Gwystyl facts for kids

Gwystyl is a unique character from Lloyd Alexander's popular fantasy book series, The Chronicles of Prydain. He is one of the mysterious Fair Folk and first shows up in the second book, The Black Cauldron. You'll also find him in the last book of the series, The High King.

Who is Gwystyl?

Gwystyl is a member of the Fair Folk, a group of magical beings living in the fictional land of Prydain. He looks quite unusual, described as "a bundle of sticks with cobwebs floating at the top." He often seems unwell, with thin, stringy hair and a sad expression.

His personality isn't much cheerier at first. Gwystyl complains a lot, seems very pessimistic, and appears cowardly. He often avoids trouble by saying, "I am not up to it today...I'm not well, not at all well, really."

Gwystyl lives in a secret underground hideout. This hideout is located near the border of Annuvin, which is the land of the main villain of the series. He has a special pet crow named Kaw.

Gwystyl's Adventures in the Books

Meeting Gwystyl in The Black Cauldron

Taran and his friends meet Gwystyl while running from the Huntsmen of Annuvin. They had just failed to get the Black Crochan. Another Fair Folk, Doli, convinces Gwystyl to let them hide in his underground home.

Gwystyl immediately wants them to leave. To his annoyance, his pet crow, Kaw, blurts out the names of Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch. This makes Gwystyl reluctantly share that these three sorceresses have the Cauldron in the Marshes of Morva. After the friends rest, Gwystyl gives them directions and some magical helpers for their journey.

Gwystyl returns later in the book to help Taran and his companions in the final battle. It turns out that Gwystyl is actually very clever and brave. He just pretends to be weak to trick others. As the Cauldron is destroyed, Gwystyl gives Kaw to Taran as a gift from the Fair Folk. Kaw then becomes a loyal friend to Taran for the rest of the series.

Gwystyl's Role in The High King

Gwystyl appears again in the fifth and final book, The High King. When Taran is kidnapped, his friends Eilonwy, Fflewddur Fflam, and Prince Rhun ask Gwystyl for help. He helps them plan an attack on Caer Cadarn, using more magical items from his bag. They defeat Magg thanks to Gwystyl's help.

Later, Gwystyl leads an army of Fair Folk to help in the huge final battle for Prydain. Again, his sad personality hides a truly brave and loyal individual. In this book, he was first seen returning from a dangerous spy mission. Later, he was one of the few who could convince the Fair Folk to fight alongside humans.

In the end, as magic leaves Prydain, Gwystyl returns to King Eiddileg's underground kingdom. He never comes back above ground. It is also explained that living so close to Annuvin affected Gwystyl's personality and health. This makes his bravery even more impressive.

Where Did Gwystyl Come From?

According to a note from the publisher in 1999, Lloyd Alexander once said that his characters "were born, like most children, at unlikely and inconvenient times." He first thought of the worried Gwystyl while sitting in a dentist's chair!

Alexander seemed to enjoy creating Gwystyl's self-pitying character. When a friend told him Gwystyl was an "interesting self-portrait", Alexander jokingly agreed that he was good at playing someone who always thought they were sick.

Most of the names in Prydain, including Gwystyl, come from old Welsh myths or history. The name Gwystyl comes from a collection of medieval Welsh stories called the Mabinogion. However, the character in those tales is not like Alexander's Gwystyl.