I created this website, obviously, out of my love for the Mabinogi.
My intent is to prevent others from having to reinvent the wheel. I am currently a postgraduate student at Swansea university, honoured by the mentoring of my supervisor Christine James. I do not see why others should not benefit from my hard work – and build on it.
Shan Morgain (2012) by John Davies.
In making the fruits of my labour freely available online I 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 Four Branches, 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 since.
Jen McCormack, who created the first website exclusively about the Mabinogi with a forum community and coursework, in 2008. The site still exists minus its live community.
Sian Cleaver who created a beautiful Bookdrum profile of the Mabinogi, with copious notes, illustrations, maps and glossary. I think this dates to 2011.
More specialist, and many other online resources are listed in my comprehensive Bibliography.
I also acknowledge my debt to an eminent scholar of the 19thC who, like me, married into Wales from an English background. Charlotte Guest brought the Mabinogi into the modern world with impressive scholarship and grace. She is an inspiration to me.
Finally I would like to thank my supervisor Christine James at Swansea, who honoured me with a warm welcome when I was lost and searching for an intellectual home. She is thorough, rigorous and kind. I am also ably supported by my second supervisor Liz McAvoy with whom I share a passion for gendered analysis.
As for me, I am an eccentric old matriarch who keeps huge Maine Coon cats, not forgetting the Abyssinian, in a ramshackle 16thC manor house in Casnewydd. I fell in love with Celtic myths as a girl, then later fell in love with a wild Welshman and with Wales 25 years ago. With his help I moved deeper and deeper into the Mabinogi. He is still by my side, and much enjoys my work.
I often feel like Rhiannon is pushing me on to tell her story.
(First published 01/09/2013: Shan Morgain)