Prydain Pronunciation Guide

As there has been more talk of Prydain recently, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, I thought it would be a good time to put together this pronunciation guide.

These pronunciations come from The Prydain Companion: A Reference Guide to Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles by Michael O. Tunnell. In The Prydain Companion, Mr. Tunnell writes:

The pronunciation aids were provided by Lloyd Alexander, who advises us that they are not necessarily true to the Welsh tongue. Many sounds in the Welsh language are simply not available in English. Alexander (1985b) does not want the Welsh words to be a stumbling block for readers of the Prydain Chronicles and has therefore made the pronunciations as simple as possible.

While putting together this visual, I have worked closely with Mr. Tunnell to decide which names to include and which names to leave off. I didn't want this graphic to be a comprehensive list, whereas The Prydain Companion already serves as such. However, hopefully this will be helpful to anyone who enters the land of Prydain and is having a hard time with some of the Welsh names. As you come across names that are not on this list, please refer to The Prydain Companion for a complete pronunciation guide.

Ann Durell Speaks About Prydain

I realize that the vast majority of people that visit my blog are fans of Lloyd Alexander, and have already seen this video. However, I wanted to post this video that I made a few years ago that gives a hint of what the Prydain books are like.

In this video, Ann Durell McCrory, who is the editor of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain talks a little about how the books originally came about.

I originally created this video as a "sneak peek" to help advertise for the documentary while it was still being made. However, I'm reposting it now in light of the recent announcement that Disney is developing the Prydain books into a film, this may give a little more insight into what Prydain is all about.

I hope you enjoy this short video. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments, here, or on the YouTube page.

Disney to Adapt Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain into Live Action Film

No books have influenced my life as greatly as Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. When I first purchased the mass market paperbacks from my middle school book fair, little did I know the impact they would have in my future life.

As I read the report by Variety this week announcing Disney was planning on adapting the books into film, I was full of mixed emotions. As most fans of the books can relate, I was excited, however nervous that the films would be a repeat of Disney's previous attempt at adapting the books.

However, I also thought back to my teenage years when I first read these stories. When I first read these books the words were jumping off the page at me. The skillful writing by Mr. Alexander enabled me to envision these books with such clarity and imagery, that I couldn't help but fall in love with the characters and the mythical land of Prydain. I wanted nothing more than to see these books turned into masterful and rich live action films.

This desire was only deepened when I saw Peter Jackson's adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings". As I sat through those movies, and fell in love with Tolkien's work in a new way, I couldn't help but think of what was possible to do with Prydain. I wanted to experience Prydain in the same way that Peter Jackson had helped me, and millions of others, to experience Middle-Earth. Ultimately, I wanted millions of more readers exposed and led to the source material by Lloyd Alexander.

These dreams have helped to shape my life to this point. A few years ago I made a decision to make a documentary film about Lloyd Alexander. The countless hours that I spent researching, and getting to know everything that I could about Lloyd Alexander and his books, was invaluable to me. I was able to gain unique insights into this wonderful man and beloved author. I also gained a deeper love for all of his works, but especially the Chronicles of Prydain.

As Disney embarks on this journey of adapting the Prydain world from text to screen, I am deeply excited to see what they do. I also am encouraged by the technology that is available in today's world to adapt these the right way. I hope that it is adapted in a way that will pay homage to the books, and inspire a new generation to follow their passions the way the books have inspired me. In the immortal words of Lloyd Alexander, "For each of us comes a time when we must be more than what we are." (The Castle of Llyr, p.4)

What do you think of the news? Let me know in the comments!