Caradog Freichfras: a Cymric Arthurian hero (Beloved Strong-arm)

Synonyms: Caradawc Vreichfras and Caradawc mab Llŷr Marini
Cym: Beloved Strong-arm

Caradog Freichfras is known from a number of Cymric and Continental sources though much of his mythos has been lost. The vast majority of the native lore concerning this hero being contained in the Trioedd Ynys Prydein where he features in four of the Triads. The first of these being Triad 1 where he is named as Arthur's chief elder. Triad 18 names him as one of the 'Three Battle-horsemen of the Island of Britain' and in the Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch version of the same poem he is named 'Colouyn Kynry, Karadavc' (Caradog, Pillar of the Cymry). The association of Caradog with horses and horsemanship is made plainer in Triad 38 where his steed, Lluagor (Host-parter) is named as one of the 'Three Bestowed Horses of the Island of Britain'. The fourth Triad, Triad 71 (The Peniarth 267 version, also known as Llyfr John Jones, Gelli Lyfdy) relates directly to Caradog's mythos. The poem names the 'Three Surpassing Bonds of Enduring Love', all this occurring during Arthur's time, the third of which was the bond cast upon Tegau Eurfron (Tegau Gold-breast) by Caradog Strong-arm son of Llŷr Marini. Though this version of the Triad dates to the early eighteenth century it does contain early material though it is not impossible that it represents the expansion made by a learned man on an earlier poem.

Jesus Genealogy IX gives the lineage of the rulers of Morgannwg as: Erb m. Erbic m. Meuric m. Enenni verch Erbic m. Meuric m. Caradawc Vreichvras and though it has been posited that Caradog is based on a real fifth-century figure who founded the Morgannwg dynasty this seems implausible. The genealogies themselves are full of invented or mythological chracters and often they have borrowed their material from the Trioedd ynys Prydein which I believe is what has ocurred here.

Caradog Feichfras is also known from the Mabinogion of Breuddwyd Rhonabwy which names Caradog Freichfras son of Llŷ Marini as one of Arthur's chief counsellors. Interestingly the patronymic given here is the same as that in Triad 71 indicating that this triad is drawing from much older material. The Life of St Collen gives the saint's descent as deriving from: Gwynoc ap Kydeboc ap Kowrda ap Kyriadoc Vyraichvyras. There is also a Karadawg in the ancestry of St Tatheus and they may well be the same person, based on the need for descent from an heroic ancestral figure. The Genealogies of the Saints of Britain give Gadfarch the sait of Abersoch in Llŷn, Dangwn from Llangwm in Môn and Amaethlu of Carneddawr in Môn as all being the sons of Caradog Freichfras. Another hagiography, the Life of St Padarn associates Caradog Freichfras with the colonization of Brittany. This is interesting in that the story of Caradog seems to have reached Brittany at an early date. As Rachel Bromwich has pointed out in the Trioedd Ynys Prydein these traditions seem to have survived in the thirteenth-century text which forms the 'First Continuaton' to Chrétien des Troyes' Percival.

This text, though written in French shows many Celtic properties and may well be based on a Breton version of the original Cymric mythos of Caradog. The first part of the tale involves the 'beheading gamne' which occurs in the tale of Sir Gawain and the Greene Knight as well as the Irish tale of Bricriu's feast. The tale takes place in Arthur's court where a knight on a grey horse gallops into the great hall and asks Arthur for a gift, that he receives a blow on the neck in exchange for another. The knight places his head on a table and streches out his neck. Only Caradog stepped forwards and raising his sword he severed the knight's head from his body. But the body rose and retrieving the head placed it back on his shoulders. Then he turned to the king and said that after receiving such a blow it was his turn to deliver another; though it would only be done a year hence. A year hence and the court gathered once again and Caradog prepared himself for the fateful blow. The knight raised his sword and halted. Caradog berated him for delaying and the queen came in and asked the knight to spare Caradog. The knight brought his sword down but struck Caradog's neck with the flat of his blade and announced that he was Caradoc's father. Caradoc did not believe him and wanted to fight with him, for his mother would never have slept with a stranger. But the knight insisted that he was Caradog's father though the tale of his begetting would be far too tedious to relate. [The tale being that Caradoc, King of Vannes, came to Arthur's court at Quinilli and asked the king for a wife. The king gave him Ysave of Carahés, his neice. Unfortunately a knight who was also an enchanter, Eliavrés, was at court and developed a passion for Ysave. He contrived it that he slept with her for the first three nights of her marriage, while his enchantments ensured that King Caradoc slept successively with a greyhound, a sow and a mare, believing each to be his wife. From the liaison of Ysave and Eliavrés, Caradoc was conceived. (again this shows a common Brythonic motif of animal transformation and 'lying down with beasts')]. Again Caradog denies that the knight is his father and the knight turns on his heel and rides away. Caradoc the younger embarks on a number of adventures he returns to his own realm and in Caradog the Elder's court he reveals his father's cuckoldry whereupon he and the father who raised him, Caradog the Elder exact humiliating vengeance upon Eliavrés. Forcing him to lie down with farm animals. Thus is Eliavrés locked away from his mistress, Ysave.

Unfortunately, the wizard attempts escape and when Caradog attempts to stop him Eliavrés summons a serpent that entwines itself around Caradoc's arm, crippling it and draining his life energy away. Thus was he called Caradog Breifbras (The epithet means 'Short-arm' in French and is an obvious corruption of the original Cymric Breichfras 'Strong-arm'). No one can can remove the serpent until Caradog's friends Sir Cador and his sister Guinier come up with an answer. Caradog is to sit in a tub of vinegar whilst Guinier sits in a tub of milk with her breasts exposed. As the serpent loathed the vinegar it leapt towards Guinier and attached itself to her breast. Cador killed it with a single blow from his sowrd but unfortunately Guinier's nipple was sliced-off in the process [though this is later replaced with a magical gold one]. Thus is Caradog freed from the serpent though his arm is permanently damaged from that day forth. Caradog plans to marry Guinier and King Mangoun of Moraine sends him a drinking horn to expose any infidelity on the part of the wife of he who drinks from it. Caradog takes a draught from the horn and it shows Guinier to be faithful. The tales of Guinier are interesting, especially when compared with Triad 71 which declares Caradog's love for Tegau Eurfron (Eurfron meaning Gold-breast which would be an apposite epithet for Guinier. Indeed, the name of Guinier herself may be derived from the Brythonic Guin which stands for white or fair thus the two women may be one and the same). Though part of this tale is involved with explaining the pseudo-translation resulting in Caradog's name part of this tale can also be considered to be an ancient part of Caradog's story.

There is also the tale of Caradog's birth at the same time as his steed. This relates both to Triad 38 and to a similar congenital birth, that of Pryderi in the Mabinogi of Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed; another Celtic motif in the French version. Taken together it seems highly likely that there once existed a much larger heroic tradition about Caradog Freichfras than has come down to us from the Cymric sources, though it is also apparent that a kernel of these tales have survived in the extant French sources.

Craadog Freichfras' name is derived from the Cymric components car- (love) and braich and bras giving 'Beloved Strong-arm' as a translation. Caradog Freichfras is not the only character in Cymric histroy and mythos to bear this name. There is also Caradog mab Brân and the two chracters may well have been confused especially as both, according to the genealogies at least, are descended from Llŷr (Caradog Freichfras being the son of Llŷr Marini and Caradog mab Brân being Llŷr's grandson. Whether these characters were once one and the same or became linked due to the similarities in their names may never be entangled from the extant sources.

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