Every so often I like to take a break from
reading fiction to enjoy some primary sources. This isn’t just for research. I
like the primary sources, especially those in the Celtic and Arthurian realm.
Some of my favourite sources are the medieval
Welsh tales assembled in what is known as the Mabinogi, translated by Lady Charlotte Guest in the mid-19th
century.
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| Lady Charlotte Guest |
Some of the stories in the Mabinogi are retellings of the later
medieval romances. However, some of the earlier tales, those known as the Four
Branches of the Mabinogi, are
believed to be more ancient tales from the days of the Celtic heroic age.
These Four Branches are the most
interesting to me and are a true escape into a world of magical beasts and
enchanted realms. They are also believed to have been teaching texts for young
Welsh princes of the day, intended to show them the characteristics of good
kingly rule and behaviour.
The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, which are tied together by the
character of Pryderi, include the following tales:
Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed
Branwen, Daughter of Llyr
Manawydan, Son of Llyr
Math, Son of Mathonwy
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| Pwyll - by Alan Lee |
Of the four branches, Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed is my absolute favourite. I have never tired
of reading it since I first studied it in university. Not only is it full of
magic, love, battles, monsters, and tales of honour and betrayal, but it is
also a perfect illustration of Celtic archetypes. We’ll go over a few of these
but first, here is the story in brief:
Pwyll, a mortal man, is a Prince of Dyfed
who comes into contact with Arawn, King of Annwn, the Celtic Otheworld. The two
become friends and switch places for a year so that Pwyll can help Arawn defeat
a foe in his own world. Pwyll succeeds and becomes ‘Head of Annwn’. While he
was away, Arawn ruled justly and fairly in his place, and Pwyll’s subjects ask
him to continue the good rule, which he does.
Then, one day when Pwyll is out with his
men, he is sitting on a magical hill when he sees a woman on a magical horse
that cannot be caught up to. This is Rhiannon, a maiden from the Otherworld. On
a third attempt to catch up to her, she stops for Pwyll whom she has been
seeking. They are to marry but their marriage is delayed by another suitor to
Rhiannon, Gwawl, who tricks Pwyll into giving Rhiannon to him. But Rhiannon
saves Pwyll from himself by giving him a magic bag which he uses to capture Gwawl.
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| Arawn's Hounds |
Pwyll and Rhiannon are married and after a
while, they finally have a son. But on the night of his birth, the boy is taken
from them. The frightened servants conspire to blame Rhiannon, and accuse her
of eating her child. Pwyll, as a ruler, must assign a punishment to his wife
for this, and orders her to carry visitors to the castle upon her back while
telling them what she did. The land suffers after this.
Luckily, Teirnon, a man loyal to Pwyll,
finds the child when the monstrous hand that is taking his horses also leaves a
baby. Teirnon slays the hand and saves the baby whom he and his wife foster. After some years, Teirnon realizes that the child resembles his lord, Pwyll,
and so he and his wife take the child back to his parents, thus redeeming
Rhiannon, giving Pwyll back his heir and restoring the land once more.
This is a highly abbreviated version of the
story and if it does spark some interest, you should definitely read it. Pwyll makes a good holiday read while
curled up next to your hearth fire.
Of all the tales in the Mabinogi, this one feels like the
neatest, if that makes sense. It has three sections – Pwyll in Annwn; Pwyll and
Rhiannon; and the disappearance of Pwyll and Rhiannon’s son, Pryderi.
The number three and the occurrence of
things in threes is a strong archetype in Celtic tradition.
Patterns of the number three occur in the
number of Arawn’s dogs, and the number of times Rhiannon appears to Pwyll
before she stops, for instance.
Magical animals are also common in Celtic
tales; Arawn has three white hounds with red-tipped ears, and Rhiannon rides a
magical white horse that cannot be caught. She is also followed by magical
birds wherever she goes.
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| Rhiannon - by Alan Lee |
The character of Rhiannon is one of my
favourite things in Pwyll: her magic,
her beauty, her strength. I also love her portrayal as the goddess Epona who
also rode a white horse, was accompanied by birds, or foals, and carried a
magical bag that symbolized her role as a fertility goddess.
The theme of contact between the natural
world and the Celtic Otherworld is also strong. Pwyll meets Arawn in the
forest, meets with Rhiannon who is from the Otherworld, and then there is the
otherworldly monster that steals their child. There is a constant fluidity
between the two worlds in the Four Branches of the Mabinogi.
The archetype of the magical hill is one
that is strong in Celtic myth. Pwyll is sitting on a magical hill when Rhiannon
appears to him. Hills were said to be gateways to the Otherworld. This reminds
me of Glastonbury Tor which, in some traditions, is believed to be a gateway to
Annwn.
In the second part of Pwyll, we see the themes of the feast and the rival suitor where
Pwyll’s judgement is tested. With the help of Rhiannon and her magical bag,
another archetype, the marriage of the mortal and otherworld being comes to
fruition. This too is a common theme.
But there are more trials in the form of
the demonization of Rhiannon which symbolizes the loss of the goddess’ power
and the subsequent weakening of the land as Pwyll remains powerless to do
anything but punish his wife in the face of the loss of their son.
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| Teirnon slays the Monster - by Alan Lee |
The finding and fostering of the lost child
is also common to Celtic literature, and when Teirnon returns the child to
Pwyll, Rhiannon is released from her bondage and the land blossoms once again.
Those of you with an Arthurian bent will
spot the similarities right away in the fostering of Arthur with Sir Ector, and
his teaching by Merlin. And when Guinevere is demonized in Arthurian tradition,
Arthur falls into despair and the land suffers.
What is interesting in this tale is that
Pwyll’s deficiencies are repaired by his contact with, and subsequent learning
from, stronger figures than himself, namely Arawn, Rhiannon, and his loyal
subject Teirnon. As the story progresses, we are witness to Pwyll’s growth in
wisdom, courtesy and generosity – the things that make a king truly great.
The Celtic archetypes in this tale and
others help to bridge the gap between the natural world and Otherworld, to
educate the hero, and light the hero’s way to effective sovereignty.
If you have never done so, I recommend that
you read the tales contained in the Mabinogi,
especially the Four Branches, and especially Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed. Let them envelop and transport you to that
time long ago when goddesses emerged from the woods and Fairy lords befriended
their mortal counterparts.
I hope you find these tales as entertaining
and educational as I have.
Thank you for reading.
You can download a FREE electronic version
(all formats) of the Mabinogi at the
Project Gutenberg website by clicking HERE.
You can also read a bit more about the
Mabinogi on the Camelot Project web pages.
