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The Mabinogion
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
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Summary
Then they took the flowers of the oak, and the flowers of the broom, and the flowers of the meadowsweet, and from those they conjured up the fairest and most beautiful maiden that anyone had ever seen.
Celtic mythology, Arthurian romance, and an intriguing interpretation of British history - these are just some of the themes embraced by the anonymous authors of the eleven tales that make up the Welsh medieval masterpiece known as The Mabinogion.
They tell of Gwydion the shape-shifter, who can create a woman out of flowers; of Math the magician whose feet must lie in the lap of a virgin; of hanging a pregnant mouse and hunting a magical boar. Dragons, witches, and giants live alongside kings and heroes, and quests of honor, revenge, and love are set against the backdrop of a country struggling to retain its independence.
Sioned Davies's lively translation re-creates the storytelling world of medieval Wales and reinvests the tales with the power of performance.
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What listeners say about The Mabinogion
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- G. Morus
- 02-06-20
Terrible pronunciation
Such a missed opportunity. Why not use a narrator who could actually pronounce the Welsh names? Unfair to ask a non Welsh speaker to do it. Narrator also fails to bring any life to some stories, particularly the later ones. Sich a brilliant translation requires a far better production. Try again.
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11 people found this helpful
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- Owen K Andrews
- 17-10-22
awful rendition. may as well be in Welsh.
almost impossible to listen to. the narrator is awful. the translation is garbage. find another version. we all have a right to be spared this rubbish. there must be a better reading somewhere. this is the pits.
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- Crocker
- 01-09-19
Endured for 7 mins of chapter two,
Utterly dreadful narration, it might have improved from minute eight but it was beyond all my powers to go any further, has been returned. Cannot comment on the story for obvious reasons
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10 people found this helpful
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- Jessica May
- 11-12-20
Reading sounds like shipping forecast
I would have given anything for this to work as studying this translation, but I can't listen to it. Reading, is so stilted, and lacking warmth. I
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6 people found this helpful
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- Man-O-War1977
- 07-08-18
Brilliant
A really excellent translation performed.as it should be by a superb narrator. This is by far the best way to tackle a complex and often surreal text
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- HistoryLover
- 31-07-18
Dreadful Welsh pronunciation ruins this fine translation
Sioned Davies is widely regarded as the world's expert on The Mabinogion and her translation is magnificent- it captures the mood and feeling of early Medieval Wales brilliantly. So why was James Cameron Stewart chosen to read it? He cannot pronounce the Welsh names and utterly mangles the lyricism of the work. I stuck it out for Branch 1 - but his pronunciation of names like Pwyll had me on edge. I returned the audiobook and got my credit back. What a lost opportunity. What a pity Davies didn't get the narrator her translation deserves.
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27 people found this helpful