Nudd the Generous
Niut, Nown, Noyt, Nu, Nuc, Nucs, Nuit, Nun, Nus, Nuth, Nuz, Vunde, Vut
Father of Arthur’s Sir Yder (Yder the son of Nut) as well as the warriors Gwynn, Owain, and Dryon.
Nut is a mortal incarnation of the Celtic god Nodens, whose counterpart in Irish mythology is Nuada Argetlam. His father was named Senyllt. The Welsh Triads call him Nudd the Generous.
In the romance of Yder, we learn that Nut, the duke of Alemaine in Scotland, abandoned Yder’s mother, but left half of a ring with her so that he could someday be identified. Yder set out on a quest for his father when he came of age. They eventually encountered each other and fought a combat before they learned each other’s identities and reconciled. At the conclusion of the romance, Nut finally marries Yder’s mother.
He appears as one of Arthur’s kings in Robert Biket’s Lai du Cor, where his wife is shown to be unfaithful in a chastity test.
Nuc is called Duke of Alemaigne, by which Albany (Scotland; in Gaelic: Alban) or Germany is probably intended.
Sources
Culhwch and Olwen | Late 11th century
Historia Regum Britanniae | Geoffrey of Monmouth, c. 1138
Lai du Cor | Robert Biket, mid to late 12th century
Erec | Chrétien de Troyes, late 12th century
Triads of the Island of Britain (Welsh ”Triads”) | 11th century to 14th century
Yder | Early 13th century
Geraint and Enid | 13th century