[Discussion 3/4] Read the World | Bonus Country | Wales | The Mabinogion - Owein/The Countess of the Fountain/The Lady of the Well + Gereint and Enid/Geraint son of Erbin
God(s) be good to you, m’readers. Where are you coming from, and what do you seek? Questions you’ll find, if you will be so kind as to exchange them for answers.
Are you lost? Perhaps head to Caer Schedule or Bryn Marginalia.
The sections for this week includes two out of the Three Welsh Romances, tales from Arthur’s court. All three stories echo similar ones by Chrétien de Troyes, with Owein/Owain being Yvain, or Peredur becoming Perceval, for example. Both result from Celtic oral tradition.
Incidentally, these romances (in the historical sense) are also full of romance (in the lovey-dovey sense… kinda) with a pinch of the magical. CMV: it’s basically old school romantasy.
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Equivalence of names and basic info:
Owein = Owain [a pretty popular Knight of the Round Table]
Gereint = Geraint [Erec in Chrétien de Troyes’s version of the tale]
Kynon = Cynon = Cynan
Kei = Cai = Kay [King Arthur's foster brother and later seneschal, as well as one of the first Knights of the Round Table]
Gwenhwyvar = Gwenhwyfar [Arthur’s wifey]
Gwalchmei = Gwalchmai [who is actually Gawain from the Green Knight tale and a VIP Round Table dude]
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Summaries can be found here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/myths_owain.shtml
https://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/myths_mabinogion_geraint_and_enid.shtml
Feel free to read them while listening to Resting Knight ambient music 😁
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This time, let’s not wait a year, weary book knight. Come back in a week, when u/fixtheblue will present the concluding tales.