In
Welsh mythology, Olwen (or Olwyn) is the daughter of the giant
Ysbaddaden and cousin of
Goreu. She is the heroine of the story Culhwch and Olwen in the
Mabinogion. Her father is fated to die if she ever marries, so when
Culhwch (sometimes spelled as Kilhwch) comes to court her, he is given a series of immensely difficult tasks which he must complete before he can win her hand. With the help of his cousin
King Arthur, Culhwch succeeds and the giant dies, allowing Olwen to marry her suitor.
Description
In the tale Culhwch and Olwen in the Mabinogion, she is described as a vision of beauty: wearing a flaming-red dress with a red-gold
torc and many golden rings, she has "hair yellower than the
broom", red (ruddy) cheeks, white skin and pale hands. She is also depicted as having the ability to spring white flowers from every step she takes.[1][2]
Other tales
The name "Olwen" reappears in the non-Arthurian
folktaleEinion and Olwen, about a
sheep herder who travels to the
Otherworld to marry Olwen; they later have a son named
Taliesin.[2][3] The tale was collected at the turn of the 20th century but is related to Culhwch and Olwen.
English author and publisher of the Mabinogion,
Lady Charlotte Guest noted that Olwen became the object of later poetry by
Dafydd ap Gwilym and Sion Brwynog. The latter begins a poem with the verse Olwen gulael lan galon ("Olwen of slender eyebrow, pure of heart").[4]
Etymology
The meaning of the name Olwen is "white footprint"[5] or "white track".[2] According to legend, she was so gentle and fragile that white
trefoils would grow in her footprints. Some authorities consider her to have been originally a
solar goddess, based on the etymology of her name and light-related attributes.[6][7]
Professor
John T. Koch states that "recent
Welsh generally employs olwyn rather than rhod for 'wheel'."[8]
^Simon Andrew Stirling, The Grail: Relic of an Ancient Religion, 2015
^Monaghan, Patricia. The Encyclopedia of Celtic Myth and Folklore. Facts on File. 2004. p. 369.
ISBN0-8160-4524-0
^Koch, John T. (1989). "Some Suggestions and Etymologies Reflecting upon the Mythology of the Four Branches". Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium. 9: 1–10.
JSTOR20557203.