I feel stupid

[lucre-noin.livejournal.com]

I'm here to seek your help.
I read Culhwch and Olwen in these days and I loved it but there is a part I didn't understand. English is not my first language.. and I feel little dumb.
However there's the part.
"I do know him," answered Kai, "he is Dillus Varvawc, and no leash in the world will be able to hold Drudwyn, the cub of Greid the son of Eri, save a leash made from the beard of him thou seest yonder. And even that will be useless, unless his beard be plucked alive with wooden tweezers; for if dead, it will be brittle."

"What thinkest thou that we should do concerning this?" said Bedwyr.

"Let us suffer him," said Kai, "to eat as much as he will of the meat, and after that he will fall asleep." And during that time they employed themselves in making the wooden tweezers. And when Kai knew certainly that he was asleep, he made a pit under his feet, the largest in the world, and he struck him a violent plow, and squeezed him into the pit. And there they twitched out his beard completely with the wooden tweezers; and after that they slew him altogether.

And from thence they both went to Gelli Wic, in Cornwall, and took the leash made of Dillus Varvawc's beard with them, and they gave it into Arthur's hand. Then Arthur composed this Englyn--

Kai made a leash
Of Dillus son of Eurei's beard.
Were he alive, thy death he'd be.

And thereupon Kai was wroth, so that the warriors of the Island could scarcely make peace between Kai and Arthur. And thenceforth, neither in Arthur's troubles, nor for the slaying of his men, would Kai come forward to his aid for ever after.
 
I really can't understand why Kai is angry with Arthur (I don't even know if my interpretation of the things is right).
.

Comments

[custodianiseed.livejournal.com]

I think it's because Arthur writes the poem. As I understand it, it says that if Dillus Varvawc was still alive, it would kill Kai.
I guess he is not sounding very grateful or impressed by Kai's bravery.
But it does look like K is overreacting a bit.

[purplecat]

I agree, Kai is generally made out to be quite short-tempered in the legends and he is angry that Arthur is making fun of him, rather than thanking him.

[lucre-noin.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much : D
Now I can write a fanfiction about it

[lucre-noin.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for the explanation! I really couldn't understand if Kay was angry because of the poem or something else.
Again, thank you!

[nellisir.livejournal.com]

From what I recall (and I may have read it in a translator's notes) Arthur was making fun of Kai; Kai had to bury Dillus to be able to kill him. Kai, who is hot-tempered, doesn't take that very well.

I do agree it seems out of character for Arthur and a rather abrupt departure from the story for Kai; I suspect that there's more to that story that's been lost...or it's based on actual events that we lack a context for.

[gwalchmai2007.livejournal.com]

Yes, there is much more to this story, but it has not been lost. In one alternate version of the Arthur tale (a Welsh one, the title of which I cannot recall), it is Cei, not Mordred, who rebels against Arthur. This is a strange explanation for the anger that eventually leads to the rebellion of Cei. In particular, Cei is angered here by the final line of Arthur's poem, in which Arthur implies that if Dillus were alive, he would kill Cei. Cei, in Welsh versions of the legend, is a pretty tough warrior, one Arthur's best, but he is (consistently throughout all versions) also prideful and doesn't take jibes at his prowess lightly. You might also find further clues to this anger by poking through the Triads, which are linked to this piece.

[lucre-noin.livejournal.com]

Thank you! : D I'll look for the Triads. Thank you very much.
It seems my favourite characters of the legends are the traitors...