The Courtship of Culhwch and Olwen. This is real mythological adventure stuff.
Some weird things people do for love
Feel like I’ve overcooked this one. But here is what Day 3 of Folktale Week is about:
Culhwch & Olwen: a romance story from the Mabinogion, this is about a prince who refuses to marry his step-sister so his step-mum curses him to only ever be able to marry the otherworldly Olwen, daughter of a giant. He’s never met her, nor knows where she lives, but on hearing her name, he falls in love with Olwen.
So Culhwch enlists the help of his cousin, King Arthur, and a ton of Arthur’s men, to search for the elusive Olwen. But when he finds her, her dad says the only way he can marry Olwen is if he undertakes a bucketful of challenges, and then slays the dad (a giant).
Culhwch tells Olwen he’s got this, and goes off on his adventures with his list of challenges, in the company of his merry men.
After a really, really long time (during which time Olwen is no doubt living her life with books, friends, and good food) he returns, having completed every impossible challenge, and gets to kill the giant and marry Olwen.
This take is a modern-day Culhwch going off on his adventures to woo the lovely Olwen, who I see as a homely introvert. She seems pretty content with reading, tending her plants, and who knows what adventures she gets to do with her friends whilst he’s away.1
Couldn’t simplify it without feeling lost. Perfect metaphor for my life!
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