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Rhiannon: Inquiry into the First and Third Branches of the Mabinogion
Hardcover with dustwrapper. Some wear to dustwrapper and foxing to front and back flyleaves. Former owner's name on front flyleaf. Otherwise clean, unmarked copy in very good condition. University of Wales Press, 1953. 118 pages
128 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1953
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About the author
W.J. Gruffydd
20 books3 followersWilliam John Gruffydd (1916-2011), better known by his bardic name of Elerydd, was a Welsh poet who served as Archdruid of the National Eisteddfod of Wales between 1984 and 1987.
Like all Archdruids, Elerydd was himself the winner of a major prize at the National Eisteddfod, in his case the crown at the Pwllheli Eisteddfod in 1955 and at Cardiff in 1960.
Like all Archdruids, Elerydd was himself the winner of a major prize at the National Eisteddfod, in his case the crown at the Pwllheli Eisteddfod in 1955 and at Cardiff in 1960.
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December 8, 2020
Curiously dated, but fascinating all the same.
Anyone who reads these stories feels that they are constructed out of a variety of materials, and some of that material is very old, and it's been very scrambled.
So the attempt to reconstruct the original story seems like a natural extension of curiosity. However, I'm not sure what knowing Rhiannon was probably a horse goddess or the Great Mother or both does for the reading of the stories.
As scholarship the problem lies in the methodology. What seems inconsistent or contradictory to a modern didn't necessarily seem like either to the contemporary audience. In fact, the method is based on the idea that the final 'author' was willing to live with levels of confusion that a modern finds unacceptable. The idea that these stories made sense to their medieval users doesn't seem to cross Gruffydd's mind.
Most of the methodology nvolves back forming by comparison with other stories, mostly Irish. Where the comparisons differ, the assumption is that the Welsh has been changed to the detriment of the story. The resulting explanations and shuffling of characters are head spinning to say the least. Ockham would certainly not approve.
The underlying assumption is also that there was 'an original story' which can be reconstructed. And that I doubt. There were probably stories, and versions of stories.
Having said that, this is a fascinating book and offers one way of thinking about the first and third branches. It's also a key text in the history of studies of these stories.
Anyone who reads these stories feels that they are constructed out of a variety of materials, and some of that material is very old, and it's been very scrambled.
So the attempt to reconstruct the original story seems like a natural extension of curiosity. However, I'm not sure what knowing Rhiannon was probably a horse goddess or the Great Mother or both does for the reading of the stories.
As scholarship the problem lies in the methodology. What seems inconsistent or contradictory to a modern didn't necessarily seem like either to the contemporary audience. In fact, the method is based on the idea that the final 'author' was willing to live with levels of confusion that a modern finds unacceptable. The idea that these stories made sense to their medieval users doesn't seem to cross Gruffydd's mind.
Most of the methodology nvolves back forming by comparison with other stories, mostly Irish. Where the comparisons differ, the assumption is that the Welsh has been changed to the detriment of the story. The resulting explanations and shuffling of characters are head spinning to say the least. Ockham would certainly not approve.
The underlying assumption is also that there was 'an original story' which can be reconstructed. And that I doubt. There were probably stories, and versions of stories.
Having said that, this is a fascinating book and offers one way of thinking about the first and third branches. It's also a key text in the history of studies of these stories.
Displaying 1 of 1 review