====== Shan Morgain ======
I created this website, obviously, out of my love for the Mabinogi.\\
I am currently a PhD student at Swansea University: 'Mabinogi Rhiannon'.\\
My intent is to prevent others from having to reinvent the wheel. I do not see why others should not benefit from my hard work – and build on it, just as others have helped me. There is far too much time wasted duplicating others trudge work, hidden work. I want to clear the path for //thinking//.

{{::shan.png?200 |Shan, photo by John Davies, 2012}}
In making the fruits of my labour freely available online I want to acknowledge my online forerunners:\\
Mary Jones whose 'Jones Celtic Literature Collective: Welsh/ has since 1998 led so many on endless journeys of discovery with her wealth of information, online texts, A-Z indexes.\\
Will Parker who in 2003 shared his translations of the Mabinogi, plus abundant articles and notes from his research for his book “The Four Branches of the Mabinogi” (2005) I owe a great deal to Will’s generosity in doing this, and his kind personal support.\\
Jen McCormack, who created the first website exclusively about the Mabinogi with a forum community I much enjoyed in 2008. The site sadly has gone.\\
Sian Cleaver who created a beautiful Bookdrum profile of the Mabinogi, with copious notes, illustrations, maps and glossary. I think this dates to 2011.\\
Many other online resources are listed in my comprehensive **Mabinogi Bibliography**.

I also acknowledge inspiration from an eminent scholar of the 19thC who, like me, married into Wales from an English background. [[guest|Charlotte Guest]] brought the Mabinogi into the modern world with impressive scholarship and grace. (We'd probably have a rather forceful friendship I think.)\\
My supervisor Christine James at Swansea, gifted me with a warm welcome when I was lost and searching for an intellectual home. She is rigorous, and enormously patient. I am also ably supported by my second supervisor Liz McAvoy, with whom I share a passion for gender analysis.\\

**In ordinary life** I am an eccentric old matriarch who adores my cat friends. Long ago as a girl in London I fell in love with Celtic myths, which is what I called the Mabinogi then. Much later I fell in love with a wild Welshman, and with his Wales. I learned that Wales is less romantic but far more powerful than I knew. I am honoured to be 'adopted'. We all live in a ramshackle old 16thC manor house in Casnewydd/ Newport because six cats, John's ships and my books need space.\\
John loves my Mabinogi work, and his thoughts are in many parts of it, as well as endless practical help. The cats want absolute obedience. [[rhiannon|Rhiannon]], the strategist supreme, insists I tell her story. When I was young and English I believed in free will.\\
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(//First published 01/09/2013, updated 1/01/2018: Shan Morgain//)