Arthur in the Celtic Languages: The Arthurian Legend in Celtic Literatures and Traditions (Arthurian Literature in the Middle Ages #9)

The Arthurian Legend in Celtic Literatures and TraditionsThis volume provides an authoritative new survey of the Arthurian literature and traditions preserved in the Celtic languages: Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Irish, and Scottish Gaelic. Covering material from oral tradition as well as medieval and modern literature and Arthurian place-names, it traces the evolution of the tales of Arthur and his entourage in each language, illustrating how they were tailored to audiences in each country at different times. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Preface 12 Acknowledgements 14 List of Contributors 16 List of Illustrations 20 List of Abbreviations 22 Glossary of Welsh Terms 24 Introduction 26 Part One: Wales 36 The Beginnings of Welsh Arthurian Tradition 38 1 Arthurian references in Early Welsh Poetry 40 2 The Earliest Myrddin Poems 60 3 Trystan and Esyllt 76 Native Welsh Arthurian Tales 90 4 Culhwch ac Olwen 92 5 Breuddwyd Rhonabwy 105 Medieval Translations and Adaptations into Welsh 118 6 Brut y Brenhinedd 120 7 The First Adaptations from French: History and Context of a Debate 135 8 Owain or Iarlles y Ffynnawn 142 9 Ystorya Geraint fab Erbin 157 10 Historia Peredur ab Efrawg 170 11 Y Seint Greal 183 Influences and Re-compositions 196 12 Arthur in Trioedd Ynys Prydain 198 13 Arthurian References in Medieval Welsh Poetry, c.1100–c.1540 212 14 Later Hybrid Narrative Texts in Middle Welsh 228 15 Folklore and Popular Tradition 239 16 Arthurian Place-names of Wales 256 17 Arthurian Tradition in Modern Welsh Literature 270 Part Two: Cornish and Breton Traditions 286 18 Cornwall and the Matter of Britain 288 19 Arthur in Earlier Breton Traditions 306 20 Popular Traditions and the Work of Hersart de la Villemarqué 329 21 The Arthurian Legend in Modern Breton Culture 345 Part Three: The Gaelic World 362 Ireland 364 22 The Earliest Irish Material 2 366 23 Irish Translations and Romances 369 Scotland 384 24 Scottish Gaelic Literature and Popular Traditions 386 Bibliography 400 Index of Manuscripts 415 General Index 417 This is the first comprehensive authoritative survey of Arthurian literature and traditions in the Celtic languages of Welsh, Cornish, Breton, Irish and Scottish Gaelic. With contributions by leading and emerging specialists in the field, the volume traces the development of the legends that grew up around Arthur and have been constantly reworked and adapted from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. It shows how the figure of Arthur evolved from the leader of a warband in early medieval north Britain to a king whose court becomes the starting-point for knightly adventures, and how characters and tales are reimagined, reshaped and reinterpreted according to local circumstances, traditions and preoccupations at different periods. From the celebrated early Welsh poetry and prose tales to less familiar modern Breton and Cornish fiction, from medieval Irish adaptations of the legend to the Gaelic ballads of Scotland, Arthur in the Celtic Languages provides an indispensable, up-to-date guide of a vast and complex body of Arthurian material, and to recent research and criticism. A collection of essays providing a reliable, accessible and up-to-date introduction to Arthurian literature and popular traditions in the Celtic languages, from the early Middle Ages to the twentieth century. The figure of Arthur and the characters associated with him change as the stories are reworked for audiences in the different countries and at different periods.