The Grey King

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The Grey King is a book by Susan Cooper in the Dark Is Rising series. Welsh folklore is an important point in the book. Here are some descriptions of the characters.

• Will Stanton is a young boy who is just recovering from hepatitis at the beginning of the book. He is under strict orders from the doctor that he can’t go to school for at least a month, so his mother sends him to Wales to recover with his uncle, David Evans. Will is actually an “elder.”
• Bran Davies, the raven boy, is an albino boy of about the same age as Will. Bran is a loner. He has no friends at school and he is not allowed to go out after school. King Bran Fendigaid (the Blessed) was a Celtic God known from both Welsh and Irish mythology who was later mortalized into a monarch of North Wales. He is a bridge to the unknown. He is a giant whose stride spans the sea, a strong and generous king. Bran’s severed head entertained his companions for eighty years, and in that time they had no cares. When the feast was ended, they carried his head to London and buried it under the White Mound, where the Tower of London now stands. There it protected Britain from all invaders. Even today his ravens remain there.
• Owen Davies is Bran’s “father.” Bran’s real birth mother, Gwen, had showed up on Clwyd farm with a baby in her arms. Owen took her in and took care of her. Owen fell in love with Gwen and proposed, but the next day she was gone. She left the baby in the care of Owen. Later he legally adopted the baby. Owen doesn’t want to lose Bran like Gwen so he is very protective of him.
• The Brenin Llwyd, or The Grey King, is the evil lord opposing the light side. His breath is the low hanging fog that covers the mountains sometimes. The Grey king is very powerful, but he has limitations. He is not allowed to break the laws of The High Magic.
• Milgwn: "The Breath of the Grey King" is spoken of with dread in the mountains- a thick fog that descends in the space of a few heartbeats; it drives unwary travelers to their deaths, by hiding the edges of precipices and scree slopes. More terrifying than this fog are the Milgwn, huge grey foxes, which he has bent to his will, known to attack in situations where no normal fox would. They are creatures of the in between times, things which are not of this world, although they walk upon it. It is said they can walk through his mist in secret, with no footprint visible to even the best of trackers. Most mortals cannot see the Milgwn. Bran however, is privileged and can see them. Will is not a mortal and so he can see them.
• Caradog Prichard is a corrupted man who unknowingly helps The Grey King. Caradog is a bitter and mean man who is always trying to ruin people’s lives. There is a legend that if someone spends the night on top of the mountain, then in the morning, they would either be a poet or crazy. Caradog wanted to be a poet when he was younger and he spent the night on the mountain. It looks like he got the raw end of the deal.