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"Elis Gruffydd was one of the great characters of the Tudor age--ravenous for knowledge of an expanding world, critical, skeptical, and, improbable though it may seem, our best source for some of the most marvelous stories of poetry and magic to have survived from his homeland. Patrick Ford's idiomatic but faithful translations capture the flavor of the Chronicle beautifully."--Catherine McKenna, Margaret Brooks Robinson Professor of Celtic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University "For anyone interested in the Arthurian tradition, this is a must-read. In these wide-ranging selections from Elis Gruffydd's Chronicle, we encounter tales of King Arthur and Merlin, saints and sinners, witches and wise men, dragons and maidens, presented here in lively and vivid translations for the first time."--Charlene M. Eska, Professor of Linguistics, Virginia Tech "Elis Gruffydd's exuberant chronicle brings to life the characters of Arthur, Merlin, and a host of other historical and legendary figures. Through Patrick Ford's lively translation, we learn how a Welshman serving the English king in France reframed the narratives that shaped both his past and his present."--Dylan Foster Evans, Head of the School of Welsh, Cardiff University "Ford's elegant translations bring alive the mental world of this important early modern Welsh author and the stories he told of matters both ancient and contemporary. Jerry Hunter's ranging introduction expertly sets those stories in their literary, historical, and scholarly contexts. An ideal collection for the casual and expert reader alike."--Brendan Kane, Professor of History, University of Connecticut

Author Biography

Patrick K. Ford is Margaret Brooks Robinson Professor Emeritus of Celtic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University.
 
Jerry Hunter is Professor of Welsh and Celtic Studies at Bangor University in Wales.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction: Elis Gruffydd and His Chronicle
Jerry Hunter
Translator's Note
Patrick K. Ford

THE TEXTS

I. Earliest Times, Biblical and Ancient
   The Birth of Hercules
   The Birth of Alexander
   The Story of the Rood
   The Tower of Babel
   The Origins of Britain

II. Merlin and Arthur
    The Birth of Merlin the Prophet
    Merlin and the Threefold Death
    Merlin and the Dreams of Gwenddydd
    Merlin's Prophecy and the Reign of Caswalldan
    Custennin and the Rise of Gwrtheyrn/Vortigern
    Gwrtheyrn and Saint Germain
    Gwrtheyrn and the Falling Castle
    Gwrtheyrn's Reign, Hengist, and Horsa
    Merlin and Stonehenge
    Merlin Explains the Dragon Image
    Uthyr Defeats the Saxons, Arthur Is Born
    The Death of Uthyr Pendragon
    Merlin Helps Arthur in His Earliest Battles
    Arthur and the Sword in the Stone
    The Death of Merlin
    Huail Son of Caw and Arthur
    Arthur Dreams of the Loss of Kingship
    Arthur and the Round Table
    The Final Battle, Arthur Dies
    Arthur's Cave Found
    Charlemagne and Arthur

III. Tales of Magic, Prophecy, and the Supernatural
     Maelgwn Gwynedd, His Wife, and the Ring
     The Story of Gwion Bach
     The Epiphany of Taliesin
     An Unfortunate Witch
     The Ring and the Necromancer
     Two Women and a Dead Husband
     A Sorcerer Who Fared Less Well
     Henry II: Piggyback Follies and an Ugly Priest
     The Prophesied Death of Edward I (the Confessor)
     Swearing on Bread in the Time of King Edward the Confessor
     The Reign of William II and His Death
     The Dream of Henry I and Matilda
     The Earl of Anjou Who Married a She-Devil
     Edward III and the Garter
     The Plague in the Time of Edward III
     Henry VI and His Gloves
     The Death of Edward I
     Llywelyn, Prince of Wales, and the Fool
     Richard I, the Lion, and the Heart
     Owain Tudur and Catherine de Valois and the Rise of the Tudors
     Henry VII and Necromancy
     Thomas More and the Garden of Pain
     Sir Thomas More and the Necromancer
     A Ghost Story for Henry VIII
     Rhobin Ddu
     Charles V and the Astronomer

Glossary

Review

"For anyone interested in unique stories of historical myth, this book is worth it for the introduction alone. . . . Fantastic work has been done to bring this astounding historical epic to a wider twenty-first-century audience." * Buzz Magazine *

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