Beyond 4 Branches: Cohesion in the Mabinogi and Other Tales

I finished reading The Mabinogi and Other Medieval Welsh Tales as translated and edited by Patrick K. Ford several weeks ago, but, due to a sudden, unexpectedly huge workload and getting H1N1 followed closely by another virus, I have regrettably been unable to post until now.

The four branches of the Mabinogi include 1. Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, 2. Branwen daughter of Llyr, 3. Manawydan son of Llyr, and 4. Math son of Mathonwy. The other tales included are Lludd and Lleuelys, Culhwch and Olwen, the Tale of Gwion Bach, and the Tale of Taliesin, and the appendix with the poem Cad Goddeu. I have found this translation to be very helpful, since Ford introduces each tale with an explanation of the context of the tale and its characters.

The tales in the four branches of the Mabinogi are tied together by the reappearance of characters and familial and marriage ties of the characters. Rhiannon is introduced in the first branch, and in the third branch marries Manawydan son of Llyr. Also in the third branch, Llwyd son of Cil Coed seeks revenge for the ill treatment of Gwawl son of Clud, who was Rhiannon's suitor in the first branch and who promised not to exact revenge himself. The third branch also concerns Pryderi, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and his wife Cigfa, whom he marries at the end of the first branch. The second and third branch are both about children of Llyr, the Welsh sea god. In the fourth branch, Gwydion tricks Pryderi, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, out of his pigs and starts a war with him.

The other tales included don't have quite the same cohesion. In Culhwch and Olwen, Manawydan son of Llyr from the second branch is named as a companion of Arthur, as is Taliesin, from later in the other tales.

Most of the tales have similar or reoccurring themes or motifs, but I will tackle those individually in more posts.