THE TRIADS OF THE ISLE OF BRITAIN

According to Wilhelm, "from the earliest times the Celtic peoples hav eused triple gorupings as a means of classifying, remembering, and passing on a wide range of information and lore. Laws, genealogical and geographical information, rules of poetic com position, and much else besides, have come down to us arranged in triplets.

"One such body of lore has survived in various collections known as The Triads of the Isle of Britain, which preserve the names of the traditional heroes of Welsh legend, along with summaries or references to stories about many of them." Unfortu nately for us, many of the actual stories ahve been lost. The following are some of the triads mentioning Arthur and his knights:

* Three men of substance of the Isle of Britain: Gwalchmai [Gawain] son of Gwyar, and Llachau son of Arthur, and Rhiwallawn Broom-hair.

* Three frivolous bards of the Isle of Britain: Arthur, and Cadwallawn son of Cadfan, and Rahawd son of Morgant.

* Three favorites of Arthur's court, and Three Battle-horsement; and they never sought a captain over them. And Arthur composed an englyn: These are my Three Battle-horsemen; Menedd and Lludd of the Breastplate, And the Pillar of the Welsh, Caradog.

* Three diademed men of the Isle of Britain: Drystan son of Tallwch, and Hueil son of Caw, and Cei son of Cenyr the Fine-bearded. But one was diademed above the three of them; that was Bedwyr son of Bedrawg.

* Three unbridled ravagings of the Isle of Britain: The first of them, when Medrawd came to Arthur's court in Celli Wig in Cornwall; he left neither food nor drink in the court he did not consume, adn he also pulled Gwenhwyfar out of her chair of state, adn then he struck a blow upon her. And the second unbridled Ravaging, when Arthur came to Medrawd's court; he left neither food nor drink in either the court of the cantref. And the third Unbridled rAvaging, wehn Aeddan the Treacherous came as far as D umbarton to the court of Rhydderch the Generous, adn he left neither food nor drink nor animal alive.

* Three Great Queens of Arthur: Gwenhwyfar daughter of Cywryd Gwent, and Gwenhwyfar daughter of Gwythyr son of Greidiawl, and Gwenhwyfar daughter of Gogfran the giant.

* And these were his three mistresses: Indeg daughter of Garwy the Tall, and Garwen daughter of Henin the Old, and Gwyl daughter of Gendawd.

* Three Unfortunate Counsels of the Isle of Britain: Giving to Julius Caesar and the men of Rome a place for the forefeet of their horses on the land, in payment for the horse Meinlas. And the second, allowing Horsa dna Hengist and Ronnwen into this isl e. And the third, Arthur dividing his men thrice with Medrawd at Camlan.

* Three faithless wives of the Isle of Britian: three daughters of Culfanwyd of Britain: Essyllt Fair-hair, mistress of Trystan, and Penarwan, wife of Owain son of Urien, and Bun, wife of Fflamddwyn; and one was more faithless than those three: Gwenhwyf ar, wife of Arthur, since she shamed a better man than any of them.

* Three futile battles of the Isle of Britain: One of the was the battle of Goddau; it was brought about because of a bitch together with a roebuck and a lapwing. The second was the battle of Arfderydd, which wsa brought about because of a lark's next. And the third was the worst; that was Camlan. And that was brought about by the quarrel between Gwenhwyfar and Gwenhwyfach. This is the reason those were called Futile: because they were brought about by such a fruitless cause as that.

[Wilhelm, J.J., ed. The Romance of Arthur. Garland Publishing Co.; New York, 1994.]

Return to Arthurian Origins.