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Cavall

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Cavall(MiddleWelsh:cauallRBH&WBR;modernized:Cafall;[1]pronounced[kaˈvaɬ];Latin:Cabal,var.Caball(ms.K))[2]wasKing Arthur's dog, used in the hunt for the great boar,Twrch Trwyth(Latin:Troynt, Troit).

Cavall was Arthur's "favourite dog", and during a stag hunt, he was customarily the last dog to be let loose to chase after the game (Gereint Son of Erbin).[3]

Historia Brittonum

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Linked to the Welsh literature regarding Arthur's dog Cafall is the mention Arthur's dog Cabal's pawprint, preserved in rock, in the Latin tract ofHistoria Brittonum(9th century). The print was preserved in rock while the dog was pursuing the boar Troynt. The lore is preserved in theWonders of Britain(De Mirabilibus BritanniaeorMirabiliain shorthand) appended to theHistoria Brittonum.[4]The wondrous nature of thiscairnof stones was that even if someone removed that foot-printed stone to another spot, it would be back at its original heap the next day.[5][6][7][a]

Sketch of a footprint stone from Carn Cavall, Lady Guest'sMabinogion(1849)

There is another marvel in the region which is called Buelt (≈Buellt[9]). There is a mound of stones there and one stone placed above the pile with the pawprint of a dog in it. When Cabal, who was the dog of Arthur the soldier, was hunting the boar Troynt (rectéTroit[10]), he impressed his print in the stone, and afterwards Arthur assembled a stone mound under the stone with the print of his dog, and it is called the Carn Cabal (i.e., acairn[11]). And men come and remove the stone in their hands for the length of a day and a night; and on the next day it is found on top of its mound.

— J. A. Gilestr.,Wonders of Britain§73[12][13]

Lady Charlotte Guest was aware of the local lore that placed the monument at a mountain situated in the "district of Builth", the name by which that area was still being remembered from what was the ancient Buelltcantrefof medieval Wales.[8]Nowadays, this mountain is known asCarn Gafallt,[11]but this identification is uncertain according toGeoffrey Ashe.[14]The "Buelt" name is also preserved in present-dayBuilth Wells(in historic county ofBrecknockshire) now part of countyPowys.[14][15]

Culhwch ac Olwen

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Further information:Twrch TrwythandHunting of Twrch Trwyth

Unlike the simple primitive lore, the late Welsh romanceCulhwch and Olwenweaves a much more intricate tale, naming many dogs besides Cavall in the hunting party, and thequarryis no longer just the boarTwrch Trwythitself, its seven offspring (with names), and yet another boar namedYskithyrwynbesides.

Ysgithyrwyn Chief-Boar

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Yskithyrwyn Penbaedd (orYsgithyrwyn Chief Boar) was yet another boar to be hunted by Arthur's band; its tusk, which needed to be extracted while still alive, being another of the "impossible tasks" (anoeth;pl.anoethiau) prescribed byYsbaddaden Chief-Giant.This tusk was the tool necessary for shaving the giant to groom him up, him being the father of the bride Olwen.

InCulhwch and Olwen,Arthur's dog Cavall is specifically credited with the slaying of Yskithyrwin (or at least with cornering the beast to its doom). Caw of Prydain who rides Arthur's mareLlamreicleaves Yskithyrwyn's head with a hatchet.

Afterwards, "Bedwyr leading Cavall, Arthur's own dog",[16]joins the other hunters and dogs to pursue the great boarTwrch Trwythand its piglets. But the specific role played by Cavall is not told.

List of dogs

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The other hounds, which either belonged to Arthur's retinue or were recruited elsewhere, include:

  • The two (wolf?) pups of Gast Rhymhi[17](two whelps of the bitch Rhymhi),[18]
    • The pups/cubs are possibly named Gwyddrud and Gwyddneu Astrus, though they are introduced as members of Arthur's court.[19][20]
  • Aned and Aethelm.[21][22]
  • Glas, Glessic, and Gleisad[23][26][b]belonging to the three sons of Cleddyf Kyfwlch, named Bwlch, Kyfwlch, and Sefwlch.
  • Drudwyn,[30][31]the pup of Greid the son of Eri.
  • two dogs of Glythmyr Ledewic[32](Glythfyr Ledewig).[33]

Cavall the horse

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Glas, Glesig, and Gleisad are referred to as dogs, and Call, Cuall, and Cafall as horses, and so on down the line, in the list of belongings of sons of Cleddyf, or, at least they are nowadays in modern translations.[34]However, in the first English translation by Lady Guest, Glas, etc. were construed as sword names and Call, Cuall, Cavall as dogs, respectively.

Etymology

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Ifor Williamshas made a study of occurrences of Cafall in old Welsh poetry.[35]

A number of scholars have commented upon the similarity of the dog's name to the Latin wordcaballusfor "horse". In an article from 1936, R. J. Thomas said that "the name Cabal is from Latincaballus'horse', which he considers a quite natural metaphor since the dog was strong and swift, and he compares the horse of Conall Cernach which had a dog's head ".[36]Furthermore, the formcabalexisted inOld Welsh.[37]

Bromwich further remarks, "Sincecarnmeans both 'hoof' and 'cairn' it seems more probable thatCabal/Cafalloriginally designated Arthur horse.. rather than his hound ".[38]

See also

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Explanatory notes

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  1. ^Guest's notes also provides a sketch of the footprint (shown right) as well as facsimile of the Latin text from Harley 3859.
  2. ^However, Lady Guest parsed the text so that these were the three "grinding gashers", i.e., sword names.[27][28]Translator Gantz(2003) agreed with the possibility they are sword names.[29]

References

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Citations
  1. ^Jones & Jones trr. (1993),107, 110, 199
  2. ^Mommsen (1898),p. 217textual variants note to line 23. The codices used for this portion of the work are CDGHKLQ.
  3. ^Guest ed., tr. (1849),p. 87.
  4. ^Ashe, Geoffrey."Nennius", in: Lacy, Norris J., et al., edd.,The Arthurian Encyclopedia,New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1986, pp. 404–406: "The appendix ofMirabilia( "Marvels" ) may be a little later than the rest of the book, but not much "(p. 406).
  5. ^Rhys (1901),pp. 537–539.
  6. ^Guest ed., tr. (1849),pp. 358–360.
  7. ^Higham, Nicholas J.(2018) [1932].King Arthur: The Making of the Legend.Yale University Press. pp. 204–207.ISBN9780300240863.
  8. ^abGuest ed., tr. (1849),p. 359 writes: "a mountain in the district of Builth, to the South ofRhayader Gwy[i.e., on theRiver Wye], and within sight of that town ", then on p. 360, quotes the correspondence from her informant that:" Carn Cavall..generally pronounced Corn Cavall, is a lofty and rugged mountain, in the upper part of the district anciently called Buellt, now written Builth, in Breconshire ".
  9. ^"district of Builth" inBrecknockshire[8]Fletcher (1906),p. 15, n5 gives "Brecknock-Radnor", apparently meaning Brecknockshire andRadnorshire
  10. ^Fletcher (1906),p. 320: "Two names in theMirabiliashould be replaced by better variant readings, Troynt by Troit, and Anir by Amr ".
  11. ^abRoberts (1991),p. 90: "Carn Cabal is a cairn.. now..Corn Gaffalt,a hill.. in north Brecknockshire, between Rhaeadr [i.e.,Rhayader,Radnorshire] andBuilth Wells".
  12. ^Wonders of Britain, Ch. 73.Translated byJ. A. Giles– viaWikisource.There is another marvel in the region which is calledBuelt..
  13. ^Cf.Guest ed., tr. (1849),p. 359 andGuest tr. (1877),p. 289, notes, p., translated fromStevenson (1838),§73
  14. ^abAshe, Geoffrey(2013) [1996]. "Topography and Local Legends". InLacy, Norris J.;Ashe, Geoffrey;Ihle, Sandra Ness; Kalinke, Marianne E.;Thompson, Raymond H.(eds.).The New Arthurian Encyclopedia: New edition.Routledge. p. 456.ISBN9781136606335.Buelt in central Wales, where Builth Wells preserves the name
  15. ^The Latin text's editor also annotates on the place name "Buelt" as "Brecknock-Radnor",Fletcher (1906),p. 15, n5
  16. ^Guest ed., tr. (1849),p. 311 / a bedwyr a chauall ki arthur ynyl w ynteu. p. 239
  17. ^Guest ed., tr. (1849),pp. 266, 301 / gast rymi p. 210, gast rymhi 235
  18. ^Jones & Jones trr. (1993),pp. 88, 105.
  19. ^Stephens, Meic(1998). "Rhymhi".The New Companion to the Literature of Wales.Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 634.ISBN9780708313831.
  20. ^Bromwich & Evans (1992),Culhwch,pp. 100, 146n: "Gwydrut a Gwyden Astrus"make this identification. The family of wolves reverts to human form by grace of God, but it is rather a mystery how Culhwch's bridal quest was helped by this.
  21. ^Guest ed., tr. (1849),pp. 290, 316 / "anet ac aethlem", pp. 227, 246
  22. ^Jones & Jones trr. (1993),pp. 100, 112
  23. ^Bromwich & Evans (1992),p. 27: "Glas, Glessic, Gleissat, eu tri chi; Call, Cuall, Cauall, eu tri meirch"
  24. ^Jones & Jones trr. (1993),p. 89,100.
  25. ^Kibler, William W.; Palmer, R. Barton, eds. (2014). "Arthur in Early Wales/Culhwch and Owen".Medieval Arthurian Epic and Romance: Eight New Translations.Translated by Davis, Craig. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. pp. 73, 74, 82, 89, (94, 96).ISBN978-0-7864-4779-4.
  26. ^Besides Bromwich's edition, several modern translations interpret these as dogs' name, e.g. Jones & Jones: "Glas, Glesig Gleisad, their three dogs"[24]or Davis: "Glas [Grey], Glesig, Gleisad [Salmon]--their three dogs. Call [Clever], Cuall [Quick], Cafall [Steed]--their three horses",[25]etc.
  27. ^Guest ed., tr. (1849),Welsh, pp. 211, 227; translation pp. 267, 291: "three grinding gashers, Glas, Glessic, and Clersag. Their three dogs, Call, Cuall, and Cavall. Their three horses, Hwyrdydwg, and Drwgdydwg, and Llwyrdydwg"
  28. ^Tunnell, Michael O.(2003). "Glessic (GLES-sik), Prince".The Prydain Companion: A Reference Guide to Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles.Henry Holt and Company. p. 107.ISBN9781429960007.
  29. ^The Mabinogion.Translated by Gantz, Jeffrey. Penguin UK. 2003. fn71.ISBN9780141920467.
  30. ^Guest ed., tr. (1849),pp. 286, 303, 306 / drutywyn, pp. 225, 236, 237
  31. ^Jones & Jones trr. (1993),pp. 98, 106, 110.
  32. ^Guest ed., tr. (1849),pp. 306, 311 / deu gi glythmyr lewic, glythuyr ledewic, letewic, pp. 238, 242.
  33. ^Jones & Jones trr. (1993),pp. 89, 100.
  34. ^Such as Gwyn & Thomas Jones', 1949 and Jeffrey Gantz's, 1976.
  35. ^Bromwich & Evans (1992),p. 153, notes that Ifor Williams has studied "..instances of cafall < Lat. caballus..in theHengerdd(old poetry) CA 1203; CLlH vii, 22a; PT 38n. oncaffon.(Ifor Williams, CA=Canu Aneirin,1938; CLlH=Canu Llywarch Hen,1935; PT=Poems of Taliesin)
  36. ^Ford, Patrick K. (1982),"On the Significance of some Arthurian Names in Welsh",Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies,30:268,summarizing from R. J. Thomas, "Cysylltiad Arthur gogledd Ceredigion",Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies8(2): 124–125.
  37. ^Roberts (1991),p. 90.
  38. ^Bromwich & Evans (1992),p. 153.
Bibliography
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