e
chief?" "There is no hurt to injure me but my own." {81b} "Whose are
the sheep that thou dost keep, and to whom does yonder castle belong?"
"Stupid are ye, truly! Through the whole world is it known that this is
the castle of Yspaddaden Penkawr." "And who art thou?" "I am called
Custennin the son of Dyfnedig, and my brother Yspaddaden Penkawr
oppressed me because of my possession. And ye also, who are ye?" "We
are an embassy from Arthur, come to seek Olwen, the daughter of
Yspaddaden Penkawr." "Oh men! the mercy of Heaven be upon you, do not
that for all the world. None who ever came hither on this quest has
returned alive." And the herdsman rose up. And as he arose, Kilhwch
gave unto him a ring of gold. And he sought to put on the ring, but it
was too small for him, so he placed it in the finger of his glove. And
he went home, and gave the glove to his spouse to keep. And she took the
ring from the glove when it was given her, and she said, "Whence came
this ring, for thou art not wont to have good fortune?" "I went," said
he, "to the sea to seek for fish, and lo, I saw a corpse borne by the
waves. And a fairer corpse than it did I never behold. And from its
finger did I take this ring." "Oh man! does the sea permit its dead to
wear jewels? Show me then this body." "Oh wife, him to whom this ring
belonged thou shalt see herein the evening." {82} "And who is he?" asked
the woman. "Kilhwch the son of Kilydd, the son of Prince Kelyddon, by
Goleuddydd the daughter of Prince Anlawdd, his mother, who is come to
seek Olwen as his wife." And when she heard that, her feelings were
divided between the joy that she had that her nephew, the son of her
sister, was coming to her, and sorrow because she had never known any one
depart alive who had come on that quest.
And they went forward to the gate of Custennin the herdsman's dwelling.
And when she heard their footsteps approaching, she ran out with joy to
meet them. And Kai snatched a billet out of the pile. And when she met
them she sought to throw her arms about their necks. And Kai placed the
log between her two hands, and she squeezed it so that it became a
twisted coil. "Oh woman," said Kai, "if thou hadst squeezed me thus,
none could ever again have set their affections on me. Evil love were
this." They entered into the house, and were served; and soon after they
all went forth to amuse themselves. Then the woman opened a stone chest
that was
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