Mabinogion
/ˌmæbɪˈnəʊɡiən/noun
The traditional English title for a collection of eleven medieval Welsh prose tales preserved mainly in the White Book of Rhydderch and the Red Book of Hergest.
Did you know?The title Mabinogion likely arose from a scribal or editorial pluralization of Welsh mabinogi, and the stories themselves contain some of the earliest surviving Arthurian material.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic
Proto-Celtic
*makʷyos
“A reconstructed Celtic word for “son” or “youth,” ultimately connected with the family of forms represented by Welsh mab and Irish mac.”
Old Welsh
Old Welsh
map
““Son”; an early Welsh form later developing into mab through regular sound change.”
Middle Welsh
Middle Welsh
mab
““Son,” and by extension a young male or child.”
13th–14th Century
Middle Welsh
mabinogi
“A narrative or tale associated with youth, offspring, or a mabinog; the term’s precise original sense remains debated.”
14th–15th Century
Middle Welsh
mabinogion
“A plural-looking form appearing in medieval manuscript tradition, though its grammatical history is uncertain.”
19th Century
English
Mabinogion
“Lady Charlotte Guest’s English title for a collection of translated medieval Welsh tales, including the Four Branches of the Mabinogi.”