The Three Welsh Romances ( Welsh: ') are three

Middle Welsh Middle Welsh (, ) is the label attached to the Welsh language of the 12th to 15th centuries, of which much more remains than for any earlier period. This form of Welsh developed directly from Old Welsh (). Literature and history Middle Welsh is ...

tales associated with the ''

Mabinogion The ''Mabinogion'' () is a collection of the earliest Welsh prose stories, compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, created –1410, as well as a few earlier frag ...

''. They are versions of

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 ...

tales that also appear in the work of

Chrétien de Troyes Chrétien de Troyes (; ; 1160–1191) was a French poet and trouvère known for his writing on King Arthur, Arthurian subjects such as Gawain, Lancelot, Perceval and the Holy Grail. Chrétien's chivalric romances, including ''Erec and Enide'' ...

. Critics have debated whether the Welsh Romances are based on Chrétien's poems or if they derive from a shared original. The Romances survive in the

White Book of Rhydderch The White Book of Rhydderch (Welsh: ''Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch'', National Library of Wales, Peniarth MS 4-5) is one of the most notable and celebrated surviving manuscripts in Welsh language, Welsh. Mostly written in southwest Wales in the middle of ...

and the

Red Book of Hergest Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secon ...

, both from the 14th 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 ''Yvain, the Knight of the Lion'' () is an Arthurian romance by French poet Chrétien de Troyes. It was written c. 1180 simultaneously with ''Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart'', and includes several references to the narrative of that poem. It ...

'' * ''Geraint and Enid'', which corresponds to Chrétien's '' Erec and Enide''. * '' Peredur, son of Efrawg'', which corresponds to Chrétien's ''

Perceval, the Story of the Grail ''Perceval, the Story of the Grail'' () is an unfinished verse romance written by Chrétien de Troyes in Old French in the late 12th century. Later authors added 54,000 more lines to the original 9,000 in what is known collectively as the ''Four ...

''Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain''

''Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain'' is analogous to

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th

''. It survives in the

and the

, both from the 14th century. The tale's hero, Ywain">Yvain In Arthurian legend, Ywain , also known as Yvain and Owain among other spellings (''Ewaine'', ''Ivain'', ''Ivan'', ''Iwain'', ''Iwein'', ''Uwain'', ''Uwaine'', ''Ywan'', etc.), is a Knight of the Round Table. Tradition often portrays him as t ...

, is based on the historical figure Owain mab Urien. The romance consists of a hero marrying his love, the Laudine, 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 that ''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 still possible that Chrétien in turn had a Welsh 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, and which exhibit parallels to the narrative of ''Yvain''.

''Geraint and Enid''

''Geraint and Enid'', also known by the title ''Geraint, son of Erbin'', is analogous to

' 12th-century poem '' Erec and Enide''; some scholars think the two derive from a common lost source, while others believe ''Geraint'' is based directly or indirectly on ''Erec'' (though Chrétien may have had a Celtic source). It survives in the

and the

, both from the 14th century. The romance concerns the love of Geraint, one 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 ...

's men, and the beautiful Enid. Geraint, son of King Erbin of Dumnonia, courts Enid. The couple marry and settle down together, but rumors spread that Geraint has gone soft. Upset about this, Enid cries to herself that she is not a true wife for keeping her husband from his chivalric duties, but Geraint misunderstands her comment to mean she has been unfaithful to him. He makes her join him on a long and dangerous trip and commands her not to speak to him. Enid disregards this command several times to warn her husband of danger. Several adventures follow that prove Enid's love and Geraint's fighting ability. The couple is happily reconciled in the end, and Geraint inherits his father's kingdom. Enid does not appear in Welsh sources outside of this romance, but Geraint was already a popular figure. Some scholars hold that the

Erec The Knights of the Round Table (, , ) are the legendary knights of the fellowship of King Arthur that first appeared in the Matter of Britain literature in the mid-12th century. The Knights are a chivalric order dedicated to ensuring the peace ...

from Chrétien's poem is based on Geraint, but others think the Welsh author simply replaced an unfamiliar French name with one his audience would recognize and associate with heroism.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

based two of his ''

Idylls of the King ''Idylls of the King'', published between 1859 and 1885, is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892; Poet Laureate from 1850) which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love f ...

'' on ''Geraint and Enid''. They were originally published as a single poem called "Enid" in 1859; he later split it into two poems, "The Marriage of Geraint" and "Geraint and Enid".

''Peredur son of Efrawg''

''Peredur son of Efrawg'' is associated with

' unfinished romance ''

'', but it contains many striking differences from that work, most notably the absence of the French poem's central object, the

grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...

. Versions of the text survive in four manuscripts from the 14th century. The tale's protagonist

Peredur Peredur (, Old Welsh ''Peretur'') is the name of a number of men from the boundaries of history and legend in sub-Roman Britain. The Peredur who is most familiar to a modern audience is the character who made his entrance as a knight in the Ar ...

travels to

's court to become a knight. The young Peredur embarks on a series of adventures, culminating in his battle against the

nine sorceresses The nine sorceresses or nine sisters () are a recurring element in Arthurian legend in variants of the popular nine maidens theme from world mythologies. Their most important appearances are in Geoffrey of Monmouth's introduction of Avalon and ...

''Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain''

''Geraint and Enid''

''Peredur son of Efrawg''

Further reading