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.
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