Mabinogion

The Mabinogion is a collection of stories that come from medieval Welsh manuscripts.

  • 6.1 ( English ) Translation
  • 6.2 German translations
  • 6.3 Welsh text and editions
  • 6.4 secondary literature

History

Although the Mabinogion partly reflect early medieval historical events, they are based on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, which was obtained by the tradition of the oral tradition of the bards and druids.

Lady Charlotte Guest published 1838 translations of eleven Welsh tales that are found in the White Book of Rhydderch and manuscripts Red Book of Hergest from the 14th century. Older fragments of these stories but have also been preserved in the writings of the 13th century.

It is generally agreed that the stories themselves are partly much older. More detailed assignments are difficult to make, which is not only the fact that the individual stories are probably made at different times. After arguments by Patrick Sims -Williams, a formation period 1060-1200 is now plausible.

Are scientifically interesting stories and their date because they could shed new light on the origin of the Arthurian legend, when the Mabinogion older than Geoffrey of Monmouth 's Historia Regum Britanniae or Chrétien de Troyes ' Arthurian poems would. In the 19th century, critics believed that the Welsh version would be based on Chretien's, but today it is assumed that both collections go back independently to a common older source.

Name

The name comes from a misunderstanding of the first English translator, Lady Charlotte Guest, forth: they discovered in a story the Welsh word mabynogyon and assumed it was the plural of mabinogi. The importance of mabinogi itself is but uncertain, although it has clear references to the Welsh word mab ( " son, boy "). The American linguist Eric P. Hamp assumes that mabinogi derives from the Celtic deity Maponos.

For a time, literary historians have assumed Mabinogion can come from the word mabinog that is to designate a budding bards and was mabinogion consequently, the mythological and genealogical teaching material which he had to learn ( as John Rhys, Joseph Loth and Alfred Nutt ). In fact, the word should mabinog an invention of the romantic poet and literature " forger " Edward Williams ( Iolo Morganwg ) have been. Meid translated mabinogion with "Youth deeds [ of Heroes] ".

The narratives

The Four Branches of the Mabinogi

The Mabinogion consists in the strict sense of four stories, called Pedeir Ceinc y Mabinogi ( " The Four Branches of the Mabinogi "). These stories have the mythologischsten nature of all narratives. The connecting element is Pryderi, who appears in all the stories, though not as the main character.

From Welsh legends

Since the first translation of the Mabinogion by Lady Guest seven other stories with the four branches are connected. There are four stories that reflect material from the Welsh tradition and legend, including a romantic story about the Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus.

  • The Dream of Macsen Wledig ( Breuddwyd Macsen )
  • Lludd and Llefelys ( Cyfranc Lludd a Llefelys )
  • Culhwch and Olwen ( Culhwch ac Olwen )
  • The dream of Rhonabwy ( Breuddwyd Rhonabwy )

The three romances

Three other stories under the collective term Y Tair Rhamant are Welsh versions of the environment of the Arthurian legend, which also appear in Chrétien de Troyes and other continental Arthurian poets.

  • The woman from the fountain ( Iarlles y Ffynnawn )
  • Peredur, son of Efrawg ( Peredur fab Efrawg )
  • Gereint, son of the heir ( heiress Gereint fab )

Adaptations

Evangeline Walton wrote a tetralogy ( " The Four Branches of the Mabinogi " ), which is a literary implementation of the Mabinogion. Lloyd Alexander Taran books take on many motifs from the Mabinogion. Alan Garner's " Owl Service " is an implementation of the history Blodeuedds / Blodeuwedds.

  • Evangeline Walton: The Four Branches of the Mabinogi. Klett- Cotta, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-608-93390-5.
  • Lloyd Alexander: Taran - The dark side of the Force. cbj -Verlag, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-570-13196-3. ( Contains Volume 1 to 3 of the Chronicles of Prydain )
  • Lloyd Alexander: Taran - Journey to the Dragon Mountain. cbj -Verlag, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-570-13197-1. ( Contains Volume 4 and 5 of the Chronicles of Prydain )
Llŷr Lludd Llaw Eraint Geraint son of Erbin Bernhard Maier Integrated Authority File
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