Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- triads [2018/02/04 18:41]
admin
+++ triads [2018/02/04 19:40] (current)
admin [OBSERVATIONS]
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 CHARACTERS LIST  Arianrhod (35, 78), Bendigeidfran (37), Branwen (Implicit, 53, 95), Caradawc (13), Caswallawn (35, 38), Goronwy (30), Gwydion (28), Lleu (67), (Mabon, 52), Manawydan (8, 67), Math (27, 28), Pendaran (26), Pryderi (26), Pwyll (26).
+In the account below numbers in [square brackets] refer to a Branch, e.g. [1] = First Branch.
 ===== SUMMARY =====
-Numbers in [square brackets] refer to the Branch, e.g. [1] = First Branch.
+What has survived is a mixed bag only partly matching prominent characters of the Mabinogi.
-What has survived is a mixed bag only partly matching prominent characters of the Mabinogi.\\
 {{ ::triskele_multicoloured.png?200|}}
 **Pryderi** [4] seems a good match as Triad 26 is the ‘longest and most informative’, just as Pryderi is the most persistent Mabinogi character through all four Branches. However this Triad relates only to Pryderi’s death episode, while not actually referring to it, only the pigs at the heart of it. There is no mention of Pryderi’s birth, childhood [1], his fame as a war leader [1, 2] and his captivity [3], though these narratives may have appeared in Triads not extant.\\
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 **Arianrhod** [4] appears as an outstanding royal beauty in Triad 78. Another Triad 35 records a tradition not in the Mabinogi, where Arianrhod accompanies **Caswallawn** abroad against Caesar’s Romans. Possibly the wealth in silver ‘//aran//’ which the armies took away, identifies her with the expedition. Again, her epic power play with Gwydion is not in evidence.
-The other  three Triad connections are not very significant. Triad 30 accords with heroic values in condemning **Goronwy’s** warband [4] for not dying in place of their lord. Triad 67, the Golden Shoemakers, includes **Lleu** as well as Manawydan. Like Manawydan Lleu [4] was a noble who adopted shoemaking temporarily, though in his case it was a deception played on Arianrhod. The remaining Triad 52 refers to **Mabon**, not named in the Mabinogi, but found in //Culhwch//. He has been linked with Pryderi as both were noble prisoners.
+The other  three Triad connections are not very significant. Triad 30 accords with heroic values in condemning **Goronwy’s** warband [4] for not dying in place of their lord. Triad 67, the Golden Shoemakers, includes **Lleu** as well as Manawydan. Like Manawydan Lleu [4] was a noble who adopted shoemaking temporarily, though in his case it was a deception played on Arianrhod. The remaining Triad 52 refers to **Mabon**, not named in the Mabinogi, but found in //Culhwch//. Mabon has been linked with Pryderi as both were noble prisoners.
 ===== OBSERVATIONS =====
-{{ ::triskele_multic_cut.png?200|}}As noted at the start of this summary, some of the Triads (listed above), while they do relate to Mabinogi characters, do not match them very closely. The lack of parallels for Pryderi’s detailed Mabinogi life story is notable as only his final death episode is in a Triad. Even then it is only the pigs which doomed him which feature, not his death story itself. The apparent omission of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and most of Bendigeidran’s and Arianrhod’s stories, is striking.\\
+{{ ::triskele_multic_cut.png?200|}}As noted at the start of this summary, the Triads listed above, while they do relate to Mabinogi characters, do not match them very closely. The lack of parallels for Pryderi’s detailed Mabinogi life story is notable as only his final death episode is in a Triad. Even then it is only the pigs which doomed him which feature, not his death story itself. The apparent omission of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and most of Bendigeidran’s and Arianrhod’s stories, is striking.\\
-**This might all be explained by historical accident.** The Triads developed through oral tradition, ‘lore’, and much may have been lost before it could be written down. Against that we can look at the purpose of the Triads, which was precisely to help the bards remember lists of people and events. They trained heavily in such arts of memory so transmission to writing should not have been so piecemeal.\\
+**This might all be explained by historical accident.** The Triads developed through oral tradition, ‘lore’, and much may have been lost before it could be written down. Against that we must recall the purpose of the Triads, which was precisely to help the bards remember lists of people and events. They trained heavily in such arts of memory, so transmission to writing need not have been so piecemeal.\\
-Some help may come from looking at the nature of the selection of Triads which do survive.
+**What else might account for** the only partial overlap, and some decided difference in attitude, may be revealed by looking at the nature of relevant Triad information which does survive.
-**The Triads are much concerned with warfare, and its heroes**. There are a lot of these fighting heroes in them, and even their horses are commemorated. Goronwy’s warband is condemned as unheroic, where in the Mabinogi their refusal to die for him seems positive as it enables Lleu’s righteous revenge on Goronwy himself. Other male Mabinogi protagonists Manawydan, Math, Gwydion and Lleu are in Triads as non-combatants. Yet all of them in the Mabinogi are active fighters. The Triads seem to be most intrigued by their unaggressive features. Manawydan especially is noted as lacking in the essential urge of the nobleman, to acquire territory. Given that the Mabinogi can easily be seen as offering an anti-war message, this contrast with the Triads is understandable.\\
+**The Triads are much concerned with warfare, and its gloried heroes**. There are a lot of these fighting heroes in them, and even their horses are commemorated. Goronwy’s warband is condemned as unheroic, where in the Mabinogi their refusal to die for him seems a moral judgement on a cowardly man, and it enables Lleu’s righteous revenge. Other male Mabinogi protagonists Manawydan, Math, Gwydion and Lleu are in Triads as non-combatants. Manawydan especially is noted as lacking in the essential urge of the nobleman, to acquire territory. Math and Gwydion are magicians. Manawydan, Gwydion and Lleu become shoemakers. Yet all of these men  are also active fighters in the Mabinogi. The Triads seem unable to view males as both heroic, and otherwise. The Mabinogi by contrast does present them as both fighters and other roles. Its narrative can easily be seen as offering an anti-war theme, much concerned with legal controls and diplomacy which averts violence.\\
-**Triad treatment of Mabinogi women is weak**. Branwen, significantly, is the most clearly present, and she is the least forceful and active of the main Mabinogi women. Rhiannon, who represents a highly successful and formidable woman working the system for her own ambitions, is not in the Triads at all, unless lost in an archaic shadow. Arianrhod’s political power struggle which broke her dynasty, is also absent though her looks are praised, and possibly her wealth noted.\\
+**Triad treatment of Mabinogi women is weak**. Branwen, significantly, is the most clearly present, for she is the least forceful and active of the main Mabinogi women. Rhiannon, a highly successful and formidable woman working the system for her own ambitions, is not in the Triads at all, unless lost in an archaic shadow. Arianrhod’s political power struggle which broke her dynasty, is also absent though her looks are praised, and possibly her wealth noted.\\
-**All together the Triads seem to present a different worldview**, one centred on the glories of war, and fighting heroes. This fits with the bardic class who held highly paid positions in the royal courts with many privileges. Their profession was expressly about producing public relations poetry for their princes. The Triads gave them useful memory lists to quickly make admiring parallels between their prince and historic or legendary events.\\
+**All together the Triads seem to present a different worldview**, one centred on the glories of war,  fighting male heroes, and beauteous heroines. This fits with the bardic class who held highly paid positions in the royal courts with many privileges. Their profession was expressly about producing public relations poetry for their princes and their ladies. The Triads gave them useful memory lists to quickly make admiring parallels between their patron and historic or legendary events.\\
-**The Mabinogi by contrast centres on the politics of kindreds and enchanters**, which only twice gives rise to war, both times making it clear this is greatly deplored. Otherwise war is avoided through skilled negotiations. Violence is never glorified. Women figure not much for their looks but as advisers, active negotiators, or opponents. The stories do not make comparisons with historic heroes as bardic poetry and the Triads do. Mabinogi presentation lets a hero or heroine’s actions speak for themselves. Its //cyfarwydd//, storyteller, does not comment directly with praise or contempt, and uses few description words.
+**The Mabinogi by contrast centres on the politics of kindreds and enchanters**, stories which only twice give rise to war, both times making it clear this is greatly deplored. Otherwise war is avoided through skilled negotiations. Violence is never glorified. Women figure not much for their looks but as advisers, active negotiators, or opponents. The stories do not make comparisons with historic heroes as bardic poetry and the Triads do. Mabinogi presentation lets a hero or heroine’s actions speak for themselves. Its //cyfarwydd//, storyteller, does not comment directly with praise or contempt, and uses few description words.
 {{ ::triskele_brown_blue.png?200|}}
 **Evidently the bards and the //cyfarwyddiaid//, prose storytellers, were two distinct cultures**, and most likely two distinct classes of people. The courtly bards appear to be male heroics centred, which fits well with their paid professionalism to extol princely warmakers. They were named professionals, so they could be paid their stipend and perquisites. The Triads were skilful tools of their professional showmanship to aid fast, modular composition of new pieces.\\
-**The //cyfarwyddiaid//, storytellers**, were much more inclusive of women as agents of drama, concerned with negotiations and diplomacy which could avoid war, and with hidden manipulators (enchanters). Gwydion’s strategy of adopting the role of a //cyfarwydd// [4] indicates a nomadic, freelancer craft, warmly welcomed, their leaders at least educated in court graces so able to converse with princes. They were paid by piecework not a regular ‘wage’(cf. Rhiannon calls for the 'minstrels' to be paid the morning of her wedding. [1]) They transmitted stories rather than author new ones, so their names did not survive into long term record.
+**The //cyfarwyddiaid//, storytellers**, were concerned with negotiations and diplomacy which could avoid war, with hidden manipulators (enchanters), and much more inclusive of women as agents of drama,. Gwydion’s strategy of adopting the role of a //cyfarwydd// [4] indicates a nomadic, freelancer craft, with leaders at least educated in court graces enough to converse with princes. They were warmly welcomed at courts but lacked the official status in the Laws which bards had. They were paid by piecework, not a regular ‘wage’(cf. Rhiannon calls for the 'minstrels' to be paid off the morning of her wedding. [1]) They transmitted traditional stories rather than authored new ones, so while some may have been popular presenters (like folk singers) their names did not survive into long term records.
-**The Triads certainly overlap in places with Mabinogi people and events**, suggesting some exchange between the two classes. But the Triads have only a small amount to add to what is already there in the Mabinogi itself, while the Mabinogi offers a wealth of information about its chosen protagonists. It therefore seems to be an independent work of art by a composer who was not a bard, not established at any one court, but a freelancer of this other interestingly mobile class, who moved between the courts of Gwent, Dyfed, Gwynedd, and perhaps elsewhere. They seem to know something of the bardic techniques of Triads (and //englyn// poetry [2, 4]) which they show off a little, but this is far from their main concern.\\
+**The Triads certainly overlap in places with Mabinogi people and events**, suggesting some exchange between the two classes of bard and //cyfnarwydd//. But the Triads have only a small amount to add to what is already there in the Mabinogi itself, while the Mabinogi offers a wealth of information about the same characters. It therefore seems to be an independent work of art by a composer who was not a bard, not established at any one court, but a freelancer of this other interestingly mobile craft, who moved between the courts of Gwent, Dyfed, Gwynedd, and elsewhere. They seem to know something of the bardic techniques of Triads (and //englyn// poetry [2, 4]) which they show off just a little, but this is very far from their main concern.
-That key message is about peace and diplomacy, much at odds with the elite, male bards and their warring princes.
+**The key Mabinogi theme is about peace and diplomacy between kindreds, complexities very different to  the elite, male bards and their warring princes. The bards, attached to a fixed 'side' for their living and their honour, understandably take a polarised vuew.**
 Shan Morgain (c) 4/02/2017

Mabinogi Study

User Tools

Site Tools

Differences

Page Tools