The Four Branches of the Mabinogi ed. by Matthieu Boyd (review)

A sad truth about medieval Welsh literature is that it is poorly known among most English speakers, even less familiar than the literature of Ireland in the Middle Ages. This is a shame, since the stories of Wales are so fascinating as well as influential for modern writers such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. My own undergraduate students are generally enchanted by the tales when we come to the Welsh portion of my medieval literature classes. There are several good translations of these stories available in English, but there is certainly room for another good edition for college students, especially one that excels in making the tales of the Mabinogi, the centerpiece of medieval Welsh literature, accessible to undergraduate readers. Matthieu Boyd's new translation of this work does a commendable job of presenting the Mabinogi in a way that contemporary students will both enjoy and appreciate. Their instructors as well, whether familiar or nor with Welsh, will find Boyd's edition a clear and worthwhile addition to their classes on medieval literature.

The Mabinogi is a connected series of four stories set in the courts and countryside of Wales in a time both mythical and real before the English conquest of the island of Britain. They are filled with magic, shape-shifting, heroic struggles, women who do not suffer fools gladly, and divine beings barely disguised as humans. Although a part of the courtly literature of Europe in the later medieval period when they were written down, their roots stretch deep into Celtic history and mythology to an extent that is still much debated among scholars. The four stories or branches of the Mabinogi begin with the tale of Pwyll, a prince of Dyfed in southwest Wales, who meets an otherworldly king and changes places with him for a year before finding his own magical bride, Rhiannon. The second branch, Branwen the Daughter of Llyr, tells of a Welsh princess wedded to an Irish king and the savage war that follows her mistreatment. The third branch returns to Rhiannon and her troubled marriage to Manawydan that results, among other disasters, in the temporary disappearance of almost every person in Wales. The final and strangest branch, Math son of Mathonwy, is often the one most enjoyed by students for its treachery, magical contests, and unexpected plot twists.

Boyd does an excellent job both presenting and translating these difficult and often obscure texts. His Introduction is concise and short enough for students to appreciate the basics of medieval Welsh literature without becoming bogged down in unnecessary details and terminology. The heart of the book, the four branches themselves, moves swiftly and often playfully in a way that makes the branches easier to read than most previous translations, with only the minimum of required footnotes. Also much appreciated are the appendices on relevant Welsh law and related literature, which instructors and interested students will find useful. The illustrated images of the medieval manuscripts themselves, at the end of the volume, will delight anyone who enjoys looking at the work of early scribes, which includes most college students.

One point about Boyd's translation that will trouble purists is his whimsical rendering of the Welsh names into their English equivalents instead of keeping them in the original Welsh as previous translations do. Thus Pwyll becomes Sage, Llyr becomes Ocean, and Math son of Mathonwy becomes Goode son of Goodley. At first I found this jarring, but then remembering how my own students have struggled mightily with the Welsh names of the Mabinogi, I came to appreciate what Boyd does in a book clearly aimed at North American undergraduates. In any case, since students as well as teachers often create their own nicknames for these characters to handle the tongue-twisting Welsh names, why not have an expert give them comparable English names to begin with?

In short, I highly recommend Dr. Boyd's new...