Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

307Sun-god into the western sea, and his imprisonment there by thepowers of darkness, with the possessions and magical potenciesbelonging to Light and Life. 226Nynniaw and PeibawThe two personages called Nynniaw and Peibaw who figurein the genealogical table play a very slight part in Cymricmythology, but one story in which they appear is interesting initself and has an excellent moral. They are represented 227 astwo brothers, Kings of Britain, who were walking together onestarlight night. “See what a fine far-spreading field I have,” saidNynniaw. “Where is it?” asked Peibaw. “There aloft and as faras you can see,” said Nynniaw, pointing to the sky. “But lookat all my cattle grazing in your field,” said Peibaw. “Where are [356]they?” said Nynniaw. “All the golden stars,” said Peibaw, “withthe moon for their shepherd.” “They shall not graze on my field,”cried Nynniaw. “I say they shall,” returned Peibaw. “They shallnot.” “They shall.” And so they went on: first they quarrelledwith each other, and then went to war, and armies were destroyedand lands laid waste, till at last the two brothers were turned intooxen as a punishment for their stupidity and quarrelsomeness.The “Mabinogion”We now come to the work in which the chief treasures ofCymric myth and legend were collected by Lady Charlotte Guestsixty years ago, and given to the world in a translation which isone of the masterpieces of English literature. The title of thiswork, the “Mabinogion,” is the plural form of the word Mabinogi,which means a story belonging to the equipment of an apprenticebard,such a story as every bard had necessarily to learn as partof his training, whatever more he might afterwards add to hisrépertoire. Strictly speaking, the Mabinogi in the volume areonly the four tales given first in Mr. Alfred Nutt's edition, which226“Mythology of the British Islands,” pp. 325, 326; and Rhys, “HibbertLectures,” p. 155 sqq.227 In the “Iolo MSS.,” collected by Edward Williams.