The Mabinogi are the oldest prose stories on record in Britain, probably in Europe.¹⁾

These are mature narratives where women and men grow, change, and struggle with their fate, their society, and with who they are in themselves. Often known as Celtic myths or legends, the tales are an intricate literature in their own right. They tell of kings, queens, magicians, destiny and war, children, politics and love.

THIS WEBSITE is mainly about the Mabinogi, also known as Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi, or the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. There is also a fair amount of information about other connected mediaeval literature such as stories known from the larger Mabinogion collection.²⁾ The Mabinogi Bibliography is especially comprehensive, the only unified bibliography of (almost all) works about the Mabinogi, and much more context besides: approaching 2,000 listings.

WHEN? Earlier, stories were told as poems. The Mabinogi prose tales were coordinated into one work, c. 1100 in west Wales.³⁾ That was when the Norman Conquest was beginning to push its influence at native British (Welsh) culture. The Mabinogi stories themselves go back long before 1100 though, developing through oral storytelling.⁴⁾ In the written versions we have, later mediaeval attitudes and customs overlay the early ancestral level.

AS MYTHOLOGY There are traces of older goddesses and gods in the Mabinogi, with connections to Irish, Viking and other traditions. There is almost no sign of Christianity. For centuries it was assumed that the Mabinogi was ancient mythology alone, broken 'remains' of an ancestral Celtic religion, native to Britain. A case can certainly be made for some characters such as Rhiannon, Bendigeidfran and others, often distinctively British. Enchantment such as shapeshifting is a powerful part of the Mabinogi world, adding to its fascination. Reconstructing the original mythology, smoothing its 'inconsistencies' was an understandable 20thC preoccupation.⁵⁾
AS LITERATURE In the 1970s a new understanding began, led by John Bollard, that the Mabinogi is not a broken, muddled mess, but a 'unified' and 'intricate' literature. More, Bollard showed there are a mass of 'interweavings'; where one item reflects another elsewhere in the tale or in another the composer knew. These patterns provide a deeper understanding of what the Mabinogi is saying to us.⁶⁾
FEMINIST ANALYSIS Mabinogi characters are frequently complex and particularly human because of it, with few simple stereotypes. Mabinogi women are powerful, reflecting the greater status and authority mediaeval Welsh women had compared to non-Celtic cultures of Europe. However study of Mabinogi women lagged. (A leading book titled Rhiannon (1953) made this dominating heroine into a passive prize!) Rob Valente challenged this lack (1986), particularly saying goddess mythology was blocking understanding of the women as human persons. Mabinogi and gender has since developed a strong analysis.⁷⁾
STORYTELLING, DRAMA, ARTS The Mabinogi has inspired many creative works in the modern period. There have been impressive theatrical productions such as Moving Being's outdoor performances in Welsh castles (1981, 1983), to Manon Eames bilingual magnificence (2006). The storytelling revival has included a steady flow of Mabinogi tales since the 1970s, with full Mabinogi storytelling conferences held Aberystwyth 2015, 2017. An array of artists have created Mabinogi imagery in all forms. There is also the cult classic S4C film, videos, recordings, and many interpretative websites.

MANUSCRIPTS Once composed as one work, the Mabinogi was hand written in mediaeval manuscripts.
Three have survived, the earliest only a fragment.⁸⁾ The manuscripts were originally scribed in mediaeval Welsh (Middle Welsh). The oldest complete version is Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch, the 'White Book', named after the white colour of its book cover (gwyn = white). It is kept at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth, where it can be visited and seen today.⁹⁾ A slightly later version, Llyfr Coch Hergest, the 'Red Book', is kept at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, in England, also available to view (coch = red).¹⁰⁾

MODERN PUBLICATION The Mabinogi stories began to be published in modern print form in 1795 by the eminent William Pughe. He published both the Welsh and his English translations. He made a complete collection of mediaeval Welsh stories, The Mabinogion including the Mabinogi, and began a set of illustrations. Sadly he died just before he could publish it all (1835). The task was then carried out magnificently by the formidable Charlotte Guest, an Englishwoman. Her series of twelve tales also used the title The Mabinogion.¹¹⁾ The collection became well known, and has had more translations into English and many other world languages. Guest's version went online in 1999.¹²⁾ The most recent translation to receive widespread recognition is by Sioned Davies (2007/2008).

MABINOGION? Many people now know the title ‘ The Mabinogion.’ This is a loose collection of eleven (or twelve) tales taken from the manuscripts described above. The Mabinogion contains the Mabinogi as four of its eleven parts. But the ‘Mabinogion‘ as a name for the larger collection is an old mistake made in a mediaeval manuscript, a single ‘typo.’. Recently John Bollard has challenged the idea that the Mabinogion collection makes sense as a collection. He says that apart from the unified Mabinogi, the other tales are too different, their apparent unity deriving from survival in the same manuscript.¹³⁾

THE MABINOGI are one of the most fascinating source works of world literature. They have inspired legends, artworks, poetry, theatre, music, spirituality, film and fanfic, endless retellings. They are as much part of the classic culture of Britain as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Benn, Austen, or Orwell. They repay careful study for they are far more than simple stories. We can find in them links to mediaeval politics and laws, ancient lore and mythology, sophisticated literary structures, a wise humour, and a vision of cooperative society. This wealth is all displayed in a deceptively simple style so the tales can delight children and adults alike with the joy of a really good story. The Mabinogi is a precious gift from Wales, the earliest known prose stories in Britain, perhaps Europe.