Culwich the Great

I chose this song because I could not stop thinking about what a alpha male Culwich seems to be. He is constantly riding a horse and presenting his toughness in the reading. He teamed up with Arthur on the quest for Olwen, and we know Arthur would only chose the finest of warriors to fight along with.
Some examples of his alpha personality could be...

pg. 40 (paragraph 5) "And the Culwich said, "Everyone has received his gift, but I am still without one. I shall leave and take your honor with me."

pg. 41 (paragraph 7) "Culwich said to her, "Ah, girl, it is you that I have loved. Come with me."

pg. 43 (paragraph 8) "And Culwich caught it. And he threw it back just as he wanted to and pierced him through the eyeball so that it came out at the nape of the neck"

A Friend Like Arthur

Culhwch is told by his father that he doesn't have a chance of marrying Olwen, the daughter of the giant, unless he gets help from Arthur. Arthur, a distant cousin, really doesn't have much reason to help Culhwch, but he does anyway. The powerful King Arthur blesses the helpless young lad with six of his finest knights on his quest for love, just like how the Genie uses his magic to help Aladdin win the heart of Jasmine. All Culhwch really had to do was ask for help and Arthur gave it to him, not asking for anything in return. With Arthur's help in the form of his men, Culhwch is able to win Ysbaddaden's approval and Olwen's hand in marriage.

We could all hope for a friend like Arthur.

 

Pork chop

Culhwch the Bluffing

I could not believe that I stood there blushing in front of my stepmother. I had just met her and already she was proposing that I marry her daughter. I said the first thing that came to my mind: “I am not yet old enough to marry.” Stupid and insolent as always, I had tried to bluff my way out, but she beat me at my own game. She cursed me to win a giant’s daughter— I now fully understand why my own mother tried so hard to prevent my father from ever remarrying: stepmothers truly are wicked.
My father called me out on my own bluff and asked why I was so stupidly blushing. After offering my explanation, father reminded me of my salvation—“Arthur is your first cousin.”
King Arthur, my first cousin, is the most fantastic, powerful man to ever live, and though I personally could never win a giant’s daughter, I knew I could stick to my old trick, bluffing, and he would win the girl for me.
My good-looks got me through the front gate, and with a little more bluffing, I got exactly what I came for: Arthur's help. I knew that he and his knights would take care of getting me the girl.
Arguably, the most difficult part of my quest was standing before Ysbaddaden Chief Giant and listening to his list of demands. He asked me to do some crazy farming, and I said the first thing that came to mind: “it's easy for me to manage that, though you think it's not easy.” Fake-it-till-you-make. I repeated that phrase 39 times as he droned one with ridiculous demand after ridiculous demand. I couldn't think of anything else to say. But I knew Arthur would come through, and he did. I got the girl. Turns out I never fooled the old giant. My bluff was called again when he told me, “but you don't have to thank me for that. Instead thank Arthur, the man that made this happen for you.”
Thanks Arthur.

Completing 40 tasks for a lazy giant sure does sound realistic

While reading this story, I think that overall, it was pretty realistic and definitely could have happened in a much less exaggerated sense. Despite giants not existing, a couple of the tasks that Vsbaddaden gave to Culhwch seemed like random errands that he did not feel like doing himself. I felt it was very plausible that when Culhwch went to the giant and demanded his daughter's hand in marriage, Vsbaddaden could have just decided to shift his work to the man since he was too lazy to do it himself. For being "impossible tasks," it sure didn't seem that difficult to do when Vsbaddaden told Culhwch to burn a bush, plant a garden, plow the fields, and collect kitchen utensils for the feast. Also, despite the giant telling Culhwch not to worry about the food and clothing for the wedding, a lot the tasks specifically dealt with preparing the food and clothing.



I also think that it was realistic that Arthur would want to help Culhwch out with the tasks, considering that he was Culhwch's first cousin. Rescuing a man from prison, stealing a sword, and killing a boar, all seem like things that would have happened in Britain back then, with exaggerations later having been added to the story to make it seem more thrilling.