Etlym Gleddyv Coch

Etlym Gleddyv Coch is an Earl from the East Country who briefly serves as Peredur’s attendant, though the two men have possessions and rank equal to one another. His service leads to the fulfillment of a Countess’s long-held love: Peredur defeats her household in Etlym’s place, then gives her to Etlym as a bride. The partnership continues into the campaign at the Mound of Mourning, where Etlym acts as Peredur’s messenger and fellow traveler before receiving the serpent-stone as a parting reward.

Identity and Introduction

Etlym enters the story after Peredur has killed the Addanc. Riding a red horse and dressed in red armour, he catches up with Peredur, greets him, and asks to be taken on as an attendant. He identifies himself openly as an Earl from the East Country rather than concealing his standing. The request is striking precisely because he and Peredur are social equals: Peredur points out that he has no greater possessions than Etlym, and that each has an earldom. Etlym nevertheless persists in offering his service, and Peredur accepts him gladly.

The encounter establishes a relationship built not on material dependence but on freely chosen service. Etlym does not present himself as a poorer knight seeking advancement; his own title and possessions make clear that he could stand independently. The story records his decision and Peredur’s welcome without supplying a further explanation for it, leaving the choice itself as the defining feature of their first meeting.

The Countess’s Court

Peredur and Etlym travel together to the Countess’s court, where their arrival is welcomed. They are seated below the household, but the court explains that this is its custom: whoever can overthrow the Countess’s three hundred household men earns a place beside her and her love above all other men. Peredur defeats all three hundred and takes the seat, turning the court’s rule into the test through which Etlym’s fortunes are changed.

The Countess tells Peredur that the man she loves best is Etlym, though she has never seen him. Peredur reveals that Etlym is his companion and is present at court; he adds that he came to joust with the household for Etlym’s sake, and that Etlym could have done the task better himself. Rather than claim the reward won by his own victory, Peredur gives the Countess to his companion. She accepts Etlym as her bridegroom at once. The episode makes Peredur the agent of the match, but Etlym is its named object: the Countess’s prior love is directed specifically toward him, not toward the victorious stranger who has just proved his prowess.

At the Mound of Mourning

The next day Peredur sets out for the Mound of Mourning, and Etlym asks to accompany him. When they reach the tents, Peredur sends Etlym to demand homage from the assembled men. They challenge the demand and threaten the messenger, but Etlym returns to Peredur, who gives them the choice between submission and combat. Over three days Peredur defeats the owners of a hundred tents each day; the final hundred then agree to do him homage.

The men explain that they have been guarding the serpent until it dies, after which they expected to fight among themselves for the stone. Peredur refuses their offer to join him against the serpent, insisting that if he kills it, he should not gain less fame than any one of them. He goes alone and slays it. Etlym’s part in the episode is not to take the central combat from Peredur, but to accompany him and carry out the earlier mission that brings the gathered men into the encounter.

Parting Gift and Narrative Role

After the serpent is dead, Peredur tells the assembled men to reckon their expenses and pays each what he claims is due. In return, Peredur requires only that they acknowledge themselves as his vassals. He then tells Etlym to return to the woman he loves best and promises to reward him for having served as his attendant. The reward is the serpent-stone itself. Etlym accepts it with thanks and wishes Peredur prosperity.

The stone closes Etlym’s brief adventure by linking its two outcomes: Peredur’s victory establishes authority over the men guarding the serpent, while his gift recognizes the service of an equal who chose to accompany him. Etlym returns to the Countess, and Peredur rides onward alone. His role is therefore concentrated in a short sequence of voluntary service, a marriage secured through Peredur’s prowess, and a final exchange in which the hero’s generosity gives tangible form to their companionship.