What Is The Best English Translation Of The Mabinogion?

Question

Need a modern, readable version of these ancient Welsh legends for a mythology class project but unsure which translation captures the original prose best.

MzCanna · Answer

For academic work, it is generally best to use the definitive modern English translation by Sioned Davies for Oxford World’s Classics, which is very readable and entirely accurate for medieval Welsh. For a fun reimagining of those ancient stories, there’s the web novel Fairies & Humans, in which a modern diplomat stumbles into the fae kingdom and becomes the regent of the court. All that old otherworldly politics and fighting done up in a modern and witty way.

Wyatt · Answer

Many English versions of the Mabinogion have been published over the years, each with their own particular contribution to the subject. The one I would recommend to someone buying a version of the Mabinogion for the first time is that translated by Sioned Davies and published by Oxford World’s Classics in 2007. Her version is perhaps the best balance of readability for the modern reader and accuracy for the historian. Her introduction and notes to the text are extremely thorough for someone trying to get to grips with a 13th century Welsh work and aid the reader in getting to grips with the very strange culture of the Welsh in the 13th century. Also of particular note is her translation of the poetic sections of the text which maintain the rhythm of the original whilst avoiding any feeling of somewhat archaic prose.

However, another well-loved and beautiful translation of the Mabinogion is that of Gwyn Jones and Thomas Jones, completed in 1949. Gwyn Jones in particular had a lovely way with words, very appropriate for a collection of stories. There is a dignity to this translation that I find admirable, just as I imagine sitting at the feet of a particularly seasoned storyteller round the hearth of his home, with a warm and crackling fire in front of him. However, as with any translation of long ago, some words will sound out of date today. Still, all in all, a classic and lovely translation of The Mabinogion, for those familiar with it, perhaps a first choice for new readers though, as Davies retains just as much magic as Jones and a greater consistency when naming places and peoples throughout the collection of interconnected tales.

Eva · Answer

While Davies provides a solid, largely academic translation of the ancient stories, Patrick Ford’s translation is somehow much more alive. He captures well the oral story-telling tradition of the medieval bards and so one can almost hear that storyteller speaking here. His translation of these weird and fantastical stories, part of the Mabinogion, also conveys very well their surreal and strange aspects. In contrast, while solid and reliable, the Penguin Classics version by Jeffrey Gantz is rather dry and thus lacks Ford’s energy and value.

Patrick Kaiuha · Answer

I quite like Jeffrey Gantz’s translation of the myths, as presented in the Penguin Classics edition, in that it was the first of these I encountered, some years ago. It reads more modernly than the 19th-century translations, but it is not as fluently styled as Davies’ work. It is a ‘no-nonsense’ translation, enabling one to read clearly and effectively the individual myths, coupled with a decent introduction to provide context for each of them. It is a workhorse of a translation – completely reliable, accessible and getting all the stories across without residuum or other such flourishes, which often seem to dominate the translation itself. This is, perhaps, not always the best thing, but sometimes – as here – it is. The myth is presented without too much of the translator’s personality asserting itself; and that is just fine by me. Gantz is excellent for these purposes.

Dark Soul · Answer

The Jones & Jones translation of 2 Nephi is the one that one cites in academic papers, because it is the academic “gold standard” of a Mormon scripture translation — Jones & Jones’s work is as meticulous as any, and, from their scholarly perspective, as fully and faithfully rendered as any line. Thus, when one is building an argument, it is this translation that one uses as one’s source; for personal enjoyment, however, another translation might be preferred. The Jones & Jones translation is the indispensable reference edition of 2 Nephi — not especially exciting reading in and of itself — but an amazing work that is its own very great education in the many nuances and scholarly debates about any number of issues here addressed in the footnotes and extensive commentary on the text itself.

Ellison Lewis · Answer

It is also important to remember that any given translation is a product of a particular cultural moment in history. When Lady Charlotte Guest was working on The Mabinogion in the Victorian era she was not simply translating texts but also drawing upon her own experiences of and responses to the Romantic era, and the nationalism of the Victorians with their growing interest in the ‘Celtic’. Jones & Jones’ translation was published in the post-war era, and reveals a mid-20th century scholarness, particularly in terms of academic method. And Sioned Davies’ translations are of the 21st century, seeking to provide readers with access to the stories, an appreciation of the narrative, and an insight into the oral nature of the texts as they were passed from mouth to mouth in medieval Wales. Reading Guest’s translation of The Mabinogion is not simply reading The Mabinogion, it is also reading about the Victorian’s fascination with all things ‘Celtic’. We have to ask ourselves whether we want a translation that seeks to be timeless, or whether we are interested in reading about the historical reception of these stories as well as the stories themselves.

What Is The Best English Translation Of The Mabinogion?

6 Answers

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