Reimagined Welsh myth wins prestigious literary honour at National Eisteddfod
8 September 2026
A Cardiff historian was celebrated at this year’s National Eisteddfod for her ‘ambitious’ reimagining of a story, originally told in the Mabinogi, a collection of medieval Welsh tales.
Senior Lecturer in Medieval History, Dr Rebecca Thomas was presented with this year’s Daniel Owen Memorial medal which challenges entrants to write an unpublished novel of no fewer than 50,000 words.
Dr Thomas accepted the challenge and penned Ynys Gwales, the story of Llŷr and his family of fishermen, and Morfudd, the guardian of Ynys Gwales, (Grassholm in English) a small island off the coast of Pembrokeshire.
Speaking of her inspiration, Dr Thomas said, “I decided to write a novel set in the world of the Second Branch of the Mabinogi after revisiting the tale in seminars with Welsh students in 2022. I was captivated by the final part of the tale, where seven men who survived a war in Ireland bring the head of their giant king to Ynys Gwales.
This island is a paradise where they can forget everything about war and the friends that they've lost. The medieval tale focuses on the seven men and their grief, but I was drawn to thinking about how their visit impacted the island and its inhabitants. I started writing the novel during my time as an artist in residence on Ynys Enlli in August 2025. This was an invaluable opportunity for getting under the skin of my characters who live on Ynys Gwales.”
Judges of the award described Dr Thomas’ novel as “ambitious”, “magical” and “emotional” and she was presented with the prize at a special ceremony on the Pavilion Stage at the Eisteddfod on 4 August 2026.
Speaking of the prize, Dr Thomas said, “It's an amazing feeling to have won the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize, which is my first win at the National Eisteddfod. It is such a special competition that has produced many wonderful novels by authors I admire. It's hard to believe that Ynys Gwales will join these volumes on bookshelves, and it is exciting to be able to share the novel after working on it secretly for so long.”
Dr Thomas is part of the History, Archelogy and Heritage department at the School of Global Humanities and currently teaches on modules in medieval and Welsh history, including Medieval Worlds and the Age of Arthur.