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Mary Jones's Reviews > The Mabinogion
The Mabinogion
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I'm splitting the difference between my love of the medieval collection (i.e. Y Mabinogi and other Welsh tales) and Lady Charlotte Guest's sometimes-bowdlerized, romanticized, nineteenth-century (and I mean that in the worst possible way) translation (which would garner at best two stars, because I'm feeling generous). The real advantage of this book is if you're interested in the history of how the Mabinogion has been treated in the English language; otherwise, you should decide if you want
a.) a literal translation: in that case, go with the Jones and Jones translation of the 1950s (IIRC), offered by Everyman
b.) a readable translation that also tries to give the flavor of the medieval original: in that case, go with Sioned Davies' translation from 2006.
c.) a translation that focuses on the pre-Christian mythology of the non-Romance tales: in that case, go with the Patrick Ford translation from the 1970s. The advantage of Ford's translation is its inclusion of the earliest version of "The Story of Taliesin"; the disadvantage is it doesn't include the Three Romances ("Peredur", "Owain", and "Gereint").
d.) a translation that focuses on the environment of Wales: the Bollard translation is great for this.
a.) a literal translation: in that case, go with the Jones and Jones translation of the 1950s (IIRC), offered by Everyman
b.) a readable translation that also tries to give the flavor of the medieval original: in that case, go with Sioned Davies' translation from 2006.
c.) a translation that focuses on the pre-Christian mythology of the non-Romance tales: in that case, go with the Patrick Ford translation from the 1970s. The advantage of Ford's translation is its inclusion of the earliest version of "The Story of Taliesin"; the disadvantage is it doesn't include the Three Romances ("Peredur", "Owain", and "Gereint").
d.) a translation that focuses on the environment of Wales: the Bollard translation is great for this.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
January 1, 1997
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Finished Reading
October 25, 2010
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Mar 20, 2011 04:54PM
This is a valuable guide, thanks! Between the Jones and Davies translations, which would you recommend? Balancing readability against "accuracy", I mean?
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I suppose I would go with Davies translation. It's very readable, modernizing more than Jones, but is still strives for both accuracy while trying to mimic, through formatting, the rhythm of the text, and has a lot of end-notes.Hope that helps! The Davies is my current favorite.
Thanks! I'll look for that one, then.
Yes, quite useful. I'm loving the Ford right now, for the reasons you outline. The missing romances, will just have to be read elsewhere.
Thanks, I was looking for a recommendation on translations.
What might you recommend for a grounding in the history of the tales (cultural context, pre-christian mtyhology etc.) that doesn't compromise readability? Would Ford (this book?) be best, or would you recommend more supplemental materials paired with a translation such as Davies?
Fox wrote: "What might you recommend for a grounding in the history of the tales (cultural context, pre-christian mtyhology etc.) that doesn't compromise readability? Would Ford (this book?) be best, or would ..."Off the top of my head, I would start with Davies, then Ford, then supplemental materials like W.J. Gruffydd's "Rhiannon" and "Math vab Mathonwy" (Gruffydd may be a little out-of-date, but current trends in Celtic Studies has still made him relevant), Helaine Newstead's "Bran the Blessed in Arthurian Romance" and Proinsias Mac Cana's "Mabinogi" and "Branwen the Daughter of Llyr". Later, if you're curious, there's John Carey's "Ireland and the Grail", which has some interesting material connecting the Mabinogi to Irish material.
this is really helpful, thanks!
Thank you. I was trying to decide which translation to read. This is very helpful. I am still undecided but at least I can make an informed decision. I am leaning towards the more readable version
Thanks to your very helpful review I went with the Davies translation and am enjoying it very much.
Very useful roundup, thank you!!
This was very helpful, getting the Davies translation for now. Any opinions on the Jeffrey Gantz translation (Penguin Classics)?
Many thanks. That really helps make a choice.
Joy wrote: "This was very helpful, getting the Davies translation for now. Any opinions on the Jeffrey Gantz translation (Penguin Classics)?"I'm not Mary, but also deeply into the Mabinogi. The Gantz translation is readable, but he has condensed the prose a little. Not so much by leaving anything out, but by greatly simplifying the language.
I've also done a comparison of the translations at the following link, in case that's of interest. https://www.patreon.com/posts/35684613
Thanks Kris, will read through your review.
I had similar feelings about the translation. Thank you so much for pointers of where to go next, for a better read!
This is amazingly helpful. Thank you!
Now I feel like I might need to read all those different translations and make comparisons. Thank you for the recommendations!!
