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| deity_of    = <!-- or god_of / Alusi_of -->
| deity_of    = <!-- or god_of / Alusi_of -->
| cult_center  = Wales
| cult_center  = Wales
| animals      = Possible connections with [[dog]]s and [[boar]]s<ref name="IoMGMabon" />
| animals      = Possible connections with dogs and boars<ref name="IoMGMabon" />
| parents      = [[Modron]]<ref name="IoMGMabon">{{cite book |last=d'Este |first=Sorita |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Isles_of_the_Many_Gods/4GhrBAAACAAJ?hl=cy |title=The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages |last2=Rankine |first2=David |date=2007 |publisher=Avalonia |pages=183-184 |language=English}}</ref>
| parents      = [[Modron]]<ref name="IoMGMabon">{{cite book |last=d'Este |first=Sorita |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Isles_of_the_Many_Gods/4GhrBAAACAAJ?hl=cy |title=The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages |last2=Rankine |first2=David |date=2007 |publisher=Avalonia |pages=183-184 |language=English}}</ref>
| texts        = [[Culhwch and Olwen]]<ref name="IoMGMabon" />
| texts        = ''[[Culhwch and Olwen]]''<ref name="IoMGMabon" />
| gender      = Male
| gender      = Male
| equivalent1_type = [[Romano-British culture|Romano-British]]
| equivalent1_type = [[Romano-British culture|Romano-British]]
| equivalent1 = [[Maponos]]
| equivalent1 = [[Maponos]]
| festivals    = [[Modern paganism|Modern pagan]] [[Wheel of the Year|sabbat]] connections with the [[Wheel_of_the_Year#Autumn_Equinox_(Mabon)|autumn equinox]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zell-Ravenheart|first1=Oberon Zell-Ravenheart & Morning Glory|title=Creating circles & ceremonies : rituals for all seasons & reasons|date=2006|publisher=New Page Books|location=Franklin Lakes, NJ|isbn=1564148645|page=227}}</ref> on the [[Wheel of the Year]]
| equivalent2_type = [[Welsh mythology|Welsh]]
| equivalent2 = [[Pryderi]]
| equivalent3_type = [[Irish mythology|Irish]]
| equivalent3 = [[Aengus]]
| festivals    = [[Modern paganism|Modern pagan]] connections with the [[Wheel of the Year#Autumn Equinox (Mabon)|autumn equinox]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zell-Ravenheart|first1=Oberon Zell-Ravenheart & Morning Glory|title=Creating Circles & Ceremonies: Rituals for All Seasons & Reasons|date=2006|publisher=New Page Books|location=Franklin Lakes, NJ|isbn=1564148645|page=227}}</ref> on the [[Wheel of the Year]]
}}
}}
[[File:Culhwch.jpg|thumb|right|Arthur's court at [[Celliwig]], 1881]]
'''Mabon ap Modron''' is a figure from [[Welsh mythology]] where he is the son of [[Modron]] and a member of [[King Arthur|Arthur's]] war band. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine mother–son pair. Mabon has been equated with the mythological hero [[Pryderi|Pryderi fab Pwyll]] as well as with a minor Arthurian character known as '''Mabon ab Mellt'''.<ref>Davies, Sioned. ''The Mabinogion.'' 2005. Oxford University Press.</ref> His literary echo may be found in several continental Arthurian romance characters and in some of their English adaptations.
'''Mabon ap Modron''' is a prominent figure from [[Welsh-language literature|Welsh]] and wider [[Brittonic languages|Brythonic]] literature and [[Welsh mythology|mythology]], the son of [[Modron]] and a member of [[King Arthur|Arthur's]] war band. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine mother–son pair. He is often equated with the [[Kingdom of Dyfed|Demetian]] hero [[Pryderi|Pryderi fab Pwyll]], and may be associated with the minor Arthurian character '''Mabon ab Mellt'''.<ref>Davies, Sioned. ''The Mabinogion.'' 2005. Oxford University Press.</ref>


==Etymology==
==Etymology and origin==
His name is related to the [[Romano-British culture|Romano-British]] god [[Maponos]], whose name means "Great Son"; Modron, in turn, is likely related to the [[Gauls|Gaulish]] goddess [[Dea Matrona]]. The name ''Mabon'' is derived from the [[Common Brittonic]] and [[Gaulish language|Gaulish]] deity name ''Maponos'' "Great Son", from the [[Proto-Celtic language|Proto-Celtic]] root ''*makwo-'' "son".<ref>{{cite book|last=Matasović|first=Ranko|authorlink=Ranko Matasović|title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YN_YPQAACAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-17336-1|page=253}}</ref> Similarly, Modron is derived from the name of the Brittonic and Gaulish deity ''Mātronā'', meaning "Great Mother", from Proto-Celtic ''*mātīr'' "mother".<ref>{{cite book|last=Matasović|first=Ranko|authorlink=Ranko Matasović|title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YN_YPQAACAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-17336-1|page=260}}</ref>
His name is related to the [[Romano-British culture|Romano-British]] god of youth [[Maponos]] (a Celtic equivalent of [[Apollo]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Loomis |first=Roger Sherman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ewTuEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA320 |title=Celtic Myth and Arthurian Romance |date=2005-08-30 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |isbn=978-1-61373-209-0 |language=en}}</ref>), whose name means "Great Son". His mother, [[Modron]], in turn, is likely related to the [[Gauls|Gaulish]] goddess [[Dea Matrona]]. The name ''Mabon'' is derived from the [[Common Brittonic]] and [[Gaulish language|Gaulish]] deity name ''Maponos'' "Great Son", from the [[Proto-Celtic language|Proto-Celtic]] root ''*makwo-'' "son".<ref>{{cite book|last=Matasović|first=Ranko|authorlink=Ranko Matasović|title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YN_YPQAACAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-17336-1|page=253}}</ref> Similarly, Modron is derived from the name of the Brittonic and Gaulish deity ''Mātronā'', meaning "Great Mother", from Proto-Celtic ''*mātīr'' "mother".<ref>{{cite book|last=Matasović|first=Ranko|authorlink=Ranko Matasović|title=Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YN_YPQAACAAJ|year=2009|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-17336-1|page=260}}</ref> According [[Roger Sherman Loomis]], Mabon, the "Great Youth", also appears under the names Gwair and [[Pryderi]].<ref name=":0" /> His counterpart in the [[Irish mythology]] is the god of youth [[Aengus]] [[Aengus|(Õengus) Mac ing Õg]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mallory |first=J. P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tzU3RIV2BWIC&pg=PA162 |title=Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture |last2=Adams |first2=Douglas Q. |date=1997 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-884964-98-5 |language=en}}</ref>


==Role in Welsh tradition==
==Welsh tradition==


===''Culhwch ac Olwen''===
===''Culhwch ac Olwen''===
{{Further|Culhwch ac Olwen}}
After [[Culhwch]] and his companions manage to defeat the antagonist, the giant [[Ysbaddaden]], the latter relents and agrees to give Culhwch his daughter [[Olwen]] on the condition that he completes a number of impossible tasks (''anoethau''), including hunting the giant boar [[Twrch Trwyth]] and recovering the exalted prisoner, Mabon son of Modron, the only man able to hunt the dog Drudwyn, in turn the only dog who can track Twrch Trwyth. [[King Arthur]] and his men learn that Mabon was stolen from his mother's arms when he was three nights old, and question the world's oldest and wisest animals about his whereabouts, until they are led to the [[salmon]] of Llyn Llyw, the oldest animal of them all. The enormous salmon carries Arthur's men [[Sir Kay|Cei]] and [[Bedivere|Bedwyr]] downstream to Mabon's prison in [[Gloucester]]; they hear him through the walls, singing a lamentation for his fate. The rest of Arthur's men launch an assault on the front of the prison, while Cei and Bedwyr sneak in the back and rescue Mabon. He subsequently plays a key role in the hunt for Twrch Trwyth.


[[File:Ysbaddaden.jpeg|upright|right|thumb|Culhwch and his companions at [[Ysbaddaden]]'s court. Image by [[Ernest Wallcousins]] in "Celtic Myth & Legend", Charles Squire, 1920.]]
===Other appearances===
 
One of the earliest direct reference to Mabon can be found in the tenth century poem ''[[Pa gur|Pa Gur]]'', in which Arthur recounts the feats and achievements of his knights so as to gain entrance to a fortress guarded by [[Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr]], the eponymous porter. The poem relates that Mabon fab Mydron (Modron) is one of Arthur's followers, and is described as a "servant to [[Uther Pendragon]]". A second figure, Mabon fab Mellt, is described as having "stained the grass with blood". He further appears in the medieval tale ''[[The Dream of Rhonabwy]]'', in which he fights alongside Arthur at the [[Battle of Badon]] and is described as one of the king's chief advisors.
[[Culhwch|Culhwch's]] father, [[Cilydd|King Cilydd]], the son of [[Celyddon]], loses his wife [[Goleuddydd]] after a difficult childbirth. When he remarries, the young Culhwch rejects his stepmother's attempt to pair him with his new stepsister. Offended, the new queen puts a curse on him so that he can marry no one besides the beautiful [[Olwen]], daughter of the [[giants (Welsh folklore)|giant]] [[Ysbaddaden]]. Though he has never seen her, Culhwch becomes infatuated with her, but his father warns him that he will never find her without the aid of his famous cousin Arthur. The young man immediately sets off to seek his kinsman. He finds him at his court in [[Celliwig]] in [[Cornwall]] and asks for support and assistance. Cai is the first knight to volunteer to assist Culhwch in his quest, promising to stand by his side until Olwen is found. A further five knights join them in their mission.
 
They travel onwards until they come across the "fairest of the castles of the world", and meet Ysbaddaden's [[shepherd]] brother, Custennin. They learn that the castle belongs to Ysbaddaden, that he stripped Custennin of his lands and murdered the shepherd's twenty-three children out of cruelty. Custennin sets up a meeting between Culhwch and Olwen, and the maiden agrees to lead Culhwch and his companions to Ysbadadden's castle. Cai pledges to protect the twenty-fourth son, [[Goreu fab Custennin|Goreu]], with his life.
 
The knights attack the castle by stealth, killing the nine porters and the nine watchdogs, and enter the giant's hall. Upon their arrival, Ysbaddaden attempts to kill Culhwch with a poison dart, but is outwitted and wounded, first by [[Bedivere|Bedwyr]], then by the enchanter [[Menw]], and finally by Culhwch himself. Eventually, Ysbaddaden relents, and agrees to give Culhwch his daughter on the condition that he completes a number of impossible tasks (''anoethau''), including hunting the [[Twrch Trwyth]] and recovering the exalted prisoner, Mabon son of Modron, the only man able to hunt the dog Drudwyn, in turn the only dog who can track the Twrch Trwyth.


Arthur and his men learn that Mabon was stolen from his mother's arms when he was three nights old, and question the world's oldest and wisest animals about his whereabouts, until they are led to the [[salmon]] of Llyn Llyw, the oldest animal of them all. The enormous salmon carries Arthur's men [[Sir Kay|Cei]] and [[Bedivere|Bedwyr]] downstream to Mabon's prison in [[Gloucester]]; they hear him through the walls, singing a lamentation for his fate. The rest of Arthur's men launch an assault on the front of the prison, while Cei and Bedwyr sneak in the back and rescue Mabon. He subsequently plays a key role in the hunt for the [[Twrch Trwyth]].
== Derived characters ==
 
Mabon the son of Modron is almost certainly related to several continental (French and German) Arthurian romance figures: often magical, sometimes villainous, sometimes a giant, sometimes known as the [[Black Knight (Arthurian legend)|Black Knight]]. Such characters may include those known as Mabon/'''Maboun''' (an enchanter in ''[[Le Bel Inconnu]]''; as '''Maboun'''['''nys'''] in the English ''[[Libeaus Desconus]]''), '''Mabon'''/'''Nabon le Noir'''['''e'''] (different characters of a giant in the [[Prose Tristan|Prose ''Tristan'']] and an enchanter in the [[Post-Vulgate Cycle|Post-Vulgate ''Merlin Continuation'']]; the name in turn also inspired that of the knight '''Nabon le Noyre'''/'''Noire''' in the English [[Le Morte d'Arthur|''Le Morte d'Arthur'']]), '''Mabonagrain'''/'''Mabonagrein''' (a giant in ''[[Erec and Enide]]''), '''Mabuz''' (a fairy prince in ''[[Lanzelot]]''), '''Madoc'''/'''Maduc le Noir'''/'''li Noirs''' (a knight in the [[Lancelot-Grail|''Livre d'Artus'']] and ''[[La Vengeance Raguidel]]'').<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bromwich |first=Rachel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K2euBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA427 |title=Trioedd Ynys Prydein: The Triads of the Island of Britain |date=2014-11-15 |publisher=University of Wales Press |isbn=978-1-78316-146-1 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Darrah |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mjsWsH6tKwUC&pg=PA261 |title=Paganism in Arthurian Romance |date=1997 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |isbn=978-0-85991-426-0 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QTCe0sUW9ukC&pg=PA285 |title=Romania |date=1896 |publisher=Librairie Franck |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d88_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA126 |title=Studies and Notes in Philology and Literature |date=1895 |publisher=Published under the direction of the Modern Language Depts. of Harvard University by Ginn & Company |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=Albert Wilder |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UWtoc_t64SoC&pg=PA47 |title=The Elucidation: A Prologue to the Conte Del Graal |date=1982 |publisher=Slatkine |isbn=978-2-05-100413-8 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bruce |first=Christopher W. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XZFbczeMtYcC&newbks=1&pg=PA333 |title=The Arthurian Name Dictionary |date=1999 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-8153-2865-0 |language=en}}</ref>
===Other appearances===
One of the earliest direct reference to Mabon can be found in the tenth century poem ''[[Pa gur|Pa Gur]]'', in which Arthur recounts the feats and achievements of his knights so as to gain entrance to a fortress guarded by [[Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr]], the eponymous porter. The poem relates that Mabon fab Mydron (a misspelling of Modron) is one of Arthur's followers, and is described as a "servant to [[Uther Pendragon]]". A second figure, Mabon fab Mellt, is described as having "stained the grass with blood". He further appears in the medieval tale ''[[The Dream of Rhonabwy]]'', in which he fights alongside Arthur at the [[Battle of Badon]] and is described as one of the king's chief advisors.


Mabon is almost certainly related to the continental Arthurian figures '''Mabonagrain''', '''Mabuz''', '''Nabon le Noir''' and '''Maboun'''.
== Further reading ==
*{{Cite book |last=BanDea |first=Kelle |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Pagan_Portals_Mabon/-ZJYEQAAQBAJ |title=Mabon: Discovering the Celtic God of Hunting, Healing and Harp |date=2025-05-27 |publisher=John Hunt Publishing |isbn=978-1-80341-871-1 |language=en}}


==References==
==References==
Line 42: Line 41:


== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==
* d'Este, Sorita; Rankine, David (2007). ''The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages''. Avalonia.
* d'Este, Sorita; Rankine, David (2007). ''The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain Worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages''. Avalonia.


{{Celtic mythology (Welsh)}}
{{Celtic mythology (Welsh)}}

Revision as of 16:41, 26 June 2025

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Wikidata imageTemplate:Compare image with Wikidata Mabon ap Modron is a figure from Welsh mythology where he is the son of Modron and a member of Arthur's war band. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine mother–son pair. Mabon has been equated with the mythological hero Pryderi fab Pwyll as well as with a minor Arthurian character known as Mabon ab Mellt.[1] His literary echo may be found in several continental Arthurian romance characters and in some of their English adaptations.

Etymology and origin

His name is related to the Romano-British god of youth Maponos (a Celtic equivalent of Apollo[2]), whose name means "Great Son". His mother, Modron, in turn, is likely related to the Gaulish goddess Dea Matrona. The name Mabon is derived from the Common Brittonic and Gaulish deity name Maponos "Great Son", from the Proto-Celtic root *makwo- "son".[3] Similarly, Modron is derived from the name of the Brittonic and Gaulish deity Mātronā, meaning "Great Mother", from Proto-Celtic *mātīr "mother".[4] According Roger Sherman Loomis, Mabon, the "Great Youth", also appears under the names Gwair and Pryderi.[2] His counterpart in the Irish mythology is the god of youth Aengus (Õengus) Mac ing Õg.[5]

Welsh tradition

Culhwch ac Olwen

Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote". After Culhwch and his companions manage to defeat the antagonist, the giant Ysbaddaden, the latter relents and agrees to give Culhwch his daughter Olwen on the condition that he completes a number of impossible tasks (anoethau), including hunting the giant boar Twrch Trwyth and recovering the exalted prisoner, Mabon son of Modron, the only man able to hunt the dog Drudwyn, in turn the only dog who can track Twrch Trwyth. King Arthur and his men learn that Mabon was stolen from his mother's arms when he was three nights old, and question the world's oldest and wisest animals about his whereabouts, until they are led to the salmon of Llyn Llyw, the oldest animal of them all. The enormous salmon carries Arthur's men Cei and Bedwyr downstream to Mabon's prison in Gloucester; they hear him through the walls, singing a lamentation for his fate. The rest of Arthur's men launch an assault on the front of the prison, while Cei and Bedwyr sneak in the back and rescue Mabon. He subsequently plays a key role in the hunt for Twrch Trwyth.

Other appearances

One of the earliest direct reference to Mabon can be found in the tenth century poem Pa Gur, in which Arthur recounts the feats and achievements of his knights so as to gain entrance to a fortress guarded by Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr, the eponymous porter. The poem relates that Mabon fab Mydron (Modron) is one of Arthur's followers, and is described as a "servant to Uther Pendragon". A second figure, Mabon fab Mellt, is described as having "stained the grass with blood". He further appears in the medieval tale The Dream of Rhonabwy, in which he fights alongside Arthur at the Battle of Badon and is described as one of the king's chief advisors.

Derived characters

Mabon the son of Modron is almost certainly related to several continental (French and German) Arthurian romance figures: often magical, sometimes villainous, sometimes a giant, sometimes known as the Black Knight. Such characters may include those known as Mabon/Maboun (an enchanter in Le Bel Inconnu; as Maboun[nys] in the English Libeaus Desconus), Mabon/Nabon le Noir[e] (different characters of a giant in the Prose Tristan and an enchanter in the Post-Vulgate Merlin Continuation; the name in turn also inspired that of the knight Nabon le Noyre/Noire in the English Le Morte d'Arthur), Mabonagrain/Mabonagrein (a giant in Erec and Enide), Mabuz (a fairy prince in Lanzelot), Madoc/Maduc le Noir/li Noirs (a knight in the Livre d'Artus and La Vengeance Raguidel).[6][7][8][9][10][11]

Further reading

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References

Template:Reflist

Bibliography

  • d'Este, Sorita; Rankine, David (2007). The Isles of the Many Gods: An A-Z of the Pagan Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Britain Worshipped during the First Millennium through to the Middle Ages. Avalonia.

Template:Celtic mythology (Welsh)

  1. ↑ Davies, Sioned. The Mabinogion. 2005. Oxford University Press.
  2. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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