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Peredur son of Evrawc, a MythSource painting
Celtic

Peredur son of Evrawc

01Identity

Peredur son of Evrawc in Celtic tradition

Peredur is the youngest son of Evrawc, raised in a remote woodland household after his father and six brothers die in battle. His mother keeps him from horses and weapons, but his encounter with Arthur's knights changes the course of his life. He leaves for court in crude equipment, learns through hard experience, and becomes known for courage, courtesy and an unusual silence when he is absorbed in thought. The romance sends him through encounters with ruined courts, threatened women, giants, a serpent, an enchanted lake creature and the sorceresses of Gloucester. He also meets a lame king whose hall contains a spear streaming blood and a severed head. Peredur's failure to ask about these marvels is later presented as a serious mistake, and the black maiden's rebuke gives him a reason to return to them. His adventures join feats of arms with questions about what he sees and what he owes to others. The account ends when he helps Arthur's company defeat the sorceresses who harmed his family.

SourceThe Mabinogion (Lady Charlotte Guest translation, 1877): Peredur the Son of Evrawc, printed pp. 81–124

Top questions

The quick answers

02The myths

The myths of Peredur son of Evrawc

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

Peredur the Son of Evrawc

After Evrawc and six of his sons are killed, Peredur's mother raises her youngest child in a remote wood and keeps him from horses and arms. When he meets Owain and other knights, he learns what their equipment is and rides to Arthur's court. There, Kai's insults and the dwarf's greeting provoke Peredur to pursue the knight who struck Gwenhwyvar. He kills the man with a fork, then refuses to return until he has avenged the dwarfs. Peredur travels through a succession of households and contests. He receives instruction from two uncles, wins back an earldom for a young woman, defeats the knight who killed his foster-sister's husband and survives an assault by giants. At the court of a lame king, he sees a spear with blood running from its point and a salver bearing a severed head. He does not ask what they mean. On another journey he defeats a serpent and the Black Oppressor, kills the Addanc with a stone that lets him see the creature, and helps restore the people who had been killed by it.

Peredur later reaches the Empress's tournament, where he wins battles and helps her against three challengers. At Arthur's court, the black maiden accuses him of failing to ask about the spear and head at the lame king's hall. She says his silence left the king unhealed and his lands at war. Peredur sets out to learn their meaning and seek the Castle of Wonders. His journey brings him back to the lame king, where he learns that the bloody head belonged to his cousin and that the sorceresses of Gloucester also caused his uncle's lameness. The black maiden, who had appeared at several stages of his journey, reveals herself as his cousin. Peredur joins Arthur, Gwalchmai and their company against the sorceresses. When one kills a man in front of him for the third time, Peredur strikes her; the sorceresses flee, and Arthur's company kills them. The account closes with the wrong to Peredur's family avenged.

Peredur the Son of Evrawc, a MythSource painting of the scene

78 sources· checked 2026-10-01

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