Geraint defeats Edeyrn at the Sparrow-Hawk tournament

At the Sparrow-Hawk tournament in Cardiff, Geraint defeats Edeyrn son of Nudd and converts a contest of arms into a demand for public redress. He enters on behalf of Earl Ynywl’s daughter, despite having neither a lady nor a maiden of his own to represent, and makes his victory answer both the insult against her and the insult previously suffered by Gwenhwyvar’s maiden. The encounter ends not with an unrestricted punishment, but with Edeyrn required to appear before Gwenhwyvar and submit to a judgment at Arthur’s court.

Tournament and Circumstances

The contest takes place amid preparations for a young Earl’s annual tournament. In a meadow, a Sparrow-Hawk is to be placed on a silver rod supported by two forks; each knight must joust with the lady he loves best present. The Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk has won the bird for two successive years. A third victory would secure its yearly delivery to him and end his obligation to come to the tournament, while establishing his title as Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk. The formal contest therefore makes a lady’s presence part of a knight’s claim, rather than treating the hawk as a prize won by arms alone.

Geraint learns these rules while staying with Earl Ynywl, whose palace, city, castle, and earldom have been taken by his nephew. Ynywl explains that he seized the nephew’s possessions, refused to return them when the nephew came of age, and was then defeated in war and dispossessed. This history gives the tournament’s setting a particular contrast: the impoverished household that hosts Geraint has lost its former status, but still offers him help. Ynywl lends him arms and offers his horse; Geraint keeps the horse to which he is accustomed and accepts the arms.

Geraint has been insulted by the dwarf who serves the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk, and Gwenhwyvar’s maiden has suffered an insult from the same source. Because Geraint has no lady of his own, Ynywl’s daughter becomes the person for whom he can formally compete. He asks Ynywl’s permission to challenge for her, pledging that he will love her if he survives and that, should he fail to return, she will remain as before. Ynywl agrees, and his household accompanies Geraint to the meadow at daybreak.

The Contest and Its Reversal

When the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk invites his beloved to take the bird, Geraint objects that Ynywl’s daughter has a better claim. He challenges the knight to defend the opposing claim in combat. Geraint’s equipment is heavy, rusty, worthless, and ill-shaped, setting his appearance against the knight’s confidence and the expectation created by the latter’s earlier victories. Their opening jousts are evenly sustained: they break successive sets of lances, and Ynywl supplies replacements as each one fails. The dwarf serves the opposing knight, so even the practical conduct of the contest preserves the sides established by the earlier insult.

As the combat continues, the young Earl and his company rejoice when the Knight of the Sparrow-Hawk seems to have the advantage; Ynywl, his wife, and their daughter fear for Geraint. Ynywl then gives Geraint the lance he had held on the day he received his knighthood and had never broken. The dwarf provides another lance to his own knight, emphasizing that both combatants remain equipped and supported even as the contest’s balance shifts. Geraint finally knocks Edeyrn from his horse, and the struggle continues on foot with swords. Their changing advantage divides the onlookers’ responses, keeping the tournament’s result uncertain until Geraint gains the upper hand.

When Ynywl sees Geraint receive a severe stroke, he recalls the insult to Geraint and the affront to Gwenhwyvar’s maiden. Geraint renews his effort and strikes Edeyrn on the head, defeating him. The decisive turn is thus not simply a better weapon or the accumulation of broken lances: Ynywl’s reminder restores the grievance to the centre of Geraint’s purpose. The contest that began over which lady should receive the hawk now also becomes a means of answering an insult that reaches beyond the meadow.

Terms of Mercy and Public Redress

After his defeat, Edeyrn asks for mercy and acknowledges that his boldness and pride have brought him to that position. Geraint grants it conditionally. Edeyrn must ride without dismounting until he reaches Gwenhwyvar, make satisfaction for the dwarf’s insult to her maiden, and accept whatever atonement Arthur’s court judges appropriate. Geraint says he considers his own grievance answered by what he has done to Edeyrn; the remaining obligation is owed to Gwenhwyvar. The distinction limits Geraint’s personal vengeance while requiring a public response to the harm done to the queen’s household.

Edeyrn identifies himself as the son of Nudd, and Geraint identifies himself as the son of Erbin. Edeyrn departs on horseback for Arthur’s court, accompanied by the lady he loves and the dwarf, and laments as he goes. His broken condition makes the outcome visible before he has explained it: when he reaches the court, Gwenhwyvar recognizes him as the knight Geraint pursued and understands that he has not come voluntarily. Edeyrn confirms that Geraint defeated him at the tournament in Cardiff and compelled him to fulfil the condition. He also explains that Geraint had competed for Ynywl’s daughter, presenting her as more entitled to the Sparrow-Hawk than the lady who accompanied Edeyrn.

Aftermath and Significance

Gwenhwyvar is sorry to see Edeyrn’s condition, although the dwarf is still with him. Edeyrn admits that the encounter was not to his advantage and accepts responsibility, describing Geraint’s condition as honourable and warrior-like. Arthur hears the account and says Gwenhwyvar should show mercy; she agrees that an insult to her is also an insult to Arthur. Arthur orders medical care while Edeyrn’s chances of survival remain uncertain and says that, if he lives, the court’s men will determine the satisfaction required, with sureties taken for that obligation. The account thus carries the tournament’s private grievance into a formal hearing, where mercy and accountability remain linked.

Geraint, meanwhile, declines the young Earl’s invitation to stay at his castle, choosing instead to return to the lodging where he spent the previous night with Ynywl’s household. The Earl provides ointment for his fatigue, and Geraint’s head is washed after the combat. When told that Ynywl’s wife and daughter are being dressed in garments supplied by the Earl, Geraint insists that the maiden should keep her worn vest and veil until she reaches Arthur’s court, where Gwenhwyvar can choose her clothing. The detail completes the contest’s reversal: the daughter of a dispossessed earl, who arrived in worn garments, is to be received and clothed at court, while the once-confident tournament champion arrives humbled and answerable. Geraint’s victory therefore settles the immediate contest, secures recognition for Ynywl’s daughter, and makes the insult against Gwenhwyvar’s household a matter for Arthur’s judgment.