Tristan and Iseult. A medieval cycle of tales featuring Tristan, nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, and Iseult, daughter of an Irish chieftain and the wife of Mark. There are hundreds of different versions of the tale, written in practically every European language, the majority reflecting individual interpretations of the language. Joseph Bedier (Le Roman de Tristan par Thomas, Paris, 1902) discovered that all Tristan manuscripts, medieval and modern, could be traced back to one extant manuscript written by Beroul (about whom nothing is known) in the middle of the twelfth century. Beroul, writing in French, was obviously translating from a Breton source. The saga, one of the world's greatest love stories, had evolved from Celtic sources. The core motif is the traditional Celtic "elopement tale," known in Irish as aithedha, in this case the elopement of the king's wife with the king's nephew. Many of the essential characteristics of the tale are to be found in other Celtic elopement tales, but more particularly in the tale of "Diarmuid and Griinne" and "Nolsu and Deirdre" [Tristan and Isolt, G. Schoepperle, Frankfurt, 1913].
Tristan is generally depicted as a strong warrior, skilled hunter, musician, poet, and teller of tales, and a great lover. He is sent to Ireland to escort the bride of his uncle King Mark to Cornwall. On the voyage, Tristan and Iseult accidentally drink a magic love potion and become irrevocably bound to one another. The ensuing narrative charts the perilous course of their love, banishment, and tragic death. See Mark of Cornwall. The story has been assimilated . into the Arthurian cycle and subsequently used as one of the major literary themes of all time, from Malory's Morte d'Arthur to Tennyson's Idylls of the King. It has also been used as inspiration for major musical works, such as Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. For visitors to Cornwall in search of the original settings for the legend, a visit to Castle Dore, the ancient earthwork fortress, two miles north of Fowey, is essential. Although originally constructed in the second century B.C., excavations have discovered buildings from the sixth century A.D., the age of King Mark. Castle bore appears as Mark's capital in the legends. But most importantly, nearby, a mile or so from Fowey towards Par, near the disused entrance to Menabilly House, stands an engraved stone dated to the mid-sixth century A.D. The accepted reading is 'Drustaus [or Drustanus] hic iacit Cunomori filius "-Here lies Drustanus son of Cunomorus. Philologically the name Drustanus equates with Tristan, while Mark's name is Marcus Cunomorus. So the final contentious reading is "Tristan, son of Mark lies here." How much more powerful the tragic love story had later scribes made Tristan elope with his stepmother!
Another historical "footstep" was found by the Celtic scholar Professor Joseph Loth, who found Iseult's name associated with a site on the Lizard peninsula, Cornwall, in a charter of A.D. 967. Hryt Eselt(Iseult's ford) was described as a boundary for the lands of Lesmanaoc in St. Keverne. See also Trystan.

Trystan. Having seen from the previous entry that the oldest extant versions of the "Tristan and Iseult" romance are to be found in French and German sources and not in Celtic, we should refer to the first Celtic language version of the tale, which occurs in a sixteenth century Welsh manuscript [edited by I. Williams, Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, vol. 115] .In this version Trystan elopes with Esyllt, wife of March ap Meirchion. They go to- the woods ofKelyddon accompanied by Trystan's servant, Bach Bychan (Little Little-one), and Esyllt's maid, Golwg Hafddydd (Aspect of a Summer's Day). March complains to Arthur and sets out to fight Trystan. Trystan overcomes three armies led by March, and the news is taken by Trystan's companion, Kae Hir, to Esyllt. Kae Hir is promised the hand of Golwg if the news be true. Arthur now intervenes at March's request and mollifies Trystan, sending him Gwalchmei (Hawk of May) as a peacemaker. Trystan comes to Arthur, who offers a judgment on the problem. One of the two men shall have Esyllt when there are leaves on the trees, the other when there are no leaves on the trees. March, as husband, is given first choice and chooses the leafless period (winter) because the nights are longer during it. But Trystan points out that the yew tree always bears leaves. Therefore March cannot have Esyllt at all, for there are always leaves on the trees.

Trystan and Ysolt. The only version in Cornish, the language that gave the romance its birth, is a modern Cornish translation of the medieval Beroul and Thomas texts, as edited by J. Bedier, by A. S. D. Smith, the bard "Caradar" (1883-1950). It was published in 1951. However, Smith had not completed his translation at the time of his death, and 1,000 lines of the poem were left uncompleted. The work was finished by David Watkins, "Carer Brynow" (1892-1969). These were not published until 1973. These two volumes now constitute the complete Beroul and Thomas texts in modern Cornish.

Tuan Mac Cairell. [I] His story typifies the Celtic belief in reincarnation. Son of Starn, brother of Partholon, he survives the plague that destroys his people by being reborn as a stag, then as an eagle, then as a salmon that is caught and eaten by the wife of Cairell. She then gives birth to him in human form, again with his memory of the whole history of Ireland from the coming of Partholn. This is strikingly similar to the birth of Taliesin.

Tuatha. [I] A people, tribe, or nation. See Teutates. Tuatha Cruithne. See Picts. Tuatha De Danaan. [I] The people of the goddess Dana. The gods of pre-Christian Ireland who inhabited the land before the coming of the Milesians. The Milesians drive them underground. When Christian monks started to write down the sagas, they were demoted into heroes and heroines, although much remained to demonstrate their godlike abilities. Under their leader Nuada, they came to Ireland from a northern country where they had four fabulous cities, Falias, Gorias, Finias, and Murias. They defeated the Firbolg and then overcame the Fomorii. They are represented as the gods of light and goodness, while the Fomorii are the more sinister gods of darkness. They are totally human in all the virtues as well as the vices.

Tuireann. [I] there are males and females who bear this name in Irish myth. Tuireanns appear as the sister, sister-in-law, and aunt of Fionn Mac Cumhail. A male Tuireann had three sons by the goddess Brigid.

Tuireann, Children of. [I] The sons of Tuireann and the goddess Brigid were Brian, Iuchar, and Iucharba, who slew Cian, father of Lugh Lamhfada. As recompense to Lugh they were forced to set out on a journey to secure various items. The saga of their travels and adventures is said to be the Irish equivalent of the voyage of Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece.

Twrch Trwyd. [W] See Twrch Trwyth. Twrch Trwyth. [W] In the story of Culhwch and Olwen, Twrch Trwyth (or Trwyd) is a king turned into a boar. Arthur features as hunting the boar with some of his notable warriors, including Mabon, son of Modron; Gwyn, son of Nudd; and the son of Alun Dyfed. The story is cognate with that of Torc Triath in Irish mythology, and, indeed, Twrch Trwyth and Torc Triath are equivalent forms. In the Cymric tale it is Mabon who manages to retrieve a razor, lodged betWeen the magical boar's ears, that is needed by Culhwch to fulfil the tasks set him by Y spaddaden the Giant.

Tylwyth Teg. [W] The Welsh fairies of whom Gwynn ap Nudd became king.