Joe's
Digital Garden

Mabinogion

[[Wilderness]] has some notes exploring the Celtic traditions surrounding wilderness specifically in-depth. This particularly comes into play in the Pwyll branches both in Pwyll's relationship to Arawn which seems to be located in an otherworldly realm reached deep in the woods during a hunt, as well as the curse placed upon Dyvad in the third branch which transforms all of southern Wales back into a wilderness.

Jeffery Gantz identifies that the four branches form a repeating pattern that highlights particular virtues that the Celts held dear. Pwyll is generous and merciful. He wins the friendship with Arawn and marriage with Rhiannon. However, he is too generous with Gwawl which will return in the third branch to cause mischief to his son.

Evnissyen mistreat's Mallowlch's horses, forcing Bran to make reparations. Mallolwch mistreats Brownen, forcing Bran to demand compensation. This eventually leads to war between the two kingdoms.

Manawydan is clever, but merciful towards Llwyd's wife and so lifts the enchantment over Dyvad.

The first and third branches end happily. The second and forth end with sadness.

Ito-Morino identifies this pattern as one of order and discord. Wherein the first and third branches are a demonstration of proper behavior and adherence towards community morals whereas the second and forth branch are a demonstration of where breaking these mores leads to disasters. Furthermore, the tragedy of the second branch is due to the law being unaple to resolve the affront of Evnissyen.

Roberta Valente focuses on the final branch of the Mabinogion and it's interesting gender reversal as Gwydion assumes many of the more femanine roles: giving birth while transformed into an animal, birthing Llew from an artifical womb, and later raising Leu. Whereas, Aranrhod largely aims to avoid the responsibilities her society would have of her: she abandons Llew and later curses him. All the while though, Gywdion has also largely abandoned the various responsbilities for protecting the women in his family that would be expected of a mascluine figure: conspiring over the rape of Goewin and humiliating Aranrhod.

External References

  1. Gantz, Jeffrey. Thematic Structure in the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. Society for the Study of Medieval Languages and Literature. 2021-09-27.
  2. Ito-Morino, Satoko. The sense of ending in the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie (ZcP). 1997-01-01.
  3. Valente, Roberta L. Gywdion and Aranrhod: crossing the borders of gender in Math. Unversity of Wales. 1988.

Linked References