Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Mabinogion
The Mabinogion

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Mabinogion is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Mabinogion
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.
And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.
And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.
And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, Thou hast done this!
Thou art the best of all men.”
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Mabinogion

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Mabinogion is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.
Line 2
And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.
Line 3
And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.
/ənd hiː kɑːzd ɔːl hɪz kəmˈpænjənz tuː kiːp kloʊs tuː hɪm æz hiː pæst ðə θriː wɔːrdz ənd ənˈtɪl hiː keɪm ˈɪntuː ðə mɪdst ʌv ðə ˈkæsəl/
Line 4
And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, “Thou hast done this!
Line 5
Thou art the best of all men.”
/ðaʊ ɑːrt ðə best ʌv ɔːl men/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

castle noun US /ˈkæsəl/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading “And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.”

caused verb US /kɑːzd/

past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

From this reading “And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.”

companions noun US /kəmˈpænjənz/

plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading “And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.”

discourse noun US /ˈdɪskɔːrs/

extended verbal expression in speech or writing

From this reading “And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.”

hast auxiliary verb US /hæst/

an old form of “have”, used with “thou”

From this reading “And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, “Thou hast done this!”

midst noun US /mɪdst/

the location of something surrounded by other things

From this reading “And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.”

unto preposition US /ˈʌntuː/

an old word for “to”

From this reading “And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, “Thou hast done this!”

wards noun US /wɔːrdz/

plural of “ward” — a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another

From this reading “And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.”

All words in this reading · 57

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

alsoadverbUS /ˈɔːlsoʊ/

in addition

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading Thou art the best of all men.”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

Bedwyr

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading Thou art the best of all men.”

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

castlenounUS /ˈkæsəl/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

causedverbUS /kɑːzd/

past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

companionsnounUS /kəmˈpænjənz/

plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

Custennin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

discoursenounUS /ˈdɪskɔːrs/

extended verbal expression in speech or writing

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, “Thou hast done this!

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

hastauxiliary verbUS /hæst/

an old form of “have”, used with “thou”

From this reading And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, “Thou hast done this!

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

herdsmannoun

someone who drives a herd

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

Kai

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Thou art the best of all men.”

midstnounUS /mɪdst/

the location of something surrounded by other things

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, “Thou hast done this!

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, “Thou hast done this!

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

ThoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, “Thou hast done this!

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

untoprepositionUS /ˈʌntuː/

an old word for “to”

From this reading And his companions said unto the son of Custennin, “Thou hast done this!

wardsnounUS /wɔːrdz/

plural of “ward” — a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another

From this reading And he caused all his companions to keep close to him as he passed the three wards, and until he came into the midst of the castle.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading And there was much discourse among those who were without, because that Kai and Bedwyr had gone in.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading And a young man who was with them, the only son of Custennin the herdsman, got in also.

Chapter 8 of The Mabinogion by Charlotte, Lady [Translator] Schreiber holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 8 of The Mabinogion contain?

Chapter 8 holds 400 sentences of The Mabinogion, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Mabinogion by Charlotte, Lady [Translator] Schreiber exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 8 of The Mabinogion?

Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 80 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Mabinogion

Common questions about reading The Mabinogion by Charlotte, Lady [Translator] Schreiber on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Mabinogion?

Yes. All 5347 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5160 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Mabinogion is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5160, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Mabinogion take to read?

About 445 minutes of reading across 1070 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Mabinogion section by section

How to work through The Mabinogion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Mabinogion to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Mabinogion

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Mabinogion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Introduction
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mabinogion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fountain
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mabinogion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Peredur
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mabinogion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Evrawc
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mabinogion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.