The Mabinogion, Guest’s 1877 edition
Math, Son of Mathonwy
Math cannot live with his feet outside a maiden’s lap except during war. This condition shapes his court and the plot by which his nephews draw him away from it. After learning of the assault on Goewin, he offers her compensation and turns his nephews into animals. The punishment proceeds through successive forms before their human nature is restored.
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In the sources
Principal account
LiteraryMath cannot live with his feet outside a maiden’s lap except during war. This condition shapes his court and the plot by which his nephews draw him away from it.
Further detail
LiteraryAfter learning of the assault on Goewin, he offers her compensation and turns his nephews into animals. The punishment proceeds through successive forms before their human nature is restored.
Context & interpretation
This entry follows the narrative in Charlotte Guest’s 1877 collection, including its particular spellings and arrangement of tales. Characters, enchantments and explanations of place names are presented as features of these stories; the translation alone does not establish their historical reality or a single original religious meaning.
Original passages
Source 1
The Mabinogion
on wy could not exist unless his feet were in the lap of aOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Mabinogion, Guest’s 1877 edition; active reader leaf 438
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0240-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0240-E001-P0438
- Original scan leaf
- 439
- Recorded leaf number
- 439
- Current Reader position
- 430
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
The Mabinogion
your punishment forthwith.'' Then he took his magic wand, and struck Gilvaethwy, so that he became a deer, and he seized upon the other hastily lest heOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: The Mabinogion, Guest’s 1877 edition; active reader leaf 444
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0240-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0240-E001-P0444
- Original scan leaf
- 445
- Recorded leaf number
- 445
- Current Reader position
- 436
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Continue exploring
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