Genre: Mythology, Retelling, Children’s
Date Published: June 2024
Rating: ★★★★
A mythical adventure of love and heroism. Culhwch falls madly in love with Olwen, the daughter of the malevolent giant Yspaddaden Penkawr. But Olwen’s father isn’t happy about the pairing and sets Cuhlwch a test – he must complete several perilous feats and bring him the treasures he desires.
Culhwch and Olwen: My Thoughts
When you read mythology from any part of the world, you’re guaranteed to find stories full of adventure, romance, and often complete bizarre chaos – and Welsh mythology provides some of the best. But with any ancient myths, sometimes the stories can risk being lost to time, and this is when we need great translations, recoveries, or retellings to bring them back to life, and into the hands of today’s readers.
Dating back to the 11th or 12th century, the original story of Culhwch and Olwen is one of the earlier Arthurian romances, and survives in only two manuscripts.
Catherine Fisher’s lyrical retelling explores the story of Culhwch, whose mother died tragically in childbirth and was raised by his father, Prince Cilydd. As Culhwch grows up and his father remarries, his stepmother places a curse on Culhwch (mythological stories do like a good curse thrown around): he will never find a wife unless he marries Olwen, the daughter of the Chief of Giants. With the help of his cousin Arthur and his men he sends along with him, Culhwch sets out on a mission to fulfil his stepmother’s wish and find Olwen, in a quest that could risk everything.
The exciting prose is combined throughout with beautiful poetry and hand-drawn line illustrations, and all three of these elements come together into what feels like a true labour of love. It retells this ancient story in a way that feels accessible to all, and what is a quick read (particularly for adults) kept me gripped.
I hope, for many readers, this is the beginning of a new adventure into the world of Welsh mythology and the Mabinogion (a collection of the earliest Welsh folklore, which has been retold in so many different books and other mediums over the centuries). This is an excellent introduction, and perfect for young readers and grown-up Welsh mythology fans alike!
Culhwch and Olwen, written by Catherine Fisher, illustrated by Efa Lois, and published by Graffeg Books, is out now. Get your copy here, and read lots more about the book on the author’s website!
Thank you to Graffeg Books for providing me with a copy of the book to review.
About the Author & Illustrator
Catherine Fisher is a New York Times bestselleing author. Her novel Incarceron was the Times Book of the Year. She has twice won the Tir na n’Og prize, and has been shortlisted for the Blue Peter, Carnegie, Costa and WHSmith prizes. She has published over 35 novels, been translated into in more than 40 languages and is also a prize-winning poet.
Efa Lois is an exciting young illustrator, new to the world of books but with significant experience elsewhere, having produced work for Visit Wales, the National Library of Wales, Cadw, the Tafwyl festival and Cara magazine. Efa has also illustrated several Welsh language titles including Cymry o Fri by Jon Gower and Y Stori Orau by Lleucu Roberts.
