Edern ap Nudd
| Edern ap Nudd | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Geraint ac Erbn |
| Last appearance | Breuddwyd Rhonabwy |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Knight of the Sparrowhawk |
| Relatives | Nudd (father) Gwyn ap Nudd (brother) |
Edern ap Nudd, Knight of the Sparrowhawk,[1] is a figure in early Arthurian mythology. As the son of Nudd (or Lludd), he is the brother of Gwyn, Creiddylad and Owain ap Nudd. His equivalent in Erec and Enide is the knight Yver. He appears prominently in the medieval tale Geraint son of Erbin as one of the main antagonists of the title character. In the later tale, [[[The Dream of Rhonabwy]] he appears as a knight of King Arthur's court, albeit in a more minor role.
Appearances
Edern is first seen in Geraint son of Erbin, in which he and two companions, a beautiful lady and a whip-brandishing dwarf, come across Gwenhwyfawr, one of her handmaidens and the knight Geraint ab Erbin in a forest. The handmaiden is sent to discover Edern's identity, but is rebuked and struck by the dwarf. Geraint also goes and suffers the same fate, but chooses to spare the dwarf's life and retreats.
Seeking his adversary, Geraint heads to a "walled town", where a great tournament is annually held. Edern, champion of the tournament for two years running, challenges Geraint to joust. Initially, Edern has the upper hand but by the end of the duel, he suffers vicious wounds at Geraint's hand and begs for mercy. Geraint allows Edern to keep his life on the condition that he rides to Arthur's court to make amends for his insult. Edern accepts the condition, and reveals his name to his rival. Edern later rides to Arthur's court where his apology is accepted by Gwenhwyfawr. Heavily injured, he is treated by Morgan Tud, the chief physician of the court. Upon his recovery, he is chosen to accompany Geraint to the kingdom of Geraint's father, Erbin.
In How Culhwch Won Olwen, he is named as one of Arthur's knights in a list of his retinue, but plays no part in the narrative [2]. He also appears in The Dream of Rhonabwy in which he commands a "pure black troop" of Danish [3] soldiers allied to Arthur against the Saxons. He is named one of Arthur's foremost councellors during the battle.