Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, and an intriguing interpretation of British history - these are just some of the themes embraced by the anonymous authors of the eleven tales that make up the Welsh medieval masterpiece known as the Mabinogion. They tell of Gwydion the shape-shifter, who can create a woman out of flowers; of Math the magician whose feet must lie in the lap of a virgin; of hanging a pregnant mouse and hunting a magical boar. Dragons, witches, and giants live alongside kings and heroes, and quests of honour, revenge, and love are set against the backdrop of a country struggling to retain its independence. This new translation, the first for thirty years, recreates the storytelling world of medieval Wales and re-invests the tales with the power of performance.
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Review
"An illuminating and relaxed translation...Sioned Davies has done
[the Mabinogion] and her modern readers proud."
-- The Times (Books), February 24, 2007
"An illuminating and relaxed translation...The Mabinogion are the cornerstone of medieval Welsh literature. They are gloriously inventive, highly dramatic, sometimes ferocious, sometimes lyrical, often witty, and ultimately profound in their understanding and revelation of human nature. In my estimate, Sioned Davies has done them and her modern readers proud." -- Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Times (Books)
"It may be said at once that the translation will have instant success. It will bring the tales to thousands of new readers, while its commentary will be a vital tool for scholars....By fuelling debate on this and other questions, Sioned Davies's splendid volume inaugurates a new age of Mabinogion studies." -- Modern Language Review
"It will bring the tales to thousands of new readers, while its
commentary will be a vital tool for scholars." -- Modern Language Review
"The Mabinogion is famously magical. Enchantment glows on every
page."
-- The Independent on Sunday, March 4, 2007
"The Mabinogion is famously magical. Enchantment glows on every page, but it does not here violate the laws of nature: it reveals them." -- Murrough O'Brien, The Independent on Sunday
"This fresh, energetic translation is a revelation and, for the first time, shows off The Mabinogion tales as what they were originally: splendid entertainment." -- The Guardian Review
'An accurate and very lively version of the tales: it sounds
modern and reads well.'
-- Cambria Magazine, April 1, 2007
'Professor Davies's translation surpasses all its predecessors in
accuracy and readability...[her] introduction can be recommended
unreservedly.' -- TLS, July 2007
[the Mabinogion] and her modern readers proud."
-- The Times (Books), February 24, 2007
"An illuminating and relaxed translation...The Mabinogion are the cornerstone of medieval Welsh literature. They are gloriously inventive, highly dramatic, sometimes ferocious, sometimes lyrical, often witty, and ultimately profound in their understanding and revelation of human nature. In my estimate, Sioned Davies has done them and her modern readers proud." -- Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Times (Books)
"It may be said at once that the translation will have instant success. It will bring the tales to thousands of new readers, while its commentary will be a vital tool for scholars....By fuelling debate on this and other questions, Sioned Davies's splendid volume inaugurates a new age of Mabinogion studies." -- Modern Language Review
"It will bring the tales to thousands of new readers, while its
commentary will be a vital tool for scholars." -- Modern Language Review
"The Mabinogion is famously magical. Enchantment glows on every
page."
-- The Independent on Sunday, March 4, 2007
"The Mabinogion is famously magical. Enchantment glows on every page, but it does not here violate the laws of nature: it reveals them." -- Murrough O'Brien, The Independent on Sunday
"This fresh, energetic translation is a revelation and, for the first time, shows off The Mabinogion tales as what they were originally: splendid entertainment." -- The Guardian Review
'An accurate and very lively version of the tales: it sounds
modern and reads well.'
-- Cambria Magazine, April 1, 2007
'Professor Davies's translation surpasses all its predecessors in
accuracy and readability...[her] introduction can be recommended
unreservedly.' -- TLS, July 2007
About the Author
Sioned Davies is Chair of Welsh at Cardiff University. Her special interest is the interplay between orality and literacy, together with the performance aspects of medieval Welsh narrative. Her publications include Crefft y Cyfarwydd (Cardiff, 1995), which is a study of narrative techniques in the Mabinogion, The Four Branches of the Mabinogi (Llandysul, 1993), and a co-edited volume, The Horse in Celtic Culture: Medieval Welsh Perspectives (Cardiff, 1997).
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First Sentence
Pwyll, prince of Dyfed, was lord over the seven cantrefs of Dyfed.* Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Pwyll, prince of Dyfed, was lord over the seven cantrefs of Dyfed.* Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
By Greywolf
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a new English translation of that classic collection of Welsh myths and legends known (erroneously) as The Mabinogion, consisting of eleven stories featuring King Arthur and his knights, magic, shape-shifting, giants, talking animals, wily gods and powerful goddesses. These tales are probably most familiar to English readers through the first English translation made by Lady Charlotte Guest in the 1840s, reprinted many times since and available for free download from several websites. The Guest version benefits from a high Victorian, King James Bible style of writing, replete with thees and thous. Personally, I'm a sucker for all that. Unfortunately, as a good Victorian gentlewoman, Lady Charlotte edited out what she regarded as the naughty bits of the stories. For this reason alone, this new translation is to be welcomed. Being made by a much better-informed scholar of the Welsh language, this edition is also much more accurate than its predecessor. Not only that but the translator, Sioned Davies, has a strong interest in the oral storytelling tradition in which the tales were originally formulated and has, therefore, produced a text eminently suited to being read or spoken aloud for an audience. The language is clear and the tales come across as fresh and entertaining, capable of being read for enjoyment rather than purely for historical interest. Hooray for that, as they are very fine stories, representing one of the oldest storytelling traditions in Europe. Hopefully this excellent translation will bring them before a wider audience.
42 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This edition of The Mabinogion is truly an excellent translation; not only that, but there is helpful introductory material for anyone studying the text, or those who wish to learn more about the mythology and stories behind it. The Four Branches of the Mabinogi and the other stories are themselves fast paced and a very rewarding read, I cannot recommend this book heartily enough. The hardcover edition is also very pleasing to the eye, a well-conceived publication through and through.
46 of 49 people found the following review helpful
By Ryan Kelton
Format:Hardcover
Where can I begin? The newest translation of the Mabinogion, those famous medieval Welsh stories is more than expected. Sioned Davies, chair of Welsh at Cardiff University certainly is within her element in bringing these stories into English. Her prose is poetic and crisp, and a delight to read. Her endnotes are informative and the pronunciation guide one of the clearest I've ever come into contact with. And that's just the translation itself! The stories are, of course, classics of literature the equal of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, or even (in my not-so humble opinion) Shakespeare. If you choose to purchase a translation of the Mabinogion, you can't do much better than the sublimity of Sioned Davies'.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Trosiad safonol gwych.
Addas i unrhywun sydd â diddordeb mewn llenyddiaeth gymraeg.
Cyflwyniad da i'r Mabinogion ar gyfer fyfyrwyr a dysgwyr profiadol o bob oed.
Cyflwyniad da i'r Mabinogion ar gyfer fyfyrwyr a dysgwyr profiadol o bob oed.
Published 22 days ago by Mr Paul Fisher
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Mabinogion
The book arrived promptly and in good condition. It was bought as a present for a Welsh person. I shouldn't have bothered: it was reported to be a collection of Welsh fairy... Read more
Published 2 months ago by A. T. Atkinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five stars for the translation, one star for the Kindle edition
This is an excellent, highly readable translation. However, the Kindle edition is very poor; the formatting looks like the book was simply scanned and there are no links for the... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jonathan Davies
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting
Bought it after I went to a talk by the author. The first four stories are very readable but the later ones were much to complicated to follow.
Published 22 months ago by B. F. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars
Mabinogion
This book arrived promptly and in excellent condition. I haven't started reading it yet, but look forward to it. I can thoroughly recommend this seller.
Published 22 months ago by Mrs. H. P. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Mabinogion
The translation of the Welsh is easy to read and the age old stories are brought to life. I would recommed this book to both Pagan and none Pagans who are interested in the old... Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2009 by witchygirl
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