I discovered her re-do of Welsh mythology as fantasy fiction in my early 20's. The Mabinogion Tetralogy I read was packaged as four distinct books, with great cover art. I devoured them, one after another. And why not? They were the books I was looking for at that time. The women were strong and respected. The "old tribes" honored women as equals and their society was matrilineal. The "new tribes" were patriarchal. One of the major story lines was that of a woman from the old tribe joining with/marrying a man from the new tribes and being treated horribly. When the men of her family learned of this, they retaliated by attacking and laying waste to her husband's people and lands, and bringing her home.
I had no idea that mythology could be so vibrant, so alive - that it could relate so very much to what I felt and saw and believed in my own life and for my own time.
Last summer, as my friend Carolyn Stearns read the real Mabinogion, I decided to read along with her, and re-read Evangeline Walton's version. What a treat! It was more complex than I had realized, and the stories lingered more than I had remembered over the landscapes and people and historical/mythological changes. It was much more than the feminist mythos I had internalized, but that was still there too. It was still timely, and vibrant and beautiful, and so very alive.
It was a great introduction to mythology, and is still a wonderful read. Check it out!
Ooooh very interesting! Great post.
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