Three Welsh Romances

The Three Welsh Romances (Y Tair Rhamant in Welsh) are three tales associated with the Mabinogion. They are versions of Arthurian tales that also appear in the work of Chrétien de Troyes. Critics have debated whether the Welsh Romances are based on Chrétien's poems or if they derive from a shared original. Though it seems probable the surviving Romances derive, directly or indirectly, from Chrétien, it is probable he in turn based his tales on older, Celtic sources. The Romances survive in the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest, both from the fourteenth century, though the material is at least as old as Chrétien.

The Three Welsh Romances are:

• Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain; which corresponds to Chrétien's Yvain, the Knight of the Lion
• Peredur, son of Efrawg, which corresponds to Chrétien's Perceval, the Story of the Grail
• Gereint and Enid, which corresponds to Chrétien's Erec and Enide.

Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain

Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain (Welsh: Owain, neu Iarlles y Ffynnon) is one of the Three Welsh Romances (Y Tair Rhamant) associated with the Mabinogion. It is analogous to Chrétien de Troyes' Old French poem Yvain, the Knight of the Lion. It survives in the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest, both from the 14th century.

The tale's hero, Owain, is based on the historical figure Owain mab Urien. The romance consists of a hero marrying his love, the Lady of the Fountain, but losing her when he neglects her for knightly exploits. With the aid of a lion he saves from a serpent, he finds a balance between his marital and social duties and rejoins his wife.

It was once thought Owain and Yvain were derived from a common lost source, but it now seems more likely that Owain was directly or indirectly based on Chrétien's poem, with local literary touches added to appeal to a Welsh audience. It is possible, however, that Chrétien had a Celtic source, evidence of which can be found in certain episodes in the Life of St. Mungo (also called St. Kentigern), where the saint's father Owain tries to woo his mother, Lot of Lothian's daughter. The episodes are similar enough to Yvain to suggest an oral tradition that inspired the hagiography and the French and Welsh romances.

Further reading

• Aronstein, Susan (1994). "When Arthur Held Court in Caer Llion: Love, Marriage, and the Politics of Centralization in Gereint and Owein". Viator. 25: 215–28.
• Fulton, Helen (2001). "Individual and Society in Owein/Yvain and Gereint/Erec". In Joseph Falaky Nagy (ed.). CSANA Yearbook 1: The Individual in Celtic Literatures. Dublin: Four Courts Press. pp. 15–50.
• Thomson, R.L. (1991). "Owain: Chwedl Iarlles y Ffynnon". In Rachel Bromwich, A. O. H. Jarman and Brynley F. Roberts (ed.). The Arthur of the Welsh: The Arthurian Legend in Medieval Welsh Literature. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. pp. 159–69.