Prince of Annwn
core novel 1974 The Mabinogion Tetralogy
Record
| First published | 1974 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.83 (804 ratings, collected 2026-08-26) |
| Page count | 180 |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780345270603 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Prince of Annwn opens Evangeline Walton's Mabinogion cycle, retelling the First Branch of the Welsh Mabinogi. Pwyll, prince of the Welsh realm of Dyfed, offends Arawn, the ruler of the otherworldly realm of Annwn, by interfering with his hunt, and agrees as recompense to exchange places and appearances with him for a year, ruling Annwn in Arawn's stead while the god governs Dyfed unnoticed. During his year in the underworld, Pwyll must face Arawn's great rival, the deity Havgan, whose outward charm conceals a dangerous, malevolent nature. When Pwyll returns to his own kingdom, he becomes drawn to the mysterious and otherworldly maiden Rhiannon, pursuing her despite the objections of a rival suitor already promised her hand, and the couple eventually marries and starts a family, though their happiness is soon tested by the disappearance of their newborn son.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Mabinogion Tetralogy
- Series: The Mabinogion Tetralogy core; position 4 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Evangeline Walton
Notes
- From the series record (The Mabinogion Tetralogy): A four-novel prose retelling of the medieval Welsh mythological cycle known as the Mabinogi, written out of internal-chronology order; the author's first volume (by writing date, 1936, reissued 1970) tells the latest story in-world.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.
- Publication order, within the series The Mabinogion Tetralogy: position 4 of 4: previous The Song of Rhiannon (1972)
- Internal chronology, within The Mabinogion Tetralogy: position 1 of 4: next The Song of Rhiannon (1972)
Sources
- The Mabinogion Tetralogy bibliography (specialised series-tracking site)
- Evangeline Walton biographical entry (encyclopedic reference)
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