Animals of The Mab - Pontypridd Common
Animals have always played an important role in storytelling and that is especially true of the stories in The Mab. There are animals everywhere. They carry messages and people, they are used as portals to the Otherworld, or become mighty foes that our heroes need to overcome. Some animals are also used to show traits about certain people or situations. At the time the Mabinogi was written, people had a deep respect for animals and the natural world, as you’ll discover in the stories collected here on Pontypridd Common.
Follow The Mab Trail on Pontypridd Common to find four story stones:
Story Stone 1
Peredur, the Monster and the Serpent of the Cairn a retelling of Peredur, son of Evrawc
Story Stone 2
Geraint, Enid and the Big Knight Fight a retelling of Geraint and Enid
Story Stone 3
The Amazing Eight a retelling of Culhwch and Olwen
Story Stone 4
The Strange and Spectacular Dream of Rhonabwy the Restless a retelling of The Dream of Rhonabwy
Stags are often used to show that the characters in the story are about to have an incredible adventure. In both Peredur, the Monster and the Serpent of the Cairn and Geraint, Enid and the Big Knight Fight, the stories begin with a hunt for a stag. Both hunts are used to show how fearless and bold Peredur and Geraint are. The hunt is not the focus of either story but is used as a springboard for adventure.
At the beginning of their first task, the Amazing Eight seek the help of animals to find the legendary hunter Mabon ap Modron. They know that animals are wise and possess great knowledge and understanding about the world and ask the advice of a blackbird, a stag, an owl, an eagle, and finally a gigantic salmon.
Birds too appear for a variety of reasons in the Mab. Sometimes characters transform into birds, or they talk to birds, or use birds to carry messages. In The Strange and Spectacular Dream of Rhonabwy the Restless, Rhonabwy uses ravens to symbolise the bandits’ greed and low-down, rotten selfishness. He also uses the call of the raven as a way of signalling to the prince’s men to come and arrest the bandits.
Illustrated by Max Low
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