This group was started in late Spring 2008 in response to an evident void on the internet for dedicated discussion of the Mabinogi. You might find it mentioned as a topic, but never one entire forum or group dedicated to discovering the personal value and truths found there-in. We exist:

1. To bring the Mabinogi to life, off the dusty shelf and into a current living tradition. How did the ancients view the stories? What did they mean to them? And in turn, what do they mean to us as individuals, as Welsh (if you are Welsh or of Welsh ancestry), and as humans? These questions are the underlying purpose behind the course and discussion group. Answering these questions is done through careful reading of the texts, then discussing as a group and finally making personal conclusions.

2. To promote Welsh culture, language and history by helping those with such an interest to learn more about Wales and her Modern, Medieval, Celtic and Pre-Celtic past. Whether you are an academic looking for some inspiration (or entertainment?), or a pagan looking for some factual information, or just someone who is interested in the Mabinogi, whatever your case, we need all sorts of people from various perspectives and backgrounds to make the discussions worthwhile. This diversity is accepted and upheld as best as possible.

We also realise that many of the people interested in the Mabinogi are not siaradwyr Cymraeg, Welsh speakers. The founders and many members of the group are though, and try to preserve the spirit of the old language through out the site. There is also a forum dedicated for Welsh speakers.

3. To encourage a greater depth of thought on the Mabinogi, not just from a literary or historical point of view, but also at a deep psychological, dare I say, spiritual level -- the place where mythology has its conception. In order to efficiently and correctly study the Mabinogi, we must consider relevant topics like oral tradition, gender roles in Celtic society, local sacred sites, pre-Celtic, Celtic and Medieval religion, and even archetypal psychology, to name a few things.

Membership:

Everyone is welcome, anyone with an interest in Wales, Welsh mythology, the Mabinogi(on), Welsh history, society, language and culture.

To become a member, all you need do is register with the forum, wait to be approved and then you should be able to start posting and joining in as soon as possible! It's that easy :)

At the same time, be aware that this website has a very strong stance against prejudice. This means that we welcome ALL sorts of viewpoints, and not solely any one interpretation, as long as of course this viewpoint seeks to abide by the 3 Reasons why we exist (see above).

The Mabinogi was presumably written by a Christian scribe in the Christian Medieval Era, and contains obvious earlier Pagan elements, with a particular literary and cultural style, first written in Middle Welsh, translated into Modern Welsh and Modern English. ---- I state this to explain that because all of those are parts or elements in the Mabinogi, we too as a website are open and not restricted to any one approach, be it Christian, Pagan, Academic, Anti-Academic, Welsh, Non-Welsh, Welsh Speaker, English Speaker, or anything else.

If you have personal problems with any of the above, by all means join us, but please try to moderate your sentiments and try to aim for a more holistic discussion.

Once you have joined, please make sure to read the page about the Triad Paths, which explains precisely how the forums work, through group and guided discussion, at three different levels (thus "Triad").

A Note About Our Approach:

We are academic, but also accept that sometimes you have to use more than just reasoning to reach certain truths or levels of knowledge. This is called UPG or Unverified Personal Gnosis. In other words, there is only so much you can learn through textual and historical observation. We utilize this and then also try to look at it through the eyes of intuition and awen, psychology and spirituality. This might not appeal to certain kinds of people. If you want to study the Mabinogi solely through the eyes of academia, then you should take classes at the University of Wales--they also have programs through the post or on-line.

Meet our Founder