In the tale of Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain from the Mabinogion, both Cynon and Owain are present at a banquet at King Arthur's court in Caerleon. After the meal, Arthur retires, and the knights, now joined by the queen, begin trading tales. Cynon relates the story of how he travelled to unknown regions of the world in search of a worthy opponent. He ventures through a valley, which opens into a broad plain where he finds a shining castle built by the sea. The lord of the castle is a yellow-haired man who shares his home with twenty-four maidens, described by Cynon as each being more beautiful than Queen Guinevere. Cynon is treated well by his host and on hearing his plight, the lord tells Cynon of 'the keeper of the forest', a huge black man with one foot and one eye who will be able to direct the knight towards his goal.
