Gwrnach the Giant’s Castle

Gwrnach the Giant’s Castle is presented as the largest castle in the world and a place from which no guest has ever returned alive. Its guarded entrance makes entry depend on a visitor’s craft, a rule that the companions turn into their means of access. Within the fortress, Kai uses the pretext of sword-polishing to get close to Gwrnach the Giant, then kills him and helps secure the castle’s goods, jewels, and famous sword.

Setting and Reputation

The castle appears at the end of a day’s journey, its immense scale matched by the warning given outside: no guest has ever come back alive, and entry is forbidden to anyone who does not bring a craft. The danger is made tangible by a huge black man who emerges from the stronghold and identifies it as Gwrnach the Giant’s Castle. The fortress is not merely a destination but a threshold with its own deadly condition of access.

At the gate, the porter explains that the hall is in the midst of revelry, with meat and drink already set out, and that the gate will remain closed unless a craftsman seeks entry. This requirement turns hospitality into a test: the party cannot approach openly as adversaries, but Kai’s claimed skill in burnishing swords gives the porter a reason to admit him.

Entry and Deception

The porter reports Kai’s craft to Gwrnach, who agrees to receive him because he needs someone to polish his sword. Kai enters alone and is seated opposite the giant. Given the blade, he takes a blue whetstone from beneath his arm and asks whether it should be polished white or blue. After polishing half the sword, he lets Gwrnach judge the work; the giant is so pleased that he wishes the entire blade were like it.

Kai then presents Bedwyr as a companion who lacks the same craft. To signal Bedwyr’s arrival, he tells the porter that his companion’s spearhead can leave its shaft, draw blood from the wind, and return to the shaft. The gate is opened for Bedwyr. Meanwhile, Goreu, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, slips inside with the others close around him and passes the castle’s three wards. His companions praise his success, and from then on he is called Goreu, the son of Custennin. The party disperses to its lodgings, intending to kill the inhabitants without Gwrnach’s knowledge.

Death and Aftermath

Once the sword is polished, Kai returns it to Gwrnach, who approves the work. Kai claims that the scabbard has rusted the blade and asks to replace its wooden sides. Holding the sword in one hand and the scabbard in the other, he stands before the giant as if about to sheathe it, then strikes Gwrnach’s head off with a single blow. The craftsmanship that secured Kai’s welcome has brought the weapon within reach; the apparent service becomes the means of killing the castle’s master.

After Gwrnach’s death, the companions despoil the castle, taking the goods and jewels they choose. They also carry away the giant’s sword. On the same day, at the beginning of the year, they arrive at Arthur’s court bearing it. The fortress’s reputation for admitting no guest who returns alive is thus overturned by an attack made possible not by force at the gate, but by exploiting the castle’s own rule of entry.