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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Murder, War
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
There were two things I didn't like about the Mabinogion:
1. The storytelling.
Excessively archaic for a 19th century translation, all behold-verily-forsooth. Each story, very repetitive internally.
2. The stories.
All the same shitty elements repeat themselves. Knights always spoiling for a fight, ready to kill and be killed for women they had barely (or not at all) met. Women always throwing themselves at the hero, eventually if not from the get-go. Rulers sacrificing the lives of their entire retinue and then begging for mercy when their own lives are at stake. (Otherwise, everyone is unhealthily obsessed with honor.) Everyone seems to be able to cast effective spells or curses.
Stories of King Arthur from other sources are... marginally better but in general, these tales are not appropriate for modern persons. Bleh.
1. The storytelling.
Excessively archaic for a 19th century translation, all behold-verily-forsooth. Each story, very repetitive internally.
2. The stories.
All the same shitty elements repeat themselves. Knights always spoiling for a fight, ready to kill and be killed for women they had barely (or not at all) met. Women always throwing themselves at the hero, eventually if not from the get-go. Rulers sacrificing the lives of their entire retinue and then begging for mercy when their own lives are at stake. (Otherwise, everyone is unhealthily obsessed with honor.) Everyone seems to be able to cast effective spells or curses.
Stories of King Arthur from other sources are... marginally better but in general, these tales are not appropriate for modern persons. Bleh.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is an enjoyable set of tales. As always happens with folklore, there's a few things that happen where you're a bit confused as to character motivation (it's hard to understand people from a very different culture, like that of 14th century Wales). But as always happens, it's also rewarding and takes you into a different and interesting place.
The translation for this one -- the Guest translation -- is certainly a bit clunky, and probably not what one would suggest for scholarship, but I was digging the Victorian feel this time around.
The translation for this one -- the Guest translation -- is certainly a bit clunky, and probably not what one would suggest for scholarship, but I was digging the Victorian feel this time around.
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
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 [a: Lloyd Alexander|8924|Lloyd Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353430382p2/8924.jpg]'s [b: Chronicles of Prydain|1232236|The First Chronicles Of Prydain (The Chronicles of Prydain #1-3)|Lloyd Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1358619181s/1232236.jpg|1220837] 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, and Fflewddur Fflam (how can you not love that name), and Taran.
So the question you lazy ones want answered is, "How much did he borrow?" so you don't have to read it yourself. Well, lets see here. Arwan is definitely a character in the Mabinogion (a Greek Hades equivalent with his own Persephone story (Rhiannon)). There is a story involving a cauldron that can bring people back to life (without the capability of speech) and even a vaguely similar destruction myth (living hero inside bursting the cauldron). There are stories about people from Llyr, there is a couple stories of wallets that can always contain more food. If you wanted a quick overview, it is clear that he took parts of the stories and crafted something new that in many cases would fit with the old.
I enjoyed it and will probably read it again some time. It got me wanting to read [b: Le Morte D'Arthur|219269|Le Morte d'Arthur, Vol. 2|Thomas Malory|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347344985s/219269.jpg|18895778] (I have a copy somewhere) and to play Gwyddbwyll
Just to mention, I love love love this edition. It is pocket sized, hard bound with a bound in bookmark ribbon. The paper and font is very readable (as is the translation).
I originally picked up the book because [a: Lloyd Alexander|8924|Lloyd Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353430382p2/8924.jpg]'s [b: Chronicles of Prydain|1232236|The First Chronicles Of Prydain (The Chronicles of Prydain #1-3)|Lloyd Alexander|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1358619181s/1232236.jpg|1220837] 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, and Fflewddur Fflam (how can you not love that name), and Taran.
So the question you lazy ones want answered is, "How much did he borrow?" so you don't have to read it yourself. Well, lets see here. Arwan is definitely a character in the Mabinogion (a Greek Hades equivalent with his own Persephone story (Rhiannon)). There is a story involving a cauldron that can bring people back to life (without the capability of speech) and even a vaguely similar destruction myth (living hero inside bursting the cauldron). There are stories about people from Llyr, there is a couple stories of wallets that can always contain more food. If you wanted a quick overview, it is clear that he took parts of the stories and crafted something new that in many cases would fit with the old.
I enjoyed it and will probably read it again some time. It got me wanting to read [b: Le Morte D'Arthur|219269|Le Morte d'Arthur, Vol. 2|Thomas Malory|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347344985s/219269.jpg|18895778] (I have a copy somewhere) and to play Gwyddbwyll
Just to mention, I love love love this edition. It is pocket sized, hard bound with a bound in bookmark ribbon. The paper and font is very readable (as is the translation).
3.5 stars. Early literature is difficult, and as much as I love Arthurian legend, there's a fair amount of chaff that you have slog through. Even still, the good stuff in this collection, the 4 stories that comprise the Mabinogion, is a little difficult to follow (or at least it was for me). Part of that is the Old English that was translated from Welsh, and part of that is the Welsh names of characters and places which I frequently had to give up as a loss in terms of pronouncing or remembering. That said, the Mabinogion, as well as Kilwch and Olwen, are well worth the trouble. There are two dreams in this collection that have to do with an invented history of Britain--one dealing with Arthur and one dealing with Roman emperor Maximus (Maxen Wledig) that were very interesting. I would recommend an annotated edition of this collection if you choose to read it as there's a lot to dig into.