. Though Gurgi suspects the room is rigged with traps, Glew tries to steal treasure from it. He is nearly killed in a trap, but Gurgi rescues him.

At the end of The High King, Glew tells the truth about his folly in Arawn's treasure room, much to everyone's amazement. He is allowed to journey with them to Summer Country, where he is told he will grow to the size of a man. Before leaving, he gives Taran a present of a small crystal he had kept as a keepsake (another selfless action).

Sources

Tunnell, Michael O., The Prydain Companion, Henry Holt, 1989. ISBN 0805072713

High King Math[edit]

Math son of Mathonwy is the High King of the fictional realm of Prydain in the Lloyd Alexander novel series The Chronicles of Prydain. He rules above all lesser kings in Prydain. Math is patriarch of the Royal House of Don, comprising descendants of the Lady Don and her consort, Belin, the Sun king. Math rules with a just hand, and through his leadership Arawn, Death-Lord is at least partly held in check. He dwells in the stronghold Caer Dathyl, north of the Eagle Mountains. He appears fleetingly at the conclusion of The Book of Three and briefly in The High King.

Overview

King Math is described as having a long white beard and his face is wrinkled with age. Upon his head, the Golden Crown of Don rests, but seems more like a cruel burden then a blessing.

In The High King, Math tells Taran that he is deeply disturbed by the war that rages across his kingdom. He sadly laments that he wished that his kingdom remained in peace, rather than be engulfed by war and bloodshed. When King Pryderi arrives at Caer Dathyl and reveals that he has aligned himself with Arawn and vows to succeed in achieving peace, where the Sons of Don failed. King Math answers "Is there worse evil than that which goes in the mask of good?"

Pryderi's forces, along with Arawn's Cauldron-Born warriors, launch an assault upon Caer Dathyl. When the deathless warriors batter down the gates, Math stands alone and defiant before them, armored in gold and holding a sword. The Cauldron-Born warriors stride forward, knocking Math's sword aside and striking him down. Soon the lifeless warriors turn their battering rams on the walls of Caer Dathyl, turning the once proud capital into a heap of rubble. The Chief Bard Taliesin consecrates the ruined citadel as Math's barrow.

Prince Gwydion is the heir to Math's throne and title, and briefly becomes the new High King after Math's death. It is never stated definitely whether Gwydion is in fact Math's son.

Like many aspects of the series, Math is based on a character from Welsh mythology, Math fab Mathonwy, a legendary king.

Prince Rhun[edit]

Prince Rhun is a fictional character in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series. He is featured prominently in the latter half of the five-book series.

Profile

Prince Rhun is the only son of King Rhuddlum and Queen Teleria, who rule over the Isle of Mona. By birthright, he is the heir apparent to the throne. He is first introduced in The Castle of Llyr when the Princess Eilonwy is sent by the enchanter Dallben to live at the castle and gain a "proper" upbringing. He is described as having a round, pleasant face like his father and straw-colored hair like his mother.

Although well-meaning, Rhun is portrayed as a somewhat less intelligent character who has the knack of turning even the simplest situation into a problem, often to the chagrin of his companions. Taran himself initially feels nothing but disdain and contempt for Rhun, relenting only when Rhun himself expresses his own frustration at realizing just how clumsy and useless he is, after which Taran begins to feel sorry for him. Often adding a comical element to the novels, the prince also becomes an integral part of the movement of the several quests and an essential part to the resolution of the series. Though frequently inept, the prince is nevertheless relentlessly cheerful, friendly, well-meaning, and has a good heart.

Appearances

In The Castle of Llyr, Prince Rhun sets out on a journey with Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper, Fflewddur Fflam the Bard, and the creature Gurgi on a quest to protect the Princess Eilonwy from an unknown danger.

A significant facet of the story is Rhun's intended betrothal to Eilonwy, arranged by his parents. Neither Rhun nor Eilonwy are to be made aware of this plan, though Rhun later admits to Taran that he found out some time earlier. When King Rhuddlum asks Taran to watch over Rhun during the quest, the Assistant Pig-Keeper is torn between feelings of loyalty to his oath and feelings of jealousy towards the prince, since he is secretly in love with the princess himself. During their search for the princess, however, Rhun proves to be as courageous and self-sacrificing as the rest of the company. While he never sheds his clumsiness, he shows that he has the making of a hero and a good future king.

In The High King (winner of the Newbery Medal), Rhun is now the King of Mona, as his father has died in the unspecified length of time which has passed since the end of The Castle of Llyr. He plays an important part in the rescue of Gwydion and his other companions from the grasp of Magg's henchmen; however, he heroically loses his life doing so. Upon his grave, Taran swears to finish the last project Rhun had been working on for his people: completing the construction of a safe harbor on Mona.

Rhitta[edit]

Rhitta was once High King of Prydain, the mythical kingdom in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy novel series The Chronicles of Prydain. He is never mentioned in the original five novels, but the story of his downfall is included in the lesser-known sixth installment, The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain.

During his life, he destroyed the gate of a shepherd in his kingdom, and impatiently kept on his way, calling it a small matter, which he vowed to set right in due course.

Eventually, all of the shepherd's sheep strayed, except for one lamb, which died shortly after, for want of his mother. When the shepherd mocked Rhitta, Rhitta drew his enchanted sword and killed the shepherd.

When Rhitta saw what he had done, however, he was struck with remorse. After his councilors talked him into believing that it was not his fault, he set aside things to be given to the shepherd's relatives, to show that the bore no grudge. Upon learning that there were no such people to deliver it too, he kept all of the gifts and the shepherd's property, banishing his war leader for mocking him for it.

Eventually, people began to rebel, causing Rhitta to expand his castle's defenses, and to build hidden chambers to hide in while he slept.

Meanwhile the enchantment on his sword began to turn against him, preventing him from drawing it.

At the climax of the story, the shepherd's ghost visited him in his bedchamber, stating that Rhitta had slain the shepherd once, and himself a thousand times over, and that he pitied Rhitta as he would any suffering creature. Reacting in horror, Rhitta struggled against the power of his enchanted blade, forcing it out of its sheath against its will. The blade's power then killed Rhitta, who was mourned only by the shepherd.

LISTS ANIMALS[edit]

List of named animals: Hen Wen - major article; repeated in the above list of characters; GWYTHAINTS - see the below list of forces

KAW

LLYAN

MELYNGAR

and other horses Islimach, Lluagor, Melynlas; pony Gurgi's

Kadwyr and others in "The Rascal Crow", "Coll and His White Pig", and Medwyn chapters of the chronicles

Kaw (character)[edit]

Kaw is a character in The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. He first appears in the second book of the series, The Black Cauldron, and plays a role in each of the following books. The final volume, The High King, contains a chapter from Kaw's point of view.

One of the most important non-human characters in the series, Kaw is a crow and was originally the pet of Gwystyl, a Fair Folk officer. He is subsequently given to the series' hero, Taran. Kaw can talk, although only in one-word sentences, and his role in the story is to give information, to spy out the land while flying and sometimes to retrieve lost objects from difficult places. He has a mischievous temperament, often playing tricks on his human friends and talking more freely than he should.

Llyan[edit]

Llyan is a fictional character introduced in book three of Lloyd Alexander's The Prydain Chronicles, The Castle of Llyr.

Llyan is described as a large female cat, roughly larger than a horse, with orange fur. Her size does not diminish her natural agility or speed, however. Taran, Gurgi, Fflewddur Fflam and Prince Rhun encounter her in an old cottage on the Isle of Mona.

Originally Llyan was owned by Glew. Glew wanted to be an enchanter, but was unable to read the book of spells he bought. In his desperation, he began dabbling in potions and testing them on Llyan. One, to make himself taller, worked too well and caused Llyan to grow.

When the companions first encounter her, Llyan keeps them at bay within the cottage. However, Fflewddur's harp music seemed to calm her.

When he escaped, she followed after them and would pull the companions and Achren out of the sea when the Castle of Llyr fell. After that, she served as Fflewddur's mount and the most avid fan of his music.

In the last book of the series The High King, she is allowed to accompany Fflewddur to the Summer Country, but is distressed that Taran is remaining behind.

Literary origin

In placing Llyan on the Isle of Mona, Alexander references the legend of the Cath Palug on the Isle of Anglesey.

"Cath Palug," Jones' Celtic Encyclopedia

Melyngar[edit]

Melyngar is a fictional character in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy novel series The Chronicles of Prydain. The prized horse of Prince Gwydion, Melyngar is most visible in the first book in the series, The Book of Three. When Gwydion is presumed dead, the protagonist Taran and his companions attempt to let her lead them home so that they might give High King Math the news of his kinsman's death. Instead, she leads them to the secluded valley belonging to Medwyn, a place which only animals are able to find.

Gwydion, who is later discovered to be alive, rewards Taran for his courage by gifting him with Melynlas, a gray stallion who was Melyngar's own foal.

Locations, etc[edit]

TABLE LOCATIONS, etc[edit]

Character	Book
Character	The Book of Three (1964)	The Black Cauldron (1965)	The Castle of Llyr (1966)	Taran Wanderer (1967)	The High King (1968)	The Foundling and Other Tales ... (expanded, 1999)
objects	BookofThree GoldenPelydryn Dyrnwyn TruthfulHarp	GP BlackCrochan	GoldenPelydryn EmptyBook SilverHorn	EB Diadem SilverHorn	BT GP Dyrnwyn LetterSticks	BookofThree Dyrnwyn TruthfulHarp ...
locales	CaerDallben SpiralCastle FairFolk CaerDathyl	CD Annuvin MarshesMorva	CD IsleMona CaerColur	CD MarshesMorva CaerCadarn FreeCommots MirrorLlunet	CD CaerCadarn FreeCommots CaerDathyl Annuvin (SummerC)	CaerDallben Annuvin MarshesMorva SpiralCastle CaerColur
forces	CauldronBorn Gwythaints	CauldronBorn Huntsmen			CauldronBorn Huntsmen Gwythaints	Huntsmen

LISTS UNIVERSE forces[edit]

List of forces: Cauldron-Born - main article; GWYTHAINTS; Huntsmen of Annuvin - redirect The Chronicles of Prydain

Significant Talk: Cauldron-Born and Talk:Black Crochan

Gwythaints and animal characters are in WikiProject:Fictional characters

Gwythaints[edit]

Gwythaints are fictional characters in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. They are a race of ferocious eagles under the command of Arawn Death-Lord, the primary villain of the series.

Description and origins

The birds are actually larger than the largest eagle, with blood red eyes, curving beaks, and talons as sharp as daggers. Black birds of prey, Arawn captured them long ago and tortured them into his service; they serve out of terror. He keeps them in iron cages in his stronghold of Annuvin. Reminiscent in spirit to the Flying Monkeys of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz, the Gwythaints are the eyes and ears of Arawn, spying and bringing information. They are not above attacking, however, and do so on several occasions.

Medwyn, a Noah-like character, explains, "Once, long ago, they were as free as other birds, gentle and trusting. In his cunning, Arawn lured them to him and brought them under his power. He built the iron cages which are now their prison house in Annuvin."

Alexander, Lloyd, The Book of Three, Holt, 1964, p. 119

The Fledgling Gwythaint

Taran, the protagonist of the series, takes Medwyn's word to heart, and when he finds an injured fledgling gwythaint, he builds it a small cage and nurses it back to health. The other companions want to kill it, but Taran refuses. Though it also seems to warm to Taran and also Princess Eilonwy, it escapes, and the companions fear that it will reveal their plans. Instead, it repays Taran's kindness by informing Prince Gwydion (who has the power of speech of animals) of their location, and helps them to resolve the novel's plot.

The Fledgling Gwythaint reappears in the fifth novel of the series, The High King. In a climactic scene, Taran is dangling precariously from a ledge on Mount Dragon when a gwythaint seems to attack. Amazingly, it is the same Fledgling Gwythaint, who instead rescues him and lifts him to the top of the mountain. He then attacks the encroaching Cauldron-born, and is tragically struck down after its noble actions. In addition, the Fledgling Gwythaint placed Taran exactly where the stolen sword Drynwyn had been hidden, again helping resolve the novel's main narrative. Taran's early kindness was repaid many times over.

Alexander's mother recalled he frequently brought home injured animals as a child; this perhaps was reflected in the story of the Fledgling Gwythaint.

Fate of the Gwythaints

Unlike the Fledgling Gwythaint, the other gwythaints are ruthless to the people and animals of Prydain. Besides the sense of oppression they developed, they attacked numerous characters in the series. They inform Arawn of the companions' plans in The Black Cauldron. In The High King, they attack and injure Kaw, the crow, as he spies on Annuvin, and they nearly kill the sorceress Achren, and she is only saved by an "army of crows" so great in number to drive away the eagle-sized gwythaints.

When Arawn is killed and his power destroyed, the gwythaints also die. Sadly, they do not return to their unspoiled state.

In the film The Black Cauldron

In the film, which is a loose adaptation of the entire series, the gwythaints are drawn to resemble dragons.

Sources

Tunnell, Michael O., The Prydain Companion, Holt, 1989. ISBN 0805072713

LISTS UNIVERSE objects[edit]

List of magical objects: BLACK CROCHAN - see also section in Talk space; book of three; diadem; Dyrnwyn - redirect Dyrnwyn; empty book; GOLDEN PELYDRYN; silver horn; truthful harp

Significant Talk:Black Crochan and Talk:Cauldron-Born

Black Crochan[edit]

The Black Crochan is a large, magical iron cauldron that features prominently in the second book of the Chronicles of Prydain, The Black Cauldron. It is used in the production of Cauldron-Born, the undead soldiers of the Death-Lord Arawn. It may have had other uses, but by the time of the stories, all that it is good for is producing Cauldron-Born.

Originally the property of three witches, Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch, the Crochan was loaned to Arawn. This loan was intended to be for a limited time, but Arawn tried to renege on the deal and keep the Crochan, forcing the witches to act to take it back. It is found by Taran, Fflewddur Fflam, Eilonwy, and Gurgi, who have been sent, along with others, from Caer Dallben to retrieve the Crochan and, hopefully, to destroy it.

Taran eventually convinces the witches to part with the Crochan by trading a magical brooch, formerly the property of Adaon, the son of Taliesin, who had been killed while accompanying Taran and his friends. When Taran tries to destroy it, the witches explain that the only way to destroy the Crochan is for a living man to enter it, knowing that to do so is fatal.

While trying to transport the Crochan to Caer Dallben, Taran loses it to Ellidyr, who craves the glory of bringing it in. Ellidyr eventually destroys the Crochan, at the cost of his own life.

The Black Crochan is based on a cauldron in Welsh mythology that had very similar properties.^{[citation needed]}

Golden Pelydryn[edit]

The Golden Pelydryn is a fictional magical object in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series. It is owned by the young enchantress Princess Eilonwy and is used by her to light her way through darkness. It resembles a sphere of pure gold and is referred to as her "bauble." It also reveals things which ordinary lights cannot.

Appearances
The Novels

The Golden Pelydryn is first seen in The Book of Three, when Taran is being held prisoner by the evil queen Achren in her fortress, Spiral Castle. When Eilonwy is playing on the battlements of the castle, she drops the bauble (as she calls it) through a crack in the ceiling and it falls into Taran's cell. She breaks into the dungeon and uses the magic of the Pelydryn to light up the room. She never parts with it and it accompanies her through the entire series from then on.

The Golden Pelydryn plays very little role in The Black Cauldron, other than Eilonwy willing to barter it with the Three Sisters, Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch, in exchange for the cauldron. They turn her offer down. It is in The Castle of Llyr that we find out how powerful the bauble really is. Its true name is the Golden Pelydryn, and it is in fact an ancient heirloom of the Royal House of Llyr, handed down from mother to daughter among the Princesses of Llyr. Before Eilonwy, the last owner of the Pelydryn was her mother, the Princess Angharad. But when Angharad fled the royal household to marry against her mother's wishes, she took the Pelydryn with her and passed it down to her infant daughter Eilonwy.

The remainder of Eilonwy's story, and that of the Golden Pelydryn, is revealed to Taran and the reader during the course of the third and fourth books in the series, The Castle of Llyr and Taran Wanderer. The fate of Geraint, Eilonwy's commoner father, is unknown, but sometime following his death, the sorceress Achren abducted the infant Eilonwy (and her magic bauble) and took her to Spiral Castle. Eilonwy, as the last Princess of Llyr, is the sole heir to the magic of Llyr, most of which is contained in the ancient family stronghold at Caer Colur, and the only person who can make use of the spells contained in a book that the light of the Golden Pelydryn will allow her to read. Achren raised Eilonwy as her own niece, giving her a basic training in magic, but Eilonwy suspected Achren was not really her aunt and knew that she did not belong in Spiral Castle. At the time of the events of The Book of Three, she was too young to have gotten very far with her magical education, so her powers lay mostly dormant throughout the series.

In The Castle of Llyr, Eilonwy is again seized by Achren and taken to the family home at Caer Colur, where she is kept under an enchantment that prevents her from recognizing her friends or attempting to escape. The spells in the spellbook of Llyr, as Prince Gwydion explains to a bewildered Taran, can only be used by a Princess of Llyr and only once she has reached the threshold of womanhood; Eilonwy, he says, is at that point in her life, suggesting that she is approximately fourteen or fifteen years old in this book. Instead of obeying Achren, however, and using the spells to help her conquer Prydain, Eilonwy musters the strength to break the enchantment which imprisons her; she casts the spellbook to the flagstones, where it bursts into flames, and all of Caer Colur is destroyed. As a surprising side effect, Achren's own magical powers are stripped from her, and she accompanies the group back to the mainland and joins the household of Taran's foster father, the enchanter Dallben.

In Taran Wanderer, Taran learns that Eilonwy's mother, Angharad, sought the aid of an evil sorcerer, Morda, in finding her abducted daughter. She attempted to pay him for his aid with a magic pendant which had been given to the House of Llyr by the Fair Folk; but as she was already very ill when she reached Morda's abode, she died during the night and he kept everything she carried on her person, including the pendant and the book of Llyrian spells. He later sold the (seemingly blank) spellbook to a would-be enchanter called Glew, which is how it was eventually restored to Eilonwy in the previous book.

In The High King, the final book of the series, the Golden Pelydryn is brought into play twice. At one point, Eilonwy has been separated from her companions, but from a distance witnesses them being very nearly trapped by the evil warriors of Arawn. Calling to Taran, and lifting the bauble high, she summons enough light to turn the darkened valley "as bright as noon." At the end of the book, Eilonwy is asked to choose—will she journey to the Summer Country with all the other magic users left in Prydain, or will she stay behind and marry the newly crowned High King Taran? Choosing a mortal life of love over an immortal life in the magic realm, she asks her enchantments to be removed from her, and the light of the Golden Pelydryn is darkened forever.

The Film

In the animated version of The Black Cauldron, Eilonwy's bauble is never identified by its proper name; this is understandable, as the name of the Golden Pelydryn was not known to the cast until the third book. However, the film depicts the bauble as semi-sentient, able to move under its own power and seeming to possess a degree of intelligence. It is also shown as being rather large, almost the size of Eilonwy's own head. The books, by comparison, indicate that the Golden Pelydryn is rather small, roughly the size of a baseball or similar, and incapable of moving on its own; Eilonwy carries it at all times. It is also unable to light on its own, as the movie indicates it can do.

LISTS LOCATIONS[edit]

List of locales: Annuvin - redirect Annwn(! does not mention Annuvin); no Talk; Caer Colur - section The Castle of Llyr#Caer Colur; CAER DALLBEN; CAER DATHYL (PRYDAIN); Free Commots - main article; ISLE OF MONA; Marshes of Morva - main article; MIRROR OF LLUNET; prydain - "Prydain (Middle Welsh: Prydein) is the modern Welsh name for Britain."; SPIRAL CASTLE; SUMMER COUNTRY - tagged by WPReligiion

No Talk (except Annwn); all contain only project banners

Caer Dallben[edit]

Caer Dallben is a cottage farm within the lands of Prydain and the starting point for each book of Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain. It is also the setting for the series' final chapter.

Caer Dallben is a medieval-style farm with a cottage, pens and coops for the animals, a forge and barn. The farm was once Coll's, but was given the name Caer Dallben when the wizard Dallben moved in. The Book of Three is housed there.

It is also home to Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper and the story's main character, as well as the orcaular pig, Hen Wen, Princess Eilonwy (in The Black Cauldron) and Gurgi (from the end of The Book of Three onwards). Later, after The Castle of Llyr, Achren moves in, serving as the scullery maid.

Caer Dallben, along with Caer Dathyl, the capital of Prydain, are the two main places opposing Arawn Death-Lord. The Death-Lord himself cannot set foot on Caer Dallben, but his minions can. The exact reason why is never explained. It is said that he killed 19 men for this place, because there were 19 heads found.

Caer Dathyl (Prydain)[edit]

Caer Dathyl (named for a legendary Welsh castle of the same name) is the location from which the High King of Prydain ruled in the stories told in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. It was built by the Sons of Don in the north of Prydain, among the Eagle Mountains, intended to protect Prydain from further conquests by Arawn of Annuvin. A tall fortress on a hill dominated the cottages, shops and other buildings in the valleys below it; the stones used to make the fortress had a color similar to gold.

The fortress of Caer Dathyl was not only a place of defense and a seat of royal power, but also served as a repository of literature and art of every variety from throughout Prydain. A grove of hemlocks was planted in one of its courtyards above the burial mounds of past kings and heroes, and storehouses preserved the treasures of craftsmen collected from every corner of the land.

The Chief Bard also resides at Caer Dathyl, where he maintains the Hall of Lore and the Hall of Bards, both of which store many of the historical documents, songs, poems, and other items of literature. Access to the Hall of Bards was limited to official bards, though other people were permitted within the Hall of Lore.

In The Book of Three, Prince Gwydion surmises that Arawn's war leader, the Horned King, intends to destroy Caer Dathyl with the army he rallied in the southern realms of Prydain. The story's protagonist, Taran, sets out with his companions to warn the people of Caer Dathyl of the attack, though he failed to reach the fortress before the vigilant Sons of Don met the Horned King's army in battle in the valley beyond Caer Dathyl. The battle ended decisively in the Sons of Don's favor when the Horned King himself was slain, sparing Caer Dathyl itself from any damage. After the battle, Taran and his companions were welcomed as heroes by the High King Math, and saw much of Caer Dathyl before returning home to Caer Dallben.

Caer Dathyl saw battle again in the final book of the series, The High King. Gwydion designated it as the rallying point for all the armies in Prydain who were loyal to the Sons of Don, though only the armies of the northern realms and the Free Commots made it there before a fierce battle ensued. Pryderi, king of those western domains that were loyal to the Sons of Don, came to Gwydion and Math, demanding they either surrender to him and Arawn or fight them. His ultimatum was rejected, and the next morning his armies faced the defenders of Caer Dathyl in the snow-covered valley before the fortress, led by Gwydion, the Chief Bard Taliesin, and Taran.

As evening approached, Pryderi's forces broke ranks and retreated, but were then joined by an army of Huntsmen of Annuvin and deathless Cauldron-Born sent from Annuvin. The Cauldron-Born slew the High King Math inside the gates of the fortress, and throughout the night they leveled Caer Dathyl in its entirety, killing all who stood in their way.

After the conclusion of the war, Taran determined to rebuild Caer Dathyl, including the Hall of Lore and Hall of Bards, hoping to recover the knowledge preserved there as well as providing a place for future learning to be stored. This goal was eventually fulfilled during his reign as High King of Prydain.

Isle of Mona[edit]

The Isle of Mona is the original name of the Isle of Anglesey, and is also the name of a fictional island off the western coast of Prydain in Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain series. The fictional island is loosely patterened after the real Isle of Mona, now called the Isle of Anglesey, the ancient Druid stronghold located off the northwest coast of Wales which was destroyed by the Roman General Suetonius Paulinus around 65 CE. The fictionalized Isle of Mona is most prominently featured in the Alexander's third novel, The Castle of Llyr.

In the novel

The Isle of Mona is the setting for The Castle of Llyr. The Isle of Mona is the realm of the House of Rhuddlum, ruled by King Rhuddlum and Queen Teleria. The capital and royal palace are located in Dinas Rhydant, a coastal city surrounding the island's main port, Mona Haven.

Eilonwy is sent to Dinas Rhydant to be schooled in the ways of being a lady and a princess. Soon after arriving, Eilonwy (who by title is the Princess of Llyr) is kidnapped by Achren and taken to the ruins of Eilonwy's ancestral home, Caer Colur. Taran and the companions, accompanied by the feckless Prince Rhun, search the island to find the princess.

Later, in the fifth novel, The High King, it is learned that King Rhuddlum has died. The kingdom is inherited by his son, Prince Rhun. When Rhun is killed on battle, Taran vows to finish Rhun's pet project of a seawall.

Geography of the island

As with the real Isle of Anglesey, Mona is cut off from the mainland by a channel. The capital Dynas Rhydant is in a port. There is an unfinished seawall in the harbor. Forests cover most of the island, and there is at least one river (the River Alaw) which plays a part in the story. The companions also discover a very large cavern in which they have an adventure.

Before Eilonwy was born, Mona was the kingdom of the House of Llyr and the site of its stronghold Caer Colur. Separated from Mona by a flood, the ruins of Caer Colur were then located on a small island just offshore. This site seems to have been abandoned when the House of Llyr fell; however, it only seems to have happened fifteen years before the setting of the novel. Apparently, the sea air and tides helped accelerate the deterioration of Caer Colur.

Spiral Castle[edit]

Spiral Castle was at one time the seat of power for the fictional land of Prydain. During the period of time covered by Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, it had become one of many strongholds under the influence of Arawn Death-Lord, personally administered by Queen Achren.

The earliest story featuring Spiral Castle is "The Sword" from The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain. It was the home of Rhitta, High King of Prydain and possessor of the sword Dyrnwyn, the land's most powerful weapon. The beginning of his reign saw much prosperity in the land, but through a few careless actions the king's guilty conscience quickly led him to personal tragedy. He became haunted by his crimes and paranoid of any threat to his rule.

To heighten security during the civil war that quickly engulfed the land, he had a vast labyrinth of tunnels dug beneath the castle as a final hiding place should the castle's defenses be overrun. It was because of these tunnels that the castle became called Spiral Castle. A few chambers were placed in the lower tunnels, and Rhitta would spend each night in a different one. His behavior became so unpredictable that no one besides the guards who watched over him knew where he was from one night to the next.

It was in one of these chambers that Rhitta met his death. Visited one night by the ghost of a shepherd he had killed unjustly, he tried to protect himself with the sword Dyrnwyn. However, Dyrnwyn could only be drawn by those "of noble worth" for purposes of good; as he was no longer worthy to draw the sword, when he tried doing so lightning from the sword killed him and all his guards instantly. A minor cave-in prevented others from discovering their bodies, and after Rhitta's disappearance Spiral Castle's importance to Prydain diminished.

Many years later, as told in The Book of Three, control of Spiral Castle had passed to Achren. Prince Gwydion and his companion Taran were captured by Arawn's forces and on Achren's orders they were taken to see her in her stronghold. Taran was imprisoned in the castle's dungeon, and there he met the Princess Eilonwy, Achren's ward, who was familiar with most of the castle's tunnels. She agreed to help Taran escape.

While Taran followed Eilonwy through the castle's tunnels, a section of floor collapsed and dropped Taran into a lower, buried, tunnel. Eilonwy followed him down, and eventually they discovered the chamber where King Rhitta met his end. In this chamber Taran discovered a small tunnel leading directly to the outside, in the face of a hill below the castle walls. He took a sword from the room and made his way out, followed by Eilonwy carrying the sword Dyrnwyn.

Removing Dyrnwyn proved to be Spiral Castle's undoing, for the sword's powers had affected the castle in such a way that it could no longer stand in the sword's absence. As Eilonwy left the tunnel with the sword, the castle collapsed, killing all its occupants in the process. Only the arch of the gate remained standing, and in only a matter of years the castle's ruins were overgrown with grass.

See also

Glastonbury Tor: Mythology

Summer Country[edit]

The Summer Country is the mythical birthplace of mankind in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy book series The Chronicles of Prydain.

The Summer Country is the ancestral home of the Sons of Don. It is ruled by the Lady Don and her consort Belin, king of the Sun. The Sons of Don had voyaged from the Summer Country to Prydain long before the story of Taran. Chief Bard Taliesin explains to the companions that it is a land without strife and suffering, even death. The Summer Country bears some similarity to the otherworlds of Atlantis, Avalon, Valinor, and Tylwyth Teg, the kingdom of the Fair Folk. Not only is The Summer Country beautiful, but "all heart's desires are granted there...It is a land without strife or suffering, where even death itself is unknown."

Tunnell, Michael O., The Prydain Companion, Henry Holt, p. 233. ISBN0805072713

In the final novel of the series, The High King, Gwydion announces that the Sons of Don must board the golden ships on which they came to Prydain and return to the Summer Country. As the age of enchantment ends in Prydain, the Sons of Don, and all others with magic in their blood, must leave its boundaries.

The Summer Country exists in the Welsh mythos independently of Alexander's fiction. It is mentioned in the ancient Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen as one place Arthur gathered soldiers to take to Ireland.

Mirror of Llunet[edit]

The Mirror of Llunet is an oracular pool of water and the object of a quest in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. It is featured in the fourth novel of the series, Taran Wanderer. Those seeking truth travel to the Mirror to gaze into its depths.

Description

The Mirror itself is actually a pool of water hidden in a cave in the fictional Llawgadarn Mountains in the land of Prydain. The pool is no more than a finger's depth of water, fed by moisture twining down the wall of the cave. It glitters like a polished silver shield, and the water seems a depthless crystal catching beams of light.

Alexander, Lloyd. Taran Wanderer, Henry Holt, 1967 p 212 Novel Description

The Mirror rests in a hushed cave and has a mystical feel, appropriate for the object of a quest. The Llawgadarn Mountains are in the east of Prydain, near the Free Commots.

The Quest

Taran, the protagonist of the series is on a quest to discover his lineage. He hopes to find he is of noble birth so that he may propose to Princess Eilonwy. He learns from Orddu one of the witches who live in the Marshes of Morva that the Mirror of Llunet may reveal something significant. Taran spends the rest of the novel (with various adventures along the way) searching for the mirror, although he gives up his quest for a time.

He finally discovers the Mirror in a cave at the foot of Mount Meledin near Llake Llunet. After Taran gazes into the mirror, it is destroyed by Dorath, a mercenary. Dorath believed the Mirror held literal treasures.

Secret of the Mirror

Taran recognizes that the Mirror is merely a beautiful pool of water. Those gazing into the pool see a clear picture of themselves: "I saw strength--and frailty. Pride and vanity, courage and fear...wisdom [and] folly...I saw myself a man like any other"

Alexander, Lloyd. Taran Wanderer, Henry Holt, 1967 p 216 Novel Description

The Mirror teaches that what you are is the sum of your experiences. In Taran's case, he abandons his quest to learn of his lineage, realizing its irrelevance.

References

Tunnell, Michael O., The Prydain Companion, Henry Holt, 1989. ISBN 0805072713

[tod-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h deceased in the chronicle where s/he first appeared

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