Mabinogion

Today the character of Rhiannon from the First Branch of the Mabinogi is considered to be a strong female lead in the Celtic Literature. However, her role within the story is not so clear-cut and much of her power and influence within the text is determined by her ethereal nature. In order to examine the important of Rhiannon’s divinity, it is necessary to understand how the concept of a sovereignty goddess and Otherworld ruler combine to create a position whereby Rhiannon both improves upon and secure Pwyll’s realm. Rhiannon is undeniably a divine figure with a layered history. Her divinity directly contributes to her role as sovereignty goddess. While not fulfilling the most traditional use for her role, Rhiannon is still representative of Pwyll’s right to rule. The tragic birth of her child even contributes to the fortification of Pwyll’s claim. And yet, her Otherworldliness cannot be dismissed. Rhiannon is a strong leader who rule with the skill of a síd, actively improving both Pwyll’s land and his leadership, working against the more traditional passive role of sovereignty goddesses. Before any of this can be established however, it is essential to look at how Rhiannon’s divinity is created and shaped by remnants of Pre-Christian deities. Rhiannon’s divine origins are far from superficial. From her first introduction in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is heavily associated with supernatural and godlike qualities. She appears riding a horse outpacing…

In the Four Branches of the Mabinogion, the plot of the tales places a lot of pressure on the idea of chivalry and the honorable relationships between men and their lords, as well as men of equal standing, and men and their wives. In many of the tales the men make mistakes, and establish themselves as rightful by correcting their error and learning from it or by being punished by an outward force. For example in Pwyll son of Dyved, Pwyll makes his first mistake when he goes hunting and seeing…

In Medieval Europe, both the Christian Church and pagan ideas dominated religious beliefs throughout European nations. Both of these belief systems are represented in The Mabinogion, a collection of eleven Welsh tales. “Pwyll Lord of Dyved” represents the Medieval Christian Church’s beliefs on salvation, which was an integral part of that era as it caused financial corruption among church leaders, also, “Llud and Llevyls” provides much insight on paganism and is reflected in the Middle Ages in…

about the legends of King Arthur. He wrote “Historia Regum Britanniae”, also known as “The History of the Kings of Britain”, in 1136. This book detailed the old Kings and history dating from the Roman era and further climaxing with the reign of King Arthur (Shopkow). Likewise, a number of other books were written by Welsh about King Arthur and his legends. For example, “Llyfr du Caerfyrddin”, also known as “The Black Book of Caernarvon”, was written in 1250 and contained stories and poems…