Yarn Along!

Joining Ginny and my fellow knitters in the Yarn Along this week!

Over the last few days, I've taken you inside the Norns Project, but not updated you at all on the project itself...

The Knitting: The knitted aspect of the Norns Project has been going splendidly! I'm nearly finished with the second ring of color:

It's taken me a bit longer to work through this first band, since I've had to develop joining techniques, sizing, etc. The next few rings are sure to go much more speedily, now that I'm more comfortable with the format!

The Reading: In my Medieval reading, I've departed a bit from the Vikings and dived head first into the world of medieval Wales in The Mabinogion. Sheer magic, this book!

One of beloved illustrator Alan Lee's artistic interpretations of The Mabinogion
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Although fairly unknown in modern American culture, these highlights of Medieval Welsh legend are a classic of world and medieval literature. This book really deserves far more credit than it usually garners. Why? The reasons are innumerable.

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Most importantly, the stories are dense, exciting, and sweeping in every way - it's like a novel and a fairy tale combined into a delicious treat. And discovering Alan Lee's gorgeous artistic representations of the story has only added to my delight...

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Apart from it's pure enjoyableness, The Mabinogion also an incredibly rewarding academic read. In little more than 200 pages, it contains a wealth of classic folkloric tropes and even some of the earliest Arthurian literature. It also offers a lush and piercing image of Medieval Welsh society.

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And thirdly - despite its low profile in the US - it's extremely relevant to us culturally. I'm constantly surprised and delighted at how The Mabinogion has been the inspiration behind some extremely popular and well-known creative feats.

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Hmm...perhaps I need to start writing on how the medieval Welsh are incredibly relevant, too!

(Speaking of relevancy...if you've enjoyed my How the Vikings are Incredibly Relevant series, check back on Friday or Saturday for a new post on this subject!)

In the meantime, enjoy the following links related to The Mabinogion! Isn't it exciting to see this piece of medieval literature celebrated everywhere from the scholarly world to the realm of pop culture?

• The Mabinogion, trans. Sioned Davies (I'm loving this translation - at once elegant, clean, and folkloric. Plus, her historical notes in the back are fascinating.)
• Alan Lee's glorious illustrations from a 1984 edition of The Mabinogion (These definitely add an LOTR-like drama to the story...)
• The Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander (Not only lush and beautiful children's classics, but also easily the best-known reworkings of The Mabinogion. I only wish I'd read them for the first time when I was younger...)
• The Folklore and Fairy Tales Book Discussion (The wonderful ladies at this Ravelry group just recently completed this book club on Prydain and the Mabinogion.)
• Rhiannon, by Fleetwood Mac - 1997 live version (Besides my abiding love for Fleetwood Mac's music, I love this song for its powerful testimony to the continued relevancy of medieval literature. As Stevie Nicks notes in the video below, Rhiannon is a traditional Welsh enchantress/goddess. What isn't mentioned is that the character appears in her human capacity twice in The Mabinogion. I've listed the newer version of this song first, as it's by far my favorite...)
• Rhiannon, by Fleetwood Mac - 1976 live version (The original!)