MABON AND THE MYSTERIES OF BRITAIN: AN EXPLORATION OF THE MABINOGION. by Matthews, Caitlin - 1987

London: Arkana, 1987. 205 pp, small 8vo (7 3/4" H). B&w illustrations. "On one level (this) is a literary guide and deals with the mythological patterns which underlie the Mabinogion. On another, it is a deep exploration of the Western Mysteries as they emerge from the tales of the Four Branches, of Colhwch and Olwen and Taliesin. Within these stories lie the identities of two major figures of the native tradition: Mabon, the Wondrous Youth who is lost and found, and Modron, his mother, the Great Goddess herself. Here the initiatory pattern of Britain's inner guardians is revealed in the Succession of the Pendragons; the release of Mabon is affected with the help of the Totem Beasts, before the birth of time; while the cosmic harp of the Wondrous Youth ushers in the Aquarian Age. Drawing on this first exploration of the Mabinogion, the reader can trace for himself the archetypes and mythological themes from which these medieval stories, themselves descendants of proto-Celtic oral tradition, are derived." Interior - very light browning to pages, otherwise clean and tight with no previous ownership marks. Exterior - minor edge wear, soft crease at top part of front hinge, light browning to edges of text block, small soft corner crease on rear cover, spine flat and uncreased, ISBN label on rear cover.. First Edition. Soft Cover. Very Good. Illus. by Chesca Potter..