InWelsh mythology,Olwen (orOlwyn) is the daughter of the giantYsbaddaden and cousin ofGoreu. She is the heroine of the storyCulhwch and Olwen in theMabinogion. Her father is fated to die if she ever marries, so whenCulhwch (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 cousinKing Arthur, Culhwch succeeds and the giant dies, allowing Olwen to marry her suitor.
In the taleCulhwch and Olwen in the Mabinogion, she is described as a vision of beauty: wearing a flaming-red dress with a red-goldtorc and many golden rings, she has "hair yellower than thebroom", 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]
The name "Olwen" reappears in the non-ArthurianfolktaleEinion and Olwen, about asheep herder who travels to theOtherworld to marry Olwen; they later have a son namedTaliesin.[2][3] The tale was collected at the turn of the 20th century but is related toCulhwch and Olwen.
English author and publisher of the Mabinogion,Lady Charlotte Guest noted that Olwen became the object of later poetry byDafydd ap Gwilym and Sion Brwynog. The latter begins a poem with the verseOlwen gulael lan galon ("Olwen of slender eyebrow, pure of heart").[4]
The meaning of the name Olwen is "white footprint"[5] or "white track".[2] According to legend, she was so gentle and fragile that whitetrefoils would grow in her footprints. Some authorities consider her to have been originally asolar goddess, based on the etymology of her name and light-related attributes.[6][7]
ProfessorJohn T. Koch states that "recentWelsh generally employsolwyn rather thanrhod 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.
