Information AboutMabinogion |
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Name Its name comes from a misunderstanding made by the ''Mabinogion'''s first 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. Date 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. 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 delivered to the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, discussed the strengths and weaknesses of both viewpoints, and while critical of the arguments of both scholars, notes that the language of the stories best fits the period between 1000 and 1100, although much more work is needed. 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 stories 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.
The native tales Also included in Lady Guest's compilation are five stories from Welsh tradition and legend:
The 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, Celt ic sources.
See also Bibliography Translations
Welsh text and editions
Secondary sources
Adaptations
External links There is a new, extensively annotated translation of the four branches of the Mabinogi proper by Will Parker at The Guest translation can be found with all original notes and illustrations at: Versions without the notes, presumably mostly from the Project Gutenberg edition, can be found on numerous sites, including:
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