Editing Mabinogion (section)

===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.