The Lady of the Fountain

THE LADY OF THE FOUNTAIN

IN the centre of the great hall in the castle of Caerleon upon Usk, king

Arthur sat on a seat of green rushes, over which was thrown a covering

of flame-coloured silk, and a cushion of red satin lay under his elbow.

With him were his knights Owen and Kynon and Kai, while at the far end,

close to the window, were Guenevere the queen and her maidens

embroidering white garments with strange devices of gold.

'I am weary,' said Arthur, 'and till my food is prepared I would fain

sleep. You yourselves can tell each other tales, and Kai will fetch you

from the kitchen a flagon of mead and some meat.'

And when they had eaten and drunk, Kynon, the oldest among them, began

his story.

   *       *       *       *       *

'I was the only son of my father and mother, and much store they set by

me, but I was not content to stay with them at home, for I thought no

deed in all the world was too mighty for me. None could hold me back,

and after I had won many adventures in my own land, I bade farewell to

my parents and set out to see the world. Over mountains, through

deserts, across rivers I went, till I reached a fair valley full of

trees, with a path running by the side of a stream. I walked along that

path all the day, and in the evening I came to a castle in front of

which stood two youths clothed in yellow, each grasping an ivory bow,

with arrows made of the bones of the whale, and winged with peacock's

feathers. By their sides hung golden daggers with hilts of the bones of

the whale.

'Near these young men was a man richly dressed, who turned and went with

me towards the castle, where all the dwellers were gathered in the hall.

In one window I beheld four and twenty damsels, and the least fair of

them was fairer than Guenevere at her fairest. Some took my horse, and

others unbuckled my armour, and washed it, with my sword and spear, till

it all shone like silver. Then I washed myself and put on a vest and

doublet which they brought me, and I and the man that entered with me

sat down before a table of silver, and a goodlier feast I never had.

'All this time neither the man nor the damsels had spoken one word, but

when our dinner was half over, and my hunger was stilled, the man began

to ask who I was. Then I told him my name and my father's name, and why

I came there, for indeed I had grown weary of gaining the mastery over

all men at home, and sought if perchance there was one who could gain

the mastery over me. And at this the man smiled and answered:

'"If I did not fear to distress thee too much, I would show thee what

thou seekest." His words made me sorrowful and fearful of myself, which

the man perceived, and added, "If thou meanest truly what thou sayest,

and desirest earnestly to prove thy valour, and not to boast vainly that

none can overcome thee, I have somewhat to show thee. But to-night thou

must sleep in this castle, and in the morning see that thou rise early

and follow the road upwards through the valley, until thou reachest a

wood. In the wood is a path branching to the right; go along this path

until thou comest to a space of grass with a mound in the middle of it.

On the top of the mound stands a black man, larger than any two white

men; his eye is in the centre of his forehead and he has only one foot.

He carries a club of iron, and two white men could hardly lift it.

Around him graze a thousand beasts, all of different kinds, for he is

the guardian of that wood, and it is he who will tell thee which way to

go in order to find the adventure thou art in quest of."

[Illustration: KYNON MEETS WITH THE BLACK MASTER OF THE BEASTS]

'So spake the man, and long did that night seem to me, and before dawn I

rose and put on my armour, and mounted my horse and rode on till I

reached the grassy space of which he had told me. There was the black

man on top of the mound, as he had said, and in truth he was mightier in

all ways than I had thought him to be. As for the club, Kai, it would

have been a burden for four of our warriors. He waited for me to speak,

and I asked him what power he held over the beasts that thronged so

close about him.

'"I will show thee, little man," he answered, and with his club he

struck a stag on the head till he brayed loudly. And at his braying the

animals came running, numerous as the stars in the sky, so that scarce

was I able to stand among them. Serpents were there also, and dragons,

and beasts of strange shapes, with horns in places where never saw I

horns before. And the black man only looked at them and bade them go and

feed. And they bowed themselves before him, as vassals before their

lord.

'"Now, little man, I have answered thy question and showed thee my

power," said he. "Is there anything else thou wouldest know?" Then I

inquired of him my way, but he grew angry, and, as I perceived, would

fain have hindered me; but at the last, after I had told him who I was,

his anger passed from him.

'"Take that path," said he, "that leads to the head of this grassy

glade, and go up the wood till thou reachest the top. There thou wilt

find an open space, and in the midst of it a tall tree. Under the tree

is a fountain, and by the fountain a marble slab, and on the slab a bowl

of silver, with a silver chain. Dip the bowl in the fountain, and throw

the water on the slab, and thou wilt hear a mighty peal of thunder, till

heaven and earth seem trembling with the noise. After the thunder will

come hail, so fierce that scarcely canst thou endure it and live, for

the hailstones are both large and thick. Then the sun will shine again,

but every leaf of the tree will be lying on the ground. Next a flight of

birds will come and alight on the tree, and never didst thou hear a

strain so sweet as that which they will sing. And at the moment in

which their song sounds sweetest thou wilt hear a murmuring and

complaining coming towards thee along the valley, and thou wilt see a

knight in black velvet bestriding a black horse, bearing a lance with a

black pennon, and he will spur his steed so as to fight thee. If thou

turnest to flee, he will overtake thee, and if thou abidest where thou

art, he will unhorse thee. And if thou dost not find trouble in that

adventure, thou needest not to seek it during the rest of thy life."

'So I bade the black man farewell, and took my way to the top of the

wood, and there I found everything just as I had been told. I went up to

the tree beneath which stood the fountain, and filling the silver bowl

with water, emptied it on the marble slab. Thereupon the thunder came,

louder by far than I had expected to hear it, and after the thunder came

the shower, but heavier by far than I had expected to feel it, for, of a

truth I tell thee, Kai, not one of those hailstones would be stopped by

skin or by flesh till it had reached the bone. I turned my horse's flank

towards the shower, and, bending over his neck, held my shield so that

it might cover his head and my own. When the hail had passed, I looked

on the tree and not a single leaf was left on it, and the sky was blue

and the sun shining, while on the branches were perched birds of every

kind, who sang a song sweeter than any that has come to my ears, either

before or since.

'Thus, Kai, I stood listening to the birds, when lo, a murmuring voice

approached me, saying:

'"O knight, what has brought thee hither? What evil have I done to thee,

that thou shouldest do so much to me, for in all my lands neither man

nor beast that met that shower has escaped alive." Then from the valley

appeared the knight on the black horse, grasping the lance with the

black pennon. Straightway we charged each other, and though I fought my

best, he soon overcame me, and I was thrown to the ground, while the

knight seized the bridle of my horse, and rode away with it, leaving me

where I was, without even despoiling me of my armour.

'Sadly did I go down the hill again, and when I reached the glade where

the black man was, I confess to thee, Kai, it was a marvel that I did

not melt into a liquid pool, so great was my shame. That night I slept

at the castle where I had been before, and I was bathed and feasted, and

none asked me how I had fared. The next morning when I arose I found a

bay horse saddled for me, and, girding on my armour, I returned to my

own court. The horse is still in the stable, and I would not part with

it for any in Britain.

'But of a truth, Kai, no man ever confessed an adventure so much to his

own dishonour, and strange indeed it seems that none other man have I

ever met that knew of the black man, and the knight, and the shower.'

'Would it not be well,' said Owen, 'to go and discover the place?'

'By the hand of my friend,' answered Kai, 'often dost thou utter that

with thy tongue which thou wouldest not make good with thy deeds.'

'In truth,' said Guenevere the queen, who had listened to the tale,

'thou wert better hanged, Kai, than use such speech towards a man like

Owen.'

'I meant nothing, lady,' replied Kai; 'thy praise of Owen is not greater

than mine.' And as he spoke Arthur awoke, and asked if he had not slept

for a little.

'Yes, lord,' answered Owen, 'certainly thou hast slept.'

'Is it time for us to go to meat?'

'It is, lord,' answered Owen.

Then the horn for washing themselves was sounded, and after that the

king and his household sat down to eat. And when they had finished, Owen

left them, and made ready his horse and his arms.

With the first rays of the sun he set forth, and travelled through

deserts and over mountains and across rivers, and all befell him which

had befallen Kynon, till he stood under the leafless tree listening to

the song of the birds. Then he heard the voice, and turning to look

found the knight galloping to meet him. Fiercely they fought till their

lances were broken, and then they drew their swords, and a blow from

Owen cut through the knight's helmet, and pierced his skull.

Feeling himself wounded unto death the knight fled, and Owen pursued him

till they came to a splendid castle. Here the knight dashed across the

bridge that spanned the moat, and entered the gate, but as soon as he

was safe inside, the drawbridge was pulled up and caught Owen's horse in

the middle, so that half of him was inside and half out, and Owen could

not dismount and knew not what to do.

While he was in this sore plight a little door in the castle gate

opened, and he could see a street facing him, with tall houses. Then a

maiden with curling hair of gold looked through the little door and bade

Owen open the gate.

'By my troth!' cried Owen, 'I can no more open it from here than thou

art able to set me free.'

'Well,' said she, 'I will do my best to release thee if thou wilt do as

I tell thee. Take this ring and put it on with the stone inside thy

hand, and close thy fingers tight, for as long as thou dost conceal it,

it will conceal thee. When the men inside have held counsel together,

they will come to fetch thee to thy death, and they will be much grieved

not to find thee. I will stand on the horse block yonder and thou canst

see me though I cannot see thee. Therefore draw near and place thy hand

on my shoulder and follow me wheresoever I go.'

Upon that she went away from Owen, and when the men came out from the

castle to seek him and did not find him they were sorely grieved, and

they returned to the castle.

Then Owen went to the maiden and placed his hand on her shoulder, and

she guided him to a large room, painted all over with rich colours, and

adorned with images of gold. Here she gave him meat and drink, and water

to wash with and garments to wear, and he lay down upon a soft bed, with

scarlet and fur to cover him, and slept gladly.

In the middle of the night he woke hearing a great outcry, and he jumped

up and clothed himself and went into the hall, where the maiden was

standing.

'What is it?' he asked, and she answered that the knight who owned the

castle was dead, and they were bearing his body to the church. Never had

Owen beheld such vast crowds, and following the dead knight was the most

beautiful lady in the world, whose cry was louder than the shout of the

men, or the braying of the trumpets. And Owen looked on her and loved

her.

'Who is she?' he asked the damsel. 'That is my mistress, the countess of

the fountain, and the wife of him whom thou didst slay yesterday.'

'Verily,' said Owen, 'she is the woman that I love best.'

'She shall also love thee not a little,' said the maiden.

   *       *       *       *       *

Then she left Owen, and after a while went into the chamber of her

mistress, and spoke to her, but the countess answered her nothing.

'What aileth thee, mistress?' inquired the maiden.

'Why hast thou kept far from me in my grief, Luned?' answered the

countess, and in her turn the damsel asked:

'Is it well for thee to mourn so bitterly for the dead, or for anything

that is gone from thee?'

[Illustration: HOW OWEN FIRST SAW THE COUNTESS OF THE FOUNTAIN]

'There is no man in the world equal to him,' replied the countess,

her cheeks growing red with anger. 'I would fain banish thee for such

words.'

'Be not angry, lady,' said Luned, 'but listen to my counsel. Thou

knowest well that alone thou canst not preserve thy lands, therefore

seek some one to help thee.'

'And how can I do that?' asked the countess.

'I will tell thee,' answered Luned. 'Unless thou canst defend the

fountain all will be lost, and none can defend the fountain except a

knight of Arthur's court. There will I go to seek him, and woe betide me

if I return without a warrior that can guard the fountain, as well as he

who kept it before.'

'Go then,' said the countess, 'and make proof of that which thou hast

promised.'

So Luned set out, riding on a white palfrey, on pretence of journeying

to King Arthur's court, but instead of doing that she hid herself for as

many days as it would have taken her to go and come, and then she left

her hiding-place, and went in to the countess.

'What news from the court?' asked her mistress, when she had given Luned

a warm greeting.

'The best of news,' answered the maiden, 'for I have gained the object

of my mission. When wilt thou that I present to thee the knight who has

returned with me?'

'To-morrow at midday,' said the countess, 'and I will cause all the

people in the town to come together.'

Therefore the next day at noon Owen put on his coat of mail, and over it

he wore a splendid mantle, while on his feet were leather shoes fastened

with clasps of gold. And he followed Luned to the chamber of her

mistress.

Right glad was the countess to see them, but she looked closely at Owen

and said:

'Luned, this knight has scarcely the air of a traveller.'

'What harm is there in that, lady?' answered Luned.

'I am persuaded,' said the countess, 'that this man and no other chased

the soul from the body of my lord.'

'Had he not been stronger than thy lord,' replied the damsel, 'he could

not have taken his life, and for that, and for all things that are past,

there is no remedy.'

'Leave me, both of you,' said the countess, 'and I will take counsel.'

Then they went out.

   *       *       *       *       *

The next morning the countess summoned her subjects to meet in the

courtyard of the castle, and told them that now that her husband was

dead there was none to defend her lands.

'So choose you which it shall be,' she said. 'Either let one of you take

me for a wife, or give me your consent to take a new lord for myself,

that my lands be not without a master.'

At her words the chief men of the city withdrew into one corner and took

counsel together, and after a while the leader came forward and said

that they had decided that it was best, for the peace and safety of all,

that she should choose a husband for herself. Thereupon Owen was

summoned to her presence, and he accepted with joy the hand that she

offered him, and they were married forthwith, and the men of the earldom

did him homage.

From that day Owen defended the fountain as the earl before him had

done, and every knight that came by was overthrown by him, and his

ransom divided among his barons. In this way three years passed, and no

man in the world was more beloved than Owen.

   *       *       *       *       *

Now at the end of the three years it happened that Gwalchmai the knight

was with Arthur, and he perceived the king to be very sad.

'My lord, has anything befallen thee?' he asked.

'Oh, Gwalchmai, I am grieved concerning Owen, whom I have lost these

three years, and if a fourth year passes without him I can live no

longer. And sure am I that the tale told by Kynon the son of Clydno

caused me to lose him. I will go myself with the men of my household to

avenge him if he is dead, to free him if he is in prison, to bring him

back if he is alive.'

Then Arthur and three thousand men of his household set out in quest of

Owen, and took Kynon for their guide. When Arthur reached the castle,

the youths were shooting in the same place, and the same yellow man was

standing by, and as soon as he beheld Arthur he greeted him and invited

him in, and they entered together. So vast was the castle that the

king's three thousand men were of no more account than if they had been

twenty.

At sunrise Arthur departed thence, with Kynon for his guide, and reached

the black man first, and afterwards the top of the wooded hill, with the

fountain and the bowl and the tree.

'My lord,' said Kai, 'let me throw the water on the slab and receive the

first adventure that may befall.'

'Thou mayest do so,' answered Arthur, and Kai threw the water.

Immediately all happened as before; the thunder and the shower of hail

which killed many of Arthur's men; the song of the birds and the

appearance of the black knight. And Kai met him and fought him, and was

overthrown by him. Then the knight rode away, and Arthur and his men

encamped where they stood.

In the morning Kai again asked leave to meet the knight and to try to

overcome him, which Arthur granted. But once more he was unhorsed, and

the black knight's lance broke his helmet and pierced the skin even to

the bone, and humbled in spirit he returned to the camp.

After this every one of the knights gave battle, but none came out

victor, and at length there only remained Arthur himself and Gwalchmai.

'Oh, let me fight him, my lord,' cried Gwalchmai, as he saw Arthur

taking up his arms.

'Well, fight then,' answered Arthur, and Gwalchmai threw a robe over

himself and his horse, so that none knew him. All that day they fought,

and neither was able to throw the other, and so it was on the next day.

On the third day the combat was so fierce that they fell both to the

ground at once, and fought on their feet, and at last the black knight

gave his foe such a blow on his head that his helmet fell from his face.

'I did not know it was thee, Gwalchmai,' said the black knight. 'Take my

sword and my arms.'

'No,' answered Gwalchmai, 'it is thou, Owen, who art the victor, take

thou my sword': but Owen would not.

'Give me your swords,' said Arthur from behind them, 'for neither of you

has vanquished the other,' and Owen turned and put his arms round

Arthur's neck.

The next day Arthur would have given orders to his men to make ready to

go back whence they came, but Owen stopped him.

'My lord,' he said, 'during the three years that I have been absent from

thee I have been preparing a banquet for thee, knowing full well that

thou wouldst come to seek me. Tarry with me, therefore, for a while,

thou and thy men.'

[Illustration: HOW OWEN WAS FOUND BY THE LAKE]

So they rode to the castle of the countess of the fountain, and spent

three months in resting and feasting. And when it was time for them to

depart Arthur besought the countess that she would allow Owen to go with

him to Britain for the space of three months. With a sore heart she

granted permission, and so content was Owen to be once more with his old

companions that three years instead of three months passed away like

a dream.

   *       *       *       *       *

One day Owen sat at meat in the castle of Caerleon upon Usk, when a

damsel on a bay horse entered the hall, and riding straight up to the

place where Owen sat she stooped and drew the ring from off his hand.

'Thus shall be treated the traitor and the faithless,' said she, and

turning her horse's head she rode out of the hall.

At her words Owen remembered all that he had forgotten, and sorrowful

and ashamed he went to his own chamber and made ready to depart. At the

dawn he set out, but he did not go back to the castle, for his heart was

heavy, but he wandered far into wild places till his body was weak and

thin, and his hair was long. The wild beasts were his friends, and he

slept by their side, but in the end he longed to see the face of a man

again, and he came down into a valley and fell asleep by a lake in the

lands of a widowed countess.

Now it was the time when the countess took her walk, attended by her

maidens, and when they saw a man lying by the lake they shrank back in

terror, for he lay so still that they thought he was dead. But when they

had overcome their fright, they drew near him, and touched him, and saw

that there was life in him. Then the countess hastened to the castle,

and brought from it a flask of precious ointment and gave it to one of

her maidens.

'Take that horse which is grazing yonder,' she said, 'and a suit of

men's garments, and place them near the man, and pour some of this

ointment near his heart. If there is any life in him that will bring it

back. But if he moves, hide thyself in the bushes near by, and see what

he does.'

The damsel took the flask and did her mistress' bidding. Soon the man

began to move his arms, and then rose slowly to his feet. Creeping

forward step by step he took the garments from off the saddle and put

them on him, and painfully he mounted the horse. When he was seated the

damsel came forth and greeted him, and glad was he when he saw her, and

inquired what castle that was before him.

'It belongs to a widowed countess,' answered the maiden. 'Her husband

left her two earldoms, but it is all that remains of her broad lands,

for they have been torn from her by a young earl, because she would not

marry him.'

'That is a pity,' replied Owen, but he said no more, for he was too weak

to talk much. Then the maiden guided him to the castle, and kindled a

fire, and brought him food. And there he stayed and was tended for three

months, till he was handsomer than ever he was.

At noon one day Owen heard a sound of arms outside the castle, and he

asked of the maiden what it was.

'It is the earl of whom I spoke to thee,' she answered, 'who has come

with a great host to carry off my mistress.'

'Beg of her to lend me a horse and armour,' said Owen, and the maiden

did so, but the countess laughed somewhat bitterly as she answered:

'Nay, but I will give them to him, and such a horse and armour and

weapons as he has never had yet, though I know not what use they will be

to him. Yet mayhap it will save them from falling into the hands of my

enemies.'

The horse was brought out and Owen rode forth with two pages behind him,

and they saw the great host encamped before them.

'Where is the earl?' said he, and the pages answered:

'In yonder troop where are four yellow standards.'

'Await me,' said Owen, at the gate of the castle, and he cried a

challenge to the earl, who came to meet him. Hard did they fight, but

Owen overthrew his enemy and drove him in front to the castle gate and

into the hall.

'Behold the reward of thy blessed balsam,' said he, as he bade the earl

kneel down before her, and made him swear that he would restore all that

he had taken from her.

After that he departed, and went into the desert, and as he was passing

through a wood he heard a loud yelling. Pushing aside the bushes he

beheld a lion standing on a great mound, and by it a rock. Near the rock

was a lion seeking to reach the mound, and each time he moved out darted

a serpent from the rock to prevent him. Then Owen unsheathed his sword,

and cut off the serpent's head and went on his way, and the lion

followed and played about him, as if he had been a greyhound. And much

more useful was he than a greyhound, for in the evening he brought large

logs in his mouth to kindle a fire, and killed a fat buck for dinner.

Owen made his fire and skinned the buck, and put some of it to roast,

and gave the rest to the lion for supper. While he was waiting for the

meat to cook he heard a sound of deep sighing close to him, and he said:

'Who art thou?'

'I am Luned,' replied a voice from a cave so hidden by bushes and green

hanging plants that Owen had not seen it.

'And what dost thou here?' cried he.

'I am held captive in this cave on account of the knight who married the

countess and left her, for the pages spoke ill of him, and because I

told them that no man living was his equal they dragged me here and said

I should die unless he should come to deliver me by a certain day, and

that is no further than the day after to-morrow. His name is Owen, the

son of Urien, but I have none to send to tell him of my danger, or of a

surety he would deliver me.'

Owen held his peace, but gave the maiden some of the meat, and bade her

be of good cheer. Then, followed by the lion, he set out for a great

castle on the other side of the plain, and men came and took his horse

and placed it in a manger, and the lion went after and lay down on the

straw. Hospitable and kind were all within the castle, but so full of

sorrow that it might have been thought death was upon them. At length,

when they had eaten and drunk, Owen prayed the earl to tell him the

reason of their grief.

'Yesterday,' answered the earl, 'my two sons were seized, while they

were hunting, by a monster who dwells on those mountains yonder, and he

vows that he will not let them go unless I will give him my daughter to

wife.'

'That shall never be,' said Owen; 'but what form hath this monster?'

'In shape he is a man, but in stature he is a giant,' replied the earl,

'and it were better by far that he should slay my sons than that I

should give up my daughter.'

Early next morning the dwellers in the castle were awakened by a great

clamour, and they found that the giant had arrived with the two young

men. Swiftly Owen put on his armour and went forth to meet the giant,

and the lion followed at his heels. And when the great beast beheld the

hard blows which the giant dealt his master he flew at his throat, and

much trouble had the monster in beating him off.

'Truly,' said the giant, 'I should find no difficulty in fighting thee,

if it were not for that lion.' When he heard that Owen felt shame that

he could not overcome the giant with his own sword, so he took the lion

and shut him up in one of the towers of the castle, and returned to the

fight. But from the sound of the blows the lion knew that the combat was

going ill for Owen, so he climbed up till he reached the top of the

tower, where there was a door on to the roof, and from the tower he

sprang on to the walls, and from the walls to the ground. Then with a

loud roar he leaped upon the giant, who fell dead under the blow of his

paw.

Now the gloom of the castle was turned into rejoicing, and the earl

begged Owen to stay with him till he could make him a feast, but the

knight said he had other work to do, and rode back to the place where he

had left Luned, and the lion followed at his heels. When he came there

he saw a great fire kindled, and two youths leading out the maiden to

cast her upon the pile.

'Stop!' he cried, dashing up to them. 'What charge have you against

her?'

'She boasted that no man in the world was equal to Owen,' said they,

'and we shut her in a cave, and agreed that none should deliver her but

Owen himself, and that if he did not come by a certain day she should

die. And now the time has past and there is no sign of him.'

'In truth he is a good knight, and had he but known that the maid was in

peril he would have come to save her,' said Owen; 'but accept me in his

stead, I entreat you.'

'We will,' replied they, and the fight began.

The youths fought well and pressed hard on Owen, and when the lion saw

that he came to help his master. But the youths made a sign for the

fight to stop, and said:

'Chieftain, it was agreed we should give battle to thee alone, and it is

harder for us to contend with yonder beast than with thee.'

Then Owen shut up the lion in the cave where the maiden had been in

prison, and blocked up the front with stones. But the fight with the

giant had sorely tried him, and the youths fought well, and pressed him

harder than before. And when the lion saw that he gave a loud roar, and

burst through the stones, and sprang upon the youths and slew them. And

so Luned was delivered at the last.

Then the maiden rode back with Owen to the lands of the lady of the

fountain. And he took the lady with him to Arthur's court, where they

lived happily till they died.

From the 'Mabinogion.'