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The Mabinogian

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 2,721 ratings · 173 reviews

The stories of the Mabinogion appear in two Medieval Welsh manuscripts, the White book of Rhydderch (Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch) written about 1350, and the Red Book of Hergest (Llyfr Coch Hergest) written about 1382. Although fragments of these tales have been preserved in earlier thirteenth-century manuscripts, scholars agree that the tales are much older. The tales have had a...more

Paperback, 252 pages

Published July 1st 2008 by Waking Lion Press (first published 1410)

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Feb 04, 2008 Stephanie Griffin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like mythology

The Mabinogi are four linked medieval Welsh tales; Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, Branwen daughter of Llyr, Manawydan son of Llyr, and Math son of Mathonwy. Other tales are included in this volume, which represents the core of Welsh mythology. Each story is prefaced with a plain-English summary, then the story is presented as originaly written (the editor, Patrick K. Ford, did the translating). There is a handy glossary of names, a pronunciation guide, and an index of names at the back of the book.
The...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Mary Jones rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm splitting the difference between my love of the medieval collection (i.e. Y Mabinogi and other Welsh tales) and Lady Charlotte Guest's sometimes-bowdlerized, romanticized, nineteenth-century (and I mean that in the worst possible way) translation (which would garner at best two stars, because I'm feeling generous). The real advantage of this book is if you're interested in the history of how the Mabinogion has been treated in the English language; otherwise, you should decide if you want

a.)...more

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Oct 06, 2008 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm reading the Mabinogion after a childhood spent reading books that were based on these Welsh myths: The Chronicles of Prydain, The Dark is Rising, The Owl Service... I recall that those retellings/recyclings were a bit more user-friendly, but what I love about mythology is the concentrated nature of it. These are oral traditions boiled down to their essence--the versions finally set to paper are meant to communicate what was really important to someone nearly 1000 years ago, from stories that...more

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May 23, 2009 Mark Adderley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: medieval-literature

This is an excellent translation of the Mabinogion. Unlike Gantz, Davies uses familiar spellings of names, which I like; unlike Jones and Jones, she divides dialogue up into paragraphs--a conversation can be pretty confusing when it's printed as a single paragraph. Above all, though, Davies translates for oral performance--they're wonderful stories to read aloud. Occasionally, when the action is getting intense, Davies will switch to the present tense, as the Welsh originals do. It makes the nar...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Caracalla rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think this is mostly interesting as an artefact of early British mythography and as Jeffrey Gantz is at pains to emphasize generally lacks literary interest. The material here seems to stem from an ill-remembered oral tradition that is heavily influenced by the Irish myth cycle and seems to contain much of the material Geoffrey of Monmouth records (so has a historicizing component?). French Romance seems to have been influenced and then influenced in turn these myths particularly in the storie...more I think this is mostly interesting as an artefact of early British mythography and as Jeffrey Gantz is at pains to emphasize generally lacks literary interest. The material here seems to stem from an ill-remembered oral tradition that is heavily influenced by the Irish myth cycle and seems to contain much of the material Geoffrey of Monmouth records (so has a historicizing component?). French Romance seems to have been influenced and then influenced in turn these myths particularly in the stories of the Knights Owein, Peredur and Gereint at the end of the collection (although Gantz again traces 'chivalric', French elements to the Four branches of the Mabinogi). Here, we might see the origins of the Fisher King story in Math so there's also originality, seen more broadly in a general interest in the reality bending powers of magic in stories as in Manawydan's branch of the Mabinogi. Some of the stories seem horrendously corrupted somehow or just lack the original richness these stories probably had, particularly the Mabinogi branches and the long and lacklustre story of Culhwch. Gantz thinks some of the later Romances and Rhonabwy's dream are much better but their improvement seems to be mostly in the formulaic interest in the clothing of characters etc. Rhonabwy's dream is potential something of a parody of older welsh tales in its description of a rather uncomfortable sort of hospitality and a frigid style of courtesy in the hosts of Rhonabwy; it hints at a broader tradition that sees King Arthur as part of a glorious British past.

In comparison to heroic literature in other cultures, it has a similar interest in ethical matters which Gantz sees as part of the French Tradition bringing chivalric values back to the Welsh but could have been independently conceived or indeed separate to the french development of chivalry. It also describes heroic activities with similar interest to the Iliad or whatever. Broadly speaking we are dealing with epic matters written in prose then.(less)

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Sep 07, 2011 Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have five different translations of the Mabinogi, and this is the first one where I was able to finish the whole book, so on that basis alone Davies has my undying affection. Of the others, Ford's has works that this edition lacks, so if I can ever find my copy of it, I will read those to supplement the Davies edition. My only real problem with this translation is that when the "exciting parts" happen (usually the climax of a story), the narrative switches to present tense. Davies claims this...more

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Mar 26, 2011 Basicallyrun rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: asnc-y

I love the stripped-down style of the original tales (well. Apart from the, what, five pages of all the knights that were at Arthur's court that day in one of the tales. I imagine that sounded lovely and lyrical when it was being performed aloud, but in written form it does drag a little) and I think Jeffrey Gantz has done a brilliant job in capturing a slightly archaic, but still perfectly readable cadence here. I also like the way names are left untranslated in the text, but are usually footno...more

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Jan 25, 2013 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: train-read, medieval, uk-ir

Not really a review, but I was asked for a opinion, so:

I'm nowhere near a qualified scholar of anything Welsh; therefore, I probably missed a lot of intricacies. On the top of that, I read the translation that is generally viewed as inferior. But needs (student's ever-empty pockets) must, so free ebook on smartphone during the commute it was.

Things I noticed:
-Invisibility and magic cauldrons play a great part, even in latter, Christian-influenced works. There are some elaborate illusions as well...more Not really a review, but I was asked for a opinion, so:

I'm nowhere near a qualified scholar of anything Welsh; therefore, I probably missed a lot of intricacies. On the top of that, I read the translation that is generally viewed as inferior. But needs (student's ever-empty pockets) must, so free ebook on smartphone during the commute it was.

Things I noticed:
-Invisibility and magic cauldrons play a great part, even in latter, Christian-influenced works. There are some elaborate illusions as well.
-The order is baffling: we start with Arthuriana (three romances plus two of "native tales"), then jump to paganic Four Branches (and shift in the style is very apparent), then turn back to "native tales". Why wasn't the order chronological? Or if you wanted to put more appealing stories in the front, why not shift mythology to the end? It's not just nitpick, shift in style twice over feels quite awkward.
-First, there were sudden lists of The Silmarillion. Then I read some of actual sagas (great source of inspiration) and saw that I got off lightly back then. And then I read Culhwch and Olwen
-Lady Guest mentions possible influences of early medieval Welsh literature on latter medieval romances in the introduction, but I was more stunned by the influence on Fairy Tales. Above-mentioned Culhwch and Olwen alone contains a lot of motives, though there is more to be found in others. I even noticed potential influences to a few folktales from my own region; northernmost parts were inhibited by Celts during the period of their greatest expansion.
-Is it bestiality if they are both shape-shifted and possibly under compulsion to act like animals? Presuming compulsion, is it incest? Presuming one of two is temporarily shape-shifted into a female animal, is it homosexual? (Since it's likely they are aware - it wouldn't be a punishment otherwise.)
-Will no one think of the children? (No, seriously. A lot of people decry treatment of female characters in olden works, but here there is just as much if not more child abuse. And horse abuse, for that matter.)

In the end, this just expanded TBR list instead of shortening it.(less)

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May 07, 2013 Laura is currently reading it · review of another edition

First off, this is infinitely more entertaining after just having finished Tears to Tiara, on account of that Celtic mythology translates to anime *so well* that it is actually makes more sense in the context of the show than in literature. I mean, this is perfectly normal behavior for any self-respecting Celtic hero. Totally. Tame for a warp spasm!

Also, you can shout ARAAAWWWNNN every time he shows up. Because why not?

The Chretien/Mabinogion Arthuriana stories are so hilariously broship it's ri...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Melinda Belle Harrison rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-everyone-should-read, books-that-i-love-and-reread, classic, dark-fantasy, fairies, fairy-tales, fantasy, folklore, mythic, nonfiction-and-reference, reading-in-2012, reference, romanticism, social-history-and-science

I've been wanting to read The Mabinogion for a long time. Usually it takes me months to read a book like this, but for the last few weeks I've been reading a good chunk every day and loving it. It's not easy reading. I think you have to like folktales, you should read it. Note: Welsh names are DIFFICULT.

The book consist of several tales and I also read through and compared Lady Charlotte Guest's version which is free on Amazon Kindle. Must get it.

There are some interesting things I learned, new...more

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Jun 30, 2009 Linda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: celtic-studies

This is the book we are currently reading in the Celtic Studies Discussion Group that I have been running for over a year now. I have already read it in other translations, and I really enjoy it. This translation seems to be one of the most true, although I have a newer one that is full of phenomenal interpretation and commentary. Still, the Ford version is one better for our group.

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Sep 27, 2008 Corbin rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: myth nerds, Traci Harding fans, Arthurian legend buffs, maruts, misanthropes, mystics

Shelves: 23, classics, epics, folktales, warfare, race-relations

Imagine King Arthur and his knights snuck up on the Tylweth Teg, clubbed them over the head, stole their coyote stories, and then changed all the endings.

In other words, this is a book about just how insufferably rude human beings can manage to be, just by upholding the ideals of their cultures of origin.

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Mar 25, 2008 John rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good translation of the Mabinogi, discarding the "thous" of the Jones translation. What becomes clear from this version is that the Welsh borrowed a fair bit from Irish sources, and they like to make fun of the English and Irish. Also, they have a good sense of humor.

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Feb 08, 2013 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, welsh-writing, medieval-literature, dissertation

Supervisor wanted me to use a different translation to my old one (the Everyman 1993 edition). So I had to get this one. It's supposed to be more accurate -- I don't know about that, but it does seem a bit more immediate and colourful than the old Everyman edition. The little I know suggests it is a good translation, and it's certainly readable, and has a full complement of explanatory notes, introduction, etc, which is more than I can say for the Everyman edition. Slightly odd order of tales, n...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Phil rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pre-20th-century

This is a really interesting set of iron age myths, partially because they clearly demonstrate the influence of other traditions, especially Christianity. Much of the narrative style seems to borrow from Biblical narrative styles, and the heroes have been demoted from gods to heroes. However, these stories do retain a lot of the magical elements from the earlier deity myths.

I think it might be difficult for many modern readers to appreciate these stories because there is comparatively little psy...more

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Nov 28, 2009 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good read and interesting to see the merging of pre-Christian and post-Christian Britain. While these stories were written down in perhaps the 12th or 13th centuries A.D., they obviously date to a much earlier time. Despite the Christian references, paganism is very much still alive and well here. And, I believe these are also the first appearances of King Arthur that still are extant.
However, beware Jeffrey Gantz's introduction and notes. While he may be a fine translator, I am not entirely c...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Tina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a very old series of legends. In fact, many of the stories have inconsistencies and some of the stories break off and end without explanation. (Even the footnotes admit that they are missing information.) While that is not the fault of the editors of the book (they can't just make up the ends of these fragmented stories), it made reading a little troublesome. That aside, it was an interesting piece of Arthurian legend. There was a very helpful pronuciation bar at the front of the book, w...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Smilingplatypus rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, myth-or-folklore

As much as I love medieval tales, it took me awhile to get into this. Some of it I loved (Rhiannon, Pryderi, and Taliesin were great), but some of the tales were disjointed and repetitive. I would like to read it again with a different translation to see if that makes a difference -- I think Lady Charlotte Guest's archaic style got in the way of the text, at least for me.

Still, there were a number of good stories in this collection, and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in King Art...more

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Feb 04, 2013 GaryandRuth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: celtic-myth, mythology

Wonderful stories from Welsh mythology. Currently re-reading :)

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Jul 18, 2012 Lari Don rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: folklore

It’s hard to decide what star rating to give the Mabinogion, because while it is an irreplaceable and vital piece of world culture, it’s also a tough read: illogical, incomprehensible in parts and very frustrating.
The Mabinogion is a collection of Welsh legends: 11 almost unrelated narratives, originally oral Celtic stories, written down (and probably horrendously miscopied) in the mediaeval times, now translated into English. It contains amazing tales: visits to the underworld, severed talking...more It’s hard to decide what star rating to give the Mabinogion, because while it is an irreplaceable and vital piece of world culture, it’s also a tough read: illogical, incomprehensible in parts and very frustrating.
The Mabinogion is a collection of Welsh legends: 11 almost unrelated narratives, originally oral Celtic stories, written down (and probably horrendously miscopied) in the mediaeval times, now translated into English. It contains amazing tales: visits to the underworld, severed talking heads, giants, dragons and any number of sieges, battles and jousts. Arthur and Guinevere are in here in a handful of the later tales, too, but usually as distant heads of the court, not as the main players in the stories.
However, despite the incredible subject matter, these stories lack the accessible drama and emotion that we expect in modern literature. There are many detailed descriptions of clothes, horses and hounds, and some incredibly long lists of names, but there is rarely, if ever, any character or motivation or real sense of drama.
Essentially, what you get from this book depends on why you are reading it. I read it to inspire the magic I write. I have a bad habit of reading sources like this selectively (so I've already used one of its hard-done-by giants, Ysbaddaden, as a guest star in one of my own children’s novels, by finding him in the index and just reading that story!) but this time I decided to read the whole cycle from start to finish. And though it is hard going, it’s well worth the effort. There are incredible images in here: parties which last 80 years, sheep changing colour when they cross a river, a wife punished by carrying guests on her back, warriors squeezed to death inside bags, horses walking at a slow pace which noone can catch up with, a tree growing flames on one side and leaves on the other.
And there are illuminating glimpses of how other writers have been inspired: Alan Garner’s girl of flowers in the Owl Service and Diana Wynne Jones’s red-eared hounds in Dog Star, for example.
This particular edition (Penguin Classics, translation by Jeffrey Gantz) also has a fascinating introduction which doesn’t pull any punches about how flawed these fragmentary versions of the original stories are.
If you have an interest in old British and European myths (these stories aren’t limited to Wales, with London, Cornwall, Ireland, Scotland, France and Rome all getting mentions too!) or in a view of Arthur’s court which is less romantic and more brutal, or in how oral traditions take to being trapped and captured on the page, or if you want to be inspired yourself, this is a great source book, and a wonderful reminder of how modern fantasy wells up from ancient ground. It’s also very, very weird.
I’ve decided, five stars for the Mabinogion, because our world wouldn’t be as magical without it.
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Aug 11, 2012 Debra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For those who are serious about understanding the roots of all storytelling, this is definitely a must-read. This book definitely helps you understand where the most common formulas for storylines come from, consisting of common uses such as the magic number of 3, fairies and the otherworld, and the connections to and from both parallel worlds. This is definitely one of the ultimate classics of European languages. This book is a great collection and documentation of the oral practices of storyte...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, adventure, fantasy, fiction, historical, tales, wales

I can pretty easily see how these tales could get inside you and need to be re-read, savored again and again. I'm a little sad that I have to give my copy back to the library so soon. There is a lot to explore within these tales: history, the nature of (folk) stories, Arthur, the role of women, to name a few. I have a book, Women in Celtic Myth: Tales of Extraordinary Women from the Ancient Celtic Tradition, which retells the stories of the first Branch from the perspective of the women in it, a...more

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Nikki You know, I haven't really covered the manuscripts of The Mabinogion in my studies. Evangeline Walton, in her retellings, takes the view that they wer...more
Jul 29, 2011 06:25am

Stephanie Nikki wrote: "You know, I haven't really covered the manuscripts of The Mabinogion in my studies. Evangeline Walton, in her retellings, takes the view...more
Jul 29, 2011 08:45am

Jan 02, 2011 Mary Overton added it · review of another edition

From "Culhwch and Olwen"

How Culhwch got his name, which means swine or pig:
"Cilydd son of Celyddon Wledig desired a woman as well-born as himself. The woman he wanted was Goleuddydd daughter of Anlawdd Wledig. After his wedding feast with her, the country went to prayer to see whether they would have an heir. And through the country's prayers, they got a son. From the time she became pregnant she went mad and avoided civilized places. When her time came her senses returned to her. Where they did...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Angela Alcorn marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: we-own, classics, middle-ages, myth-folklore-fable-religion, fantasy, young-adult-educational-material, fiction, we-own-multiple-copies, ange-wants-to-read-soon

We own a few different translations of this, I think. I'm going to note down here exactly which ones we have for my own reference.

We have a translation by Sioned Davies:
The Mabinogion

We have two versions of Gwyn Jones translations:
The Mabinogion:

The Mabinogion

(And when I find the others I'll add those details too).

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Sep 09, 2010 russell barnes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: medieval-classics

I'd heard of the Mabinogion, but just assumed it was just a Welsh version of Chaucer, and at £2 in a second hand bookshop it seemed a decent gamble.

Having read it, I now seem to have accidentally read three quarters of the key medieval texts about King Arthur. This isn't necessarily a terrible thing as all three have been quite enjoyable, but I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my new-found knowledge about corrupt folios, Red Books, White Books and the movement of the legends from Wales and...more

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Mar 29, 2010 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2010

This is a group of 12 Welsh legends that feature King Arthur along with other kings. They are stories passed down orally and have mnemonic devices imbedded in them to aide in the telling so they sometimes sound odd to our modern ears. There is so much here that appears in current day literature. There are magical creatures and wells and rocks and carpets, shape shifting, giants, fierce warriors, fair maidens, unbelievably delicious food, and chesslike games, etc. everything that appears in moder...more

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Sep 08, 2010 Mieneke rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 2010

The Welsh tales in The Mabinogion have been preserved in two manuscripts; the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest. Set down around 1325 AD, the stories are transcriptions of originally orally composed tales. The tales themselves draw from Celtic myth, history and Arthurian legend. They derive their name from the first four tales which are called the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. These four can be considered a clear group of connected tales, just as the last three are grouped as...more The Welsh tales in The Mabinogion have been preserved in two manuscripts; the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest. Set down around 1325 AD, the stories are transcriptions of originally orally composed tales. The tales themselves draw from Celtic myth, history and Arthurian legend. They derive their name from the first four tales which are called the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. These four can be considered a clear group of connected tales, just as the last three are grouped as the Welsh Romances, due to their connection to the Arthurian legend.

The Mabinigion is not the easiest read, mainly because of the oral origins I surmise. There are a lot of narrative jumps and formulaic phrases, similar to the kind found in Homer's Illiad and Odysee. They also presume a familiarity with other stories, since there are fleeting references to these. There were two things that drove me absolutely crazy. One was the interminable ennumerations of things, with the listing of those of Arthur's men who support Culhwch in his quest to win Olwen being the worst offender running up to eight pages! Eight pages, listing nothing but names. Granted there's a lot of comedy there, as the storyteller has a lot of fun slipping in puns and weird names, but they just got lost in the mass of names. Add to this the constantly having to think about how to pronounce the Welsh names and these eight pages seemed like eighty to me. The second thing that drove me crazy was things just happening out of the blue and people accepting it without blinking. Take the following passage:

Manawydan and Rhiannon sat together and began to talk; gradually his thoughts and desires grew tender towards her, and it pleased him that he had never seen a lovelier or more beautiful woman. 'Pryderi, I accept your offer,' he said, whereupon Rhiannon asked, 'What offer was that?' Pryderi answered. 'Lady, I have given you as wife to Manawydan son of Llyr.''I accept that gladly,' she said. 'So do I,' said Manawydan, 'and God reward the man who gives me such true friendship.' Before the feast ended, then, the couple slept together. (Manawydan son of Llyr)

Now this most probably is a reflection of a woman's life and position in medieval Wales, but it's not just the wife-giving, there are other instances as well, where people blythely accept whatever their ruler ordains for them and my 21st century sensibilities had a hard time stepping past that. The pacing was also peculiar, again due to the oral origin of the stories I think. We'd have a bunch of scenes and then boom in one sentence a whole year had gone by. This makes sense if you're telling a story, you don't want to spend hours telling your audience what John and Jane Doe did, travelling the countryside for a year, but for an audience used to written storytelling "Return in a year and a day.' At the end of the year..." is a bit of a leap.

What is interesting to see though, is how many classic story elements can already be found in these tales. The classic triangular relationship, in the vein of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere (though surprisingly not that one), the Fisher King figures, the fact that everything happens in threes or multiples of three and the story told as a dream among them. These are truly as old as time, or at least as old as storytelling.

So where's the speculative in all this? Well apart from the obvious (myth, magic and Arthuriana etc.) I can't really say. But then maybe in the case of the Mabinogion, it isn't so much the text itself that's important. What's fantastical today, was normal in stories then. Maybe what makes these stories important to the speculative is the tradition they belong to and the influence this has had on the development of the fantasy genre.

The Mabinogion are part of the rich tapestry woven from Celtic myth and history and as such should be required reading for any student of early English literature or lover of Arthuriana. While not an easy read, it's definitely well worth the effort.(less)

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Jun 04, 2010 Briynne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I honestly tried really hard to like this. I wanted to like it and expected to like it, but it just didn't happen. I feel really bad about the two stars because this collection of old Welsh stories has a lot of historical significance. I think I read in the intro that it contains the first recorded Arthurian tales (or something of that nature), and it is supposed to be a cool example of older Celtic mythology adapted into mostly-Christianized, partly-Frenchified court romances and adventures. Gr...more I honestly tried really hard to like this. I wanted to like it and expected to like it, but it just didn't happen. I feel really bad about the two stars because this collection of old Welsh stories has a lot of historical significance. I think I read in the intro that it contains the first recorded Arthurian tales (or something of that nature), and it is supposed to be a cool example of older Celtic mythology adapted into mostly-Christianized, partly-Frenchified court romances and adventures. Granted, that's not everyone's cup of tea, but I thought it sounded really interesting.

However.

I literally could not make sense of half of the stories. Not as in, I couldn't understand the motivations of the characters or wrap my head around the themes or motifs in the stories. I mean, I didn't know what was happening, who it was supposed to be happening to, or why it was supposed to mean anything. Feeling illiterate irritates me, which probably didn't help this book's case, even though my pride isn't its fault. But I think I can say in fairness that the stories were often fragmented, wandering, and lacking in the sort of cohesion that lets the reader get engaged in the story and characters.

I was also insulted and depressed just about every time there was a woman on the page. Obviously it doesn't make sense to judge early medieval Welsh culture on 21st century American terms, but I can't help it. Misogyny isn't cool. In the first four stories, it was outrageous. There's a bit where a young king decides to "bestow" his mother, the dowager queen, on his new buddy. And instead of smacking some respect into him trailer-park style, she's just like, "oh, that's nice dear, sure," and obediently sleeps with the guy the same night. How is that even possible? I wanted to gag repeatedly as I read these stories, and I'm a fairly lousy excuse for a feminist.

Complaints aside, there were a few stories that I did enjoy. The Dream of Maxen was particularly nice, and it was sort of what I wanted from the whole collection. I would recommend checking that story out online for a taste of the genre, but maybe not trying the whole collection.

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Nov 06, 2008 Tyas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arthurian, mythology-folklore-fairy-tale

Wales, meskipun merupakan bagian dari United Kingdom yang di Indonesia jamak disebut ‘Inggris’ (meski sebutan itu kurang sesuai), sebenarnya berbeda dan harus dibedakan dari Inggris (England). Bangsa Wales telah menghuni daratan Britania sebelum suku-suku bangsa lain berdatangan dari Eropa daratan dan ikut menjadi penghuni pulau tersebut. Uniknya, meskipun bahasa Wales tergolong rumpun Indo-Eropa bersama sejumlah bahasa lain seperti Sanskrit, Yunani, dan Inggris (sepupu dekatnya), ternyata berda...more Wales, meskipun merupakan bagian dari United Kingdom yang di Indonesia jamak disebut ‘Inggris’ (meski sebutan itu kurang sesuai), sebenarnya berbeda dan harus dibedakan dari Inggris (England). Bangsa Wales telah menghuni daratan Britania sebelum suku-suku bangsa lain berdatangan dari Eropa daratan dan ikut menjadi penghuni pulau tersebut. Uniknya, meskipun bahasa Wales tergolong rumpun Indo-Eropa bersama sejumlah bahasa lain seperti Sanskrit, Yunani, dan Inggris (sepupu dekatnya), ternyata berdasarkan uji genetik, bangsa Wales ternyata lebih dekat dengan bangsa Basque yang menghuni sebagian Spanyol (Jones 2003: 191-192). Bahasa asli Wales diperkirakan telah lenyap sejak lama dan sebagai gantinya, bangsa Wales telah ‘mengadopsi’ bahasa Celtic yang kini dikenal sebagai bahasa Wales.

Namun, perkembangan bahasa Wales bukannya tanpa hambatan. Sejak masa pemerintahan Richard II (1367—1400), bangsa Wales dan budayanya telah ditekan sedemikian rupa oleh para penguasa Inggris. Bahkan berdasarkan peraturan yang dikeluarkan tahun 1846, orang-orang Wales tak lagi diperbolehkan menggunakan bahasa ibu mereka. Peraturan itu jelas sangat aneh, apalagi karena sebagian besar orang Wales saat itu hanya bisa berbicara dalam bahasa Wales dan tidak mengerti bahasa Inggris. Anak-anak Wales yang ketahuan berbicara dalam bahasa ibu mereka di sekolah diberi hukuman memalukan oleh guru-guru hasil didikan Inggris.

Sedemikian besarnya dampak represi selama berabad-abad tersebut sampai-sampai pada tahun 1990-an, hanya 20% orang Wales yang menguasai bahasa asli mereka, meskipun jumlah itu terus meningkat berkat kondisi yang semakin bebas dan rasa nasionalisme yang semakin mengental di kalangan bangsa Wales (Gilbert et al. 1999: 55—60). Tergerusnya bahasa Wales dalam kurun waktu pelaksanaan represi tersebut berakibat pada hilangnya sebagian naskah kuno Wales.

Untunglah, masih ada sebagian naskah yang tidak saja mengagumkan dari segi isi namun juga nilai historisnya yang selamat dari ‘pembantaian sistematis’ terhadap kebudayaan Wales. Salah satunya adalah kumpulan kisah yang disebut ‘Mabinogion’, yang bentuk aslinya sebagian merupakan puisi dan sebagian lain merupakan prosa, dan pada zaman pra-tulisan merupakan bagian dari tradisi lisan. Usia bagian-bagian Mabinogion barangkali telah mencapai 1400 tahun atau bahkan lebih.

Nama ‘Mabinogion’ yang dikenal sekarang sendiri sebenarnya merupakan salah kaprah. Menurut para ahli, yang dikutip tim penerjemah Mabinogion dalam Kata Pengantar edisi Everyman, istilah ‘Mabinogion’ (bentuk jamak dari mabinogi yang kira-kira berarti ‘kisah atau hikayat orang muda’) hanya bisa digunakan untuk mengacu pada keempat buah kisah dalam Mabinogion yang berpusat pada hikayat sang pahlawan Peredri. Keempat buah kisah itu—Pwyll, Branwen, Manawydan, dan Math—disebut ‘Cabang-Cabang (Branches) Mabinogion’.

Sementara penggunaan ‘Mabinogion’ untuk menyebut kumpulan sebelas kisah kepahlawanan (termasuk keempat Cabang) seperti yang ada sekarang pertama kali dilakukan oleh Lady Charlotte Guest. Ia menerjemahkan berbagai manuskrip kuno Wales dan menyertakan sejumlah kisah Wales lain selain keempat Cabang dalam ‘Mabinogion’-nya. Hasil terjemahannya diterbitkan dalam tiga volume pada kurun waktu 1838—1849. Sebagian dari kisah-kisah yang dirangkumnya dalam Mabinogion merupakan sumber-sumber tertua legenda-legenda Arthurian (berkaitan dengan Raja Arthur dan para ksatrianya). Kisah-kisah kuno itu dipercaya menjadi ‘ilham’ bagi legenda-legenda Arthurian yang berkembang di Eropa (antara lain berkat karya-karya Chretien de Troyes, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Gottfried von Strassburg, dan Hartman von Aue) dan pada akhirnya di kalangan bangsa Inggris keturunan pendatang dari Eropa daratan (antara lain berkat karya fenomenal Sir Thomas Malory, Morte Darthur). Kita pun kini lebih mengenal legenda-legenda Arthurian sebagai legenda romantik seorang raja Inggris, bukan Wales.

Kisah-kisah dalam Mabinogion dinilai sebagian ahli bersifat onosmatik, yaitu dongeng yang dimaksudkan untuk menjelaskan nama-nama tempat yang sebagian masih dipertahankan di Wales hingga saat ini. Namun dua orang peneliti, Alan Wilson dan Baram Blackett, menganggap serius Mabinogion sebagai sumber sejarah yang cukup layak dipercaya mengenai masa lalu Wales. Mereka menelusuri nama-nama tempat dan peristiwa yang tercantum dalam Mabinogion untuk membuktikan bahwa legenda Arthur sebenarnya menceritakan sejarah bangsa Wales, bukan Inggris. Tak heran jika tempat-tempat bersejarah dalam legenda Arthur, misalnya Caer Llion atau dalam versi Inggrisnya Camelot, semestinyalah berada di daerah Wales.

Wilson dan Blackett juga beranggapan bahwa kisah-kisah Mabinogion merupakan alegori dari peristiwa-peristiwa yang nyata terjadi. Misalnya, dalam Culhwch and Olwen, King Arthur dan para ksatrianya memburu babi jantan liar bernama Twrch Trwyth beserta 9 anaknya. Menurut Wilson dan Blackett, yang dimaksud dengan babi jantan itu adalah Gormund, Raja Vandal yang pernah menyerbu Wales bersama 9 panglima perangnya. Babi jantan sendiri merupakan binatang suci para dewa Vandal dan Saxon serta sering digunakan sebagai simbol oleh bangsa-bangsa tersebut (Gilbert et al. 1999: 327—328). Bagi orang-orang seperti Wilson dan Blackett, Mabinogion pun menjadi sarana relevan dalam usaha meluruskan sejarah bangsa Wales.

Bagaimana dengan di Indonesia? Hari demi hari, semakin banyak bahasa daerah yang lenyap karena tidak ada lagi yang menguasainya. Padahal banyak naskah tradisional yang belum diterjemahkan (ke dalam bahasa Indonesia atau bahasa lain yang masih digunakan secara luas), dan banyak pula kisah yang belum dituangkan ke dalam bentuk tertulis. Sungguh sayang kiranya jika kisah-kisah itu hilang; karena seperti Mabinogion, tidak saja sebagai sarana penyampaian nilai-nilai dan etiket kemasyarakatan yang dianut oleh suatu (suku) bangsa tertentu (lihat Tolstoy 1985: 38), kisah-kisah itu bisa jadi juga merupakan rekaman sejarah.
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Aug 04, 2008 Jeffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How does a person even presume to review a book that has survived 700 years, containing stories that survived close to their current form without anyone writing them down for a further 300 years?

I originally picked up the book because Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain is based on Welsh myth, Mabinogion is _the_ collection of Welsh myth, and is even acknowledged by the author as one of his sources. Who would want to read some of the proto-stories that gave us the Black Cauldron, and Arwan...more

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About Charlotte Elizabeth Guest

Charlotte Guest (nee Bertie) was the daughter of Albemarle Bertie, 9th Earl of Lindsey and his second wife Charlotte Susanna Elizabeth Layard. She married John Josiah Guest, a significantly-older Welsh industrialist and politician and moved to Merthyr Tydfil. The couple had 10 children.

Later Lady Charlotte Schreiber, was an English businesswoman and translator. An important figure in the study of...more

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