The Mabinogion

Evangeline Walton

2003 (omnibus)

The stories making up this book were originally started in the mid thirties, but Ms Walton was unable to find a publisher for them until much later in the early seventies. They are not a direct translation of the Mabinogion but fictionalised accounts of the stories contained in them.

The book is broken up into four parts:

• The First Branch: Prince of Annwn
  Which tells of Pwyll of Dyved and his meeting with the Lord of Annwn, Arawn otherwise known as Death by the Old and New Tribes on the Isle of the Mighty.
  Pwyll gained a bride from another world for none of the maidens of Dyved took his eye. But none took issue with his choice, for Rhiannon was the fairest maid to fall for mortal man, except for the senior Druid of Dyved, who saw Pwyll’s contempt for the old ways as a personal affront. Not all of Rhiannon’s relatives were happy with the match of mortal man with faery maid either, particularly the one who had been her fiancé! But Pwyll and Rhiannon were meant for each other and both knew it and in their combined desire, found the strength to overcome their adversaries.

• The Second Branch: The Children of Llyr
  Follows Llyr and his descendants as they follow their destiny for one of Llyr’s sons will be High King. Llyr was a chief amongst those who had the blood of the Old Tribes running in their veins. But mixed in amongst the Old Tribes were the New Tribes, more-or-less peacefully, usually but Eurosswydd felt it was beneath his dignity to have his taxes taken by a lesser lord, so when Llyr turned up to take the tax, Eurosswydd failed in his hostly duties and enspelled his unwanted guests holding them prisoner against a night of passion with Llyr’s woman.
  Eurosswydd’s get were two; the peaceable Nissyen whose skill lay in calming everyone’s heart, particularly his twin Evnissyen who felt the shame of his birth hard. Being brother to Bran the Blessed, Manawddan and the beautiful Branwen was not easy for Evnissyen but when his elders forgot to include him in a conference about their sister Branwen’s marriage to the Irish chieftain Matholuch he took his revenge against the Irish horses. To his deep resentment, the peace was maintained and Branwen agreed to marry Matholuch.
  But Matholuch’s men had heard of his shaming and insisted he show his displeasure. Only Branwen was available to him and so he took out his frustrations on her. Thinking her safely away from her brothers, she is humiliated for three years in the kitchens of the Irish until she taught a starling to take a message to her brothers.
• The Third Branch: The Song of Rhiannon
  Returns us to the court of Dyved, now in the care of Pryderi one of the seven survivors of the Irish expedition along with Manawddan. Unknown to Pryderi, Manawddan is actually his father. With the High Kingship in the hand of one unfriendly to Manawddan the people of Dyved found things difficult but Rhiannon’s magic proved equal to the task. Thinking himself shamed by his mother, Pryderi took his own action and climbed the unholy mound to be caught in an ancient curse….
• The Fourth Branch: The Island of the Mighty
  Finds us in Gwyneth and its magical rulers. Gwydion was the heir of Ancient Mâth. In trying to keep his younger brother out of one type of trouble, he took him on a raid against Dyved’s pigs (they’re new to the Isle of the Mighty) and when Pryderi chased them back to Gwynedd, the youngsters took the opportunity to join with their lord’s footholder. But the slaughter on Gwynedd’s border was terrible with victory only going to Gwynedd when Gwydion killed Mighty Pryderi. Valour on the battlefield was insufficient to recompense the crime against Mâth’s justice and his punishment was unique.
  When Mâth tested Arianrhod to see if she was suitable to replace his footholder, all were surprised by the results. Except, maybe, Gwydion, her brother. However, the test gave Gwydion his heart’s desire, his own heir who was hidden from his mother. Such a secret could not be hidden forever, though and Arianrhod cursed her unwanted son. Gwydion managed to overcome her curses until she swore Llew would not share the joys of a woman. Beaten at last, Gwydion took his case to Mâth and the two mighty sorcerers laboured hard to produce a mystical solution and Blodeuwedd of the flowers was embodied.
  Llew and Blodeuwedd were happy together until the appearance of a stranger showed their love to be impossibly shallow.

The Mabinogion has been a source and inspiration for a number of other stories, most notably Guy Gavriel Kay’s Fionovar Tapestry and Alan Garner’s Owl Service where we have a modern day retelling of the Tale of Llew and Blodeuwedd.

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Part of the Fantasy Masterworks Series

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