Hunting of Twrch Trwyth

The Hunting of Twrch Trwyth is described vividly in the early Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen.

Background

Culhwch's father, King Cilydd son of Celyddon, loses his wife Goleuddydd after a difficult childbirth. When he remarries, the young Culhwch rejects his stepmother's attempt to pair him with his new stepsister. Offended, the new queen puts a curse on him so that he can marry no one besides the beautiful Olwen, daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden Pencawr. Though he has never seen her, Culhwch becomes infatuated with her, but his father warns him that he will never find her without the aid of his famous cousin King Arthur. The young man immediately sets off to seek his kinsman. He finds him at his court in Celliwig in Cornwall.

Arthur agrees to help, and sends six of his finest warriors (Cai, Bedwyr, Gwalchmei, Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd, Menw son of Tairgwaedd and Cynddylig Gyfarwydd) to join Culhwch in his search for Olwen. The group meets some relatives of Culhwch's that know Olwen and agree to arrange a meeting. Olwen is receptive to Culhwch's attraction, but she cannot marry him unless her father agrees, and he, unable to survive past his daughter's wedding, will not consent until Culhwch completes a series of about forty impossible-sounding tasks. One of the tasks is to retrieve the razor, scissors and comb from the coat of Twrch Trwyth, a king who was transformed into a boar for his sins and had "destroyed a third of Ireland". Arthur's enchanter, Menw son of Tairgwaedd is sent to snatch one of the treasures from the boar but is poisioned in the process and is forced to retreat.^[2] Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd, one of Arthur's companions is sent as an emissary to the boars but friendly negotiation lead to nothing. As a result, Arthur and his men set over towards Wales to begin the hunt.

The Hunt

After being chased across Wales, Twrch Trwyth makes a stand at Cwm Cerwyn and slays eight of Arthur's warriors, but is wounded himself.^[3] Early the next morning, a number of Arthur's men attack Twrch Trwyth again, leading to the deaths of the gatekeepers Huandaw, Gogigiwr and Penpingion as well as Arthur's chief craftsman Gwlyddyn Saer. The next battles are at Peuliniog, in which a further three men are killed and at Aber Tywi, in which two more, including King Gwilenhin of France, are slain. The host lose the boars at Glan Ystun.

At Dyffryn Llychwr, two of Twrch Trwyth's piglets massacre a number of Arthur's huntsmen, leading to a counter-attack from Arthur and his heroes. Twrch Trwyth moves to defend his piglets and then flees to Mynydd Amanw, where three of the piglets are killed. At Dyffryn Amanw, another two are slain by the Britons and their allies leaving only two of Twrch Trwyth's children left alive. At Llwch Ewin, a large number of men and dogs are killed by the boars. The piglets, Grugyn Gwallt Eraint and Llwydog Gofyniad, are separated. Grugyn succeeds in killing a number of the men before his death at Garth Grugyn, while Llwydog slaughters the Bretons under King Hir Peisog before his own death at Ystrad Yw.

Arthur calls upon the men of Devon and Cornwall to fight against Twrch Trwyth and the combined force drives him into the Severn. Mabon son of Modron and Cyledr Wyllt succeed in retrieving the razor and shears. Eventually, the comb is retrieved in Cornwall and the boar is driven into the Irish sea and is drowned.

This Brythonic epic bears comparison with the English saga Beowulf of Nordic-Germanic origin; notably the "boar-crested helmets " of the Saxon warriors which are archaeologically attested from southern Sweden and England and generally associated with the battle goddess Freyja.

References