The Free Commots are a region in the fictional country of Prydain in Lloyd Alexander's fantasy series, The Chronicles of Prydain. They are most prominently featured in the fourth novel, Taran Wanderer, where the protagonist of the series, Taran, does much of his maturing into manhood.
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In Alexander's land of Prydain (which is loosely based on the geography of Wales), the Free Commots are hamlets and villages located in the east and southeast part of the country. They are between the Hill Cantrefs and the Great Avern (a possible stand in for the real River Severn.) To the north of the Commots are the Llawgadarn Mountains. As described by Fflewddur Fflam, the land is "the pleasantest in Prydain--fair hills and dales, rich soil to farm, and sweet grass for grazing. There's iron for good blades, gold and silver for fine ornaments."[1] In addition, in each small town, the cottages are clustered in loose circles and surrounded by fields and pastures. The geography seems similar to the American Mid-West, the British Lake District, and other primarily agricultural regions around the world.
In addition to being skilled farmers, the people of the Free Commots are skilled in many crafts such as blacksmithing, weaving, and pottery. Doli comments "You'll not find many...to match their stout hearts and good will.... What matters in the Free Commots is the skill in a man's hands, not the blood in his veins...The Commot folk would rather count on themselves, and they do quite well at it." [2] The people are friendly, hospitable, but also simple and direct. They commots (the term comes from the Welsh literature the Mabinogion for small town) are free because no lord or king oversees them. They are an early precursor to the democratic system. In general, the Free Commots are the happiest and most fruitful region of Prydain.
In Taran Wanderer, Taran travels the Commots when he is on a quest to learn of his parentage, and more specifically, the Mirror of Llunet, which he has learned is somewhere in the Llawgadarn Mountains. He travels through the Commots, which have names such as Commat Isav, Commot Merin, Commot Gwenith, and Commot Cenarth. Taran apprentices under several master craftspeople, Hevydd the Smith, Dwyvach Weaver-Woman, and Annlaw Clay-Shaper. He spends many days with each learning their respective crafts and learning patience, skill, and wisdom. As he moves on to Commot Isav, he leads the Commot folk in routing bandits attacking the town, winning the loyalty of the Commot folk. Taran eventually finishes his quest and finds the Mirror of Llunet in the nearby mountains.
In the fifth novel of the series, The High King, Taran returns to the Commots and rallies the Commotmen to follow him as Prydain is on the verge of a great battle. It is to Taran's credit that the independent and self-sufficient Commotfolk willingly rally behind Taran's leadership.[3] They follow his leadership throughout the rest of the novel, and although they suffer heavy losses, they are among the first to pledge their alliegence to Taran when he becomes king at the conclusion of the novel.
The Free Commots are also the setting of the short story "The Smith, the Weaver, and the Harper", from the collection The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain. Arawn, the primary villain of the series cleverly steals secrets of craftsmanship from the common folk of Prydain in his quest to utterly control every aspect of Prydain. Despite these setbacks, the Commot folk are skilled in the arts, but they no longer have the use of magical methods.
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