During day two of our blog takeover to celebrate the publication of The Mab we are delighted to welcome author and the inaugural postholder for the Children's Laureate Wales, Eloise Williams to introduce us to some of the women of The Mab.

In stories from the olden days, women are often there to look pretty, be a foil to the stories of men, and not say much. They wave fond farewells as the men ride off on horseback to have great adventures. Sometimes it’s possible to think that these women didn’t have any voices at all.

Not so in The Mab! The women of The Mab have a lot to say. They are fierce and bold, clever and witty, smart and resilient. They make decisions and they make mistakes. They are very important people in their stories, and we are proud to give them voices.

In Rhiannon, Pwyll and the Hideous Claw women are central to the story. Rhiannon, a powerful, enchanting woman from the Otherworld joins this world only to face terrible trickery and punishment for a crime she didn’t commit. She is accused of murdering her own child when it has actually been stolen by a hideous, monstrous claw. Who has tricked her? Her maids, and to protect their own skin because they slept as the baby was taken. As punishment, Rhiannon is forced to carry people on her back as if she is a horse. Yes, you’re right, these stories are weird.

Blodeuwedd, in Meadowsweet and Magic is a woman conjured entirely from flowers because a man called Lleu wants a wife, and his mother has cursed him that he may never be married to a human. Unhappy with the arrangement, Blodeuwedd plots to kill Lleu. Unfortunately, for her he has protection charms placed around him which mean that he can only be killed in very specific circumstances. Luckily, Blodeuwedd is extremely inventive and spends a whole year thinking up ways to murder Lleu. I don’t want to give too much away but her plan involves a goat and a bath!

In Branwen and the Cauldron of Rebirth we meet the main character Branwen as she listens to the wisdom of birds while men wage war.  Branwen’s mother has taught her to open her heart in times of trouble. The starlings talk to Branwen and she agrees that love will conquer all. Where there is bloodshed and heartache and grief, she chooses an unusual way to continue spreading her message of love, changing herself and her son into birds.

Women often save the day in the stories of The Mab. Cigfa in Happily Ever After has fire in her belly, rides her horse like a warrior, and uses her intuition to expose the truth of an enchantment. Her story tells us of how real life is much more interesting than your typical happy ever after. In Luned and the Magic Ring, the title character uses a bluestone and a ring which render the wearer invisible to help someone escape certain death, but she also employs logical thinking and her powers of intellect to save the day.

We can’t wait for you to meet these women. They aren’t wholly good or bad. They aren’t just there to wave weeping farewells from castle windows. They are strong and wild, magical and powerful, fallible and free. They have thoughts and ideas and solve problems with their quick wit and intelligence. Perhaps they will remind you of the women in your own life?

A big thank you to Eloise Williams for writing this fantastic blog feature for us.  You can find out more about The Mab every day this week during our blog takeover and might like to think about attending the YLG Wales Zoom training day Empathy in Your Librarywhich includes a conversation with Eloise Williams and Matt Brown who will be discussing The Mab with librarian extraordinaire Alison King.  Special thanks too, to Max Low, illustrator of the The Mab for use of its brilliant cover and the image of Blodeuwedd.