The Prydain Companion by Michael O. Tunnell

Author:Michael O. Tunnell [Tunnell, Michael O.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: 2014-08-04T00:00:00+00:00

gwythaint (GWITH-aint): Gwythaints are enormous black birds of prey, “greater than the greatest eagle,” with “blood-red eyes” and “curving beaks and talons as merciless as daggers” (CWP 78/17; HK 211/244; BT 33/49). *Gwydion explains something of their nature to *Taran.

“They are *Arawn’s spies and messengers, the *Eyes of Annuvin, they are called. No one stays long hidden from them….

“The errand of the gwythaints is less to kill than to bring information…. Arawn understands their language and they are in his power from the moment they leave the egg.” (BT 34/50–51)

But *Medwyn explains that the great birds deserve to be pitied rather than hated:

“Once, long ago, they were as free as other birds, gentle and trusting. In his cunning, Arawn lured them to him and brought them under his power. He built the iron cages which are now their prison house in *Annuvin. The tortures he inflicted on the gwythaints were shameful and unspeakable. Now they serve him out of terror.” (BT 119/143)

Armed with this understanding, Taran later rescues a fledgling gwythaint from a thornbush. The *Companions want to kill it, but Taran nurses the creature back to health. Under protest, *Doli builds a cage for the gwythaint with plans to take the bird with them to *Caer Dathyl. Though the fledgling seems to grow accustomed to Taran and even *Eilonwy, it slashes its way out of the cage one night and is gone. All fear that the gwythaint will fly straight to Annuvin and expose their quest to warn Caer Dathyl of the *Horned King (BT 159/186–187). But responding to the kindness, the gwythaint instead finds Prince Gwydion and tells him that the Companions are nearby. Hastening to find them, the *Prince of Don arrives in time to learn the Horned King’s secret name from *Hen Wen and thereby destroy Arawn’s war leader (BT 179/208–209).

Alexander’s mother recalled that he frequently brought home birds and animals, particularly when they were injured or showed signs of neglect. Perhaps this tendency surfaced in the story of the injured gwythaint (Jacobs, 1978:29).

In *The High King, the fledgling gwythaint appears once again and performs another deed that turns the hand of fate toward the *Sons of Don. As Taran clings for life on a crag of *Mount Dragon, a gwythaint plunges toward him. Sure of his death, Taran is overjoyed when the now-grown bird recognizes him. The gwythaint lifts Taran to the mountain peak and then turns to attack the *Cauldron-Born who threaten the *Assistant Pig-Keeper. The noble bird is struck down and killed by the deathless warriors. But he has placed Taran in the exact spot where the enchanted sword, *Dyrnwyn, is hidden (HK 213/247). With the sword, Taran is able to slay the Cauldron-Born and Arawn *Death-Lord.

The other gwythaints in the *Chronicles of Prydain are ruthless enemies to the people of *Prydain. More than once gwythaints attack the Companions. They report to Arawn that Taran and the others are moving the *Black Cauldron to *Caer Dallben (BC 146/185). Gwythaints attack and injure *Kaw as he spies on Annuvin (HK 85–86/103–104).

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