Goreu fab Custennin

Goreu fab Custennin

Goreu fab Custennin (also spelled as Gorau) is a hero of Welsh and early Arthurian mythology, the son of Custennin, and cousin to Arthur, Culhwch and Saint Illtud through their grandfather Amlawdd Wledig. He is a significant character in the Middle Welsh Arthurian tale Culhwch and Olwen, and also appears in a number of other medieval texts. His name may be derived from Gorneu; "of Cornwall."[1]

Contents

Role in Welsh tradition

How Culhwch won Olwen

Culhwch entering Arthur's Court in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen, 1881

While on the quest to locate the stronghold of Ysbaddaden Bencawr, Culhwch ap Cilydd and his six companions come across a shepherd and his flock. They learn that he is Ysbaddaden's brother, and that the giant has murdered twenty-three of his twenty four children. In a bid to save their youngest son from suffering the same fate, the shepherd and his wife hide him away in a chest. Cai, one of Arthur's foremost knights, offers to take the boy with him on the quest for Olwen, promising to fight to the death to protect him. The unnamed child later assists Cai and Bedwyr in the murder of Wrnach the Giant, fighting through three courtyards of the giant's llys. It is through this adventure that he earns his name, Goreu; "The Best."

It is Goreu who ultimately slays Ysbaddaden, dragging him to the mound by his hair and there decapitating him. He then placed the head on a stake on the citadel and claims his fort and territory as his own, thus avenging the deaths of his brothers.

Other appearances

He later appears in the Arthurian romance Geraint fab Erbin in which he is named as one of the four squires of Arthur's court and rides alongside the hero Geraint on his journey to Cornwall. In Breuddwyd Rhonabwy, he appears briefly as one of Arthur's twenty four chief councillors. The Welsh Triads refer to a tradition in which Goreu rescued Arthur from three enchanted otherworldy prisons."[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Bromwich, Rachel. Trioedd Ynys Prydein.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Goreu — fab Custennin [ gorei vaːb ki stennin] („Goreu, Custennins Sohn“), auch Gorau, ist in der walisischen Sage Mal y kavas Kulhwch Olwen („Wie Kulhwch Olwen errungen hat“), kurz Kulhwch ac Olwen („Kulhwch und Olwen“) der Sohn des riesigen Schäfers… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Manawydan fab Llŷr — Manawydan, son of Llŷr The Mabinogi of the Collar and the Hammer Author(s) Unknown, generally believed to be a scribe from Dyfed.[1] Language …   Wikipedia

  • Math fab Mathonwy (Branch) — Math fab Mathonwy Math, the son of Mathonwy Author(s) Unknown, generally believed to be a scribe from Dyfed.[1] Language Middle Welsh …   Wikipedia

  • Math fab Mathonwy — In Welsh mythology, Math fab Mathonwy, also called Math ap Mathonwy (Math, son of Mathonwy) was a king of Gwynedd who needed to rest his feet in the lap of a virgin unless he was at war, or he would die. The story of Math is the fourth book of… …   Wikipedia

  • Culhwch — (Welsh pronunciation: [kʉlˈhuːχ], with the final consonant of Scottish loch ), in Welsh mythology, is the son of Cilydd son of Celyddon and Goleuddydd, a cousin of Arthur and the protagonist of the story Culhwch and Olwen (the earliest of… …   Wikipedia

  • Mabon ap Modron — Arthur s court at Celliwig, 1881 Mabon ap Modron is a prominent figure from Welsh literature and mythology, the son of Modron and a member of Arthur s warband. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine… …   Wikipedia

  • Menw — fab Teirgwaedd; Menw, son of Three Cries is a hero and shapeshifter of early Welsh literature and mythology and a warrior of King Arthur s court at Celliwig. He appears most prominently in the early Arthurian tale Culhwch and Olwen, in which he… …   Wikipedia

  • Olwen — In Welsh mythology, Olwen is the daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden and cousin of Goreu. She is the heroine of the story Culhwch and Olwen in the Mabinogion. Her father is fated to die if she ever marries, so when Culhwch (Sometimes spelled as… …   Wikipedia

  • Manawydan — fab Llŷr is a figure of Welsh mythology, the son of Llŷr and the brother of Brân the Blessed and Brânwen. The first element in his name is cognate with the stem of the name of the Irish sea god Manannán mac Lir, and likely originated from the… …   Wikipedia

  • Dylan ail Don — (also seen in other translated languages as Dylan Eil Ton (in Middle Welsh), Dylan O Taine, Dylan ElTon, Dylan Aldon, and Dylan Ui Dan) is a character in the Welsh mythic Mabinogion tales, particularly in the fourth tale, Math fab Mathonwy . The… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”