Owain is a Middle Welsh prose ROMANCE, one of
three romances included in some manuscripts of
the MABINOGION (the others being PEREDUR and
GERAINT AND ENID). Owain tells essentially the
same story as CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES’S French verse
romance YVAIN or The Knight with the Lion. While
many believe that Chrétien’s poem is the source of
the Welsh Owain, others believe that both texts
come from a common source, either Welsh or Breton. Since the Welsh poem shows some French influence, notably in its concern with courtliness, it
seems likely that the Welsh writer had some familiarity with the French text.
Owain begins with one of King ARTHUR’s
knights, Cynon, relating the story of his encounter
with a magic fountain and his defeat at the hands
of the Knight of the Fountain. Owain decides to retrace Cynon’s steps. He finds the fountain and defeats the Knight of the Fountain, chasing him into
a city where Owain is trapped behind a portcullis
that falls and kills his horse. He is saved by Luned,
serving woman to the Lady of the Fountain, when
Luned gives him a ring of invisibility that enables
him to hide undetected in the castle. While invisible, Owain falls in love with the Lady of the Fountain, and Luned is able to convince her lady to
accept Owain as her new husband. He marries the
Lady and becomes the Knight of the Fountain
himself for three years.
Meanwhile Arthur sets out to find Owain. He
and his knights come to the fountain, where Sir Cei
is defeated by the disguised Owain. Other knights
challenge Owain, but he defeats all but Gwalchmei
(the Welsh name for GAWAIN), whom he fights
until the two recognize one another, after which
they all rejoice. Owain obtains leave of his wife to
go back to Arthur’s court for three months, but
when that time period is up and Owain has forgotten to return, a damsel comes to the court and berates Owain, snatching his mistress’s ring from his
finger.
The loss of his lady drives Owain mad, and he
runs wild in the forest for some time until cured by
a balm from a widowed countess. Restored to reason, he comes upon a lion in mortal combat with a
serpent. Owain helps the lion and slays the serpent,
after which the lion becomes his devoted companion. With the aid of his lion, Owain defeats a cruel
giant and rescues the sons of an earl who hosts him
in his castle. Then he succeeds in saving Luned,
who is about to be burned at the stake. Ultimately
he regains the love of his lady, and lives with her
until she dies. Upon her death he leaves his role as
Knight of the Fountain, continues his adventures,
which include the rescue of 24 maidens from their
oppressor, and returns at last to Arthur’s court.
The romance’s theme of developing maturity
and self-awareness (enabling Owain to redeem his
life) is essentially the same as that of Chrétien’s
poem, and unusual in Welsh narrative of this time.
It appears that the goal of the writer was to adapt
the concerns of French courtly romance to the tradition of Welsh narrative. Certainly the tale also
contains elements of Celtic folklore, in particular
the motif of the magic fountain and the beautiful
lady who chooses her consort, which seems a
dramatization of Celtic sovereignty myth. Thus the
relationship between Owain and Yvain is complex,
suggesting either a common Celtic source for both
texts but the Welsh writer’s familiarity with the
French text, or an earlier Celtic influence on Chré-
tien’s French romance.
Bibliography
Breeze, Andrew. Medieval Welsh Literature. Dublin:
Four Courts Press, 1997.
Jarman, A. O. H., and Gwilym Rees Hughes. A Guide
to Welsh Literature. Swansea, U.K.: C. Davies, 1976.
Jones, Gwyn, and Thomas Jones, trans. The Mabinogion. 2nd ed. London: Dent, 1974.
Thomson, R. L., ed. Owain. Dublin: Dublin Institute
for Advanced Studies, 1970.