'Gwydion a'r Eryr' 1993,
oil on canvas 30x20cm
by Ivor Davies
'Branwen' 1997, oil on canvas 122x183cm
by Ivor Davies
'Mebyd Mabon' 1998,
oil on canvas, 143x143cm
by Ivor Davies
The MABINOGION / Y MABINOGI is a collection of eleven ancient Celtic prose tales (an uncertain 12th, i.e.Taliesin, is often excluded), which date back to at least the 6th century AD. They were passed on through the ages by the cyfarwydd, i.e. professional story tellers. In the 13th-15th centuries they were written down for the first time and have been preserved in two Welsh manuscript collections, i.e. The White Book of Rhydderch (c.1300-1325), and the Red Book of Hergest (c.1375-1425). Some were written down one to two hundred years before the White Book. It is thought that by then the tales had changed and had merged somewhat through re-telling. Artists who have grown up with Welsh culture have been fascinated by these folk stories. Of course, the presentation of the subject and its artistic interpretation varies from artist to artist, but the tales continue to fascinate and inspire each new generation of artists.
The Mabinogion characters interpreted below:
From the book Math Son of Mathonwy:
Lleu Llaw Gyffres (see Eluned Tudor-Grant / J.M.Morris) was a young lad for whom his uncle Gwydion was seeking a wife. A curse had been put on the young man never to find a wife. Gwydion and Lleu went to Math son of Mathonwy and between them, by their magic and enchantment, conjured a wife for Lleu out of flowers. They took the flowers of oak, of broom and of the meadowsweet, and 'from them they called forth the fairest and best endowed maiden that mortal ever saw...and named her Blodeuedd/Flowers' (Gwyn & Thomas Jones 'The Mabinogion, 1949/2000).
Blodeuedd (see Glenys Cour / Eluned Tudor-Grant / Gwdihw), meaning 'flower', fell in love with a knight who wanted her husband's kingdom. Her husband could only be removed by secret means. She found out about them, betrayed him to her lover and between them they spirited him away. As punishment Blodeuedd was transformed into an owl and was known henceforth as Blodeuwedd (meaning 'owl/flower face'), a bird that was hated and pursued by all the other birds.
Gwydion (see Ivor Davies) was the uncle of Blodeuedd's husband. He went to investigate his nephew's disappearance and found him transformed into an eagle. When he struck the bird with his magic wand, a pitiful man emerged who was nothing but skin and bone. The uncle then set out to punish Blodeuwedd for her wickedness.
'Gwydion a'r Eryr' 1993, oil on canvas 30x20cm by Ivor Davies |
'Branwen' 1997, oil on canvas 122x183cm by Ivor Davies |
'Mebyd Mabon' 1998, oil on canvas, 143x143cm by Ivor Davies |
 "Blodeuwedd6x4", 1995, mixed media on handmade paper, 102x80cm by Glenys Cour |
 Blodeuwedd by Moonlight, 2003 collage, oil pat & gold leaf on paper, 53x38cm by Glenys Cour |
 "Rhiannon Goddes of Horses" 2004, the celtic version of the Roman Goddes Epona, porcelain, c.28cm high by Anna Noel |
 'Blodeuwedd Transformed' 2003, oil on canvas c.76x48cm by Eluned Tudor-Grant |
 'Lleu Transformed' 2003, oil on canvas c.76x48cm by Eluned Tudor-Grant |
 'Brān&Jac-y-do/Ravens' 2003 multimedia print, 80x60cm by Annie Giles-Hobbs |