The Mab Trail follows the eleven stories of The Mab. These stories are really, really, really old. Really. In fact, there are some clever people who think that they might be the oldest ever written-down stories in the history of Britain.
The stories were first written down in the 14th century in two books, Llyfr Gwyn Rhydderch (the White Book of Rhydderch), and Llyfr Coch Hergest (the Red Book of Hergest). The 14th century is such a long time ago that it would have been the time of your great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandma. And actually, the stories of the Mabinogi are even older than her because they would have been performed and shared between people for many hundreds of years before that.
But as well as being really, really, really old, the stories in The Mab are thrilling and funny and full of MAGIC. They are stories of monsters, and magicians, of knights, and a giant who has a cauldron that can bring the dead back to life, a storyteller who catches bandits, and a team of avenging heroes who ride an enormous fish. The stories in The Mab take place in both the real world and the Otherworld, a land of magic and enchantment. They speak of a time when the gates between these worlds were occasionally left open, and sometimes, just sometimes, it was possible to step between the two.
So, go now, set off on your own adventure and find the story stones that will reveal the heroes of The Mab. Heroes that include a woman who is conjured out of flowers, the (almost) greatest of all King Arthur’s knights, someone named after a pigsty who is destined for greatness and many more. You’re going to love them.
The starting point of the Mab Trail is Pontypridd Museum. In Ynysangharad Park you’ll meet the Women of The Mab. On Berw Road Field you’ll find the Magic of The Mab and the Animals of The Mab are waiting to be discovered on Pontypridd Common.
We recommend taking paper and pencils along with you to collect rubbings of each story stone to create your own Mab Trail story book.
