The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain

The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain
Author(s)	Lloyd Alexander
Illustrator	Sasha Meret, David Wyatt, and Margot Zemach
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Chronicles of Prydain
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Publication date	1973
Media type	Print (Hardcover & Paperback)
Pages	vii, 87 pp, xiv, 122 pg Puffin(Penguin) New Paperback
ISBN	ISBN 0030074312
OCLC Number	614293
LC Classification	PZ8.A37 Fo
Followed by	The Chronicles of Prydain

The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain is a collection of six short stories (newer copies include eight^[1]) by Lloyd Alexander. Although first published in 1973, after the five novels that comprise The Chronicles of Prydain, these short stories take place before the events of the books that preceded them. The stories were written by Alexander due to the overwhelming demand for more stories from fans of the books at the time.^[2]

Stories within The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain

• "The Foundling". This is the story of how the enchanter Dallben was discovered as a baby by the three enchantresses, Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch. It also tells of how he acquired his vast wisdom, as well as The Book of Three, and gives a reason for his age.
• "The Stone". This story centers on a farmer named Maibon, who meets Doli of the Fair Folk. By tradition, since Doli was found by a human, he has to give an object of the Fair Folk. Maibon asks for the ability to never age, so he is given a stone that keeps everything near it from aging. This is good for himself, for after offering an old man (Dallben, at the end of "The Foundling") a ride on his wagon, decided he never wanted to grow old like him. He did not think of the consequences. His crops do not grow so there is no food to feed his family, who are not growing either. In the end, he finds Doli again, and gives him the stone back, asking nothing in return for it.
• "The True Enchanter". In this story, Eilonwy's mother Angharad is faced with the choice of whom she will marry. According to law, she must marry a man who was born a magician. She is not impressed with the first two magicians, however she falls in love with a man who is incapable of actual magic, using only sleight of hand to impress the queen.
• "The Rascal Crow". Similar in tone to Aesop's fables, Kadwyr, the father of the talking crow Kaw, stars in this tale. In it, he and a number of other animals, after being warned by Medwyn, protect their home and resist capture or death at the hands of Arawn's Chief Huntsman. Before the ensuing battle, Kadwyr makes fun of the other animals on the mission, claiming they could not help at all. In the end, it is the other animals who save Kadwyr from being desroyed by the Huntsman, proving their worth. The turtle helped with this by tripping the Huntsman off the side of the cliff using his shell. Kadwyr, after showing his gratitude, is forgiven by the other animals of the forest.
• "The Sword". The darkest of all Prydain stories, "The Sword" relates the origins of the sword Dyrnwyn, the most powerful weapon in Prydain; how its scabbard was blackened, and how it disappeared while in the possession of King Rhitta. King Rhitta was in a war with another kingdom, and one day his army pursued battle traveling through a small farm. The shepherd of the farm asked the King what he would do about the damage he did to his homestead. as the King rode off, he promised he would fix the farm as soon as he had time. As time went on, the shepherd arrived at the castle, and told him that his sheep had gone missing during the battle, and asked King Rhitta to find his sheep and fix his farm. The King declared he did not have the time currently. So the shepherd came back many more times, telling the King to keep his promise. The King got so mad, that he unsheathed Dyrnwyn and chopped off the shepherd's head. Every night afterward, the King was haunted by the shepherd's ghost. He had chambers built farther and farther beneath the castle, and had guards with him as he slept, but the ghost still came. The blood stain on his sword could not be removed and spread to cover the whole blade. The King eventually died in his chamber because nobody could find their way to his chamber. (This is where Taran and Eilonwy found Dyrnwyn.)
• "The Smith, the Weaver, and the Harper". This story tells of how Arawn stole some of the magical implements used by Prydain's greatest craftsmen. He managed to trick the smith and the weaver of their tools, but the bard Menwy managed to see who he really was, and since Arawn was not in his own form, he did not have the power of himself. So he fled back to Annuvin.
• "Coll and His White Pig". Alluded to in The Book of Three, this is the story of when Coll first became a farmer, lost his white pig Hen Wen, and rescued her from Arawn's fortress in Annuvin. Hen Wen had been captured by Huntsmen, and Coll chased after her. While resting at a tree, he ate some nuts, giving him the ability to talk to animals. When he learned he could, the animals told him the tree was magical, and the power was only temporary. He explained his situation, and the animals offered to help him. They found Hen Wen to be locked in a pen in Annuvin. With the help of the animals, he rescued Hen Wen, and returned to his farm. He realized Hen Wen was more special than he had thought before, but could no longer talk with animals.
• "The Truthful Harp". This is the story of how Fflewddur Fflam obtained his magical harp, whose strings would break whenever he "colored the facts" a little. It also tells how he helped others out of the good of heart, no matter what bad position it put him in, and speaking humbly of himself, his harp strings would become tense, break and snap, often making a "twang" sound.

"The Truthful Harp"(1965) and "Coll and His White Pig"(1967) were originally published separately as picture books illustrated by Evaline Ness, but after going out of print the stories were included in subsequent editions of The Foundling.

References

1. ^ Alexander, Lloyd. The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain. New York: Penguin Books. 1996.
2. ^ Alexander, Lloyd. The Foundling. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1973, First edition.

• Tymn, Marshall B.; Kenneth J. Zahorski and Robert H. Boyer (1979). Fantasy Literature: A Core Collection and Reference Guide. New York: R.R. Bowker Co.. p. 44. ISBN 0-8352-1431-1.