The Mabinogion Audiobook By Sioned Davies - Translator cover art

The Mabinogion

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The Mabinogion

By: Sioned Davies - Translator
Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
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Then they took the flowers of the oak, and the flowers of the broom, and the flowers of the meadowsweet, and from those they conjured up the fairest and most beautiful maiden that anyone had ever seen.

Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, and an intriguing interpretation of British history - these are just some of the themes embraced by the anonymous authors of the eleven tales that make up the Welsh medieval masterpiece known as The Mabinogion.

They tell of Gwydion the shape-shifter, who can create a woman out of flowers; of Math the magician whose feet must lie in the lap of a virgin; of hanging a pregnant mouse and hunting a magical boar. Dragons, witches, and giants live alongside kings and heroes, and quests of honor, revenge, and love are set against the backdrop of a country struggling to retain its independence.

Sioned Davies's lively translation re-creates the storytelling world of medieval Wales and reinvests the tales with the power of performance.

©2007 Sioned Davies (P)2018 Tantor Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Classics European Fairy Tales Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literary History & Criticism Magic World Literature Magic Users Short Story Arthurian Welsh Mythology
Vibrant Storytelling • Rich Mythological Tapestry • Authentic Welsh Pronunciation • Enchanting Supernatural Elements
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Easily one of the worst readings I’ve heard - flat, monotonous, utterly devoid of drama or feeling. It’s especially unfortunate, as the translator stresses at length the degree to which she rendered the Mabinogion to retain its oral character. I would strongly recommend sampling the other Audible version of this audiobook before making a purchase.

Decent content, poor performance

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Eleven Welsh myths and Arthurian romances comprise the Mabinogion. These are simple tales but have been springboards of ideas for fantasy writers for a century.
Modern translations of ancient myths and epics are clear & direct, no denying that. But they often lack love of verse and language, a touch of Tennyson or Coleridge.
A comparison may be that older translations are akin to the King James bible and newer ones to the NIV bible--or even the ERV.

Good research item for fantasy writers.

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This narrator sounds like someone is forcing him to read the stories. Very unpleasant listening and it distracts from the mythology.

Narrator sounds bored and irritated

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I've read four different translations of the Mabinogion, and this is by far the most vibrant and alive!
Sioned Davies' new translation really focuses on the oral experience of listening to a wonderful story
being told aloud, putting you in Wales, a thousand years ago in a castle, with a hunk of roasted meat
and a tankard of ale, drawn in by the Celtic Bards, who were the best story tellers on Earth!

Earlier translations have their good points, but two qualities hold them back: 1. The morality of the Christian
translator, who tries to hide key story elements like a wife who's pleased that she finally gets laid after a year
after her husband changed forms with a human. That's gonna draw a laugh in any hall in the world if it's well told though
it's modified to fit modern subdued non-Welsh women. 2. The translators too often are readers and writers, not story tellers with a focus on the oral tradition. These stories are meant to be heard with the smell of fireplace smoke and ale on a cold misty night, not in a library.

So if you want the woman's touch, and a real Welsh woman who makes 'em come alive for you: this is the translation. Lady Guest loved the Welsh and saved it. But she was a Brit and hers reads like a junior high girl's version of the tales.

Vibrant New Translation Puts You In Wales!

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Good Stories.
Hard names.
Good history.
Storytelling in this style, and especially with these names, can be tough to follow.

Tough names

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The audio for this book matches the book and the story perfectly, and it helps for someone like me who has difficulty with pronouncing Welsh words correctly because it is not my native language, but I want to know it and learn it. The narrator was great, and I am grateful that he narrated this book because he really knew the stories and the words.

The Mabinogion: The Audiobook

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Like many medieval stories, it moves slow and contains a lot of focus on manners and issues of honor. As a source for understanding the medieval mindset its ok (although I think le mort d'arthur is better). Interesting, but a bit of a slog to get through.

A bit of a slog

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Fans of Icelandic saga, Arthurian legend, Homeric epic will love this audiobook. Even more than the printed book because it pronounces all the strange Welsh names of characters and places. There’s a strong echo of J.R.R. Tolkien in the stories. The Mabinogion is literally wonderful.

Fabulous

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The reader did a great job! I laughed out loud a few times:) Would recommend this!

Hilarious!

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I can only echo what others have said about the choice for the narrator.

Entertaining translation, poor telling

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