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The Mabinogion Tetralogy
by Evangeline Walton, Betty Ballentine (Introduction)
The author of the classic Mabinogian, the great compendium of medieval Welsh mythology,
is unknown to us, but generations have thrilled to the magical tales set at a time when
men and gods mingled, and the gods had more than met their match, tales of the
wizard-prince Gwydion, of Prince Pwyll and Lord Death, and of the beautiful Rhiannon
and the steadfast Branwen. In the masterful hands of Evangeline Walton the twelve
"branches" of the ancient text were reworked into four compelling narratives
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The World of King Arthur
by Christopher Snyder
A survey of, and companion to, all things connected with the Arthurian legend.
The author has examined archaeological evidence and medieval texts, and provides quotes from
contemporary sources, a timeline, numerous sidebars and special features on key figures and
events.
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Welsh and Celtic legends, history and archaeology
The Welsh (Cymry) are descended from the Britons who occupied the island of
Britain from the channel coast to the South of Scotland before the Roman invasion. They also
had close links with the Irish Gaels, some of whom lived in West Wales, and the Bretons who have a
similar language. As a result, the legend and traditions of Wales are shared to some extent
with other Celtic peoples. The oldest recorded legends are incorporated in the 'Mabinogion', a
collection of surreal and magical tales that have their roots in the lands surrounding the Irish Sea
several thousand years ago.
Many of the earliest Welsh poems are epics written in the South of Scotland
and North of England in the centuries following the collapse of Roman rule. In those days Old Welsh
was spoken in Edinburgh and the Lothians, Strathclyde and Cumbria. The most famous is the Gododdin,
thought to have been written by Aneirin and telling the story of a disastrous atack on the
Angles at Catraeth (Catterick) by a British warband based in Edinburgh.
Tales such as attempt to explain the events of the post-Roman period.
Later legends show Breton influence and incorporate the elements of courtly love,
Arthurian tales and pageantry. Other tales incorporate fairies and the supernatural and relate them to features of the landscape.
For example the legend of the 'Meddygon Myddfai' relates that a
farmer in the parish of Myddfai, Carmarthenshire, having bought some lambs in a
neighbouring fair, led them to graze near Llyn y Fan Fach, on the Black Mountains.
Whenever he visited these lambs three beautiful damsels appeared to him from the lake, on
whose shores they often made excursions. Sometimes he pursued and tried to catch them, but
always failed; the enchanting nymphs ran before him ...
.
is another typical story of an earthling joining the fairy people dating from
the twelfth-century.
takes contact between man and mermaid as its theme.
is one of the best-known (and saddest) of Welsh tales.
is another tale connected with a placename.
Gododdin of Aneurin
John T Koch
A poem called the Gododdin was composed by Aneurin sometime around 600 AD, but the poem of that name preserved in a 13th century
manuscript probably had a history of oral and scribal transmission, and will have
undergone changes. Here, Koch establishes the historical context, investigates the
process of the poem's transmission and restores the text to its original form. This
tranlation of the "Book of Aneurin" differs from earlier presentations by providing
a reconstructed text recovered through principles of textual criticism and historical
linguistics.
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Arthur's Britain (Classic History)
by Leslie Alcock
We are all familiar with the legendary tales of King Arthur: the sword in the stone, the Holy Grail, the great deeds and high enchantments. But what
evidence is there for a real historical figure beneath the myth and romance? This book
assembles a wealth of information about the Arthur of history by delving into the shadowy
period of the past in which he lived. Drawing on evidence from both written and
archaeological sources, Leslie Alcock, who directed the famous excavation at Cadbury
Castle in Somerset, sifts history from fiction to take us back to life between the 4th
and 7th centuries
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King Arthur and the Goddess of the Land: The Divine Feminine in the Mabinogion
by Caitlin Matthews
The ancient Celtic stories of the Mabinogion have received universal recognition from scholars
as both sources of the Arthurian legend and keys to insights into the ancient magic of
the Celtic Otherworld. Now renowned Celtic scholar Caitlín Matthews, drawing on a full
range of medieval texts and ancient Welsh writings, provides a fully revised and updated
reader's guide to these rich and far-reaching tales.
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Folklore of Wales
by Anne Ross
Wales is a Celtic country and the Celts have always treasured oral learning and recitation. Indeed they have a passion for committing facts to memory rather than relying on the written word. So it is no surprise, as we can see from Anne Ross’ study, that the Welsh folklore and story-telling is so rich and varied.
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Mythology of the British Isles
by Geoffrey Ashe
Recounting stories and legends from the dark centuries of British prehistory to the 9th century AD - tales of giants and fairies, druids and saints,
King Lear, King Arthur and Old King Cole - Ashe shows how they all interrelate and take on
fresh significance from historical and archaeological research.
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Prehistoric Wales
by Frances Lynch, Jeffrey L. Davies, Stephen Aldhouse-Green
A title which aims to give the reader a modern and authoritative summary of research interpretations
on prehistoric monuments, sites and artefacts. This book should be of interest to anyone
who has a serious interest in Welsh history and in early settlement and society in the
British Isles.
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The Welsh Kings: the Medieval Rulers of Wales
by Kari Maund
The author produces revealing pictures of the leading Welsh kings and princes of the day and explore their contribution to Welsh history and their impact on the wider world. This work revives the memory of the natice leaders of the country from a time before the title 'Prince of Wales' became an honary trinket in the gift of a foreign ruler. It restores these men to their rightful place among the past rulers of the island of Britain.
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A Pocket Guide: Celtic Wales
by Miranda Aldhouse Green, Ray Howell
The subject of "Celtic Wales" is the archaeological and historical evidence for human settlement in what is now Wales, from about
700BC - AD1000. This book puts Celtic Wales in its European context, and tackles issues of
academic debate concerning "Celticity" and ethnic identity.
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Merlin and Wales: A Magician's Landscape
by Michel Dames
With illustrations of the art and artifacts pertaining to the Merlin legend as well as the author's own evocative photographs of mythic sites, the book
guides us through the many versions of the story of Merlin and his sister/lover - from the
mysterious boy on Dinas Emrys who aroused the embattled red and white dragons in their
hidden pool, to the metaphor of his retreat to the holy land of Bardsey off the coast of
Wales.
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