| This tale, estimated to have been written just prior to the Eleventh Century, is possibly the earliest Welsh vernacular text, and is preserved in both the Red Book of Hergest and the White Book of Rhydderch. In this tale Culhwch uses Olwen as a means of establishing his right to claim King Arthur as his relative. |
| This tale appears only in the Red Book of Hergest. |
| These four tales are commonly referred to as the "Four Branches of the Mabinogion." They survive in the twelfth-century manuscripts of the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest. Recent scholarship suggests that the Red Book displays elements of oral tradition that support it as an earlier rendition than the White Book. The "Four Branches of the Mabinogion" do not mention Arthur in any measurable detail, whereas Arthurian literature of later periods refers back to them. |
| Translates from Welsh to English, the four branches proper of the Mabinogion and the story of "Culhwch and Olwen." |
| A translation of a short poem (c. 900) in the Book of Taliesen about Arthur's adventures to the Celtic Underworld of Annwfn, which contains references to the Mabinogi as well as names later used by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his History of the Kings of Britain. |
| Exemplifies some of the earliest Welsh vernacular occurrences of Arthur and his court. This text, based upon the manuscript located in the National Library of Wales, also displays characteristics of oral tradition of Arthur, such as chronological events out of order and the portrayal of King Arthur as a wondertale hero. |
© 1996 John J. Doherty
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