Owain- Celtic HeroHero"Knight of the Lion"

The Fountain and the Countess

The Welsh tale Owain, neu Iarlles y Ffynnon (Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain), preserved in the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest, opens at Arthur's court where Cynon fab Clydno tells of his journey to a marvellous fountain in a forest. Whoever pours water from the fountain onto the marble slab beside it summons a terrible thunderstorm followed by a knight in black armor. Cynon fought this knight and was defeated.

Owain sets out to find the fountain and succeeds where Cynon failed, mortally wounding the Black Knight. He pursues the dying knight into his castle, where the portcullis drops and traps him between two gates. A maiden named Luned, who serves the lady of the castle, takes pity on Owain and gives him a ring of invisibility to hide from the household's search. When the Black Knight dies, his widow, the Countess of the Fountain, is overcome with grief. Luned persuades her mistress that she needs a new champion to defend the fountain, and argues that the man who defeated her husband must be the stronger warrior. The Countess accepts this logic, and Owain marries her, becoming the new guardian of the fountain.

The Madness and the Lion

Owain dwells happily with the Countess until Gwalchmai (Gawain) arrives with Arthur's court, and Owain is drawn back to the companionship of the warriors. The Countess grants him three months' leave. Owain loses track of time at Arthur's court, and when the three months pass, the Countess sends a maiden to denounce him before the entire court and reclaim her ring. Struck by shame and grief, Owain goes mad and wanders the wilderness, living as a wild man and eating raw meat until a noblewoman's handmaidens find him and restore him with a healing ointment.

Recovering his wits, Owain encounters a lion being attacked by a great serpent. He kills the serpent, and the lion becomes his faithful companion, hunting for him and fighting at his side. With the lion, Owain undertakes a series of adventures: he rescues Luned from execution (she had been condemned for advocating his marriage to the Countess), defeats a giant who terrorizes a nobleman's household, and overcomes two demons at the Castle of Wonders who hold three hundred maidens captive as forced laborers.

Through these deeds, Owain proves himself worthy again. He returns to the fountain and once more pours water on the slab, summoning the storm. This time the Countess sends warriors against him, but through Luned's mediation, husband and wife are reconciled. Owain returns to his lady and the fountain, the cycle of separation and reunion resolved through the restoration of honor that his adventures have achieved.