Yr Hen Iaith Podcast (Welsh only)

We discuss Martha, Jac a Sianco in this episode, scrutinizing how the novel depicts the dark side of rural life. 

We find that even the most shocking aspects of the novel reflect reality and that this courageous work goes against a stream of Welsh literature that elevates, romanticises and idealises the life of the farmer. We praise Caryl Lewis's craft as we scrutinize the character and structure. While there is so much hard reality in the novel, we note that there are also elements that conflict with realism as the reader experiences surreal or magical aspects. We suggest that there is also a gothic feel to it and that it is possible to see the shadow of 'Mami' as an inverted version of the stereotypical 'Welsh Mam'.

We discuss Un Nos Ola Leuad in this episode while filming at the National Library of Wales, with Caradog Prichard's own notebook with one of his original plans for the novel and a draft of a chapter in front of us. We consider the style of this remarkable work and the way it moves between dialectal and formal tones. We explore many aspects of the novel, including its treatment of mental illness, poverty, religion and cruelty. We also note in passing that this innovative work has had a significant impact on other Welsh artists.

We have a great time in this episode while discussing ‘The Second Branch of the Mabinogi’, namely the tale of ‘Branwen daughter of Llŷr’. We consider a number of things about this exciting story, asking interesting questions about its relationship with the medieval society to which it belonged. We note that it is in essence a story about a royal marriage, and we suggest that it’s possible to read it as a radical text which addresses this aspect of society in a critical fashion. We also examine the tale’s treatment of war and peace, noting the significance of the apocalyptical war which kills most of the population of Ireland and most of the great army which crossed the sea to save Branwen.

The next episode focusses on the tale ‘Branwen daughter of Llŷr’ (or ‘The Second Branch of the Mabinogi’). We prepare for that discussion in this episode by looking at the earliest manuscript which contains a complete copy of the tale, namely the White Book of Rhydderch. This manuscript was created about the year 1350 by a number of monks working together in the monastery of Strata Florida in Ceredigion, most likely for a man named Rhydderch ab Ieuan Llwyd. We stress the fact that creating a manuscript was a very laborious process which took a lot of time and resources and that a manuscript was and is an extremely valuable thing because of that. The makers of medieval manuscripts thus chose the contents of their ‘books’ very carefully. We note that ‘The Four Branches of the Mabinogi’ are among the ‘native tales’ found in the White Book of Rhydderch, while also considering the fact that a wide selection of different texts is also included in the manuscript.