"The Mabinogion" - Alan Lee

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• published: 17 Oct 2012
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For Inna with love, your friend, Amalia http://www.youtube.com/user/InnaHeisenyuk "The Mabinogion" Alan Lee 1982 Music: "Boadicea" Enya Alan Lee (20 August 1947) is an English book illustrator and movie conceptual designer. He was born in Middlesex, England and studied at the Ealing School of Art. Watercolour is a commonly seen medium in his work, along with pencil for his sketches. ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; The Mabinogion was a collection of eleven (twelve) tales from the Welsh myths. The tales of the Mabinogion were preserved in two manuscripts, White Book of Rhydderch (c. 1325) and the Red Book of Hergest (c. 1400). Though the Rydderch manuscript was the earlier of the two, the tales of Lludd, Culhwch and Owein survived only in fragments, while the Dream of Rhonabwy was completely lost. Only the Hergest manuscript contained all eleven tales. The Mabinogion was first translated into English by Lady Charlotte Guest. It was Lady Charlotte who gave the title of "Mabinogion" to this collection of tales. Also, Lady Charlotte had included a twelfth tale, called Hanes Taliesin ("Tale of Taliesin"), belonging to the Independent group. However, the Hanes Taliesin was not found in the two early manuscripts, so some of the later translations of the Mabinogion do not include the story of Taliesin. The tales from the Mabinogion can be divided into three categories. The first four tales belonged to the Four Branches of the Mabinogi ("Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi"). The next four (or five, if including Taliesin) were the Independent tales, two tales of which Arthur appeared in the scene. While the last three tales falls into a category known as the Welsh romances, similar to those of the French romances written by Chretien de Troyes. What were the four Branches of the Mabinogi? These four tales were told in the correct order, with Pryderi appearing in all four tales, but who only played minor role in each of the tale. It began in Pwyll Lord of Dyved, with his birth, and then it ended with Peredur's death in the fourth tale, Math Son of Mathonwy.