Mabon

1. Mabon

   The name shared by two of Arthur's followers in the poem Pa gur. One is the son of Modron (the most common association for Mabon), described as the servant of Uther Pendragon; the other is the son of Mellt. This may be a duplication, the same character having Modron for a mother (derived from the Celtic goddess Matrona) and Mellt (possibly derived from a god called Meldos) for a father. These characters are perhaps all the same.

   Mabon, the son of Modron, is undoubtedly the Celtic god Maponos (perhaps the equivalent of the Irish Mac ind oc), Modron originally being the Celtic goddess, Matrona, and Mellt perhaps a hypothetical god called Meldos. C. Matthews regards the story of Mabon as a mystery cycle. C. Ashe argues that Merlin may have acted as a prophet of the god Maponos - thus bringing a direct connection to the Arthurian tradition, and leading some to refer to Mabon himself as a sorverer, while J. Matthews feels that the history of Gawaine replays the story of the god. Mabon is also referred to as a sorcerer.

   Culhwch says he was abducted when he was three nights old and taken to Caer Loyw (Gloucester), which here is used to symbolise the Otherworld. It was necessary for Culhwch to find and rescue him, as part of his quest. Arthur attacked his prison, while Kay and Bedivere rescued him. Subsequently he took part in the hunt for the magic boar Twrch Trwyth and succeeded in taking the razor that Culhwch required from between the beast's ears. Similarly named characters are Mabonagrain in Chrétien's Erec et Enide and Mabuz in Ulrich's Lanzelet.

   
   

2. Mabon

   This Celtic god of liberation, harmony, unity and music, also known as Maponos, was undoubtedly the original of the Arthurian characters having the same name, as well as several others. He was possibly one of the most universally worshipped of all the Celtic dieties, the centre of the Druidic cosmology, the original Being, pre-existent, the Son of the Great Mother. In mythology he is represented as both a prisoner and a liberator. Many other heroic and divine figures, and not just those in the Arthurian legends, are related to Mabon.

   As Maponos, this deity was worshipped in the north of Britain and Gaul, and is widely associated with therapeutic springs. In the most common Welsh tradition he is Mabon, son of Modron ('son of the Mother'), held captive since he had been stolen from his mother aged just three days. He is equated in a Romano-Celtic inscription with Apollo Citharoedus - 'the player of the lyre'. This would indicate that Mabon was a youthful god of the Apollo type, connected to therapy, music and a ritual hunt. His Irish equivalent appears to have ben Oenghus Mac In Og. Furthermore, his legends suggest that he was linked to the order of creation, for an increasingly complex cycle of animals lead the Arthurian warrior to rescue him.

   
   

3. Mabon

   A ford.

   
   

4. Mabon
   Maboun, Mabounnys

   A wizard who, with his brother Evrain, plagued Esmeree the Blonde, Queen of Wales.

   Pretending to be minstrels, they entered the city of Snowdon and cast spells which made the populace go insane. They laid waste to the city of Snowdon, turning it into the Desolate City. Mabon turned Esmeree the Blonde into a snake, saying that she would remain that way until she agreed to marry him, or until a knight rescued her.

   Esmeree the Blonde's lady, Helie, traveled to Arthur's court and secured the services of Gawain's son, Guinglain. Guinglain traveled to the Desolate City, defeated Evrain in combat, and killed Mabon.

   
   

5. Mabon the Black

   An enchanter in the Post-Vulgate Merlin continuation and the Prose Tristan who learned sorcery from Merlin. There is no reason to doubt that he is derived from the Welsh Mabon.

   Mabon captured and imprisoned Bors. Fearful of Erec, who by his mother's enchantment was immune to magic, Mabon sent Bors to kill him. Erec defeated Bors and freed him from Mabon's service. In another episode, Gawain apparently fought against Mabon over a fairy named Marsique. Gawain, equipped with the Scabbard of Excalibur, was victorious.

   Mabon began a rivalry with his friend, Mennonas, for the love of the lady Grysinde. He sent an enchanted ship, called the Ship of Joy, to find Tristan, intending that Tristan should fight Mennonas as Mabon's champion Tristan arrived on the ship, engaged Mennonas in combat, and killed him.

   
   

6. Mabon Rock
   la Roche Mabon

   A castle ruled by King Agrippes and besieged by King Vadalon.

   Agrippes' daughter ended the siege by poisoning the attacking army's water supply. When Vadalon discovered this, he had the maiden imprisoned in iron bands, from which she was eventually freed by Sir Bors.