The Mabinogion Set: The Fractal Structure of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi

A new study of classic medieval Welsh stories through the lens of narrative repetition.

The Mabinogion Set is a book about the most famous of medieval Welsh stories: the Four Branches of the Mabinogi. It is also a book about a mathematical phenomenon: fractals. Fractals are mathematical patterns that repeat at every scale, and this study argues that, like natural fractals--snowflakes, tree branches--the Four Branches of the Mabinogi have a repeating structure. In putting forward this new theory, The Mabinogion Set proposes a new type of structural analysis: formal narrative topology, which pays attention not to themes or plot elements but to patterns of repetition within a story. The author also explores the implications of a topological analysis of the Four Branches on our understanding of their possible oral or written origins, authorship, transmission, memorability, and performance.

Author: Natalia I. Petrovskaia
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of Wales Press
Published: 07/01/2026
Pages: 264
Weight: 1lbs
ISBN: 9781837723355