The Mabinogi:
Legend and Landscape of Wales
New translations of medieval Welsh myth and legend
by John K. Bollard, with photographs by Anthony Griffiths
Three volumes of myth and magic, mystery and wonder from medieval Wales that concurrently convey deep truths about human nature. Each volume is illustrated with 60 stunning colour photographs of places mentioned in the tales or related to characters named in them.
The Mabinogi
The renowned Four Branches of The Mabinogi, the jewel in the crown of early Welsh literature and a classic of European literature, preserving much that we know about British Celtic mythology while exploring timeless themes of friendship, war, and our relationships with each other.
Companion Tales to The Mabinogi
The earliest complete tale of Arthur, How Culhwch Got Olwen; two tales of legendary Welsh history, The Dream of Maxen Wledig and The Story of Lludd and Llefelys; and the Arthurian satire of The Dream of Rhonabwy.
Tales of Arthur
Three tales of Arthur's knights, as they search for love and glory and ultimately learn a deeper, selfless sympathy for others
The History of Peredur or The Fortress of Wonders
The Tale of the Countess of the Spring
The History of Geraint Son of Erbin
To order in the US & Canada, click here.
In the UK, click here.
|
from the reviews:
The Mabinogi
"I cannot think of a finer introduction to such an all important work of literature." Companion Tales to The Mabinogi ...the glory of Anthony Griffiths's inspired photography.... The clarity and elegance of Bollard's writing in the commentary is matched in the translations themselves. --Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan, Planet Tales of Arthur
In essence, this book, alongside its forerunners in the trilogy...adds up to a modern collector's item that is a delight.
--Western Mail
In the US and Canada, signed copies may be ordered from here. ___________________ Related Links Readers interested in creative modern approaches to Arthurian legend, should read Margaret Lloyd's wonderful and important collection of persona poems in the voices Arthurian characters:
For a delightful blend of Welsh and Irish lore with modern American popular culture, see David Lloyd's poem sequence blending Frank Sinatra's public persona with Biblical and mythological representations of divinity:
The Gospel According to Frank.
If you are interested in the Welsh landscape and/or the art of the Celtic guitar, see
For more information about Ysbryd, |
The Legend and Landscape of Wales Series
For the very first time, the tales are accompanied by stunning photographs of the places mentioned in them, allowing the reader a glimpse of the magical landscape of Wales where the tales take place and where the Welsh inhabitants today are daily reminded of the characters and events recounted in this classic of European literature. Companion Tales to The Mabinogi includes four tales found in the same manuscripts as The Mabinogi: How Culhwch Got Olwen is the earliest surviving tale of Arthur and his court of remarkable characters. The Dream of Maxen Wledig tells how the Roman emperor Maxen fell in love with a Welsh maiden in his sleep and how her brothers saved his empire. The Story of Lludd and Llefelys is the story of three mysterious plagues on the Island of Britain. The Dream of Rhonabwy is a strange and colorful tale of life in 12th-century Wales, looking back to a more colorful -- and far stranger -- golden age of Arthur. For more information, click here.
Tales of Arthur Perhaps as early as the seventh century Arthur's fame as a warrior and a leader began to draw the stories of other heroes into his realm, and whether he plays an active or a more passive role in their respective tales, he serves as the paragon to whom they are subject and in whose naem they act. In the 12th century and later, Arthur's court becomes perhaps the most important literary locus in which social and personal ideals of love, honour, and bravery are explored, where Arthur's knights struggle to be at once gentle lovers, fierce fighters, and servants simultaneously to God, their king and queen, and the ladies they love most. Here are the stories of Peredur, taken into the wilderness by his mother to avoid the fate of his father and six brothers, all of them knights who died in wars and fighting; Owain, the already accomplished knight who sets out to test his bravery and who must face up to more personal failings of a sort he never would have imagined; and Geraint, whose anger serves him well in battle but greatly clouds and complicates his relationship with his wife.
What does Mabinogi mean? A short Mabinogi bibliography
Click here. To read a short passage from
The Mabinogi Click here. To read reviews of Araith Iolo Goch, by an early reader of these tales. John K. Bollard is considered one of the world's leading authorities on the Four Branches of The Mabinogi. He received an MA in Medieval Welsh Language, Literature, and History from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and a PhD in Medieval Celtic and English literature from the University of Leeds. For the author's personal website, click here. Anthony Griffiths is well known as a guitarist and Welsh landscape photographer. He is a former winner of the Photography Prize at the National Eisteddfod. For information about his CD of traditional Celtic and original compositions, Ysbryd: The Spirit of the Celtic Guitar, click here. |
