We are not a school, college, or any other such educational facility. We work through group and guided discussions, reading the actual Mabinogi and other Welsh tales, and are open to all forms of media, be it music, movies or radio, theatrical productions, artwork, poetry etc as an expression of the Mabinogi and Welsh spirit and culture.

Please be aware that we are not limited to any one approach, so we are not purely an Academic, Pagan, Christian, or any other kind of group. The purpose of the studying and discussing is to bring all sorts of different ideas and topics together on the subject of the Mabinogi,

Guided Discussion

Guided discussion is a key part of our forums and a gentle way to study, because it helps bridge the gap between intellectual and non-intellectual, Welsh and non-Welsh, etc .... the forums themselves need some sort of foundation to ensure the quality and level of discussion continues at a high bar and beyond. If we did not have guided questions, because the Mabinogi and related subjects are so vast, it would be very difficult to keep everyone on the same page, literally. At the same time, we recognise that some people may be completely new to this subject while others might have studied it 20+ years professionally or privately. If we solely discussed the Mabinogi at one single level, then we would be in danger of limiting the scope of members, which would be a shame as the Mabinogi itself has a wide variety of readers. Some are academics, others are not, many are Christian, probably more are Pagan, most will be Welsh or British, but there will also be American, Canadian, Australian--and others from all over the world.

Group Discussion

Although there is guided discussion, there is no need for the individual to feel that they *have* to only respond to the current questions and topics. It is optional and self-styled to what level each person participates. You can post your own questions or topics, and it is not limited to me! In fact, new topics and ideas are very warmly welcomed! I want it to be a group effort, and it just needs someone to now and then get the ball rolling and thoughts churning. I want to encourage initiative and discussion as much as possible, not impede either.

The Triad Paths

For both the Irish and the Welsh, triads were a way of grouping together knowledge and information, so that the bards or story-tellers (in effect, the ancient historians) could remember vast amounts of details without needing literate (written) means of preserving that knowledge. The number 3 itself seemed to be very sacred to the ancient inhabitants of Wales, Ireland and other similar peoples.

The Welsh Triads (Trioedd Ynys Prydein) specifically can be found in various medieval fragments, preserving Welsh folklore, mythology, history and genealogy. They give us great insight into the other side of many of the Welsh stories that have come down to us today, and at the same time, can be memorized and utilized while new triads are created in the same bardic spirit.

Our discussions are set up in a similar triple fashion, what was dubbed by a member of ours as 'The Triad Paths'. One of the symbols that represents the Three-Ways concept, or in its particular case, three rays, is the Awen /|\ which the Welsh use to mean inspiration, divine and bardic. I think this makes wonderful sense in context that we are seeking to re-inspire interest in the Mabinogi and similar Welsh stories, and also to find ourselves inspired in turn.

Because we welcome all levels of knowledge and experience, whether you are a highly knowledgable intellectual or a 'newbie' to Welsh stories and culture ... or if you just want to tag along, we have structured the discussions to have THREE levels, our own little "triad", as a way of accessing just some of the many layers in these magnificant stories ...

1. Basic (which is for newbies, on things like who is who, plot, etc),

2. Academic (which is the intellectual side of things, going into Welsh law, society, history, and other such content) and

3. Deep or Spiritual (which acknowledges the spiritual and deeper layers behind the story, and seeks to help the person interact with these layers).

Guided discussion is provoked by questions, from myself or any other member, divided up into the three above sections: Basic, Academic and Deep. My advice is to start with the Basic questions and depending on how "deep" you want to go into the Mabinogi, work your way through the Academic to the Deep ones. It is important to do the academic thinking first, to give your intuition and imagination in the deep questions a bit of root and grounding in the actual framework of the cultural context.

Eventually, we will have a page listing all the questions on the website as well.

Reading Formats

If you decide to read along with us,

1. You can read sequentially, from start to finish. This starts with the First Branch of the Mabinogi through the Fourth. Reading sequentially is a good idea if you have never really read the Mabinogion before, or not in any regular manner. Above you will find the page which divides the Four Branches up into smaller readable portions. Questions are posted separately. Any feedback or participation is greatly appreciated.

2. You can read at random, based on threads posted in the forums, as the topics grab you, in order to reply to the threads in an educated manner. This is excellent for those already familar with the Mabinogi or for those who don't have the time or inclination to follow any set pattern.

3. You can read perennially. This is an idea we are developing, where you start reading the First Branch in Autumn/Winter and through to the next Autumn/Winter, following the stories in the Mabinogi. The Branches allow for this, and although the pace will be incredibly slow, it might give you more time to process, or some sort of pattern to follow round the Old Celtic Festivals and Equinoxes/Solstices. If you are interested in doing this, please contact the Administration for more information.

Materials

The only required materials are your heart and mind, sound judgment, a willingness to share in a kind and honourable manner, and of course, a copy of the Mabinogion, which can be found for free online or purchased. Under Y Mabinogi page, there is also a Recommended Resources page which is where I have carefully selected books, websites and media for your education and enjoyment.