Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain is one of the Three Welsh Romances associated with the Mabinogion. It is analogous to Chrétien de Troyes' Old French poem Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. It survives in the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest, both from the 14th century.

The tale's hero, Owain, is based on the historical figure Owain mab Urien. The romance consists of a hero marrying his love, the Lady of the Fountain, but losing her when he neglects her for knighly exploits. With the aid of a lion he saves from a serpent, he finds a balance between his marital and social duties and rejoins his wife.

It was once thought Owain and Yvain were derived from a common lost source, but it now seems more likely that Owain was directly or indirectly based on Chrétien's poem, and added local literary touches to appeal to a Welsh audience. It is possible, however, that Chrétien had a Celtic source, evidence of which can be found in certain episodes in the Life of St. Mungo (also called St. Kentigern), where the saint's father Owain tries to woo his mother, Lot of Lothian's daughter. The episodes are similar enough to Yvain to suggest an oral tradition that inspired the hagiography and the French and Welsh romances.