BRANWEN & TALIESIN

~ Edorix Wirocu ~


Image: “Branwen’s Messenger”, Margaret Jones.

Click here for the story thread.

Here is a link to the original tale.

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This thread contains all the background information for my story "Branwen & Taliesin". You don't need it in order to follow the tale, but it may help. I strongly recommend that the interested reader read this too.

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The story of Branwen daughter of Llyr is told in the Second Branch of the Mabinogion, a series of ancient Welsh legends. Because of this, the Second Branch is also often known as the Mabinogi of Branwen. Originally, the story was passed on by word of mouth, until it was written down in the Middle Ages. Much of the story would have changed by then.

Archaeology at the site where Branwen was allegedly buried – the site in Angelsey known as “Bedd Branwen” - suggests that if the story is based on real events, they date back to about 1500BC. If this is true, then bards and storytellers like us have been telling this story in some form for three and a half thousand years.

But, as I said, in the passage from bard to bard, and due to major cultural changes rendering earlier practices once considered normal now barbaric – most importantly, the conversion of the Britons to Christianity – the story changed. I have tried to alter the parts of this story that do not tie in well with the setting: for instance, the references to London, the Son of God, France... London becomes Dubris or Verlamion, the Son of God becomes various other older gods, France becomes Gaul or even “to the south”; Ireland becomes Ierne or Eriu and Britain becomes Prydain or Albion. I could find no easy substitute for the art of writing, so Branwen’s message to Bendigeidvran is written in Greek letters on a scrap of bark. Other anachronisms such as those listed above I have endeavoured to remove.

I have set my tale around the Second Century BC, in Wales as in the original. I had to allow some mythology and magic to come into play; after all, the story would not be the same without it. This is not just any old retelling though; I have wound in new characters, settings, events and sub-plots to suit myself. Many aspects of the story of Tristan and Isolde, for instance, appear in Parts II and III. In other places I have missed things outthat I deemed unnecessary or simply unwanted. In yet other places I remained very close to the original text, as in Chapter VI. This story has something to offer even to the original bards who knew it off by heart; I have taken a folk tale and turned into a historical fantasy romantic adventure.

I believe that the mediaeval story of Branwen is probably a combination of two much older ideas: one, the story of the girl whose grave is now known as Bedd Branwen, who lived around the mid second millennium BC; two, the vestiges of the concept of the Celtic goddess of love and beauty, Branwen (or something similar: Bronwyn, Bronwina...). With the coming of Christianity, she was no longer wanted as a god, but clung on to along with her once-divine family members (Bran the Blessed, Manawyddan...) as heroes of old. So who the real occupant of the grave was is lost, but a later set of characters took the setting as their own. Make of that you will.

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This post has been updated with notes on the tale, its history and its geography, and a translation of the original story for you to compare. I feel a pronunciation guide is unnecessary; most names I have altered slightly so they can be read without prior knowledge of Welsh. Suffice to say that a "dd" is pronounced as "thigh", "th" is pronounced as "the", and "w" is prounced as "Luke".

Final note: Although this tale falls into the category of historical fantasy, it is not aimed at reproducing historical accuracy. The nature of the story and where I have chosen to set it makes that impossible.

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[This message has been edited by Edorix (edited 10-15-2010 @ 04:07 PM).]