The Mabinogion

The Mabinogion

This collection of Welsh Myths has a similar history to the Irish myths, but is less ancient. The earliest stories were probably composed and passed on by druids in a complete and sensible fashion in the pagan iron age until the Roman conquest of Britain, after which the stories were passed on, lost and embellished by wandering story-tellers and old grannies until Christian monks wrote down what was left of them in the 13th-14th century, in documents such as the Peniarth manuscripts (written down about 1200), the White Book of Rhydderch (written down about 1300-1325) and the slightly later Red Book of Hergest (written down about 1375-1425). They were then re-written and transcribed several times, gathering dust in monastery attics (whilst simultaneously continuing to grow and mutate in the oral tradition amongst the illiterate medieval Welsh peasants) until being collected together at the end of the nineteenth century and published in English for the first time by Lady Charlotte Guest.

There are 11 stories in all, the first four encompassing stories of British kings, warriors and wizards (meaning Welsh: England was not Britain then) and visitors from The Otherworld (the Welsh equivalent of the Irish Tir Nan Og or fairyland, sometimes called Annwn). These are the oldest of the tales, probably originating in the late iron age, and are often referred to as the proper mabinigion (plural of mabinogi, a dodgy translation of "fairy story"). The four stories are the tales of Pwyll Prince of Dyfed, Branwen Daughter of Llyr, Manawydan ap (son of) Llyr, and Math ap Mathonwy .

The second group of four stories include two related to the Arthur legend and two unrelated others. The Dream of Macsen Wledig, Lludd and Llefelys, Culhwch and Olwen, and The Dream of Rhonabwy.

The last three are later Arthurian romances, probably mostly Norman-French and reminiscent of Mallory, at best faint echoes of early pagan Celtic myth. They are the only ones to actually mention knights and a chivalric code, and each tale follows the adventures of one knight. The Lady of the Fountain (concerning Owein ap Urien), Peredur ap Efrawg, and Gereint ap Erbin.