Gwythaints
Encyclopedia
Gwythaints are fictional characters in Lloyd Alexander
's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain
. They are a race of ferocious eagle
s under the command of Arawn Death-Lord, the primary villain
of the series.
s. Black birds of prey, Arawn captured them long ago and torture
d them into his service; they serve out of terror. He keeps them in iron
cages
in his stronghold of Annuvin. Reminiscent in spirit to the Flying Monkeys of L. Frank Baum
's The Wizard of Oz
, the Gwythaints are the eyes and ears of Arawn, spying and bringing information. They are not above attacking, however, and do so on several occasions.
Medwyn, a Noah
-like character, explains, "Once, long ago, they were as free as other birds, gentle and trusting. In his cunning, Arawn lured them to him and brought them under his power. He built the iron cages which are now their prison house in Annuvin."
, the protagonist
of the series, takes Medwyn's word to heart, and when he finds an injured fledgling
gwythaint, he builds it a small cage and nurses it back to health. The other companions want to kill it, but Taran refuses. Though it also seems to warm to Taran and also Princess Eilonwy, it escapes, and the companions fear that it will reveal their plans. Instead, it repays Taran's kindness by informing Prince Gwydion
(who has the power of speech of animals) of their location, and helps them to resolve the novel's plot.
The Fledgling Gwythaint reappears in the fifth novel of the series, The High King
. In a climactic scene, Taran is dangling precariously from a ledge on Mount Dragon when a gwythaint seems to attack. Amazingly, it is the same Fledgling Gwythaint, who instead rescues him and lifts him to the top of the mountain. He then attacks the encroaching Cauldron-born
, and is tragically struck down after its noble actions. In addition, the Fledgling Gwythaint placed Taran exactly where the stolen
sword
Drynwyn had been hidden, again helping resolve the novel's main narrative. Taran's early kindness was repaid many times over.
Alexander's mother recalled he frequently brought home injured animals as a child; this perhaps was reflected in the story of the Fledgling Gwythaint.
. Besides the sense of oppression
they developed, they attacked numerous characters in the series. They inform Arawn of the companions' plans in The Black Cauldron
. In The High King
, they attack and injure Kaw
, the crow
, as he spies on Annuvin, and they nearly kill the sorceress Achren
, and she is only saved by an "army of crows" so great in number to drive away the eagle-sized gwythaints.
When Arawn is killed and his power destroyed, the gwythaints also die. Sadly, they do not return to their unspoiled state.
In the film The Black Cauldron
In the film, which is a loose adaptation of the entire series, the gwythaints are drawn to resemble dragons.
Lloyd Alexander
Lloyd Chudley Alexander was a widely influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books...
's fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain
The Chronicles of Prydain is a five-volume series of children's fantasy novels by author Lloyd Alexander...
. They are a race of ferocious eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s under the command of Arawn Death-Lord, the primary villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
of the series.
Description and origins
The birds are actually larger than the largest eagle, with blood red eyes, curving beaks, and talons as sharp as daggerDagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
s. Black birds of prey, Arawn captured them long ago and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d them into his service; they serve out of terror. He keeps them in iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
cages
Cage (enclosure)
A cage is an enclosure made of mesh, bars or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal in captivity, capturing, and being used for display of an animal at a zoo.-History:...
in his stronghold of Annuvin. Reminiscent in spirit to the Flying Monkeys of L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
, the Gwythaints are the eyes and ears of Arawn, spying and bringing information. They are not above attacking, however, and do so on several occasions.
Medwyn, a Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
-like character, explains, "Once, long ago, they were as free as other birds, gentle and trusting. In his cunning, Arawn lured them to him and brought them under his power. He built the iron cages which are now their prison house in Annuvin."
The Fledgling Gwythaint
TaranTaran (character)
Taran is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Prydain series, as well as in the film and game named after the second novel, The Black Cauldron.-Profile:...
, the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the series, takes Medwyn's word to heart, and when he finds an injured fledgling
Fledge
Fledge is the stage in a young bird's life when the feathers and wing muscles are sufficiently developed for flight. It also describes the act of a chick's parents raising it to a fully grown state...
gwythaint, he builds it a small cage and nurses it back to health. The other companions want to kill it, but Taran refuses. Though it also seems to warm to Taran and also Princess Eilonwy, it escapes, and the companions fear that it will reveal their plans. Instead, it repays Taran's kindness by informing Prince Gwydion
Gwydion
Gwydion fab Dôn is a magician, hero and trickster of Welsh mythology, appearing most prominently in the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, which focuses largely on his relationship with his young nephew, Lleu Llaw Gyffes...
(who has the power of speech of animals) of their location, and helps them to resolve the novel's plot.
The Fledgling Gwythaint reappears in the fifth novel of the series, The High King
The High King
The High King is the last book in the Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series of books by Lloyd Alexander. It was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1969.-Plot overview:...
. In a climactic scene, Taran is dangling precariously from a ledge on Mount Dragon when a gwythaint seems to attack. Amazingly, it is the same Fledgling Gwythaint, who instead rescues him and lifts him to the top of the mountain. He then attacks the encroaching Cauldron-born
Cauldron-Born
In Lloyd Alexander's series of fantasy books The Chronicles of Prydain, the Cauldron-Born are a race of deathless warriors in the service of Arawn, Death-Lord of Annuvin.- Origins :...
, and is tragically struck down after its noble actions. In addition, the Fledgling Gwythaint placed Taran exactly where the stolen
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
Drynwyn had been hidden, again helping resolve the novel's main narrative. Taran's early kindness was repaid many times over.
Alexander's mother recalled he frequently brought home injured animals as a child; this perhaps was reflected in the story of the Fledgling Gwythaint.
Fate of the Gwythaints
Unlike the Fledgling Gwythaint, the other gwythaints are ruthless to the people and animals of PrydainPrydain
Prydain is the modern Welsh name for Britain.-Medieval:Prydain is the medieval Welsh term for the island of Britain . More specifically, Prydain may refer to the Brittonic parts of the island; that is, the parts south of Caledonia...
. Besides the sense of oppression
Oppression
Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, and...
they developed, they attacked numerous characters in the series. They inform Arawn of the companions' plans in The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron
The Black Cauldron can refer to:* The Black Cauldron , the second novel in The Chronicles of Prydain series* The Black Cauldron , the Disney animated film based on The Chronicles of Prydain book series...
. In The High King
The High King
The High King is the last book in the Chronicles of Prydain fantasy series of books by Lloyd Alexander. It was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1969.-Plot overview:...
, they attack and injure Kaw
Kaw (character)
Kaw is a character in The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. He first appears in the second book of the series, The Black Cauldron, and plays a role in each of the following books...
, the crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
, as he spies on Annuvin, and they nearly kill the sorceress Achren
Achren
Achren is a fictional character and villainess in the fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain, written by Lloyd Alexander.-Profile:In the novels, Achren was once Queen of Prydain, and ruled many years as a harsh and vengeful tyrant, both as ruler and then as the Death-lord Arawn's consort...
, and she is only saved by an "army of crows" so great in number to drive away the eagle-sized gwythaints.
When Arawn is killed and his power destroyed, the gwythaints also die. Sadly, they do not return to their unspoiled state.
In the film The Black CauldronThe Black Cauldron (film)The Black Cauldron is a 1985 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and originally released to theatres on July 24, 1985...
In the film, which is a loose adaptation of the entire series, the gwythaints are drawn to resemble dragons.Sources
- Tunnell, Michael O., The Prydain Companion, Holt, 1989. ISBN 0805072713