Lady Charlotte Guest, The Mabinogion (1927). The first English edition. Flowery prose, but available free, and suitable for older children.
Gwyn Thomas, Tales from the Mabinogion (2023 edition). Covers the Four Branches, with beautiful illustrations.
Jeffrey Gantz, The Mabinogion (Penguin Classics, 1976). A nice simple retelling of all the stories outlined below.
The Mabinogion is the name given to cycle of stories passed down through centuries of oral tradition, perhaps from earlier than Roman times. The earliest written copies are on parchment in the ‘’White Book of Rhydderch’’ (c. 1350) and the ‘’Red Book of Hergest’’ (c. 1400). The name ‘’Mabinogion’’ is a shorthand “the Four Branches of the Mabinogi,” meaning the four tales involving Pwyll and relatives, but the manuscripts contain many other stories, and today these are all covered by the name. “Mabinogi” means “tales for the young”.
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi[]
Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed[]
Pwyll drive Arawn's hounds from the stag
After stealing a stag from Arawn, king of Annwn (the Otherworld), Pwyll, lord of Dyfed, exchanges places with Arawn for a year and a day, to defeat Arawn’s rival. Returning home, he courts Rhiannon, a lady from the Otherworld, who comes to him riding a mysterious horse. Despite challenges from rival suitors, he marries her. Their son, Pryderi, is stolen at birth and falsely believed dead, leading to Rhiannon’s unjust punishment. Only Teirnon Twrvliant, the Best Man in the World, can possibly save him.
Branwen, Daughter of Llŷr[]
Branwen, sister of Brân the Blessed, the giant king of Britain, is married off to Mallolwch, the king of Ireland. Bran’s wicked brother Evnissyen insults Mallolwch, who mistreats Branwen, causing a terrible war between the two islands. Brân leads the British to Ireland, but the Irish possess a magical cauldron that revives their dead, unable to speak but able to fight again. In the final battle, Evnissyen repents and sacrifices his life to destroy the cauldron. But Brân is mortally wounded and orders his head to be taken back to Britain, and it is buried where the White Tower of London stands today.
Manawydan, Son of Llŷr[]
The survivors of the war, Manawydan and Pryderi, son of Pwyll, attempt to rebuild their lives. They settle with Pryderi’s mother Rhiannon, now widowed, whom Manawydan marries. A series of enchantments falls upon their land: crops vanish, and touching a mysterious golden bowl causes Pryderi and Rhiannon to disappear. Manawydan supports himself and Pwyll’s wife Kigva as a shoemaker, until he captures one of a horde of mice responsible for eating the crops. This proves to be the magician Llwyd, who Manawydan forces to release his wife and friend and lift the curse. Math, Son of Mathonwy The fourth branch centres on Math, a powerful ruler who must live with his feet in the lap of the maiden Goewin, unless he is busy at war. His nephew, Gwydion, tricks him into going to war against Pryderi, so that Gwydion’s brother Gilfaethwy can claim Goewin for himself. When Math discovers the crime, he punishes them by transforming the brothers into mating pairs of animals.
His punishment complete, Gwydion raises Lleu Llaw Gyffes, a boy cursed by his mother Arianrhod to have no human wife. Gwydion and Math use magic to make Lleu a wife out of flowers, the beautiful Blodeuwedd. But she betrays Lleu for another man, Goronwy. After Blodeuedd betrays Lleu and he is ambushed by Goronwy, Lleu flies off in the form of an eagle, and is found and healed by Gwydion. Lleu returns to kill Goronwy, and Blodeuwedd is transformed into an owl as her punishment.
The Three Romances[]
Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain[]
Owain, one of King Arthur’s knights, sets out on an adventure that leads him to a magical fountain and its guardian. He defeats the guardian in combat and marries his lady, but neglects her for courtly life with Arthur. After being rejected, he goes mad, living in the wilderness until restored by a noblewoman’s kindness. Through further exploits, he reconciles with his wife.
Geraint and Enid[]
Geraint, another knight of Arthur, marries Enid but becomes suspicious of her loyalty. He tests her through a series of harsh trials and adventures, during which her patience and faithfulness are proved. In the end, their love is restored.
Peredur, Son of Efrawg[]
Peredur, raised a commoner, comes to Arthur’s court and sets out on quests. He encounters strange marvels, including the vision of a severed head carried on a platter, a parallel to the Holy Grail motif. His adventures involve defeating witches, avenging family wrongs, and growing into a true knight.
Other tales[]
The Dream of Macsen Wledig[]
The Roman emperor Magnus Maximus dreams of a maiden in Wales. He journeys to find her, marries her, and grants sovereignty to her family. The tale mixes history with legend, affirming Wales’s links to the Roman past.
Lludd and Llefelys[]
Lludd, king of Britain, faces three plagues: the Corannyeid, fairy invaders from whom no secret can be kept, a battle between two warring dragons, and a magical thief who leaves the court empty of food and drink. His brother Llefelys, ruler of France, advises him on how to overcome each, with a a mixture of cunning and bizarre magic. Together they restore peace, showing the triumph of wisdom and fraternal loyalty.
Culhwch and Olwen[]
One of the earliest tales to feature King Arthur, this is a sprawling, exuberant quest. Culhwch falls in love with Olwen, the daughter of the malformed giant Ysbaddaden. To win her, the giant demands a series of impossible tasks, the most deadly to hunt the giant boar Twrch Trwyth. Culhwch asks the help of King Arthur and his warriors, a much more bizarre and super-powered circle than the armoured knights of later years. Gwrhyr, who knows every language of men, birds and animals; Hen Was the Swift, whom no four-footed animal can catch; Gilla Stag Shank, who could leap a hundred acres in a single bound; Medyr son of Medyredyddfn, who from Cornwall could shoot a wren in in Ireland through both legs… The tale is remarkable for its catalogue of heroes, its surreal humor, and its folkloric richness. (And Arthur’s sword is named for the first time- Caledvwlch, “Hard Argument”! This would become first Caliburn, then Excaliber.)
The Dream of Rhonabwy[]
A late, highly stylised tale. Rhonabwy, bedding down in a fleapit hovel, dreams he journeys to Arthur’s court and witnesses strange, symbolic scenes: elaborate games, disputes, and visions of Arthur’s greatness. The colours and descriptions of knights, armies, courts and weapons are dazzling. The tale is often interpreted as an ironic or allegorical reflection on the decline of heroic ideals.
Influence[]
J.R.R. Tolkien's Red Book of Westmarch is a deliberate echo of the "Red Book of Hergest", a 1380s parchment book that contains a complete copy of the Mabinogion.
The Owl Service by Alan Garner retells the story of Blodeuedd as a curse on three teenagers living in modern Wales.