The Mabinogion
Ratings4
Average rating4.3
15
Ratings4
Average rating4.3
The Mabinogion are the earliest prose literature of Britain. The stories were compiled in the 12th-13th centuries from earlier oral traditions by medieval Welsh authors. The two main source manuscripts were created c. 1350-1410, as well as some earlier fragments. But beyond their origins, first and foremost these are fine quality storytelling, offering high drama, philosophy, romance, tragedy, fantasy, sensitivity, and humour; refined through long development by skilled performers. (Source: Wikipedia)
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The Mabinogion is a collection of very, very old Welsh tales. As such they sound and feel very odd and stilted to the modern ear, but give very interesting insights into the mindset and culture prevalent for their time(s). I have loved the story of Blodeuwedd for many years (a woman created and groomed to be one thing for one man who chose to rebel and forge her own way, come on now) and for almost as long have intended to read the Mabinogion to hopefully obtain a better grasp on the culture and world of that particular story. The tales included in the book are not all related - a few are, but there appeared to be two very distinct groups. One that included Blodeuwedd and those characters, and one centering around King Arthur and his knights. The translation included much repetition, as one would expect of tales that were originally meant presented in an oral fashion with audience inclusion. I am not a historical scholar but it seemed to be quite an accurate and true to the original sound and content translation. I also really appreciated the explanatory section at the very beginning, that filled in some of the context I was missing and made listening to them much more enjoyable.
A beautiful depiction of Blodeuwedd (the flower goddess, the owl goddess, among other names) by Selina Fenech.
Audio Notes: Listened at 1.1 speed. I enjoyed the narration for this, and I doubt I would have had much success in reading it in book form, as I had tried that a few years back and did not finish. Due to the very old styling and content that seemed to need more background than I had (I never was able to keep most of the Welsh names straight, mostly because I could NOT understand them and even if I could, they certainly don't look, on paper, how they are pronounced), and my modern preferences in reading, I found it hard to get through that way. This narrator kept things moving and changed voice slightly when necessary but that was rarely needed just due to the way the tales are written.
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