Hueil Mab Caw: A Cymric and Pictish Arthurian Hero (Great Hound of the Land)

Celtic Gods: The Cymric and Pictish hero, Hueil Mab Caw (Great Hound of the Land)

Hueil mab Caw

A Cymric and Pictish Arthurian Hero, also known as Cuillus: Great Hound of the Land

Hueil mab Caw (Cuillus) is a Cymric (Welsh) and Pictish hero known from the Welsh Triads, the MAbinogi of Culhwch ac Olwen and the Life of Gildas. Hueil is a knight of Arthur's court, coming from Pictland, but there exists enmity between him and Arthur, tales of which survived into later folklore.

Synonyms: Cuillus
Cym, Pict: Great Hound of the Land

Hueil is known from a number of sources that elucidate his relationship with Arthur. From triad 21 in the Trioedd Ynys Prydein Hueil is described as one of the 'Three Battle-diademed Men of the Island of Britain'. Though a member o Arthur's llys the Mabinogion of Culhwch ac Olwen describe him as: never submitting to a lord's hand. And in the Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch version of the same tale it is said of Hueil and Arthur: Hueil the uncle of Gwydre mab Llwydeu stabbed him and there was hatred between Arthur and Hueil because of this wound. This relationship between Arthur nad Hueil is further expounded in the Latin Life of Gildas by Caradog of Llancarfan. Here Hueil is described as the brother of St Gildas and is a raider sweeping down from Scotland to harass Arthur's lands. Because of this Arthur assembles a host and pursues the youth and at the Isle of Man Arthur overcomes him and slays him. Thus Arthur returms home triumphant that he had overcome his bravest enemy.

By the 1530s when Elis Gruffudd wrote his chronicle the tale had been transposed to Powys. Kaw o Brydain (Probably Prydyn or Pictland) had two sons, Gildas and Hueil. The latter who was described as 'cheeky and wanton'. He obtained posession of one of Arthur's mistresses and as Arthur came to spy upon the pair a great battle ensued between them and Hueil wounded Arthur in the knee. Peace was eventually made between them but only on the conditon that Hueil would never mock Arthur regarding his wound. But ever since Arthur was slightly lame. Now, it happened that on another occasion Arthur had disguised himself as a woman to visit a girl in Rhuthun. But, because of his limp, Hueil recognized him as he was dancing with the girls. Hueil makes light of Arthur's inability to dance. However, Arthur hears the jape and when he returns to his llys he causes Hueil to be brought before him. Arthur reproaches him and causes Hueil to be taken to Rhuthun and beheaded on a stone which even to this day is known as Maen Huail. Though late this tale obviously belongs to the same tradition as the older Hueil stories and may represent the survival in folklore of a more extensive tale about the 'raider of the north'.

As Rachel Bromwich has indicated in the Trioedd Ynys Prydein, the Vita Gildas tells of a Scottish ruler, Caunus (Kaw) who had five sons. The eldest of these was Cuillus (Great Hound of the Land) and the other sons were Gildas, Mailocus (Meilic mab Kaw), Allecus and Egreas. It seems fairly certain therefore that the name Cuillus represents the Hueil of the later traditions. A more correct form would therefore be Cueill (Hound of the Land) which is closer to the original form of the name both in pronunciation nad meaning.

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