Prince of Annwn

The Mabinogion is a confusing text. I have read it several times in several contexts, including classes. It is confusing for several reasons: it is a compliation of a lot of different legends, and it relies on the audience having a lot of background knowledge to fill in the gaps. I had hoped that The Prince of Annwn, the first of Evangeline Walton's Mabinogion tetralogy, would help fill in those gaps with fiction, where facts are lacking. The Prince of Annwn starts off shaky in that regard but succeeds by the end.

The Prince of Annwn is the story of Pwyll, the Prince of Dyved (West Wales). One day he goes hunting and meets Arawn, the Grey Man of Annwn (basically, Death from the Underworld). Arawn tells Pwyll that he needs Pwyll to change likenesses and places with him. Arawn needs Pwyll to fight Havgan another ruler in Annwn for him. Pwyll agrees because he must. To this point Walton is following The Mabinogion closely. However, in my opinion, she makes a mistake because she invents two other creatures that Pwyll must fight before he reaches the location to battle Havgan. These fights and creatures are confusingly described, partially because Walton is trying to make the creatures seem surreal. These sections seem long--even if they are not. In her notes, Walton explains that she bases these two creatures on images from Celtic relics.

After these first fifty pages, her narrative begins to flow much more clearly, and she starts more conscious world building. Pwyll lives in the world of the New Tribes, which favors law and patriarchy. The Old Tribes were matriarchal and based in tradition rather than law. The New Tribes, however, have heard of a new religion that favors a Mother and Son. The ending of the novel plays well with the tension between the ways of the Old Tribes and Druids, who are the representatives of the New Tribes.

I am appreciating Walton's efforts to ground the narrative in a time of change. Her notes at the end of the novel demonstrate her research and explain some of choices she made based on that research. I look forward to reading the next novel in the series.