Mabinogion
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The Two Kings (sculptor Ivor Robert-Jones, 1984) near Harlech Castle, Wales. Bendigeidfran carries the body of his nephew Gwern |
The
Mabinogion is a collection of
prose stories from
medieval Welsh manuscripts. They are partly based on early medieval historical events, but may hark back to older
iron age traditions.
Its name comes from a misunderstanding made by the
Mabinogion's first
English translator,
Lady Charlotte Guest: she found in one story the
Welsh word
mabynogyon and assumed it was the plural form of the Welsh
mabinogi. The word
mabinogi itself is something of a puzzle, although it appears to be related to the Welsh
mab or "son, boy". Professor
Eric P. Hamp, however, suggests that
mabinogi derives from the name of the Celtic deity
Maponos, and originally referred to materials pertaining to that god. "Mabinogi" originally applied only to the Four Branches (see below), which are speculated to have derived from older tradition. Each of these four tales ends with a colophon meaning "thus ends this branch of the mabinogi" (or in one case "mabynogyon" as explained above), hence the name.
The stories of the
Mabinogion appear in two Medieval Welsh manuscripts, the
White book of Rhydderch (
Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch) written ca.
1350, and the
Red Book of Hergest (
Llyfr Coch Hergest) written about
1382-
1410, although fragments of these tales have been preserved in earlier
thirteenth century manuscripts. Scholars agree that the tales are older than the existing manuscripts, but disagree over just how much older. It seems likely that different texts contained within the
Mabinogion originated at different times. Debate has focused on the dating of the
Four Branches of the Mabinogi. Sir
Ifor Williams offered a date prior to 1100, based on linguistic and historical arguments, while later Saunders Lewis set forth a number of arguments for a date between 1170 and 1190; T.M. Charles-Edwards, in a paper published in 1970, discussed the strengths and weaknesses of both viewpoints, and while critical of the arguments of both scholars, noted that the language of the stories best fits the period between 1000 and 1100, although much more work is needed. More recently, Patrick Sims-Williams argued for a plausible range of about 1060 to 1200, and this seems to be the current scholarly consensus.
The question of the date of the
Mabinogion is important because if it can be shown to have been written before
Geoffrey of Monmouth's
Historia Regum Britaniae, then the value of these stories as evidence for the early folklore and culture of Wales is that much stronger.
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi
The
Four Branches of the Mabinogi are the most mythological stories contained in the
Mabinogion collection.
Pryderi appears in all four, though not always as the central character.
*
Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed tells of Pryderi's parents and his birth, loss and recovery.
*
Branwen, Daughter of Llyr is mostly about
Branwen's marriage to the King of Ireland. Pryderi appears but does not play a major part.
*
Manawyddan, son of Llyr has Pryderi return home with
Manawydan, brother of Branwen. The misfortunes that follow them there.
*
Math, son of Mathonwy is mostly about
Math and
Gwydion, who come into conflict with Pryderi.
The native tales
Also included in Lady Guest's compilation are five stories from Welsh tradition and legend:
*
The Dream of Macsen Wledig*
Lludd and Llefelys*
Culhwch and Olwen*
The Dream of Rhonabwy*
TaliesinThe tales
Culhwch and Olwen and
The Dream of Rhonabwy have interested scholars because they preserve older traditions of
King Arthur. The tale
The Dream of Macsen Wledig is a romanticized story about the Roman Emperor
Magnus Maximus. The story of
Taliesin is a later piece, not included in the Red or White Books, which more recent translations omit.
The romances
Three tales are the
Welsh Romances, Welsh versions of Arthurian tales that also appear in the work of
Chrétien de Troyes. Critics have debated whether the Welsh Romances are based on Chrétien's poems or if they derive from a shared original. Though it seems probable the surviving Romances derive, directly or indirectly, from Chrétien, it is probable he in turn based his tales on older,
Celtic sources.
*
Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain*
Peredur, son of Efrawg*
Geraint and Enid*
Medieval Welsh literatureTranslations
*Ford, Patrick K.
The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1977. ISBN 0520034147 (Includes "Taliesin" but omits "The Dream of Rhonabwy", "The Dream of Macsen Wledig" and the three Arthurian romances)
*Gantz, Jeffrey. Trans.
The Mabinogion. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1976. ISBN 0140443223. (Omits "Taliesin")
*Guest, Lady Charlotte.
The Mabinogion. Dover Publications, 1997. ISBN 0486295419 (Guest omits passages which only a Victorian would find at all risqué. This particular edition omits all Guest's notes.)
*Jones, Gwyn and Jones, Thomas.
The Mabinogion. Everyman's Library, 1949; revised in 1989, 1991. (Omits "Taliesin")
**Jones, George (Ed), 1993 edition, Everyman S, ISBN 0460872974;
**2001 Edition, (Preface by John Updike), ISBN 0375411755;
Welsh text and editions
Branwen Uerch Lyr. Ed. Derick S. Thomson. Medieval and Modern Welsh Series Vol. II. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1976. ISBN 1855000598
Culhwch and Olwen: An Edition and Study of the Oldest Arthurian Tale. Rachel, Bromwich and D. Simon Evans. Eds. and trans. Aberystwyth: University of Wales, 1988; Second edition, 1992.
Cyfranc Lludd a Llefelys. Ed. Brynley F. Roberts. Medieval and Modern Welsh Series Vol. VII. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1975.
Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch. Ed. J. Gwenogvryn Evans. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1973.
Pedeir Keinc y Mabinogi. Ed. Ifor Williams. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1951. ISBN 0708314074
Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet. Ed. R. L. Thomson. Medieval and Modern Welsh Series Vol. I. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1986. ISBN 1855000512
Secondary sources
*Charles-Edwards, T.M. "The Date of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi"
Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (1970): 263-298.
*Ford, Patrick K. "Prolegomena to a Reading of the Mabinogi: 'Pwyll' and 'Manawydan.'"
Studia Celtica, 16/17 (1981-82): 110-25.
*Ford, Patrick K. "Branwen: A Study of the Celtic Affinities,"
Studia Celtica 22/23 (1987/1988): 29-35.
*Hamp, Eric P. "Mabinogi."
Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (1974-1975): 243-249.
*Sims-Williams, Patrick. "The Submission of Irish Kings in Fact and Fiction: Henry II, Bendigeidfran, and the dating of the
Four Branches of the Mabinogi",
Cambridge Medieval Celtic Studies,
22 (Winter 1991): 31-61.
*Sullivan, C. W. III (editor).
The Mabinogi, A Books of Essays. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1996. ISBN 0815314825
Adaptations
*
Evangeline Walton has done a complete re-telling, with some additions. Also published as
The Mabinogion Tetralogy*
Y Mabinogi is a film version, produced in 2003. It starts with live-action among Welsh people in the modern world. They then 'fall into' the legend, which is shown through animated characters. Elements are mixed and some parts of the plot left out.
Mabinogi, a
network game based on the
Mabinogion*
Lloyd Alexander,
Newbery Medal-winning author of
The Chronicles of Prydain, has acknowledged
The Mabinogion as the source material for portions of that fantasy series, especially with respect to the character of Arawn, Lord of Annuvin.
There is a new, extensively annotated translation of the four branches of the Mabinogi proper by Will Parker at
*
Mabinogi TranslationsThe Guest translation can be found with all original notes and illustrations at:
*
Sacred Texts: The MabinogionVersions without the notes, presumably mostly from the
Project Gutenberg edition, can be found on numerous sites, including:
*
PDF book of Mabinogion, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest*
Project Gutenberg Edition of The Mabinogion*
The Mabinogion (Translation by Lady Charlotte Guest) from Mystic Realms*
The Arthurian Pages: The Mabinogion*
The Mabinogion*
Branwaedd: Mabinogion*
Timeless Myths: Mabinogion
