Cyledr

**Cyledr** was a Seelie poet and the son of Nwython. When Gwyn ap Nudd drove Cyledr to madness, he realized he needed to destroy his heartsong, which led to the events of *Deeper into the Woods.*

## Appearance

Gwyn described Cyledr as 'beautiful, in a different way. He was finely boned, had a boyish face that he would keep well into maturity. His eyes were large and brightly blue and finely lashed, his hair had curled dark blond, and Gwyn had imagined that he was staring at a younger version of himself.'

## Personality

Gwyn said Cyledr was 'not suited for war'. He said that Cyledr was a '[s]tupid, innocent, naive, mewling boy [who] shouldn't have even been *in* battle.'

## Life

Cyledr was trained as a warrior, but became a poet instead.

Prior to *Deeper into the Woods*, Gwyn stole Creiddylad from Gwythyr ap Griedawl. When Gwythyr mounted an assault against Gwyn in retaliation, Gwyn defeated him, and took Nwython and Cyledr prisoner. When Nwython taunted Gwyn, Gwyn murdered Nwython, ripped his chest open, pulled out his heart, and 'forced Cyledr to eat it'. Cyledr told Gwyn he hated him, begged Gwyn to stop, and called out 'Papa! Nwython! Forgive me', but Gwyn did not stop. This made Cyledr go mad.

Following this, Gwyn realized his heartsong of triumph was toxic, and immediately sought the assistance of Augus Each Uisge in breaking the heartsong. Augus would much later use Cyledr's final words to make Gwyn come to his senses when Gwyn hunted Augus during *Game Theory*.

## Trivia

* Gwyn is still haunted by the memory of what he did to Nwython and Cyledr, to the point that Augus referencing it is enough to send a chill up his spine.
* King Oengus Og was present for Nwython's death and Cyledr's madness. Duribard was also present, and likely witnessed it as well.

## Folklore/Mythology

'Cyledr Wyllt (English: *Cyledr the Wild*) is a warrior and madman in Welsh mythology, known from the early Arthurian tale *Culhwch and Olwen*.' In the tale, Gwyn ap Nudd abducts Creiddylad and Gwythyr raises a great host against Gwyn, leading to battle between the two, ending with Gwyn's victory and the subsequent death of Nwython. After killing Nwython, Gwyn forces Cyledr to eat his father's heart, and this torture at Gwyn's hands drives Cyledr mad. King Arthur intervened, after which Gwyn and Gwythyr agree to fight for Creiddylad every May Day until Judgment Day, at which time the final victor will win her for themselves. Cyledr's madness earned him 'the epithet *Gwyllt*. Later in the tale, Arthur heads north to find Cyledr, and eventually catches him. Cyledr later assists Arthur in the hunting of Twrch Trwyth and is personally responsible for retrieving the shears from the boar.'

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 not\_poignant. "Deeper into the Woods." *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 7 April 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/3652500/chapters/8188004. Chapter 3: III - The Waterhorse.
2. ↑ not\_poignant. "Deeper into the Woods." *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 12 April 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/3652500/chapters/8263456. Chapter 4: IV - The War General.
3. ↑ not\_poignant. "Deeper into the Woods." The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own, 14 April 2015. https://archiveofourown.org/works/3652500/chapters/8299813. Chapter 5: V - The War General.
4. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 7 September 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1877188. Chapter 9: Hunt.
5. ↑ not\_poignant. “Game Theory.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 4 September 2013. https://archiveofourown.org/works/915296/chapters/1868595. Chapter 8: Wait.
6. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Ice Plague: Book 1 - The Forest of Fire.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 29 June 2018. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036105/chapters/34995836. Chapter 23: The Arrow's Path.
7. ↑ not\_poignant. “The Court of Five Thrones.” *The Fae Tales Verse. Archive of Our Own,* 12 December 2014. https://archiveofourown.org/works/1749290/chapters/6186821. Chapter 21: Fracture.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Cyledr Wyllt". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyledr\_Wyllt. Accessed 28 May 2021.
9. ↑ "Gwyn ap Nudd: The Abduction of Creiddylad". Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwyn\_ap\_Nudd#The\_abduction\_of\_Creiddylad. Accessed 28 May 2021.