A legendary creature from
Welsh tradition depicted as very large and intelligent
birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
, often considered to be related to the
griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...
,
[Rose, Carol: ''Giants, Monsters and Dragons''. Norton 2000. ]
Lore
The Adar Llwch Gwin were given to a warrior named
Drudwas ap Tryffin Drudwas ap Tryffin is a knight of King Arthur's court in early Arthurian mythology and the owner of the magical Adar Llwch Gwin. His father, Tryffin, is described as the king of Denmark, while his sister, Erdudwyl, was, according to The Death of Dr ...
[Matson, Gienna: ''Celtic Mythology A to Z'', page 1. Chelsea House, 2004. ] by his
fairy
A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, ...
wife. The name derives from the
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
words ''adar'' ("bird"), ''llwch'' ("dust"), and ''gwin'' ("wine"). These birds were said to understand human speech and to obey whatever command was given to them by their master.
However, when Drudwas was about to do battle with the hero
Arthur
Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...
he commanded them to kill the first man to enter the battle. Arthur himself was delayed and the birds ultimately turned on Drudwas when he walked onto the battlefield first, tearing him to pieces.
[ A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY page 232. ] Later, in medieval Welsh poetry, the phrase ''Adar Llwch Gwin'' came to describe all types of
raptors including
hawks
Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfamily a ...
,
falcon
Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.
Adult falcons ...
s, and brave men.
References
John & Caitlin Matthews (2005). The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures. HarperElement
A WELSH CLASSICAL DICTIONARY. DRUDWAS ap TRYFFIN
Welsh legendary creatures
Legendary birds
External links
"Welsh Classical Dictionary"
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