Gweir mab Gwystyl: a Cymric Arthurian Hero (Captive son of Hostage)

Synonyms:
Cym: Captive son of Hostage

Gweir mab Gwystal is a rather mysterious figure known from Trioedd Ynys Prydein, the tale of Peredur mab Efrawg, Preiddeu Annwfn and the work of the Gogynfeirdd.

In the Preiddeu Annwfn (the Spoils of Annwfn) Gweir's situation is described thus:

bu kyweir karchar gweir yg kaer sidi.
trwy ebostol pwyll a phryderi.
Neb kyn noc ef nyt aeth idi.
yr gadwyn trom las kywirwas ae ketwi.
A rac preidu annwfyn tost yt geni.
Ac yt urawt parahawt yn bardwedi.

All-encompassing was the prison of Gweir in Caer Siddi
Through the tales of Pwyll and Pryderi
None before him entered it
that heavy blue chain holding the fair youth
Before the spoils of Annwfn he woefully sings
Until doom shall he sing his prayer.

Here Caer Siddi seems a synonym for the realm of Annwfn and Gweir's imprisionment seems due to the 'tales' of Pwyll and Pryderi (this may mean lies) and possible points to a lost tale concerning these three characters. This makes sense in that Arawn the lord of Annwfn is a protagonist in the Mabinogi of Pwyll and Pryderi. For whatever slight he offered them Pwyll and Pryderi may have persuaded Arawn to imprison Gweir for all eternity.

In the Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch version of triad 21 from the Trioedd Ynys Prydain Gweir is described as one of the 'Three Battle-diademed men of the Island of Britain'. The tales of Breuddwyd Rhonabwy and Peredur mab Efrawg both describe Gweir as one of Arthur's knights. It is tempting to speculate that in the lost portion of Preiddeu Annwfn Arthur rescues Gweir from Caer Siddi and as one of Arthur's teulu Gweir distinguishes himself in battle. This may not entirely be speculation in that it is possible that Gweir mab Gwystyl may be a title applied to a hostage rather than a proper name. Therefore Gweir might actually refer to a famous hostage such as Mabon fab Modron.

Some have proposed that Gweir is derived from the Cymric root of hay gwair and meadow gweirdir; however I believe this to be a rather fanciful interpretation. Using the principle observed in Culhwch ac Olwen where the person's name is an echo of the patronymic would make Gweir mean 'hostage' just as his father's name Gwystyl also means hostage. It may be that Gweir is derived from the same root as Gweis (servant), reflecting the old Brythonic practice that a hostage who was not ransomed became the servant of the tribe. It has also been suggested that the word gweirydd often encountered in Middle Cymric manuscripts (and meaning 'hostages') is the plural form of gweir, which would support the proposition that Gweir also means hostage, especially given the depition of Gweri's captivity in Caer Siddi given in Preiddeu Annwfn.

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