The Mabinogion
A collection of medieval Welsh tales translated by Gwyn Jones and Thomas Jones. Only the first four stories are actually The Mabinogion, the others are collected Welsh stories where some of the same characters (including King Arthur) appear. At least that’s what the reviews say. I wasn’t able to make my way through it. I made it through the first four and mostly enjoyed them, but maybe I just wasn’t in the mood, but by the end, I was only getting through one or two pages a day, so I decided to give it a rest. A different translation might make a difference, but I don’t know. I do know I quite enjoyed Seamus Haney’s Beowulf.
It’s a shame, though that these tales aren’t widely known as they’re quite good. They’d certainly appeal to the D&D crowd. Lots of sex and violence, infidelity and loyalty, all thing things one expects from a good story of the era. it’s very clear these were never meant to be read, and the Joneses do a good job in creating a teller’s voice. It’s easy to visualize a storyteller by an evening fire relating the tale.
I had too much trouble getting through it, though and gave it up after the first four. I do plan on getting back to it eventually.
