The Mabinogion

• The Mabinogion is a collection of eleven medieval Welsh tales, whose invention and fantastical interweaving of Celtic mythology and Arthurian romance have made it one of literature's greatest epics. This is the first new translation for 30 years.
• Sioned Davies's magnificent translation is the first to place due emphasis on the tales' oral origins. Intended for performance, the tales have been translated with regard to the rhythm and tempo of the originals, preserving their formulaic elements and displaying the rhetorical passages.
• An introduction places the tales within their storytelling context and examines their central themes and the central role that public performance played in their evolution.
• Invaluable explanatory notes illuminate aspects of medieval Welsh society, highlight the relationship between the tales, cross-referencing them in a way that has never been done before.
• Indexes of personal names and place-names translate their meanings and identify locations. A map shows the locations of the Mabinogion
• A pronunciation guide aids the pronunciation of Welsh names.

Readership: Students and readers of Celtic literature, Celtic mythology, the Arthurian world, Welsh, Medieval Studies, English, Comparative Studies, Cultural Studies, Folklore, Popular Culture, Performance Studies

Sioned Davies, Chair of Welsh, Cardiff University

"Davies's prose is stark and fierce, the laconic dialogue spine-tingling, and she makes the page sing." - Marina Warner, The Independent

"An accurate and very lively version of the tales: it sounds modern and reads well." - Gwyn Thomas, Cambria Magazine

"This fresh, energetic translation is a revelation and, for the first time, shows off The Mabinogion tales as what they were originally: splendid entertainment." - The Guardian Review

"The Mabinogion is famously magical. Enchantment glows on every page, but it does not here violate the laws of nature: it reveals them." - Murrough O'Brien, The Independent on Sunday

"An illuminating and relaxed translation...The Mabinogion are the cornerstone of medieval Welsh literature. They are gloriously inventive, highly dramatic, sometimes ferocious, sometimes lyrical, often witty, and ultimately profound in their understanding and revelation of human nature. In my estimate, Sioned Davies has done them and her modern readers proud." - Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Times (Books)

"Davies's translation surpasses all its predecessors in accuracy and readability... [her] scholarly introduction is greatly superior to that of previous translators and can be recommended unreservedly." - Patrick Sims-Williams, TLS

"It may be said at once that the translation will have instant success. It will bring the tales to thousands of new readers, while its commentary will be a vital tool for scholars....By fuelling debate on this and other questions, Sioned Davies's splendid volume inaugurates a new age of Mabinogion studies." - Modern Language Review

"...a frsh translation which clears away archaisms and preconceptions to privilege the clear voice of story...[and] which is linguistically rigorous yet ever awake to the requirements of both text and reader." - Institute of Translation and Interpreting

Introduction
Translator's Note
Guide to Pronunciation
Select Bibliography
map of Wales at the time of theMabinogion
The First Branch of the Mabinogion
The Second Branch of the Mabinogion
The Third Branch of the Mabinogion
The First Branch of the Mabinogion
Peredur son of Efrog
The Dream of the Emperor Maxen
Lludd and Llefelys
The Lady of the Well
Geraint son of Erbin
How Culhwch won Olwen
Rhonabwy's Dream
Explanatory Notes
Glossary of Personal Names
Glossary of Place-Names