Dywel fab Erbin is a minor character and warrior of
Welsh tradition, the son of
Erbin and the brother of
Geraint
Geraint ( ) is a character from Welsh folklore and Arthurian legend, a valiant warrior possibly related to the historical Geraint, an early 8th-century king of Dumnonia. It is also the name of a 6th-century Dumnonian saint king from Briton h ...
and Ermid. Alongside his brothers, he is named in the early
Arthurian
According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a leader of the post-Ro ...
tale ''
Culhwch ac Olwen
Culhwch (, with the final consonant sounding like Scottish "loch"), in Welsh mythology, is the son of Cilydd, Cilydd son of Celyddon and Goleuddydd, a cousin of King Arthur, Arthur and the protagonist of the story ''Culhwch and Olwen'' (the earli ...
'' as a
knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity.
The concept of a knighthood ...
of
Arthur's court at
Celliwig Celliwig, Kelliwic or Gelliwic is perhaps the earliest named location for the court of King Arthur. It may be translated as 'forest grove'.
Literary references
It is mentioned in the Welsh tale '' Culhwch and Olwen'' whose manuscript dates from th ...
.
His death in battle is recorded in the
Black Book of Carmarthen
The Black Book of Carmarthen () is thought to be the earliest surviving manuscript written solely in Welsh. The book dates from the mid-13th century; its name comes from its association with the Priory of St. John the Evangelist and Teulyddog ...
poem ''The Dialogue of
Myrddin
Myrddin Wyllt (—"Myrddin the Wild", , ) is a figure in medieval Welsh legend. In Middle Welsh poetry he is accounted a chief bard, the speaker of several poems in The Black Book of Carmarthen and The Red Book of Hergest. He is called ''Wyll ...
and
Taliesin
Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Britons (Celtic people), Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the ''Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to ...
'', in which it is written:
:''Again and again, in great throngs they came'',
:''There came Bran and Melgan to meet me''.
:''At the last, they slew Dyel'',
:''The son of Erbin, with all his men''.
In the ''
Stanzas of the Graves'', Dywel's final resting place is given as "Caewaw" or "Caeo", a
commot in south-west Wales. The
englyn
(; plural ) is a traditional Welsh short poem form. It uses quantitative metres, involving the counting of syllables, and rigid patterns of rhyme and half rhyme. Each line contains a repeating pattern of consonants and accent known as .
Ear ...
extolls Dywel's bravery on the battlefield.
:''The Grave of Dywel, the son of Erbin, is in the plain of Caewaw''
:''He would not be a vassal to a king'';
:''Blameless, he would not shrink from battle''.
Sources
*A. O. Jarman (gol.), ''Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin'' (Cardiff, 1982)
* eto (gol.), ''Ymddiddan Myrddin a Thaliesin'' (Cardiff, 1951)
Welsh mythology
Arthurian characters
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