Customer Reviews

Mabinogion Tetralogy

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Back in the early and mid 1970s a series of 4 fantasy novels written by one Evangeline Walton and based tightly on the Welsh myths known collectively as The Mabinogion were published in this country by Ballantine Books. THE PRINCE OF ANNWN; THE CHILDREN OF LLYR; THE SONG OF RHIANNON; and THE ISLAND OF THE MIGHTY were for many of us our first introductions to Celtic mythology. Ms. Walton was an expert storyteller, and having read the 1949 Gwyn and Thomas Jones translation of THE MABINOGION, and struggled through a Welsh-language version for young people called Y MABINOGI: CYFADDASIAD NEWYDD, I can say that her paraphrase of these tales is superb, faithful, and an incredibly exciting read!

The individual novels have long been out of print and hard to find. Overlook Press has just published the four novels together in one elegantly produced hardback entitled THE MABINOGION TETRALOGY.

Although Ms. Walton, who died in 1996 at age 92, began writing her novels decades before Tolkien began his, and her style is leaner and perhaps cleaner (aided, no doubt, by the fact that she was reworking already existing material whereas Tolkien was weaving entire worlds from his own yarn), the Tetralogy should appeal to a similar readership.

I can't recommend this edition highly enough!

This might very well be *most* poorly edited book I've ever purchased. Miss Walton's novels are wonderful, in every sense of that word; they rate 5 stars. The volume, though, merits no stars at all, thus my average of 2 stars. The book is utterly laden with distracting and misleading errors of all sorts. Words that make no sense in context substituted for what I know (having read the much better Ballantine paperback editions, years ago, and simply knowing the tales) should be there; whole passages repeated out of sequence. And I'm only some 50 pages into it! Overlook needs to fire whoever purported to edit this thing, and apologize to its customers...and to the memory of Evangeline Walton.

I was very impressed with this book. Walton does a wonderful job of reworking the original Welsh legends into four stories. Naturally, she allows herself certain artistic freedoms, such as interpreting disputed aspects of the legends in a way that seems most plausible to her. However, her skill and her imagination make me gladly accept her interpretation.

The writing is probably the most beautiful I have read since Tolkien. It is rich in detail, vibrant, and poetic. A pleasure to read. The same is true for the characters, who really do come to life in Walton's book. She (re)creates gods and men, heroes and monsters, while at the same time exploring some of the recurring themes of humankind, such as love and loyalty, strength and courage, etc. The basis for all this is the same cultural background of the original Welsh mythologies, i.e. the fundamental conflict between the belief of the Old Tribes, in which women were quite independent and powerful, and the New Tribes, in which women are inferior to men and the role of women as 'creators of life' is slowly forgotten.

At the same time, I don't think this book is for everybody. If you enjoy contemporary fantasy with a Celtic background along the lines of Katherine Kerr, then you may be disappointed by this book. Not every subplot is pursued to completion, not every character is described fully. Walton implies as much as she tells us. The language is as much poetry as it is prose. Like I said, it's beautiful, but read it for what it is!

Anika Leithner

The Mabinogion is an ancient collection of Welsh mythology. There have been quite a few modern translations, especially with the current Celtic revival. In my opinion, however, this four volume set by Evangaline Walton is by far the best. Many myths and fairy tales, while still enjoyable to read, are written in a less than scintillating style. Events and characters are duly described in a kind of methodical history book manner. Walton, on the other hand, brings the characters and stories to life in a truly literary fashion. Thus, these volumes can be enjoyed not only by folklorists and Celtophiles, but also by anyone who loves good fantasy novels --or good novels in general. The Welsh language has long been a source for many fantasy writers, including Tolkien. Though I can't properly pronounce most of the words and names in the Mabinogion, just reading them sends the imagination on an astral journey. Arawn, King of Annwn (the underworld); Rhiannon, Gwydion, Arianrhod...It would be too confusing to go into the details of the stories, but they are almost all concerned with magical battles (of wits as often as with swords) between various mortals and gods. Many of the tales of the Mabinogion are related, but they are not continuous. You could read any one of the four volumes by itself, which may be forced upon some readers if they rely on finding them in used bookstores. Fortunately, there are quite a few editions out there, including some newer ones, so you should be able to buy them as a set.

Don't read this book because you want to get closer to the wealth of Welsh myth. Read this book because it is stunning and beautiful. Reading this book you are in the hands of a competent bard aware of the complexities of human behavior. Walton takes you on an adventure complete with misplaced love, tragic deaths, and heroic splendor. She has taken the bare bones of myth and altered little by added a lot and crafted a masterpiece of literature.

The decades Ms Walton devoted to collecting Welsh folklore and oral tradition versions of these tales, combined with her acute knowledge of the Western Mystery Tradition and excellent scholarship makes this the single most valuable text for anyone engaged in serious study of Celtic literature, history or spiritual traditions. Outside of hearing the tales from Taliesin's own lips, this is as good as it gets.

Ms. Walton does an incredible job of taking Welsh Mythology and breathing life into it making it a novel of unsurpassed proportions. You encounter hidden lessons that actually sent shivers through me. This book by no means should replace the Mabinogion's translation by Lady Charlotte, which is a more literal translation. However, Ms. Walton provides insight to the myths and is quite inspiring in doing so. This book just might change your life in some ways.

So what does a good book do? It captures our imagination. It makes us live in the world it describes. It makes us care what happens to its characters.

Done, done and done.

Evangeline Walton knew how to tell a story.

She knew fascination when she found it, and she made it available to those of us who were, perhaps, at the time, confused.

But read her stuff all the way through, and then try and tell me you were, like, bored.

This is a wonderful book! For one interested in fantasy at all, this is a must read. For one not interested in fantasy, give it a try, it may pry open your head and set you on the path of the mystical realm of fantasy.

This book is significant for readers who wish to explore the Welsh Mythologies and as a jolly good read. Interestingly it was written before Tolkien's classic and included in Tolkien's library. As a resident of WAles, and as an emigre, it is disappointing that this interpretation is not better known or acknowledged in Britain. For further study look into Robert Graves The White Goddess. Graves an acknowledged scholar fully appreciated that the Welsh Language was the spoken language of Britain and in this book (I do not pretend to understand it in its entirety) the Mabinogion is a constant source of reference. Evangeline Walton's interpretation is a good foundation for all the translations of the Welsh Myths and for a starter to the White Goddess.
Enjoy and be stimulated by these books.

Graham Matthews