“I came not hither to woo”

“I came not hither to woo” is Peredur’s concise declaration that his journey is not a search for marriage. Spoken first after he kills the Addanc and later echoed when he turns down a king’s offer, the phrase marks a recurring choice: even when affection, rank, and wealth are within reach, he keeps his attention on the undertaking that brought him onward.

First Use: A Reward Refused

After Peredur kills the Addanc in its cave, three companions tell him that a prediction foretold he would slay the monster. They offer him his choice of their three sisters in marriage, together with half their kingdom. Peredur answers, “I came not hither to woo,” but does not rule out marriage altogether: if he were to take a wife, he says, he would prefer their sister to all others. The line therefore refuses the occasion’s immediate bargain without erasing the possibility of personal attachment.

The distinction matters in the scene. Peredur has fulfilled the prophecy and receives a substantial reward, yet his response is framed around what he did not come to do. His conditional preference keeps the offer from becoming the purpose of his adventure; the deed that brought him there remains the decisive fact.

Second Use: The Quest Takes Precedence

The phrase returns in substance after Peredur helps a king win an Earl’s two earldoms. For three days, Peredur secretly rides from his prison to fight the Earl’s men, returning before his identity is known; on the fourth day he kills the Earl. When the king discovers who has served him, he offers Peredur his daughter in marriage, half his kingdom, and the two earldoms. Peredur declines, saying he came not to woo, and identifies his actual purpose: seeking tidings of the Castle of Wonders.

This refusal is not an absence of reward but a choice among rewards. The king’s daughter loves Peredur and gives him directions to the Castle of Wonders, a guide through her father’s lands, and provisions for the journey. Peredur accepts the practical aid that advances his search while refusing the marriage and territories offered as payment.

Repetition and Meaning

The wording in the first scene is “I came not hither to woo”; in the later scene, Peredur says he came not there to woo. The recurrence links two very different offers: the first follows a prophesied monster-slaying, while the second follows a concealed campaign that brings a king victory and new lands. In both, the declaration separates achievement and reward from the aim that governs Peredur’s movement.

The phrase is not an absolute rejection of love. After the Addanc’s death, Peredur volunteers which sister he would prefer if he were to marry; later, the king’s daughter’s affection accompanies the directions and supplies that help him continue. Its force lies instead in the order of priorities it makes audible: courtship may be offered, and affection may be real, but the Castle of Wonders remains the object of his search.