Day, Jenny (2020) Ewin o ddur, onn a ddwg: y rhest gwaywffon a’r beirdd. Dwned, 25. pp. 11-46. ISSN 1361-360X
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Abstract
The lance-rest (Welsh 'rest', 'rhest' or 'arést'), used to help support a couched lance and prevent it from rebounding on impact, was eagerly adopted by late-medieval Welsh poets into their vocabulary of praise, along with other aspects of ‘chivalric’ material culture. First mentioned by Iolo Goch in a poem addressed to Owain Glyndŵr, lance-rests become more prominent in fifteenth-century and later praise poetry. A request poem by Gutun Owain includes an extensive description of the lance-rest, using the allusive 'dyfalu' technique and describing it as, amongst other things, a ‘steel claw’ ('ewin o ddur') and a ‘piece of ice’ ('iäen'). This article presents a new edition and translation of this poem, discussing the evidence it provides for the form and function of the lance-rest and the significance (poetical, symbolic and practical) of these items in contemporary Welsh society. The question of how, whether and in what context the poets’ patrons might have fought with a couched lance is addressed with reference to the role of the tournament, and the wider literary tradition of the ‘Welsh knight’.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | medieval weapons armour jousting poetry gutun owain |
| Subjects: | D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0441 Literary History U Military Science > U Military Science (General) |
| Divisions: | Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies |
| Depositing User: | Jennifer Day |
| Date Deposited: | 07 Apr 2020 08:47 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Sep 2024 17:01 |
| URI: | https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/1286 |
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