“If a worthy lord you wish to be,

then tho’ you be young, do

not deride the elderly;

nor the poor tho’ you be wealthy

nor the lame tho’ you be swift

nor the dull tho’ you be clever

nor the sick tho’ you be healthy.”

Now Helig was amazed that a child of such size could talk at all,

let alone so eloquently, and with such authority on matters of which

he should have had no ken, “Are you a spirit that you can speak already

and have a prior knowledge of my name and situation ?”said Helig.

Said Little Gwern Sun-Hair “I know by meditation, for

in water there is that quality endowed with a blessing,

and I speak by virtue of the sweet muse which I

obtained from the cauldron of Black Ceridwen,

she whose forms are so dreadful in pursuit.

She put me into this leather bag, and onto the boundless sea

was I thrown, and there so tenderly nursed until, by the

law that works without speech, I am at last let free.”

“Truly,” said Helig, “you are born from a wave of the deep sea,

your name shall be Amorgen Tuin and you must come with me.”

Crucible of the Sun: The Mabinogion Retold

By Stuart France

“I will dazzle like fire, hard and high, will flame the breaths of my desire; chief revealer of that which is uttered and that which is asked, tonight I make naked the word.”

Once upon a time we gathered around the flames of the hearth and listened to tales of long ago and far away. The stories grew in the telling, weaving ancient lore whose origins lie somewhere in a misty past with tales of high adventure, battles, magic and love. In Crucible of the Sun this oral tradition is echoed in a unique and lyrical interpretation of tales from the Mabinogion, a collection of stories whose roots reach back into the depths of time, spanning the world and reflecting universal themes of myth and legend.

These tales capture a narrative deeply entwined through the history of the Celtic peoples of the British Isles, drawing on roots that are embedded in the heart of the land. In Crucible of the Sun the author retells these timeless stories in his own inimitable and eminently readable style. The author’s deep exploration of the human condition and the transitions between the inner worlds illuminate this retelling, casting a unique light on the symbolism hidden beyond the words, unravelling the complex skein of imagery and weaving a rich tapestry of magic.

‘The author’s creative and scholarly engagement with the material and enthusiasm for the original tales is evident throughout.’ The Welsh Books Council

‘I found it very inspiring!’ Philip Carr-Gomm, Chosen Chief, Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (O.B.O.D.)

Available worldwide via Amazon, in paperback and for Kindle.

ISBN-10: 1494785137

ISBN-13: 978-1494785130