Eidoel

Eidoel, son of Aer, is Mabon son of Modron’s cousin and the key to finding him after a long and unexplained imprisonment. Arthur’s search begins with Eidoel’s release from the Castle of Glivi: his kinship identifies the route to Mabon, and his place in the search party connects a local act of release to a wider rescue expedition.

Kinship and Imprisonment

Eidoel is identified as Mabon’s cousin and kinsman by blood. That relationship gives him a practical importance in the search: those advising Arthur say Mabon cannot be found unless Eidoel is located first. The account supplies no explanation for Eidoel’s own capture or how long he has been held, but establishes that he is a prisoner at the Castle of Glivi.

The castle’s lord, Glivi, stands above it when Arthur arrives. He describes his own condition in terms of deprivation, saying that nothing remains to him there and that he has neither wheat nor oats; he also insists he has no joy or pleasure in the fortress. Arthur tells him that he has come for the prisoner, not to harm him. Glivi agrees to surrender Eidoel, despite having thought not to give him up to anyone, and offers Arthur his support and aid as well.

From Release to the Search for Mabon

After Eidoel has been recovered, Arthur’s followers urge their lord to return home rather than lead the host on what they consider a minor adventure. Arthur instead appoints Gwrhyr Gwalstawd Ieithoedd to the quest, relying on his knowledge of languages, including those of birds and beasts, and directs Eidoel to accompany the men in search of his cousin. Kai and Bedwyr are also assigned to the undertaking.

The search proceeds through a chain of ancient animals. The Ousel of Cilgwri cannot identify Mabon, but offers to guide the embassy onward; the Stag of Redynvre and the Owl of Cwm Cawlwyd likewise know nothing of him and pass the party to an older guide. Their accounts measure time through changes in the landscape: an anvil worn away by the Ousel’s beak, an oak reduced to a stump, and successive woods that have grown and disappeared. The Eagle of Gwern Abwy then directs the searchers to the Salmon of Llyn Llyw, who carries Kai and Gwrhyr to the wall of the prison at Gloucester.

There, the search party hears Mabon lamenting from the dungeon. He identifies himself and makes clear that fighting will be required for his release. Arthur summons the warriors of the Island of Britain; while they attack the castle, Kai breaks through the dungeon wall and carries Mabon out. The account confirms Mabon’s return to Arthur in freedom, completing the undertaking for which Eidoel’s kinship had made him essential.

Narrative Role and Limits of the Account

Eidoel’s significance rests on a precise combination of family connection and plot function. He is not the imprisoned kinsman the expedition ultimately seeks, but locating and recovering him makes the search for Mabon possible. Arthur’s decision to pursue the quest despite his followers’ objection turns that kinship clue into a collective undertaking, and the journey’s progression from animal guide to animal guide delays the answer until the Salmon reveals the prison’s location.

The narrative gives Eidoel no described speech or individual action during the journey beyond his appointment to accompany the searchers. It does not explain the circumstances of his imprisonment or report what happens to him after Mabon is freed. His established role is therefore specific but consequential: he is the rescued kinsman who enables the search, rather than the figure whose captivity and release form its final test.