like chimes ringing in response to the wind

hi!! my fave is definitely culhwch ac olwen and the mabinogion as a whole. the mabinogion is a collection of welsh medieval stories (that draw from oral tradition). there are eleven stories and not just arthuriana related ones. in fact the first four: the four branches of the mabinogi don't have a link whatsoever to arthuriana. anyway going back to the subject: i love culhwch ac olwen (culwhch and olwen) because it's so different from later arthurian stories. arthur is not a king but a war chief and his warriors have all sort of superpowers. look at cai for example:

ngl i've been pondering your question for a while. do i truly recommend it? i think you probably already have a good idea about the show given how popular it is even after a decade.

it was one of the first pieces of media to introduce me to arthuriana and it definitely significantly fueled my obsession. so a pro would be the fact that it might help pique your interest in all things arthuriana. now, there is the fact that it keeps infuriatingly going in circles. what i mean by this? whenever a character seems to progress all that progression is taken away in the next season/episode. i guess there are some counter examples. i mean we see gwen going from being a servant to a queen and we see her speaking her mind more and more as the show goes on. moreover at some point after/during s2 it's like the episodes have the same formula: there is some threat, merlin saves the day and arthur doesn't really learn anything. there is also some unchecked misogyny and racism. i can leave a post that details this more and judge for yourself but you're gonna get spoilers.

(I hope in vain for Mallt-y-Nos and the cŵn annwn but I know my chances are slim)

hi! i actually have a post buried in my drafts somewhere where i wonder if gwyn ap nudd will make an appearance. both him and arawn appear as the rulers of the otherworld in welsh folklore/myth (this role was attributed to gwyn ap nudd in later traditions as far as i know) and are associated with the wild hunt and cŵn annwn. gwyn ap nudd is also part of arthur's retinue in "culhwch ac olwen" (a welsh arthurian text) so that would be interesting. and someone must have filled in arwan's role as a psychopomp right? i would love for more welsh myth elements to be introduced and i think the cŵn annwn might actually appear. if i remember right arawn says alice is surrounded by his hounds in the otherworld (and mariah also hears their howls i think). when we first met a hellhound in legendborn i wondered why tracy chose to go with them being black and green when the cŵn annwn are white with red ears and i guess there might be a difference between them and hellhounds? i really hope that's the case honestly.