Category Archives: Celtic Studies

What would a 5th branch of the Mabinogi look like? By following the recurring themes of The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, is there a way of guessing what a 5th branch would contain? Here’s a short lecture I gave a few years back at the Aberystwyth Storytelling Festival:

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight isn’t just an old poem about chivalry and codes of honour, it also appears to be a meditation upon different types of masculinity. Which story about the sacred masculine is being told here? In this fifth part of a long rangeing discussion between myself and the poet and storyteller,Continue reading “Sir Gawain and Men’s Mysteries (Part 5)”

In this fourth part of the series we venture into the pagan wilds of the English classic. Many scholars have commented on the mixture of Christian and Pagan beliefs in the poem, but why did the anonymous author contrast the two types of belief so explicitly? You can listen to this episode  as a podcastContinue reading “Sir Gawain and the Pagan Goddess (Part 4)”

In this third part of the series, Tom Hirons and myself talk through his poem ‘Sometimes a Wild God’ and some of it’s connections to the Green Knight. The following discussion explores Sir Gawain’s relationship with Lady Bertilak and what this can tell us about medieval and modern ideas of sexuality. You can also  listenContinue reading “Sir Gawain, Woman and Wild God (Part 3)”

In this second part of the conversation between the poet Tom Hirons and myself we explore the different tensions in Sir Gawain, initially between desire and death, and then between the different types of morality that can be read in the poem. Listen to the  podcast episode here. 

The Mabinogi contain many influences and draw on many sources. In this last talk on Rhiannon’s Mabinogi, we look at W.J. Gruffydd’s conclusions about how the Mabinogi evolved, and take a brief look at later scholars who disagree with his basic premise. You can also listen to this talk as a podcast here.

There are several stories in the Welsh tradition and beyond about stolen children and their mothers, but what do they mean? Part 6 of Rhiannon’s Mabinogi. Listen as a podcast here:  https://anchor.fm/celtic-source/episodes/45–The-Goddess-Stolen-Child-e1umrqv 

Manawydan in Welsh myth and Manannán in Irish myth are often considered variations on the same mythological figure. But is this true? And if so what connects them? Part 6 of Rhiannon’s Mabinogi. You can also listen to this episode as a podcast: https://anchor.fm/celtic-source/episodes/43–Who-is-Manawydan-e1u73u0

Both Rhiannon’s and Branwen’s stories in the Mabinogi express some of the most tragic themes in Celtic myth. They are also very similar to later folktales from other traditions. In comparing all of these stories we find some very interesting ideas and beliefs common to many of them. You can also listen to the podcastContinue reading “A Queen Betrayed”