A quick look at how this old Welsh word was used in its earliest contexts.
The Threshold Figure
The threshold figure is a common motif in Celtic myth. In this talk I look at some Welsh examples and explore what it means.
The Symbol of the Lion
The lion is one of the most prominent symbols in the Mabinogion tale of Owain. But what is its meaning and how old is it?
Remaking Myth in Welsh Storytelling
The story of Owain ab Urien travelled far in medieval Europe, mainly through Chretian de Troyes Old French classic Yvain (12th century), which although popular seems to have been stripped of its older more mythic elements. Yet on the story’s return to Wales in the 13th century, the Welsh storytellers appear to have reinvested the text with myth, renovating and remaking the story as they claimed it back.
The Lord of Animals
In the 13th century story of Owain we find one of the most ancient mythic figures to be found in European literature, the many-faced Lord of Animals.
A Celtic Wisdom Tradition?
Celtic myths are symbolic, so we need to interpret them to draw out their wisdom. As a result, it’s probably worth asking if interpretation was ever a part of the Celtic storytelling tradition?
Who wrote The Book of Taliesin?
The Book of Taliesin is one of the great treasures of Welsh culture, but who wrote it? In truth, it’s an impossible question to answer, but there are some very interesting theories about who composed some of the most famous poems in the manuscript . . .
Was Taliesin a druid?
Most Celtic scholars would rightly point out that the correct answer to this question is an emphatic no. Yet there is a more nuanced story that can be told:
Mabinogi Riddles
What do riddles have to do with The Four Branches of the Mabinogi?
What is The Book of Taliesin?
The Book of Taliesin is one of the primary medieval sources for the Taliesin myth. But what does it actually contain?