Menw, son of Three-Cries (), is a hero and

shapeshifter In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest exist ...

in early

Welsh literature Welsh literature is any literature originating from Wales or by Welsh writers: *Welsh-language literature Welsh-language literature () has been produced continuously since the emergence of Welsh from Brythonic as a distinct language in a ...

, an "Enchanted Knight" of

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

at his 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 ...

. He appears most prominently 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 and Olwen ''Culhwch and Olwen'' () is a Welsh tale that survives in only two manuscripts about a hero connected with Arthur and his warriors: a complete version in the Red Book of Hergest, , and a fragmented version in the White Book of Rhydderch, . It ...

'', in which he is handpicked among Arthur's warriors to accompany

Culhwch Culhwch (, with the final consonant sounding like Scottish "loch"), in Welsh mythology, is the son of Cilydd son of Celyddon and Goleuddydd, a cousin of Arthur and the protagonist of the story '' Culhwch and Olwen'' (the earliest of the mediev ...

on his quest to win Olwen. An "Enchanter Knight" of Arthur's court, he learned one of the Three Enchantments from

Uther Pendragon Uther Pendragon ( ; the Brittonic languages, Brittonic name; , or ), also known as King Uther (or Uter), was a List of legendary kings of Britain, legendary King of the Britons and father of King Arthur. A few minor references to Uther appe ...

. He is ascribed a son named Anynnawg.

Role in Welsh tradition

After being cursed by his

stepmother A stepmother, stepmum or stepmom is a female non-biological parent married to one's preexisting parent. Children from her spouse's previous unions are known as her stepchildren. A stepmother-in-law is a stepmother of one's spouse. Culture Ste ...

so that he marry no one but Olwen, daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden, Culhwch ap Cilydd seeks assistance from his cousin Arthur to win her hand in marriage. Arthur agrees to help him, sending six of his many warriors to assist him on his

quest A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. It serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of every nat ...

, with Menw as the sixth. Each warrior has his own unique skill; Menw is a skilled magician, able to place he and his companions under an illusion of invisibility so as to protect them in savage lands. Culhwch

Prior to the Hunting of Twrch Trwyth, Menw is sent in the form of a

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

to spy on Twrch Trwyth and his piglets, eventually catching up with him at ''Osgair Oerfel'' in Ireland. Menw attempts to retrieve one of the boar's trinkets but is poisoned in the process and was thereafter never completely without injury. He also plays a part in the hunt proper, chasing the boar into the

Severn The River Severn (, ), at long, is the longest river in Great Britain. It is also the river with the most voluminous flow of water by far in all of England and Wales, with an average flow rate of at Apperley, Gloucestershire. It rises in t ...

alongside

Mabon ap Modron Mabon ap Modron is a prominent figure from Welsh and wider Brythonic literature and mythology, the son of Modron and a member of Arthur's war band. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine mother–son pa ...

and Goreu fab Custennin. Later Menw appears in the tale '' Breuddwyd Rhonabwy'' as one of Arthur's chief councillors, and is also mentioned in a poem by fourteenth century bard

Dafydd ap Gwilym Dafydd ap Gwilym ( 1315/1320 – 1350/1370) is regarded as one of the leading Welsh poets and among the great poets of Europe in the Middle Ages. Dafydd’s poetry also offers a unique window into the transcultural movement of cultural pract ...

: :Three warriors – it brings me riches – :knew well enchantments before this: :battle-experienced, the first upholds his name – :the gentlest of the three was Menw :the second's name (good day for understanding): :is Eiddilig the Dwarf, a wily Irishman :third was, beside the seas of Mon, :

Math Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

, lord of splendid kind, and :Arfon's king.Ian Hughes. ''Math uab Mathonwy''.

References

Bibliography

* MacKillop, James (2004)
"Menw fab Teirgwaedd"
In ''A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press. Arthurian characters Fictional characters who can turn invisible Fictional shapeshifters Welsh mythology {{fantasy-char-stub