MABINOGION, THE

Mabinogion, The: translation

(ca. 11th century)

TheMabinogionincludes 11 tales in Middle Welsh that are grouped together because of their common characters and themes. The main tales of theMabinogionare divided into Four Branches, or related adventures:Pwyll Prince of Dyfed, Branwen Daughter of Llˆyr, Manawydan Son of Llˆyr, andMath Son ofMathonwy. The title itself,Mabinogion, has long been interpreted as an indication that the stories concern the boyhood of key figures in the medieval Welsh literary pantheon, the Welsh word for “boy/son” beingmab. Other scholars argue that the tales in the Four Branches all include references to the activities of Pryderi, a figure with striking similarities to the ancient British god Maponos. Regardless, all the heroes and heroines of the Four Branches are of divine origin and exhibit superhuman traits.

The First Branch relates how the king of the Otherworld changes places with Pwyll, the mortal king of Dyfed (southwestern Wales), in order to father a divine child with a human mother. The enterprise comes to naught, and Pwyll is allowed to return to Dyfed, where he meets his future wife, Rhiannon, through a magical horse. Together they have a special son, Pryderi, who is abducted shortly after birth. Rhiannon is accused of murdering him and is forced to perform years of penance until the boy is found in the fosterage of a nearby family. The Second and Third Branches mention Pryderi only in passing and instead focus on the marriage of Branwen to Matholwch, the king of Ireland, and the heroics of her brother, Bran. When Matholwch treats Branwen discourteously, Bran rescues Branwen and her son Gwern.After much negotiating the married couple reach a compromise, but during the ensuing celebration,Gwern is killed and a battle begins in which Bran is mortally wounded.

In the Third Branch, Pryderi is imprisoned in the Otherworld through magic, and as a result there are bad harvests throughout Dyfed until his return.In the Fourth Branch Pryderi dies in battle, but the real action centers around Llew and his hunt for a wife. Due to his unseemly birth, Arianrod, Llew’s mother, resents her son and curses him so that he can never have a human wife. Llew’s cohorts, Math and Gwydion, form a beautiful bride for him out of flowers, Blodeuwedd. Despite being created for Llew, Blodeuwedd takes a lover, whom Llew then kills. Blodeuwedd is changed into an owl as punishment for her faithlessness. The main themes in the literature of theMabinogionconcern the origins of both placenames and personal names, instances in which a wife has either been falsely or rightly accused of wrongdoing or infidelity, and journeys to and from the Otherworld. Key events in the lives of important Welsh mythological personages dominate theMabinogionand related literature, which describe births, childhood events, marriages, battles, exiles, and deaths. These themes can be found in most early Celtic literature, including one of Ireland’s earliest medieval epics, the ULSTER CYCLE. The stories of theMabinogionare found in two medieval manuscripts, theWhite Book of Rhydderch(ca. 1300–25), which is held in the National Library ofWales,Aberystwyth, and theRed Book of Hergest(ca. 1400), which is housed at Jesus College, Oxford. Additional fragments of the tales can be found in many manuscripts, the earliest of which dates from the beginning of the 13th century. Although the stories evolved over centuries, most Celtic scholars agree that linguistic evidence in the texts indicates that the Four Branches and the earlier tales were committed to writing before the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Also considered part of theMabinogionmythology is the story ofCULHWCH AND OLWEN, the earliest Arthurian tale in Welsh, and three later Arthurian ROMANCES heavily influenced by contemporary Norman-French literature:OWAINorThe Lady of the Fountain, PEREDUR, andGEREINT AND ENID. The Arthur ofCulhwch and Olwenis far removed from the King ARTHUR of French romance, but rather is a commanding but crude figure who wields both conventional weapons and magic. Rather than continually exhibiting omnipotent traits himself, it is his followers whose strength and deeds redound to Arthur’s credit and demonstrate his power. Hearty and honorable warriors, such as Bedwyr (Bedivere) and Cei (Kay), serve as his reliable right-hand men. While many elements found in the medieval Welsh tales are recognizable in the subsequent retellings of Arthurian legend by GEOFFREY OF MONMOUTH and Thomas MALORY, there are some notable departures. For example, the Cei of Welsh mythology bears little resemblance to the bumbling fool portrayed in later literature.

■ Ford, Patrick K., ed. and trans.The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1977.

■ Jones, Gwyn, and Thomas Jones, ed. and trans.The Mabinogion. London: J.M. Dent, 1996.

■ Koch, John T., and John Carey, ed.The Celtic Heroic Age: Literary Sources for Ancient Celtic Europe and Early Ireland and Wales. New York: David Brown, 2003.

■ Parry, Thomas.A History ofWelsh Literature. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1955.

■ Williams, Ifor.The Beginnings of Welsh Poetry. Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1990.