'Imagine The Mabinogion with rugby instead of battles, rugby stars instead of knights errant, famous feats on the pitch instead of deeds of knightly derring-do. But imagine, too, that there is still a full quota of dragons, other mystical creatures, magicians, bards, and maidens with extraordinary gifts. You've just imagined The Rygbimogion. Pedr ap Rhys gives us delightful, affectionate stories of Welsh rugby in Arthurian times. We all know that Wales is the true home of rugby - we just didn't know how far back it goes...' - NIGEL OWENS
The Rygbimogion is, of course a spoof - a send-up, though a loving and gentle one, of Arthurian tales of derring-do in general, and of The Mabinogion in particular. Like all such stories, these tales are abundantly inhabited by dragons and other mystical creatures, but the difference is that instead of knightly quests and courtly love, these tales are about rugby. Rugby with strangely named lines on the pitch, devices akin to egg timers to keep time, and maidens gifted with the Sight in place of the television match official. But rugby, nonetheless, founded on the twin principles of the sporting amateur, and chwarae teg - fair play - and governed by the Colegy Gêm on Ynys Môn.
A player, like the Arthurian knight, sets out on a quest, of course. But these are quests such as that of Eurwyn, to become the best outside half in Wales; or of Cedwyn, to perfect the art of goal kicking; or of Gruffudd, to prove his worthiness to marry a beautiful, but high-born maiden, the daughter of a rugby-loving Lord.
The tales of The Rygbimogion confirm what everyone in Wales secretly knows: namely, that Wales is the origin and home of rugby, which has flourished on Welsh soil since time immemorial, and has never had anything to do with 19th-century schoolboys breaking the rules of football by picking up the ball and running with it. These were the days before the English came, the days when every Cartref in Wales had its rugby teams, the days when the Kingdoms opposed each other on the rugby field rather than the field of battle, and when an honorary national team, Tîm Cymru, was formed to represent the finest of the finest. The tales tell us that eventually, the English did come, and the game had to retreat into the Realm of Shadow for a very long time. But its return to Wales, with all its magic, when the time was right, was never in doubt.
Genre: General Fiction
The Rygbimogion is, of course a spoof - a send-up, though a loving and gentle one, of Arthurian tales of derring-do in general, and of The Mabinogion in particular. Like all such stories, these tales are abundantly inhabited by dragons and other mystical creatures, but the difference is that instead of knightly quests and courtly love, these tales are about rugby. Rugby with strangely named lines on the pitch, devices akin to egg timers to keep time, and maidens gifted with the Sight in place of the television match official. But rugby, nonetheless, founded on the twin principles of the sporting amateur, and chwarae teg - fair play - and governed by the Colegy Gêm on Ynys Môn.
A player, like the Arthurian knight, sets out on a quest, of course. But these are quests such as that of Eurwyn, to become the best outside half in Wales; or of Cedwyn, to perfect the art of goal kicking; or of Gruffudd, to prove his worthiness to marry a beautiful, but high-born maiden, the daughter of a rugby-loving Lord.
The tales of The Rygbimogion confirm what everyone in Wales secretly knows: namely, that Wales is the origin and home of rugby, which has flourished on Welsh soil since time immemorial, and has never had anything to do with 19th-century schoolboys breaking the rules of football by picking up the ball and running with it. These were the days before the English came, the days when every Cartref in Wales had its rugby teams, the days when the Kingdoms opposed each other on the rugby field rather than the field of battle, and when an honorary national team, Tîm Cymru, was formed to represent the finest of the finest. The tales tell us that eventually, the English did come, and the game had to retreat into the Realm of Shadow for a very long time. But its return to Wales, with all its magic, when the time was right, was never in doubt.
Genre: General Fiction
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Used availability for Peter Murphy 2's The Rygbimogion