Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed: A Welsh Tale for English Learners
Welcome to the story of Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed - an ancient Welsh tale full of magic and adventure.
This lesson will introduce you to Pwyll, a young prince who lives in Wales, and the surprising challenges he faces.
You'll explore his journey to the magical Otherworld, and his meeting with Rhiannon, a mysterious woman from a magical land who has her own challenges.
We will learn some new vocabulary and practice pronouncing several Welsh names.
After reading, you can test your understanding with questions about the story.
Let's begin by learning how to pronounce the names, and some important vocabulary words to help you understand the story!
Pronunciation Tips
Pwyll - Say "Puh-will" => "Puh" (like "put") + "will" (like "will")
Dyfed - Say "DUH-ved" => "Duh" (like "dull") + "ved" like "bed"
Arawn - Say "Ah-roun" => "Ah" (like in "father") + "roun" (like "crown")
Rhiannon - Say "Ree-ANN-on" => "Ree" (like "read") + "ANN" (like "can") + "on" (like "on")
Gwawl - Say "Gow-uhl" => "Gow" (like "cow") + "uhl" (like "pull")
Teyrnon - Say TARE-non" => "TARE" (like "tear") + "non" (like "non" in "none")
Vocabulary Words to Know
exchange: to switch places or give something and receive something in return
realm: a kingdom or land ruled by someone
mortal world: the human world where regular people live
prey: an animal hunted by another animal for food
trickery: the act of fooling someone by lying or using a clever trick
claim: to say something belongs to you or to demand it as your own
Part One: The Exchange
In Wales, there is a young prince named Pwyll. He rules a kingdom called Dyfed. One day, he goes hunting in the forest alone.
While hunting, Pwyll sees some strange dogs. They are white with red ears, and they are chasing a deer. These are not his dogs. They belong to Arawn, the king of the Otherworld. The Otherworld is a magical realm where magical people live. It exists next to our world but is usually hidden from human eyes. Only special people can see it or enter it.
Arawn is angry because Pwyll's dogs scare away his dogs' prey! This is very disrespectful to Arawn, who is a powerful magical king.
But Arawn sees that Pwyll is brave and honest. So he has an idea. Arawn needs help with a problem: another king from the Otherworld has been attacking his realm every year.
So instead of punishing Pwyll, Arawn suggests they exchange places for one year. This way, Pwyll can help Arawn by fighting this enemy, and in return, Pwyll will not be punished, and will learn magical secrets and wisdom from living in the Otherworld.
Arawn uses magic to make Pwyll look exactly like him, and he makes himself look like Pwyll.
He tells Pwyll one important rule: at the end of the year, Pwyll must fight the enemy king.
During this fight, Pwyll must hit the enemy king only once. One hit will be enough. If he hits him twice, the enemy king will come back to life even stronger.
For one year, Pwyll lives in the Otherworld as Arawn. He is very honest and never tries to kiss or hug Arawn's wife, even though everyone thinks he is her husband. He rules Arawn's kingdom wisely and prepares for the important fight.
When the year ends, Pwyll fights the enemy king. He remembers Arawn's rule and hits him only once. The enemy king falls and asks for peace. This solves Arawn's problem forever.
Pwyll and Arawn change back to their own shapes. Both are happy - Arawn because Pwyll has been honest with his wife and solved his problem, and Pwyll because he has followed all the rules correctly and learned much about being a good ruler.
Part Two: The Lady on the White Horse
After returning to Dyfed, Pwyll sits on a magical hill called Gorsedd Arberth. Local stories say that anyone who sits on this hill will see something magical or have an adventure.
Sure enough, Pwyll sees an amazing sight: a beautiful woman riding a white horse. She wears a shining golden dress and rides past the hill slowly.
Pwyll sends his best horsemen to catch up with her, but they cannot. The woman's horse is too fast.
This happens for three days. Finally, on the third day, Pwyll himself chases after her. When he cannot catch up, he calls out, "Please, lady, stop and speak with me!"
The lady stops her horse. Her name is Rhiannon, and she is a princess from the Otherworld. She tells Pwyll that she has come to find him because she doesn't want to marry the man her father chose for her - a man she does not love. She wants to marry Pwyll instead!
Pwyll falls in love with Rhiannon, but there is a problem. The man her father chose, Gwawl, wants to marry her too.
Through trickery, Gwawl tries to steal Rhiannon away. Disguised as a guest, he attends the wedding feast for Pwyll and Rhiannon. During the feast, Gwawl asks Pwyll to grant him a favor. Not realizing it's Gwawl, Pwyll, who wants to be a good host, agrees to give him whatever he asks.
Gwawl then reveals his identity and demands Rhiannon and the feast. Pwyll, who cannot break his word, feels forced to agree.
But Rhiannon is clever. She gives Pwyll a magical bag and tells him how to capture Gwawl. When Gwawl comes to claim Rhiannon, Pwyll tricks him into stepping into the bag. Once captured, Gwawl promises to leave Rhiannon alone forever.
Pwyll and Rhiannon marry and rule Dyfed together. They are happy, but some people in Dyfed do not like having a wife from the Otherworld as their queen. When Rhiannon has a baby boy, these people play a cruel trick. They take the baby away while Rhiannon sleeps and blame her for his disappearance.
As punishment, Rhiannon is forced by the nobles of Dyfed to sit by the castle gate every day. But Pwyll believes in his wife and never stops loving her.
Teyrnon, a brave nobleman, finds the baby abandoned outside his home and takes him in, not realizing the child's true identity.
As the boy grows, Teyrnon notices that he resembles Pwyll! Realizing the child's true identity, Teyrnon eventually returns him to Pwyll and Rhiannon.
The family is together again, and the people of Dyfed finally accept Rhiannon as their queen.
Pwyll, Rhiannon, and their son live happily together, ruling Dyfed with wisdom they have learned from both the mortal world and the Otherworld.
Comprehension Questions
- What is special about the dogs Pwyll sees in the forest?
- Why does Arawn want to exchange places with Pwyll?
- How does Pwyll show he is honest during his year as Arawn?
- What is special about Gorsedd Arberth hill?
- Why can't anyone catch up to Rhiannon on her horse?
- How do Pwyll and Rhiannon deal with Gwawl?
- What happens to Rhiannon's baby? How is this problem solved?
