Location
Roy O. West Library, Wood Study
Start Date
8-5-2025 12:40 PM
End Date
8-5-2025 2:29 PM
Presentation Type
Thesis
Description
Gwydion, the trickster protagonist of The Mabinogi, orchestrates the plot and manipulates those around him. His trickery ultimately results in political shifts, changes, and even wars, reflecting his role as a powerful player in the text. Moreover, Gwydion's use of poetry, knowledge, and words to enact his schemes and manipulations reflects the power of poets in medieval Welsh courts. My thesis argues that Gwydion's use of poetry to manipulate the politics around him reflects the power of poetry to craft nation states, as medieval Welsh poets did.
“The Best Storyteller in the World:” Gwydion, Court Poetry, and Statecraft in the Fourth Branch of The Mabinogi
Roy O. West Library, Wood Study
Gwydion, the trickster protagonist of The Mabinogi, orchestrates the plot and manipulates those around him. His trickery ultimately results in political shifts, changes, and even wars, reflecting his role as a powerful player in the text. Moreover, Gwydion's use of poetry, knowledge, and words to enact his schemes and manipulations reflects the power of poets in medieval Welsh courts. My thesis argues that Gwydion's use of poetry to manipulate the politics around him reflects the power of poetry to craft nation states, as medieval Welsh poets did.
Comments
Completed as part of Dr. Karin Wimbley's ENG 451 Senior Seminar.