There was once one who owned the Earldom of the North. And this earl supported himself, not so much by his own possessions, as by taking part in battles and tournaments by which he won much in prizes and spoils. He had seven sons. And, as often befalls those who join in encounters and wars, he was slain, and six of his sons were slain likewise.
His seventh son was not of an age to go to wars and encounters, otherwise he might have been slain as were his father and his six brothers. Peredur was this boy’s name. Now his mother, who was a very thoughtful woman, to save the last of her sons, decided to leave the inhabited country with him, and to rear him in a place where he should know nothing of fighting and feats of arms. She went into the deserts and unfrequented wildernesses, and she permitted none to go with her son and herself except women and boys and spiritless old men who were unequal to wars and fighting. She permitted none to bring horses and arms near the place where her son was, lest he should set his mind upon them.
Peredur, when he had grown up, used often to go into the forest and divert himself by flinging sticks and staves. One day he saw his mother’s flock of goats, and near the goats he saw two deer standing. He marveled greatly that they should be without horns, while the goats had horns. He thought that these deer were goats that had run wild and had lost their horns. Peredur went after them, and by his activity and swiftness he drove the deer and the goats into the shed which was for the goats. Then he returned to his mother. “Ah, Mother,” said he, “a marvelous thing have I seen in the wood; two of thy goats have run wild, and lost their horns through their having been so long missing in the wood. And no man had ever more trouble than I have had in driving them in.” All within the house rose to see what the youth had done. And when they beheld the deer in the same shelter as the goats they were greatly astonished.
Some time after that Peredur saw three knights riding along the borders of the forest. “Mother,” said he, “what are those yonder?” And his mother, fearful lest he should want to join the knights, said, “They are angels, my son.” “By my faith,” said Peredur, “I will go and become an angel with them.”
So he went through the ways of the forest until he came to a place where he met the three knights. “Tell me, good soul,” said Owen who was one of the knights, “sawest thou a knight pass this way?” “I know not,” said Peredur, “what a knight is.” “Such a one as I am,” said Owen. Then said Peredur, “What is this?” touching the saddle. “It is a saddle,” said Owen. Then the youth asked him about the accoutrements which he saw upon the men, and the horses, and the arms, and what they were for, and how they were used. And Owen showed him all these things fully, and told him what use was made of each of them.
Then Peredur returned to his mother and her company, and he said to her, “Mother, these were not angels, but honorable knights.” Then his mother swooned away, for she knew that, having spoken with the knights, he would be drawn away from her.
Peredur then went to the place where they kept the old horses that carried firewood from the forest and brought provisions from the inhabited country, and he took a bony piebald horse, and he pressed a pack into the form of a saddle, and with twisted twigs he imitated the trappings which he had seen upon the horses. And when he came before his mother again she had recovered from her swoon and she said to him, “My son, desirest thou to ride forth?” “Yes, with thy leave,” said he. “Wait, then, that I may counsel thee before thou goest.” “Willingly,” he answered. “Go forward, then,” said she, “to the Court of Arthur, where there are the best, and the boldest, and the most bountiful of men.”
Peredur thanked his mother for her counsel; he bade goodbye to her, mounted the horse, and, taking a handful of sharp pointed forks in his hand, he rode forth. And he journeyed for two days and two nights in the woody wildernesses and in desert places, without food and without drink. Then he came to a vast, wild wood, and far within the wood he saw a fair, even glade. From that even glade he journeyed on until he came to Arthur’s Court.
It happened that before Peredur reached the Court a stranger knight had arrived, and this knight had gone into the hall where Arthur and his household, with Gwenhuivar and her maidens, were assembled. The page of the chamber was serving the Queen with a golden goblet. As she was taking it, the stranger knight dashed the liquor that was in the goblet into Gwenhuivar’s face, saying aloud, “If any have the boldness to dispute this goblet with me, and to avenge the insult to Gwenhuivar, let him follow me to the meadow, and there I will await him.” And the knight had gone out of the hall.
The household was standing, their heads down, lest any of them should be requested to go and avenge the insult to Gwenhuivar. For it seemed to them that no one would have ventured on so daring an outrage unless he possessed such powers, through magic or charms, that none would be able to take vengeance upon him. Then, behold, Peredur came in upon the bony piebald horse, with the uncouth trappings upon it. In the center of the hall stood Kai. “Tell me, tall man,” said Peredur to him, “is that Arthur yonder?” “What wouldst thou with Arthur?” said Kai. “My mother told me to go to Arthur and receive from him the honor of knighthood.” “By my faith,” said Kai, “thou art all too meanly equipped with horse and arms to receive such honor.” As he said that a dwarf came forward into the middle of the hall.
Now this dwarf had been a year at Arthur’s Court, both he and a female dwarf. They had craved harborage of Arthur, and had obtained it; and during the whole year, neither of them had spoken a single word to anyone. But now that he beheld Peredur he cried out, “Haha! the welcome of Heaven be unto thee, goodly Peredur, the chief of warriors, and flower of knighthood.” “Truly,” said Kai, “thou art ill-taught to remain a year mute at Arthur’s Court, with choice of company, and now, before the face of Arthur and all his household, to call out, and declare such a man as this the chief of warriors, and the flower of knighthood.” And he gave him such a box on the ear that the dwarf fell senseless on the ground.
Then exclaimed the female dwarf, “Haha! goodly Peredur; the welcome of Heaven be unto thee, flower of knights, and light of chivalry.” “Of a truth,” said Kai, “thou art ill-bred to remain mute at the Court of Arthur for a year, and then to speak as thou dost of such a man as this.” And Kai gave the female dwarf a box on the ear.
“Tall man,” said Peredur, “show me which is Arthur.” “Hold thy peace,” said Kai to him, “and go after the knight who went hence to the meadow, and take from him the goblet, and overthrow him, and possess thyself of his horse and arms, and then thou shalt receive the honor of knighthood.” “I will do so, tall man,” said Peredur. And saying this he turned his horse’s head toward the meadow.
When he came to the meadow he found the knight riding up and down, proud of his strength, and valor, and noble mien. “Tell me,” said the knight, “didst thou see anyone coming after me from the Court?” “The tall man desired me to come, and overthrow thee, and to take from thee the goblet, and thy horse and thy armor for myself,” said Peredur. “Silence!” said the knight. “Go back to the Court, and tell Arthur, from me, either to come himself, or to send some other to fight with me, and unless he do so quickly, I will not wait for him.” “By my faith,” said Peredur, “choose thou whether it shall be willingly or unwillingly, but I will have the horse, and the arms, and the goblet.”
When he said this the knight ran at him furiously, and struck him a violent blow with the shaft of his lance between the neck and the shoulder. “Haha! lad,” said Peredur, “my mother’s servants were not used to play with me in this wise; therefore, thus will I play with thee.” And thereupon he struck him with a sharp pointed fork; it went through him, and the knight fell down lifeless.