Entries on this page (click one to jump to it):
Hen Wen
Horned King
Kilhuch
Llyr Half-Speech, the Sea King
Hen Wen. The white "oracular pig" kept in Caer Dallben. When the animals in Caer Dallben begin to flee, Dallben tries to use Hen Wen's letter sticks, which are ash rods with symbols. The letter sticks must be stuck upright in the ground, and Hen Wen has to point her snout at certain symbols. Dallben uses the symbols to make a prophecy or learn information about what is occurring in Prydain, but he uses the letter sticks and Hen Wen's powers only in times of trouble.
In the notes of Lady Charlotte Guest, Henwen was a sow owned by Dadweir Dallpenn and watched by Coll ab Collfrewi. A prophecy said Henwen would bring evil upon Britain when she gave birth, so Arthur tried to kill her. She fled and left behind animals and items that caused both fortune and tragedy for the places they were left. These events of her fleeing a warrior who tries to slay her comes up in The Book of Three when the Horned King comes for her. According to Robert Graves, Henwen means "old white one" [8].
Horned King. The champion of Arawn that threatens Prydain and Caer Dathyl in The Book of Three. Taran catches a glimpse of him in the forest; the warlord wears a crimson cape and a skull-mask with antlers. He cannot be defeated unless his name is known.
In Welsh mythology, Gwydyon son of Don discovered the name of a man who could not be defeated unless his name were revealed. The name was Bran (though Alexander points out this isn't the Horned King's name) [8]. This element enters The Book of Three directly in the final encounter between Taran and the Horned King.
Celtic mythology includes an antlered god named Cernunnos. He was linked to forests and had authority over animals [2].
Kilhuch. Medwyn briefly mentions Kilhuch as one who sought the hand of Olwen in marriage. Olwen's father, the Chief Giant Yspaddaden, required Kilhuch to complete a series of seemingly impossible tasks before he could marry Olwen. One of the tasks was to collect nine bushels of flax seed.
The story of Kilhuch is taken directly from "How Culhwch Won Olwen" from The Mabinogion. Medwyn uses only one small episode from this story to teach Taran principles of depending on one's companions; however, Culhwch's tale is much more extensive and actually involves King Arthur more than Culhwch himself.
Llyr Half-Speech, the Sea King. The ancestor of Princess Eilonwy and the other enchantresses of the land named for this king. Llyr's kingdom bordered on the sea or existed on an island.
In The Mabinogion, Llyr of the Sea was the father of Caradawg Strong Arm, a man who rode with Arthur against Osla Big Knife. The name Llyr actually means "sea." This meaning made the choice of Llyr as the Sea King's name a logical choice, but not much else about Prydain's Llyr is told. In The Mabinogion, another man named Llyr was the father of Branwen, Bran the Blessed ruler of Britain, and Manawydan.
