Arthurian
Dallwyr Dallben
Name in Non-English, or Alternative Name/s
Dallweir Dalben; Dallwaran Dalben; Datweir Dallpenn
Also known as, and/or Titles and Roles
Owner of Hen Wen, the figure generally identified with Datweir Dallpenn at Arthur's court
Mythopouch artistic interpretation
Details
Region
Arthurian
Regional Information Additional (if applicable)
Welsh Triads / Culhwch and Olwen court tradition / Cornwall
Category
Person
Historicity (actuality or factual truth of persons, events, and claims)
Legendary
Gender
Male
Time Period
Legendary Arthurian setting; medieval Welsh textual tradition
Symbol
White sow & valley
Tags
dallwyr-dallben, hen-wen, coll-son-of-collfrewy, welsh-triads, cornwall, glyn-dallwyr, cath-palug, culhwch-and-olwen, arthurian
Introduction - Overview
Dallwyr Dallben is the little-known owner of Hen Wen, the sow whose journey across Britain produces grain, bees and dangerous animals. Welsh Triad 26 says that Coll son of Collfrewy tends the swine of Dallwyr Dallben in Glyn Dallwyr in Cornwall. Dallwyr himself does not follow Hen Wen or perform the famous swineherd's deeds; nearly every action in the journey belongs to Coll. A figure called Datweir Dallpenn also appears in the court list of Culhwch and Olwen and is generally identified with Dallwyr, though the court list gives him no independent action. The medieval evidence therefore supports a sparse but distinctive identity: owner of the extraordinary sow and probable member of Arthur's wider legendary world, not the powerful magician later fiction made from the name Dallben.
Gallery
Main Article - Who or What was...
Dallwyr Dallben
Triad 26 places Dallwyr at the beginning of the Hen Wen story. Coll son of Collfrewy is one of the Three Powerful Swineherds and tends the swine of Dallwyr Dallben in Glyn Dallwyr in Cornwall. Among those animals is the pregnant sow Hen Wen, whose unborn burden is said in the fuller version to threaten Britain.
The narrative quickly shifts away from Dallwyr. Arthur gathers forces because of the prophecy, while Hen Wen moves towards the sea and Coll follows her. The early version describes the swineherd keeping his hand on the sow's bristles wherever she goes by land or sea. Dallwyr is not named as a pursuer, commander or adviser.
Hen Wen's journey produces a sequence of local wonders. In Gwent she leaves grain and a bee; in another district she produces further useful crops; in north Wales she gives birth to a wolf cub and an eagle chick. At Arfon she finally produces the kitten that becomes Cath Palug after Coll casts it into the Menai and the Sons of Palug foster it on Môn.
These acts belong to Hen Wen and Coll rather than to the sow's owner. Nothing in the surviving triad says Dallwyr ordered the disposal of the kitten, interpreted the prophecy or used magic to control the births. The absence of action is important because modern retellings can easily turn an owner with a striking name into a magician or patriarch without textual support.
Culhwch and Olwen contains a Datweir Dallpenn in its immense list of people associated with Arthur's court. Modern Welsh scholarship generally identifies this name with Dallwyr Dallben of the triad. The identification is plausible and traditional, but the court list gives Datweir no speech, title or deed that can be used to create a second biography.
The name later entered modern fantasy through Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, where Dallben is a learned and powerful enchanter living with Coll and Hen Wen. That character deliberately borrows medieval Welsh names but is not a continuation of the sparse Dallwyr of the Triads. Mythopouch keeps the modern literary afterlife separate from the medieval source record.
Summary
Dallwyr Dallben endures as the owner of Hen Wen and the figure whose household begins the sow's extraordinary journey through Welsh tradition. Triad 26 makes Coll son of Collfrewy the active swineherd, while Dallwyr remains offstage once Hen Wen departs. Datweir Dallpenn in Culhwch and Olwen is generally identified with him but receives no independent adventure. No medieval source makes Dallwyr a wizard or gives him the biography later created for Dallben in modern fantasy. His historical value lies precisely in the few details the Welsh texts actually preserve.
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Dallwyr Dallben
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Sources & Retellings
Explore the original mythological Source texts (most from over 75 years ago, some as translated, possibly with mature content) and Mythopouch's source Retellings (a modern retelling also suitable for 15+) connected to this mythological entity. We are growing this resource and will link these in the future; for now, check the References below, then find the Sources or Retellings on those pages!
References
Validation References:
- Trioedd Ynys Prydein, Triad 26 - Coll tending the swine of Dallwyr Dallben and the journey of Hen Wen.
https://www.roman-britain.co.uk/classical-references/welsh-celtic-literature/the-welsh-triads/
- Rachel Bromwich, Trioedd Ynys Prydein, Triad 26 and manuscript variants - Dallwyr, Hen Wen and Coll.
- Culhwch and Olwen, Arthur's court list - Datweir Dallpenn.
https://d.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/text/collins-arthurian-court-list-in-culhwch-and-olwen.html
- P. C. Bartrum, A Welsh Classical Dictionary, entries Dallwyr Dallben and Datweir Dallpenn - identification of the names.
- Sioned Davies, trans., The Mabinogion, Culhwch and Olwen - modern scholarly translation of the court list.
Cultural Context Notice
Mythology developed across different cultures, periods and traditions, and there is rarely one universally accepted version of a story. Mythopouch approaches these traditions with respect while remaining faithful to the complexity of the surviving material. Retellings and educational content may interpret or adapt historical sources, but are not presented as definitive accounts of any culture, religion or belief system.