The Mabinogi are the oldest (prose) stories on record in Europe.
Often known as Celtic myths or legends, these tales are superb literature in their own right. They tell of kings, queens, magicians, destiny and war, children, love and tragedy. These are mature narratives where women and men grow, change, and struggle with their fate, their society, and with who they are in themselves. This is a work of genius which can fascinate scholars for their lifetimes, yet also delight young children.
Many people have heard of the title ‘ Mabinogion.’ That is a list of eleven or twelve prose tales taken from Welsh mediaeval manuscripts. The Mabinogion contains the Four Branches of the Mabinogi as four of its eleven tales. See how this shows in the words – the shorter word Mabinogi is contained in the longer word Mabinogion. The Mabinogi also gets published and performed on its own.
‘Mabinogion‘, the name for the larger collection is an old mistake made in the mediaeval manuscript, one single ‘typo.’. It became established as a convenient name. Recently John Bollard has challenged the idea that the Mabinogion collection makes sense as a unit at all. He says the eleven stories are too different, their apparent unity coming merely from survival in the same manuscript.
The Mabinogi stories were composed in 12thC Cymru/ Wales, around the time of the Norman Conquest. They fit together as a long, single work in four Branches (parts). Before this revolution into prose story-telling, tales were all told in poems to aid memory with rhyme and rhythm. With more written records tales could be learned more easily and also read aloud.
The stories were later written (scribed) in mediaeval manuscripts in the 13th and 14thC. Only three manuscripts survive. The oldest one is now only fragments.
The oldest complete version is Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch, the White Book, named after the white colour of its cover (gwyn = white). It is kept safely in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth where it can be visited and seen today. A slightly later version Llyfr Coch Hergest, the Red Book, is kept at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, in England (coch = red). The manuscripts were scribed in Canol Cymraeg/ Middle Welsh/ mediaeval Welsh.
The letter P which begins the Mabinogi with the name ‘Pwyll.’
The Mabinogi stories began to be published in modern print form in 1795 by William Pughe. He translated them into English, and worked on a complete Mabinogion collection of mediaeval Welsh stories, including the Mabinogi. Sadly he died just as he was ready to publish. Senior Welsh scholars recruited the young Charlotte Guest, an Englishwoman and linguist who had married a Welsh ironmaster. She carried out the task magnificently 1838-1845, using the traditional title The Mabinogion. Her English translation became well known, passed through lots of editions , and went online in 1999. There are a number of other, more modern translations.
This website is mainly about the Mabinogi, also known as Pedair Cainc, or the Four Branches. There is a fair amount of information about other connected mediaeval literature such as stories known from the larger Mabinogion collection, plus their social context, and modern theories.
The manuscripts were scribed in mediaeval Welsh (Middle Welsh). The Mabinogi stories began to be published in modern print form in 1795 by William Pughe. He translated them into English, and worked on a complete collection of mediaeval Welsh stories, including the Mabinogi, for over 40 years. Sadly he died just before he could publish. The task was then carried out magnificently by the formidable Charlotte Guest, an Englishwoman. Her series of eleven tales published 1838-1845 used the title The Mabinogion. This collection became well known, passed through several translations , and went online in 2002.
Many people now know the title ‘ Mabinogion.’ This means a list 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 the mediaeval manuscript, a single ‘typo.’. It became established as a convenient name. Recently John Bollard has challenged the idea that the Mabinogion collection makes sense as a unit at all. He says the eleven stories are too different, their apparent unity deriving from survival in the same manuscript.
This website is mainly about the Mabinogi, also known as Pedair Cainc, or the Four Branches. There is also a fair amount of information about other connected mediaeval literature such as stories known from the larger Mabinogion collection, plus their social context, and modern theories.
The Mabinogi are one of the most fascinating source works of world literature. They are an inspiration for legends, artworks, poetry, theatre, music, and spirituality. 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. This is a rich gift from the Cymru/ Wales.
Edited 25/03/25 from the original 2015 version
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