Four Branches of the Mabinogi

The Four Branches of the Mabinogi or Pedair Cainc Y Mabinogi are the earliest prose stories in the literature of Britain. Originally written in Wales in Middle Welsh, but widely available in translations, the Mabinogi is generally agreed to be a single work in four parts, or "branches." The interrelated tales can be read as mythology, political themes, romances, or magical fantasies. The tales are popular today in book format, as storytelling or theatre performances; they appear in recordings and on film, and continue to inspire reinterpretations in artwork and modern fiction, such as the New Stories of the Mabinogion series and The Assembly of the Severed Head by Hugh Lupton.

Overview

The Mabinogi are known as the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, or Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi in Welsh. The tales were compiled from oral tradition in the 11th century. They survived in private family libraries via medieval manuscripts, of which two main versions and some fragments continue to survive today. Early modern scholarship of the Mabinogi saw the tales as a garbled Welsh mythology which prompted attempts to salvage or reconstruct them. Since the 1970s the tales have become recognised as a complex secular literature, though rooted in and containing elements of Welsh Mythology, with powerfully explored characters, political, ethical and gendered themes, as well as imaginative fantasies. The style of writing is admired for its deceptive simplicity and controlled wordpower, as well as intricate doublets where mirrorings have been compared to Celtic knotwork. The world displayed within the Mabinogi extends across Wales, to Ireland, and into England. It presents a legendary Britain as a united land under a king, yet with powerful separate princedoms, where native Welsh law, hud, and romance, combine in a unique synergy. Possible authors who have been proposed for the Four Branches include italic=no and italic=no.
Each Branch contains several tale episodes in a sequence, and each Branch is titled with the name of a leading protagonist. These titles are Pwyll, Branwen, Manawydan and Math, but this is a modern custom; the Branches are not titled in the mediaeval manuscripts. Only one character appears in all four Branches, italic=no, though he is never dominant or central to any of the Branches.Pwyll Prince of Dyfed tells of the heroic and magical sojourn of italic=no in Annwn, his shapeshifting, chastity and a duel, which all establish a mighty alliance. The formidable italic=no courts him, and he helps her win her freedom to marry him. The strange abduction at birth of their baby son follows, with his rescue, fostering and restoration by the good lord italic=no of the Kingdom of Gwent. The child is named italic=no.Branwen Daughter of Llŷr follows italic=no's marriage to the King of Ireland, who abuses her due to insult by her half brother, italic=no. A tragically genocidal war develops fomented by italic=no, in which a Cauldron which resurrects the dead figures, and the giant king Bran's head survives his death in an enchanted idyll. italic=no is merely named as a war survivor, and italic=no dies, heartbroken.Manawydan Son of Llŷr brother of italic=no, heir to the throne of Britain, becomes italic=no's good friend during the war. italic=no arranges his friend's marriage to italic=no. The land of italic=no is devastated. Journeys in England setting up craft businesses follow. An enchanted trap removes italic=no and italic=no becomes a farmer. He cannily negotiates their release, as well as the restoration of the land, by confronting the villain behind it all. Math Son of Mathonwy is a dark sequence of deception and treachery: war with italic=no, the death of italic=no, the double rape of a virgin girl, and the rejection of an unwanted hero son by proud italic=no her magician brother is the architect of all these destinies. He adds an artificially incubated pregnancy, and a synthetic woman. She, italic=no, creates a treacherous love triangle, murder in a peculiar manner. italic=no makes a shamanic journey of redemption.

The Branches

First branch:, Prince of

Pwyll Pendefeg Dyfed, "italic=no Prince of italic=no", hunting on his own land, meets the shining Cŵn Annwn or "Hounds of italic=no", and takes another man's kill, a stag, for himself. italic=no, the king of italic=no, is greatly offended. As recompense, italic=no switches bodies with italic=no and dwells in italic=no to vanquish italic=no's adversary. italic=no chastely shares the queen's bed for a year. italic=no defeats italic=no's enemy italic=no, and is then rewarded with an alliance between his land of italic=no, and italic=no then returns home to italic=no where he finds it has been well ruled by italic=no in the past year.
Next, italic=no encounters italic=no, a beautiful and powerful maiden on a shining magical horse. They are strangely unreachable by anyone, for as they attempt to approach, italic=no and her horse get further away. Finally, they ask her to stop in which she complies and it is revealed that italic=no has chosen italic=no as her husband, which he welcomes. On italic=no and italic=no's wedding day in the court of italic=no appears in disguise and tricks italic=no into giving him the entire wedding feast and italic=no then guides italic=no through a cunning strategy using her magic bag which can never be filled, to extricate her from her betrothal to the princely italic=no is trapped in the bag and beaten by italic=no's men until he agrees to italic=no's terms, including foregoing vengeance.
italic=no eventually bears italic=no a son and heir, but the child disappears the night he is born. italic=no's maids, in fear of their lives, accuse her of killing and eating her own baby. italic=no negotiates a penalty where she must sit at the castle gate every day for seven years telling her terrible tale to strangers and offer them a ride on her back. Meanwhile, the child is rescued from its monstrous abductor by italic=no. He and his wife adopt the boy who grows heroically apace, and adores horses. They called him italic=no. italic=no sees the boy's resemblance to italic=no, so he restores the boy to italic=no for a happy ending. italic=no is vindicated as is italic=no's loyalty to her. Their son is renamed italic=no "Loss", as is custom from his mother's first words to him: Pryderi puns on anxiety and labour. In due course, italic=no inherits the rule of italic=no.

Second Branch:, Daughter of

In the second branch, italic=no, sister of Brân the Blessed, king of Britain, is requested by and given in marriage to italic=no, king of Ireland. italic=no's half-brother italic=no, angered that no one consulted him, insults italic=no by mutilating all his valuable horses so horribly they become useless. italic=no the Blessed gives italic=no compensation in the form of new horses and treasure, then added a magical cauldron which can restore the dead to life, although the revived persons will always remain unable to speak. The legend of this cauldron, when the two kings compare its lore, is that it came from Ireland.
In Ireland, italic=no and italic=no have a son, italic=no. The Irish nobles continue to be hostile because of what italic=no did. italic=no allows them to sway him, and casts italic=no away to serf in the kitchens, struck on the face every day by a low-caste butcher. italic=no trains a starling to take a message to italic=no across the Irish Sea. He musters his host and crosses the sea to war on italic=no is so huge he wades across with his ships beside him. italic=no persuades the Irish to sue for peace by building a colossal building to house italic=no, which he has never had before.

The Irish hide two hundred warriors in the house, hanging in bags on its pillars. italic=no shrewdly suspects treachery and disbelieves the Irish story these are bags of flour. He crushes the skull of each hidden warrior, singing after he does it. Later, at the feast, italic=no deliberately seeks to create discord. He throws his infant nephew italic=no on the fire and kills him. Fighting breaks out and the Irish use the Cauldron to revive their dead. italic=no hides among the corpses to get in the Cauldron, stretches and cracks it, dying as he does so.
The war had become a genocide. Five pregnant women survive to repopulate Ireland. Only Seven Survivors remained of the British host, besides italic=no. One is italic=no's other brother, and his good friend italic=no, mortally wounded by a poisoned spear, bids the survivors to cut off his head, and take it to bury at the White Tower in London. He prophesies his head will be their good companion and advise them, while they will sojourn for many years of idyllic feasting, first at italic=no in italic=no, then on the isle of italic=no in italic=no. But on arriving back in Britain, italic=no dies of grief for the many who have died.
Brân means 'raven'; Branwen means 'white raven'; and italic=no means 'trouble, strife'.

Third Branch:, son of

italic=no of italic=no returns from the Irish War as one of its few survivors, to reunite with his mother italic=no, and his wife italic=no. He brings with him his beloved war comrade, italic=no, the heir to the kingship of all Britain. But italic=no's rights as heir to Britain have been usurped by italic=no, and he does not want more war. italic=no establishes him as the lord of italic=no, including marriage to italic=no, a union which both partners welcome. The four of them, italic=no and her new husband italic=no, become very good friends indeed, and travel the land of italic=no admiring how bountiful it is.
Together they sit the italic=no, as italic=no once did. A clap of thunder, a bright light, and magical mist descend. Afterwards the land is devastated of all other life except wild animals. The four live by hunting, but after two years they want more, so they travel to England. In three towns in turn they craft saddles, shields and shoes of such quality that the local craftsmen cannot compete, so their envy becomes dangerous. italic=no dislikes the lower class way of life, and italic=no stops him from fighting their enemies. Instead italic=no insists on moving away. After three attempts like this, they return to italic=no.
Once more living as hunters italic=no and italic=no follow a shining white boar to a strange castle. italic=no, against italic=no's advice, follows his hounds inside to become trapped there by a golden bowl. italic=no waits, then reports to italic=no who rebukes his failure to rescue his friend. But when she follows her son she too becomes trapped. Alone with italic=no reassures her he will respect her virtue. After another attempt in England as shoemakers, the pair return to italic=no, and italic=no farms three fields of wheat next to italic=no. But his first field's harvest is cut down by thieves, and his second. He sits vigil at night, and sees a horde of mice eating the ripe corn. He catches a slow, fat one. Against italic=no's protest he sets up a miniature gibbet to hang it as a thief.
A scholar, a priest and a bishop in turn offer him money if he will spare the mouse which he refuses. When asked what he wants for the mouse's life he first demands an explanation. The bishop tells him he is italic=no, friend of the wronged italic=no, the mouse is italic=no's shapeshiften wife, and the devastation of italic=no is to avenge italic=no bargains to release of italic=no and italic=no, and the lifting of the curse on italic=no.

Fourth Branch:, son of

italic=no in North Wales is ruled by the magician king italic=no, whose feet must be held by a virgin at all times except while he is at war. italic=no's nephew italic=no is infatuated with italic=no, the royal maiden foot-holder, so italic=no's brother italic=no plots to aid him. He deceives italic=no of italic=no with magical sham gifts of horses and dogs, in exchange for italic=no's valuable swine, a gift from italic=no makes war in revenge, so italic=no leaves italic=no without his protection. italic=no and italic=no rape her, and italic=no kills italic=no in single combat. italic=no marries italic=no in compensation for her rape. He punishes the two brothers by shapeshifting them into animal pairs who must mate and bear young; first deer, then boars, then wolves. The sons they bear become italic=no's foster sons, and after three years the brothers are reconciled with italic=no.
italic=no suggests his sister italic=no as the new footholder. italic=no magically tests her virginity requiring her to step over his wand. She immediately gives birth to a son, italic=no, who takes to the sea. She also drops a scrap of life which italic=no scoops up and incubates in a chest by his bed. italic=no is deeply shamed and angered so she utterly rejects the boy. She swears a doom upon him that he cannot have a name, nor warrior arms, unless she gives them to him. italic=no tricks her into naming the boy italic=no by speaking to him, not knowing who he is as he is shapeshifted. More shapeshifting fakes a military attack so italic=no gives them arms - dressing and arming italic=no herself.
italic=no's third curse is italic=no may not marry a human woman. italic=no and italic=no construct a beautiful wife for him from oak blossom, broom flowers, and meadowsweet, naming her italic=no. But italic=no and italic=no fall deeply in love. italic=no tells her to find out the secret of italic=no's protected life, which she does in the trust of her marriage bed. She begs italic=no to explain so she can know how to protect him. The method is complicated, taking a year of almost impossible effort but italic=no completes it and italic=no falls to his spear, transforms into an eagle and departs. italic=no and italic=no then live together.
italic=no pursues a quest to find italic=no, who far away in eagle form perches up a tree, dying. italic=no tracks a sow which he finds eating maggots falling from italic=no's rotting body. italic=no sings a magical englyn gradually bringing italic=no back to humanity. italic=no offers to compensate italic=no; but italic=no insists on returning the blow as it was struck against him. italic=no is cowardly and attempts to evade it using a stone shield. italic=no kills italic=no with his spear, which pierces him through the stone. italic=no punishes italic=no by transforming her into an owl, a pariah among birds.

Locations

Some of the locations mentioned in the text have been identified in reality. Many are associated with Arberth and the surrounding district. Some have not been identified and may be methodological or in need of further archeological and historical discoveries.

Manuscripts

The three medieval manuscripts of the Four Branches which have survived into modern times were copied in the 13th and 14th centuries, later than the likely composition of the work around the eleventh or twelfth centuries. The text does not greatly differ between these manuscripts, but it is thought that they are not copies of each other, but of lost earlier originals. The oldest is only a fragment: Peniarth 6, c. 1225, containing parts of the Second and Third Branches. The other two are named by the colour of their covers: LLyfr Gwyn and Llyfr Coch.
The oldest manuscript containing a complete text is in the White Book of Rhydderch, one of the Peniarth Manuscripts. It was copied around 1350 by five different scribes, probably commissioned by Ieuan ab Rhydderch ab Ieuan Llwyd near Ceredigion. It was then copied and studied by various Welsh scholars. About 1658, it was acquired by the antiquary Robert Vaughan and preserved in his famous library of Hengwrt near Dolgellau, Gwynedd. In 1859 it was passed to the Peniarth library by William Watkin Edward Wynne. Finally, John Williams presented it to the National Library of Wales in 1904, where it can be viewed today in two volumes.
The second surprising manuscript to contain a complete version is the Red Book of Hergest, copied around 1382–1410, in a time of unrest culminating in Owain Glyndŵr's uprising. The scribe has been identified as Hywel Fychan fab Hywel Goch of Buellt, who worked for Hopcyn ap Tomas ab Einion near Swansea. The Hopcyn library changed hands due to war and politics several times, with owners including the Vaughans of Hergest. The manuscript continued to change hands, sometimes slightly dubiously via 'borrowing'. Edward Lhuyd was one of many who copied it to study. In 1701 it was donated to Jesus College, Oxford, where it remains today. Here it was copied by the young Ioan Tegid when a student at University of Oxford c. 1815-17 for Charles Bosanquet. Later Tegid, as a senior bard and scholar, assisted Lady Charlotte Guest in her bilingual publication series, The Mabinogion, which brought the tales to the modern world. Her volume containing the Four Branches was published in 1845, and her work is still popular today.
a 2014 exhibition at the National Library of Wales, guested the Llyfr Coch, the Red Book, as part of its display, thus bringing the two main Mabinogi MSS. under one roof for the first time.

Editions

All of ''The Four Branches''

Ifor Williams, . Reprinted 1951. Middle Welsh spelling, making critical use of all the surviving manuscripts.
J. M. Edwards, Mabinogion (o Lyfr Coch Hergest): Pwyll, Pendefig Dyfed, Branwen Ferch Llyr, Manawyddan fab Llyr, Math fab Mathonwy. Modern Welsh spelling.The White Book of the Mabinogion: Welsh Tales and Romances Reproduced from the Peniarth Manuscripts. Series of Welsh Texts 7. Pwllheli.

Individual branches

The Four Branches are edited individually in Middle Welsh with English glossary and notes as follows:

First Branch: R. L. Thomson, Pwyll Pendeuic Dyuet. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1957.
Second Branch: D. S. Thomson, Branwen Uerch Lyr. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, 1976.
Fourth Branch: Ian Hughes, Math Uab Mathonwy: The Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi. Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, School of Celtic Studies, 2013,
Third Branch: Patrick K. Ford, Manawydan uab Llyr. Belmont, Mass.: Ford and Bailie, 2000.
Fourth Branch: Patrick K. Ford, Math uab Mathonwy. Belmont, Mass.: Ford and Bailie, 1999.

Resources

Introductory

ONLINE - FREE translation in English, a page for each Branch, by . Includes footnotes.
BOOK John Bollard's edition in English, 'Legend and Landscape of Wales: The Mabinogi' 2007. Illustrated with photographs of the sites in the tales.
VIDEO Cybi. Partly free on YouTube, fuller version of the retelling on DVD, by Cybi the laughing monk. Valley Stream.
RECORDING Jones, Colin. 2008. “.” Recordings of the Guest text, with background music. The first episode is free on the site.
Tales from the Mabinogion, trans. Gwyn Thomas. Illustrated by Margaret Jones. 2006.

Key resources for study

Morgain, Shan. . Comprehensive annotated bibliography, searchable on tags; can derive citations. Includes much material on the wider Mabinogion, and some background context e.g. history, language.
Parker, Will. “. The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, A Medieval Celtic Text; English Language Scholarship 1795-1997.” Mabinogi.net. A survey of Mabinogi scholarship from the 19thC to the end of the 20thC.
Parker, Will. . Mabinogi.net. Translations made for his book The Four Branches of the Mabinogi. Dublin: Bardic Press. See www.mabinogi.net for Parker's articles.

Translations into English

Pughe, William Owen. 1795. “The Mabinogion, or Juvenile Amusements, Being Ancient Welsh Romances.” Cambrian Register, 177–87. First publication, and English trans. of the first story in the First Branch. Also: Pughe, William Owen. 1829. “The Mabinogi: Or, the Romance of Math Ab Mathonwy.” The Cambrian Quarterly Magazine and Celtic Repository 1: 170–79. English trans. of the First Branch.
Guest, Charlotte; aka Charlotte Schreiber, trans. and editor. . Llandovery, Wales; and London; simultaneously. Guest's trans. continue to introduce many to the stories today in her characteristically flowing style.
Ellis, Thomas Peter., and Lloyd, John; trans. The Mabinogion: A New Translation by T.P. Ellis and John Lloyd. Oxford: Clarendon Press. An accurate and useful edition for students.
Jones, Gwyn and Thomas Jones; trans. The Mabinogion. Everyman's Library, 1949; revised 1974, 1989, 1993. The first major edition to supplant Guest.
*2001 Edition,,.
Gantz, Jeffrey; trans. The Mabinogion. London and New York: Penguin Books.. A popular edition for many years, still very readable pocket edition.
Ford, Patrick K. ; trans. The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales. Berkeley: University of California Press.. Focuses on the native tales of the Mabinogion, including the Mabinogi.
Parker, Will. 2003. “." Very useful free online resource for instant access, and quick checks.
Bollard, John K. trans, and Griffiths, Anthony; photog. The Mabinogi: Legend and Landscape of Wales. Gomer Press, Llandysul.. An excellent introduction, clear, beautifully designed, with photographs of the Mabinogi sites today.
Davies, Sioned. The Mabinogion. Oxford: Oxford University Press.. A modern edition in practical format, backed by solid scholarship.
J. R. R. Tolkien began work on a translation of Pwyll Prince of Dyfed. His translation is held at the Bodleian Library.

Modern interpretations

Walton, Evangeline. "The Mabinogion Tetralogy." Prose retelling. "The Island of the Mighty" 1970, first publ. as "The Virgin and the Swine" 1936; "The Children of Llyr" 1971; "The Song of Rhiannon" 1972; "Prince of Annwn" 1974. As a tetralogy New York: Ballantine Books..
Cybi. ' Partly free on YouTube and a fuller version of the retelling on DVD, by Cybi the laughing monk. Valley Stream. A lovely intro.
Hayes, Derek W.. . S4C / BBC Wales. Animation and video with leading musicians and actors, using cutting edge CGI tech. of the time, an impressive work. See artwork on the site.
Arberth Studios. '. Not very closely based, more loosely inspired.
Eames, Manon. Magnificent Myths of the Mabinogi. Stage performance of the full Mabinogi, in Aberystwyth. Staged in a slightly abridged version by Jill Williams at the Pontardawe Arts Centre, 2009. Each was performed by youth theatre.
Jones, Colin. 2008. . Recordings of the Guest text, with atmospheric background music. The first episode is free on the site.
In 2009 Seren Books began publishing a radical new interpretation of the tales, as a series, setting them in modern times and in different countries. The series completed 2014. See .
Damh the Bard has released three albums retelling the first three branches in a combination of song and spoken word with accompaniment. "Y Mabinogi - The First Branch", "Y Mabinogi - The Second Branch", "Y Mabinogi - The Third Branch". As of 2024, the final album is forthcoming. See .

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