Mabinogion
Mabinogion by Gwyn Jones is an annotated edition published by Everyman Paperback on November 15, 1993. This 272-page book presents a collection of stories that are significant in European literature, composed during the golden age of Celtic storytelling in the eleventh century or earlier. The narratives explore themes of destiny, magic, and human strengths and weaknesses, featuring characters such as Culhwch, who woos the Giant’s Daughter, and Owain, who wins the Lady of the Fountain through knightly feats.
Readers will find that the Mabinogion brings together the grotesque and the warmly human, offering both entertainment and rich significance. Notably, King Arthur appears for the first time as a central figure in a prose narrative, particularly in “Culhwch and Olwen,” establishing his role as King and Emperor. This edition provides a meticulous translation that highlights the literary style and scholarly depth of these classic tales, making it a valuable addition to the study of fiction and Celtic literature.
Official synopsis Publisher
Destiny, magic and chance, human strengths and weaknesses–The Mabinogion’s stories are among the most compelling and beautiful in European literature.
Compsed in the golden age of Celtic story–telling in the eleventh century or earlier, they bring together the grotesque and the warmly human, the entertaining and the richly significant. Culhwch is here, perilously wooing the Giant’s Daughter; Owain is here, winning the Lady of the fountain by Knightly feats of arms;and –a portent and a miracle both –King Arther is here for the first time as a prime mover in a significant prose narrative (‘Culhwch and Olwen’), and thereafter as King and Emperor of what is still the world’s most famous royal court.
‘A magnificent acheivment…It is hard to think that in scholarship or as a piece of English prose the present translation will ever be bettered’–Sir Idris Bell, The Welsh Review
‘Magisterial …the authoritative translation, notable for its meticulous scholarship and a fine literary style’
Oxford Companion to the Literature of Wales
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