Peredur, the knight, rode through the wild woods of the Enchanted Islanduntil he arrived on clear ground outside the forest. Then he beheld acastle on level ground in the middle of a meadow; and round the castleflowed a stream, and inside the castle there were large and spacious hallswith great windows. Drawing nearer the castle, he saw it to be turningmore rapidly than any wind blows. On the ramparts he saw archers shootingso vigorously that no armor would protect against them; there were alsomen blowing horns so loud that the earth appeared to tremble; and at thegates were lions, in iron chains, roaring so violently that one mightfancy that the castle and the woods were ready to be uprooted. Neither thelions nor the warriors resisted Peredur, but he found a woman sitting bythe gate, who offered to carry him on her back to the hall. This was thequeen Rhiannon, who, having been accused of having caused the death of herchild, was sentenced to remain seven years sitting by the gate, to tellher story to every one, and to offer to carry all strangers on her backinto the castle.But so soon as Peredur had entered it, the castle vanished away, and hefound himself standing on the bare ground. The queen Rhiannon was leftbeside him, and she remained on the island with her son Pryderi and hiswife.
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