The Tale of Culhwch and Olwen
Culhwch and Olwen
The Catalog of Arthur's Companions
The Quest for Olwen
The Expeditions of Arthur's Men: Wrnach's Sword
The Oldest Animals and the Freeing of Mabon
Dillus the Beatded and Other Quests
The Hunting of Twrch Trwyth
The Witch's Blood
The Winning of Olwen

The Witch’s Blood

         Arthur said, "Are there now any of the rare and difficult things that we do not have?"

         One of the men said, "There is. The blood of the Dark Black Witch, daughter of the Pale White Witch, from the head of the Valley of Sorrow in the uplands of Hell."

         Arthur set out for the north and came to where the hag’s cave was. And it was the advice of Gwyn son of Nudd and Gwythyr son of Greidawl to send Cacamwri and his brother Hygwydd to fight the witch. But when they came inside the cave, the witch attacked them and seized Hygwydd by the hair of his head and threw him to the ground under her. And Cacamwri grabbed her by the hair of her head and pulled her off Hygwydd to the ground. But she turned on Cacamwri and beat them both down and disarmed them and drove them out whooping and howling.

         Arthur was infuriated to see his two servants almost killed, and he attempted an assault on the cave. And then Gwyn and Gwythyr said to him, "It’s not decent or pleasing for us to see you wrestling with a witch. Send Tall Amren and Tall Eiddil into the cave."

        And they went in. And if there was a bad time for the first two, there was a worse time for these two, till God knows whether any of the four of them could have gotten out of the place if they hadn’t all four been placed on Arthur’s mare, Llamrei.

    And Arthur occupied the entrance to the cave and overcame the hag with his knife Carnwennan and cut her in half, so that she became two tubs of blood. Caw of Pictland took the witch’s blood and kept it with him.

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