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Dyrnwyn

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In Welsh mythology, Dyrnwyn Dyrnwyn, gleddyf Rhydderch Hael: White-Hilt, the Sword of Rhydderch Hael is a magic sword. If a well-born man drew it himself, it burst into flame from its hilt to its tip. And everyone who used to ask for it would receive; but because of this peculiarity everyone used to reject it. And therefore he was called Rhydderch the Generous. It is one of the Thirteen Treasures of Britain. It is possible there is is a connection between this sword and Owain Dangwyn a ruler of Rhôs. His second name means "white tooth" which perhaps refers to this sword. There is an existing theory that he could have been the legendary King Arthur which would make a connection between the legendary sword Dyrnwyn and the mythical sword Excalibur.

Fiction

Dyrnwyn, also known as the flaming sword and the black sword, is the sword of Prince Gwydion in Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain.

The sword was made by Govannion the Lame, by command of King Rhydderch Hael, and a spell was cast on it to protect it from misuse. A warning was engraved on the scabbard: "Draw Dyrnwyn, only thou of noble worth, to rule with justice, to strike down evil. Who wields it in good cause shall slay even the lord of death." It was the most powerful weapon in Prydain, but disappeared mysteriously with King Rhitta, the grandson of Rhydderch.

In The Book of Three, it's discovered by Taran and Eilonwy when they escape through the tunnels beneath Spiral Castle, and Eilonwy carries the sword until giving it to Prince Gwydion at the end of the book. It remains in his possession during the next three books of the Chronicles of Prydain, until it's stolen by Huntsmen at the beginning of The High King.

Near the end of the book, Taran discovers it under a rock at the top of Mount Dragon, and uses it to kill the previously deathless Cauldron-Born. He then uses the sword to slay Arawn, and at that point the sword's magical powers vanish, its purpose fulfilled.

 


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