Editing Mabinogion (section)

==Stories==
[[File:Harlech Statue The Two Kings.jpg|right|thumb|''The Two Kings'' (sculptor [[Ivor Roberts-Jones]], 1984) near [[Harlech Castle]], Wales. [[Brân the Blessed|Bendigeidfran]] carries the body of his nephew Gwern.]]

The collection represents the vast majority of prose found in medieval Welsh manuscripts which is not translated from other languages. Notable exceptions are the ''Areithiau Pros''. None of the titles are contemporary with the earliest extant versions of the stories, but are on the whole modern ascriptions. The eleven tales are not adjacent in either of the main early manuscript sources, the [[White Book of Rhydderch]] ({{Circa|1375}}) and the [[Red Book of Hergest]] ({{Circa|1400}}), and indeed ''Breuddwyd Rhonabwy'' is absent from the White Book.

===Four Branches of the ''Mabinogi''===
The [[Four Branches of the Mabinogi|Four Branches of the ''Mabinogi'']] (''Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi'') are the most clearly mythological stories contained in the ''Mabinogion'' collection. [[Pryderi]] appears in all four, though not always as the central character.

* ''[[Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed]]'' (''[[Pwyll]], Prince of Dyfed'') tells of Pryderi's parents and his birth, loss and recovery.
* ''[[Branwen ferch Llŷr]]'' (''Branwen, daughter of Llŷr'') is mostly about [[Branwen]]'s marriage to the King of Ireland. Pryderi appears but does not play a major part.
* ''[[Manawydan fab Llŷr]]'' (''Manawydan, son of Llŷr'') has Pryderi return home with [[Manawydan]], brother of Branwen, and describes the misfortunes that follow them there.
* ''[[Math fab Mathonwy (branch)|Math fab Mathonwy]]'' (''Math, son of Mathonwy'') is mostly about the eponymous Math and [[Gwydion]], who come into conflict with Pryderi.

===Native tales===
Also included in Guest's compilation are five stories from Welsh tradition and legend:
* ''[[Breuddwyd Macsen Wledig]]'' (''The Dream of Macsen Wledig'')
* ''Lludd a Llefelys'' (''[[Lludd and Llefelys]]'')
* ''[[Culhwch and Olwen|Culhwch ac Olwen]]'' (''Culhwch and Olwen'')
* ''Breuddwyd Rhonabwy'' (''[[The Dream of Rhonabwy]]'')
* ''[[Hanes Taliesin]]'' (''The History of [[Taliesin]]'')

The tales ''Culhwch and Olwen'' and ''The Dream of Rhonabwy'' have interested scholars because they preserve older traditions of King Arthur. The subject matter and the characters described events that happened long before medieval times. After the departure of the Roman Legions, the later half of the 5th century was a difficult time in Britain. King Arthur's twelve battles and defeat of invaders and raiders are said to have culminated in the [[Battle of Badon]].

There is no consensus about the ultimate meaning of ''The Dream of Rhonabwy''. On one hand it derides [[Madoc]]'s time, which is critically compared to the illustrious Arthurian age. However, Arthur's time is portrayed as illogical and silly, leading to suggestions that this is a satire on both contemporary times and the myth of a heroic age.<ref>Brynley F. Roberts (1991). "The Dream of Rhonabwy", in: Norris J. Lacy, ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', pp. 120–121. New York: Garland. {{ISBN|0-8240-4377-4}}.</ref>

''Rhonabwy'' is the most literary of the medieval Welsh prose tales. It may have also been the last written. A [[Colophon (publishing)|colophon]] at the end declares that no one is able to recite the work in full without a book, the level of detail being too much for the memory to handle. The comment suggests it was not popular with storytellers, though this was more likely due to its position as a literary tale rather than a traditional one.<ref>Ceridwen Lloyd-Morgan (1991). "'Breuddwyd Rhonabwy' and Later Arthurian Literature", in: Rachel Bromwich et al., "The Arthur of the Welsh", p. 183. Cardiff: University of Wales. {{ISBN|0-7083-1107-5}}.</ref>

The tale ''The Dream of Macsen Wledig'' is a romanticised story about the Roman emperor [[Magnus Maximus]], called ''Macsen Wledig'' in Welsh. Born in [[Hispania]], he became a legionary commander in Britain, assembled a Celtic army and assumed the title of Roman Emperor in 383. He was defeated in battle in 385 and beheaded at the direction of the [[List of Byzantine emperors|Eastern Roman emperor]].

The story of [[Taliesin]] is a later survival, not present in the Red or White Books, and is omitted from many of the more recent translations.

===Romances===
The tales called the ''[[Three Welsh Romances]]'' (''Y Tair Rhamant'') are Welsh-language versions of Arthurian tales that also appear in the work of [[Chrétien de Troyes]].<ref>David Staines (Translator) ''The Complete Romances of Chrétien de Troyes''. Indiana University Press, Bloomington & Indianapolis, 1990, p. 1, 257, 339.</ref> Critics have debated whether the Welsh Romances are based on Chrétien's poems or if they derive from a shared original.<ref>Jessie L. Weston (1993; originally published 1920). ''From Ritual To Romance''. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, p. 107.</ref>  Though it is arguable that the surviving Romances might derive, directly or indirectly, from Chrétien, it is probable that he in turn based his tales on older, [[Celts|Celtic]] sources.<ref>Roger Sherman Loomis (1991). ''The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol'', Princeton, p. 8. {{ISBN|0-691-02075-2}}</ref> The Welsh stories are not direct translations and include material not found in Chrétien's work.

* ''Owain, neu Iarlles y Ffynnon'' (''Owain, or the Countess'' (or ''Lady'') ''of the Fountain'')
* ''Peredur fab Efrog'' (''[[Peredur son of Efrawg]]'')
* ''Geraint ac Enid'' (''Geraint and Enid'')