Four Branches of The Mabinogi - Overview

Overview

The most mythological stories contained in the Mabinogion collection are four interrelated tales, by a single author or storyteller, titled The Mabinogi in manuscripts, or often "The Four Branches of the Mabinogi". The use of characters' names as titles for each branch is also a modern practice; they are not named in the original manuscripts. One figure, Pryderi, appears in all four branches, though not always as a central character. They include:

• Pwyll Prince of Dyfed, telling of Pryderi's parents, his birth, loss, and eventual recovery.
• Branwen Daughter of Llŷr, which mostly follows Branwen's marriage to the King of Ireland. Pryderi is named but plays no part in this branch.
• Manawydan Son of Llŷr, where Pryderi returns home with Manawydan, brother of Branwen, and they encounter misfortune.
• Math Son of Mathonwy, following Math and Gwydion and their conflict with Pryderi.

It has been suggested that originally these tales were all part of a tradition surrounding the life of Pryderi, and that later additions of material have since come to dominate the stories. It is unclear whether this is indeed the case, or if, alternatively, Pryderi himself was introduced to link legends of separate origins.