- [HORSE/OWNER:]
- Gringolet,
Guingalet of Gauvain (Erec et Enide 3957,3967, etc.),
Gringalet (Perceval),
Gringalet (Vulgate cycle II Merlin 339, 341, 342, 356, 360, 361, 363, 370, 390 [OF];
Wintwalite of Gâwein / Walwân (Hartmann v. Aue Erec 4629, 4714),
Gringuljete of Gâwâne (Parzifal) [MHG];
Keincaled m. gualchme*1 [E. tr. "Ceincaled, horse of Gwalchmai"] (The Triads of the horses, Black Book of Carmarthen VIII) [W.];
Keingalet*2 [Breton];
Gryngolet (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 597 etc.),
Grissel (meaning "Grey"; Awntyrs off Arthur 549) [ME];
- Ghringolet, Ghringoletten, Gringelet, Gringholet, Gringholetten, Gringolette,
Gringoletten (Walewein)[MDu.]
[Ceingalad "hard back(?)" or "durable spine(?)" W in Mackillop's dict.*3, Old Welsh guin-colet "white-hardy" or Keincaled "handsome-hardy", R. S. Loomis]
- The name of Gawain's horse.
The horse's name (Keincaled) is also recorded in one of the Welsh triads as the horse of Gwalchmai [Gwalchlmai fab Gwyar]
- The name occurs in de Troye's Erec, and so the name is propagated widely in Arthurian tales of many languages. This is in contrast to
*1
Mackillop, James, Dict. of Celtic Mythology lists this entry primarily under the spelling Ceingalad (p.83) but it is uncertain where he collected this spelling form, though it is apparently a Welsh variant.
*2
Mackillop's dictionary (ibid.) listed the Breton form.
*3
Mackillop's dictionary provides the etymology as "W, hard back(?) , durable spine (?)]
But kein as a Welsh word meaning "back" seems hypothetical:
see Breeze, Andrew !Gryngolet, the Name of Sir Gawain’s Horse", English Studies (Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group) Vol. 81, Number 2 April 2000 pp100-101: ".. "This last is surely a corruption of Keingalet.. the evidence for Old Welsh kein ‘back, ridge’ is as follows. It is cognate with. Old Cornish chein (glossing dorsum), Modern Cornish cein‘back, ridge’,
§ Welsh triads
The Welsh triads that mentions the name of the horse belonging to Gwalchmei fab Gwyar is in The Triad of Horses as found in the Black Book of Carmarthen VIII *1 thus:
- TRI an reith march inis pridein.
- Carnawlauc march. Owein. mab vrien.
- A. Bucheslum. seri. march gugaun cletẏwrut.
- a Tauautir breichir. m. kadwallaun. fil. k.
- TRI thom etẏstir inis pridein.
- Arwul melin. march passcen fil. Vrien.
- A. Duhir terwenhit. m. selẏw mab kẏnan garrvin.
- A. drudluid. m. rẏterch hael.
- TRI gohoev etẏstir inis pridein.
- Guẏnev godvff. hir. march kei.
- Ruthir ehon tuth bleit. m. Gilberd mab kadgẏffro.
- a. keincaled. m. gualchmei.
- TRI hoev etistir inis pridein.
- Llv agor. m. karadauc. b.
- a melẏnlas. m. kaswallaun mab belẏ.
— Skene, vol.II, p.10
The three depredatory horses of the Isle of Prydain
Carnawlawg, the horse of Owain the son of Urien;
Bucheslwm Seri, the horse of Gwgawn Gleddyvrudd;
And Tavawd hir Breich-hir, the horse of Cadwallawn the son of Cadvan.
The three draught-horses of the Isle of Prydain
Arvul Melyn, the horse of Pasgen the son of Urien;
Du Hir Terwenydd, the horse of Selyv the son of Cynan Garwyn;
And Drudlwyd, the horse of Rhydderch Hael.
The three spirited horses of the Isle of Prydain
Gwineu Goddwf Hir, the horse of Cai;
Rhuthr Eon Tuth Blaidd, the horse of Gilbert the son of Cadgyffro;
And Ceincaled, the horse of Gwalchmai.
The three high-mettled horses of the Isle of Prydain
Lluagor, the horse of Carndawg;
And Melynlas, the horse of Caswallawn the son of Beli.
[* Possibly missing: "Melyngar Mangre, the horse of Lleu Llaw Gyffes"]*2
— Eng. tr. by Skene
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*1
The Black Book of Carmarthen [Llyfr Du Caerfyrddin],  VIII.Trioedd y Meirch, Eng. tr. are available at www.ancienttexts.org.
Alternately, the Welsh text in Skene's Volume II is digitized by Books.Google and
the E. tr. of Volume I is transcribed here at www.sacred-texts.com.
*2
The two horses named here as "high-mettled horses" are included among the three "gift horses" in other versions, the third gift horse being Lleu's horse ⇒ Melyngan Gamre (or Mangre)
In Rachel Bromwich's edition of the Triads, #38, we have "Three Bestowed Horses of the Island of Britain: Slender Grey, horse of Caswallawn son of Beli, Pale Yelow of the Stud, horse of Lleu Skilful-Hand, and Host-Splitter, horse of Caradawg Strong-Arm". (p.97)
Rhys says of ⇒ Melyngan Gamre (or Mangre) that it is one of the three gift horses: 'the triad describes the three hoses as each of a 'rhoðedig farch' which can only mean a gift horse; (— notes to Hibbert Lectures, p.385 ).
§ Walewein
- In this Dutch work, as Walewein was fighting the dragon, his horse Gringolet has temporarily deserted him. Though the dragon has a tough skin impregnable to weapons, and when he reached for his sword at his side he found it to be gone. But the lance he stuck in the dragon's mouth wedged its jaws open and Walewein with his dagger is able to reach down the throat and stab the heart. The gushing hot blood almost dones him in. His breastplate did not provide complete protection and the dragon had punctured it, causing him many wounds,
As he wandered about the mountain, Gringolet saw his master and to him. The horse too had been clawed by th dragon. The horse carried him down the mountainside, swam across a river, reached a meadow, and after going some ways spotted a castle, which was the abode of the King of Faerie, and there found the fairy king playing chess with his son Alexander upon the chessboard which was the quest item of this tale.
*1
Penninc (who initiated) and Peter Vostaert (who completed it), are supposed authors of Walewein. A short excerpt is translated in Adriaan J. Barnouw and E. Colledge., tr., Reynard the fox, and other mediaeval Netherlands secular literature.
(Leiden, New York, Sitjthoff; London House & Maxwell [c1967])
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[bestiary:horse] [Arthurian]