What I'm Reading...

The Mabinogion- Evangeline Walton

Unusually for me (a woman who, given the right circumstances, practically inhales books) I’ve been reading the same book for a few weeks now.

I’ve been tackling Evangeline Walton’s literary take on the Mabinogion, the oldest surviving collection of purely Welsh folk tales. Technically, Walton’s rendition is four separate books but the task seems more ominous for me because the Fantasy Masterworks copy which I’m reading places them within a single, seven hundred page volume.  Although familiar with the stories, I’ve never actually read a copy of the Mabinogion and as I am Welsh, I decided it was probably my patriotic duty toread the copy I spied on the local library’s shelf as I searched for something magical.

Walton’s version (the first editions of which were published between 1964 and 1974) is a very literary retelling, focusing solely on the four main story arcs of the traditional Mabinogion, extending the short tales into entire books. The language leans towards the flowery at times with a distinctly twentieth century style of dialogue. Purists would, understandably, shun this version of the tale as Walton both plays with and adds key events into the narrative. For example, Pwyll, Prince of Dyved is forced to face down a monstrous bird whilst in the first level of the Celtic Underworld, Annwn, an encounter which is not found in the original narrative. Watson herself states the reason for this as a response to the problems of modern day storytelling and to create tension in an already well known story.  

In addition, to this, whilst the Mabinogion is firmly based within Celtic traditions,  Walton injects a Christian knowing-ness, using her twentieth century hindsight to give heavier meaning to what were once flippant remarks which within her hands, are shaped into a cultural beacon for her readership. Walton clearly sets out just enough information for her readers to fill in the gaps, for them to use their own knowledge of the future triumph of Christianity which would all but annihilate the Celtic Pagan way of life in a relatively short space of time.  Repeated themes of the old culture of the ‘Mothers’ versus the new tribes' ‘Father’ culture are abundant as is the theme of sun gods and individual leaders coming back from the dead. It could be argued that this is more of a reflection of Walton’s own time than the content of the Mabinogion. It’s an historiographer’s dream.

I’m still working my way through the fourth branch, (and interestingly, the first Mabinogion story that Walton decided to tackle) based around the Druid King Math and his nephew and heir, the magician Gwydion, a character which could possibly be the forerunner for the most famous British magician, Merlin. Whilst I am enjoying the magic and sweeping, epic storylines, there is a certain air of heaviness, found both by in its tone and physical weight and despite its many attempts at humour, which demands a degree of energy and attention to fully comprehend.

This is not an edition for purists who want to get as close to the original stories as possible, but as an introduction to the myths and stories of Wales, it’s not a bad starting place. Just be prepared to take everything with a pinch of salt.