''The Dream of Rhonabwy'' ( cy, Breuddwyd Rhonabwy) is a
Middle Welsh prose tale. Set during the reign of
Madog ap Maredudd, prince of
Powys (died 1160), its composition is typically dated to somewhere between the late 12th through the late 14th century. It survives in only one manuscript, the
Red Book of Hergest
The ''Red Book of Hergest'' ( cy, Llyfr Coch Hergest, Oxford, Jesus College, MS 111) is a large vellum manuscript written shortly after 1382, which ranks as one of the most important medieval manuscripts written in the Welsh language. It preser ...
, and has been associated with the ''
Mabinogion
The ''Mabinogion'' () are the earliest Welsh prose stories, and belong to the Matter of Britain. The stories were compiled in Middle Welsh in the 12th–13th centuries from earlier oral traditions. There are two main source manuscripts, create ...
'' since its publication by
Lady Charlotte Guest
Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Guest (née Bertie; 19 May 1812 – 15 January 1895), later Lady Charlotte Schreiber, was an English aristocrat who is best known as the first publisher in modern print format of the '' Mabinogion'', the earliest prose l ...
in the 19th century. A diplomatic version of the text is published by the University of Wales Press as ''Breuddwyt Ronabwy'', edited by
Grafton Melville Richards, first published in 1948. The bulk of the narrative describes a dream
vision experienced by its central character, Rhonabwy, a retainer of Madog, in which he visits the time of
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
. The text seems to use the fictional trope of
time travel
Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
.
Narrative
The
frame story
A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent.
Frame and FRAME may also refer to:
Physical objects
In building construction
*Framing (con ...
tells that Madog sends Rhonabwy and two companions to find the prince's rebellious brother Iorwerth. One night during the pursuit they seek shelter with Heilyn the Red, but find his
longhouse
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America.
Many were built from timber and often rep ...
filthy and his beds full of fleas. Lying down on a yellow ox-skin, Rhonabwy experiences a dream of Arthur and his time. Serving as his guide is one of Arthur's followers, Iddawg the Churn of Britain, so called because he sparked the
Battle of Camlann
The Battle of Camlann ( cy, Gwaith Camlan or ''Brwydr Camlan'') is the legendary final battle of King Arthur, in which Arthur either died or was fatally wounded while fighting either with or against Mordred, who also perished. The original leg ...
when he distorted the king's messages of peace he was supposed to deliver to the enemy
Medrawd (Mordred). Iddawg introduces Rhonabwy and his friends to Arthur, who regrets that Wales has been inherited by such tiny men.
Iddawg reveals that Arthur's men are assembled to meet the
Saxons
The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic
*
*
*
*
peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...
at the
Battle of Mount Badon
The Battle of Badon /ˈbeɪdən/ also known as the Battle of Mons Badonicus ( la, obsessio isBadonici montis, "Blockade/Siege of the Badonic Hill"; ''Bellum in monte Badonis'', "Battle on Badon Hill"; ''Bellum Badonis'', "Battle of Badon"; Old W ...
. However, Arthur is more concerned with a game of
gwyddbwyll
(in Irish; also spelled , , or , and pronounced in Old Irish) or (in Welsh, pronounced ) was a board game popular among the ancient Celts. The name in both Irish and Welsh is a compound translating to "wood sense"; the fact that the compou ...
, a Celtic board game similar to Roman
ludus latrunculorum, that he is playing against his follower
Owain mab Urien (
Ywain). While they play, messengers arrive declaring that Arthur's squires are attacking Owain's ravens; when Owain asks that this be stopped Arthur only responds, "your move". Finally Owain orders his ravens to attack Arthur's servants; when Arthur asks him to call them off, Owain says "your move, lord". Eventually Arthur crushes the chess pieces into dust, and the two declare peace between their forces. After this the Saxons send a contingent asking for a truce, which Arthur grants after consulting his advisors.
Cai (Kay) declares that any who wish to follow Arthur should come to
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. The noise of the troops moving wakes Rhonabwy, who realizes he has slept for three days.
Interpretation
There is no consensus about the ultimate meaning of ''The Dream of Rhonabwy''. On one hand it derides Madoc's time, which is critically compared to the illustrious Arthurian age. However, Arthur's time is portrayed as illogical and silly, leading to suggestions that this is a satire on both contemporary times and the myth of a heroic age.
[Roberts, Brynley F. (1991). "The Dream of Rhonabwy." In Lacy, Norris J., ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia'', p. 120–121. New York: Garland. .]
''Rhonabwy'' is the most literary of the medieval Welsh prose tales; it may have also been the last written. A
colophon at the end declares that no one is able to recite the work in full without a book, the level of detail being too much for the memory to handle. The comment suggests the work was not popular with storytellers, though this was more likely due to its position as a literary tale rather than a traditional one.
See also
*
Rhuawn Bebyr
Notes
References
*Bromwich, Rachel (2006). ''Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain''. University of Wales Press. .
*Gantz, Jeffrey (translator) (1987). ''The Mabinogion''. New York: Penguin. .
*Lacy, Norris J. (Ed.) (1991). ''The New Arthurian Encyclopedia''. New York: Garland. .
* J. A. Carson, ''The Structure and Meaning of The Dream of Rhonabwy'', in: ''
Philological Quarterly'' 53, 1974, S. 289–303.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dream of Rhonabwy, The
Fiction set in the 12th century
13th-century books
Arthurian literature in Welsh
Fiction about dreams
Mabinogion
Medieval Welsh literature
Welsh-language literature
Visions (spirituality)
Frame stories
Literature about time travel