The Mabinogion, Guest’s 1877 edition
The Countess of the Fountain
Owain sees the Countess in the funeral procession of the man he has mortally wounded. Her torn clothing and intense lamentation place the consequences of combat directly before him. Luned identifies her as the Countess of the Fountain and as her own mistress. Owain’s immediate desire therefore concerns a woman whose grief his actions have caused.
Also known as Lady of the Fountain
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In the sources
Principal account
LiteraryOwain sees the Countess in the funeral procession of the man he has mortally wounded. Her torn clothing and intense lamentation place the consequences of combat directly before him.
Further detail
LiteraryLuned identifies her as the Countess of the Fountain and as her own mistress. Owain’s immediate desire therefore concerns a woman whose grief his actions have caused.
Context & interpretation
This entry follows the narrative in Charlotte Guest’s 1877 collection, including its particular spellings and arrangement of tales. Characters, enchantments and explanations of place names are presented as features of these stories; the translation alone does not establish their historical reality or a single original religious meaning.
Original passages
Source 1
The Mabinogion
And following the train, he beheld a lady with yellow hair falling over her shoulders, and stained with blood; and about her a dress of yellow satin, which wasOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Mabinogion, Guest’s 1877 edition; active reader leaf 39
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0240-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0240-E001-P0039
- Original scan leaf
- 40
- Recorded leaf number
- 40
- Current Reader position
- 31
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
The Mabinogion
my mistress; and she is called the Countess of the Fountain, the wife of him whom thou didst slayOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Mabinogion, Guest’s 1877 edition; active reader leaf 40
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0240-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0240-E001-P0040
- Original scan leaf
- 41
- Recorded leaf number
- 41
- Current Reader position
- 32
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Continue exploring
Luned
The resourceful attendant who conceals Owain and negotiates his approach to the Countess.
Same subject and traditionArianrod
The mother who places conditions on Llew’s name, arms and marriage.
Same subject and traditionArthur in the Mabinogion
The courtly ruler whose household gathers the companions and quests of Guest’s Welsh romances.
Same subject and traditionBranwen
The princess whose marriage alliance becomes the centre of a catastrophe between two islands.