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Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Mabinogion

Mabinogionmăbĭnō'gēən, title given to a collection of medieval Welsh stories. Scholars differ as to the meaning of the word mabinogion: some think it to be the plural of the Welsh word mabinogi, which means youthful career; others think it derives from the Welsh word mabinog, meaning aspirant to bardic honor. The stories in the Mabinogion are found in two manuscripts, the White Book of Rhydderch (c.1300–1325) and the Red Book of Hergest (c.1375–1425). The first four tales, which are called collectively The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, are divided into Pwyll, Branwen, Manawydan, and Math; their connecting link, now obscured by many accretions, is the story of Prince Gwri or, as he is later called, Pryderi. In the first tale he is born and fostered, inherits the kingdom and marries; in the second he is barely mentioned; in the third he is imprisoned by enchantment and released; and in the fourth he falls in battle. Another tale, the story of Kilhwch and Olwen, which was composed before 1100, is an early example of an Arthurian tale. The Dream of Rhonabwy, which was written before 1175, also contains Welsh traditions about King Arthur. A story apparently based on the legend of Emperor Maximus is The Dream of Maxim Wledig. Llud and Llevelys is a short folktale full of fairy tale elements. The last group in the Mabinogion consists of three Arthurian romances, Geraint, The Lady of the Fountain, and Peredur. It seems probable that the first two shared with the works of Chrétien de Troyes common sources written in French, and that the last drew on the vast body of Grail tradition. The Four Branches, Kilhwch, and the romances are invaluable in the study of the Arthurian legend. Using just the Red Book of Hergest as her source, Lady Charlotte Guest (1812–95) published the first English translation of the Mabinogion between 1838 and 1849; she also gave the volume its title. Later the White Book of Rhydderch was discovered, containing older, finer versions of the tales in Guest's work. In 1929, T. P. Ellis and J. Lloyd published a translation based on a composite of the tales in both the Red and White books. A later composite translation is The Mabinogion (1949) of Gwyn Jones and Thomas Jones.

Wikipedia search results for: Mabinogion

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The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions. While some details may hark back to older Iron Age traditions, each of these tales is the product of a highly developed Welsh narrative tradition, both oral and written. Lady Charlotte Guest in the mid 19th century was the first to publish English translations of the collection, popularising the name "Mabinogion" at the same time. The name first appears in 1795 in William Owen Pughe's Camb: "The...more »

Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Mabinogion

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Parsifal
Parsifal, figure of Arthurian legend also known as Sir Percivale, who is in turn a later form of a hero of Celtic myth. The name originally occurs as Pryderi, an alternative name of Gwry in Pw...
Arthurian legend
Arthurian legend, the mass of legend, popular in medieval lore, concerning King Arthur of Britain and his knights. The battle of Mt. Badon—in which, according to the Annales Cambriae (c.1150),...
Welsh literature
Welsh literature, literary writings in the Welsh language. The earliest Welsh literature is preserved in about half a dozen manuscripts written with one exception after the 12th cent. However,...
Wales
Wales, Welsh Cymru, western peninsula and political division (principality) of Great Britain (1991 pop. 2,798,200), 8,016 sq mi (20,761 sq km), west of England; politically united with England...

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