I bought this book because it looked old and it was about myths. And also because it was one euro. So far, I can’t tell if it’s really old (the translation first came out in 1949 but I don’t know when the book came out) but it’s definitely about Welsh myths, which are very interesting.
The Mabinogion is a collection of stories. It’s apparently not the most accurate title, but it is so widely used that, as the authors put it, “it would be the sheerest pedantry to replace it with a clumsier if more correct alternative”. The stories in this book are:
- The four branches of the Mabinogi: Pwyll Prince of Dyfed; Branwen Daughter of Llyr; Manawydan son of Llyr; Math son of Mathonwy
- The four independent native tales: The dream of Mascen Wledig; Lludd and Llefelys; Culhwch and Olwen; The dream of Rhonabwy
- The three romances: The lady of the fountain; Peredur son of Efrawg; Gereint son of Erbin
Apart from the stories, there’s also an introduction which discusses the works. This translation references the one by Lady Charlotte Guest and I have to digress because I read her Wikipedia page and found her to be fascinating! Lady Charlotte Guest seems to be a superwoman – she was involved in promoting education (visiting schools and providing supplies), took assisted management of an ironworks factory after her husband’s death, was an expert in 8 languages (she was an expert in 7 languages when she started learning Welsh and she mastered it enough to translate it!), and she was well-known as a collector of porcelain. Basically, she was highly educated, very capable and seems to have lived a very full life!
Personally, I found the stories interesting, if a little hard to read. The language of this translation can be a bit archaic, and coupled with some very paragraphs filled with names in some stories (looking at you, Culhwch and Olwen) that my eyes may have glazed over at points, despite my love of myths!
Most of the stories were new to me, though some felt very familiar. I am sure, for instance, that I’ve never read Lludd and Llefelys before, but the curse of two dragons fighting with one another is definitely something that I’ve read when reading about Merlin. In the Merlin tale, Merlin has to find out why a certain building can never stand and the reason is because of two dragons who are underneath – I suppose this is the prequel to that tale.
And while I thought I was somewhat familiar with the Arthurian legends, I found all three Arthurian/romance stories to be new to me! It was definitely interesting reading these and I’ll want to revisit them again someday, perhaps when reading other Arthurian stories to see how they might differ.
Despite my personal difficulties with the language, I enjoyed the tales in this! It definitely takes some concentration to get used to the style of the tales, but once I did, I found this to be a rewarding read. If you like Welsh tales, a related book that read recently was Snowdonia Folk Tales – it contains legends of Arthur as well so you may enjoy it!
I’m so excited that you read this! I got to read it when taking a Medieval Lit class in uni, and I think I still have my copy. However, I’m not sure how I would have done without the professor’s guidance. Welsh legends are so different from others. There’s humor, and there’s stuff that, it seems, intentionally doesn’t make sense. So, I was able to enjoy them when the prof explained that that’s the way it is supposed to be, but I might have become bored or frustrated otherwise.
She began by saying, “Wales is strange place. Things change around on you. You can be walking on the flat for half an hour, and then come out of the woods and suddenly find yourself on a bare hilltop.”
Definitely agree that Welsh legends are different from the rest! I think I would have loved to take a class on it!
This sounds like a wonderful collection of folk lore!
Yes! It takes a bit more work to get but it’s very interesting and very unique!