Peredur avenges his cousin on the sorceresses of Gloucester

At the Castle of Wonders, Peredur learns that the uncanny signs and encounters connected with his adventures point toward a family crime: the Sorceresses of Gloucester killed his cousin and lamed his uncle. A yellow-haired youth identifies himself as another cousin and recalls the prophecy that Peredur would avenge these wrongs. The revelation turns the castle episode into a reckoning, ending with Peredur and Arthur’s household killing the sorceresses.

Recognition at the Castle

After Peredur reaches the castle, he finds his horse in the same stall as Gwalchmai’s, and the two are glad to see one another. A yellow-haired youth then kneels before Peredur and asks for his friendship. He reveals that he had appeared earlier in several forms and encounters: as the black maiden at Arthur’s Court, in connection with the chessboard, the black man of Ysbidinongyl, the stag, and the black man beneath the cromlech. He also identifies himself as Peredur’s cousin.

The youth explains the family history behind the encounters. The head carried on a salver and the lance streaming with blood had been signs of Peredur’s cousin, who was killed by the Sorceresses of Gloucester; the same sorceresses had lamed Peredur’s uncle. He adds that a prediction had marked Peredur to avenge these deeds. The disclosure gives the earlier marvels a shared purpose: they were not merely strange incidents but part of the revelation of a family grievance and the role Peredur was destined to take in answering it.

The Confrontation

After taking counsel, Peredur and Gwalchmai send to Arthur and his household, asking them to come against the sorceresses. In the ensuing fight, one of the sorceresses kills one of Arthur’s men in Peredur’s sight. Peredur tells her to stop, but she kills another man; he warns her again. When she kills a third, Peredur draws his sword and strikes her helmet, splitting its armour.

The sorceress cries out and urges the others to flee. She identifies Peredur as the man who had learned chivalry with them and as the one destined to kill them. The scene joins the prophecy to the action: Peredur first restrains himself while the attacks continue, then intervenes after the third killing, and his blow exposes his identity and the danger he poses to the group.

Revenge and Resolution

Arthur and his household fall upon the Sorceresses of Gloucester and kill every one of them. Peredur’s revenge is thus accomplished through both his own decisive strike and the collective force of Arthur’s company. The narrative closes the Castle of Wonders episode with their defeat, bringing the cousin’s death and the uncle’s laming into the resolution of the marvels that had led Peredur there.