# Prydain pronounciation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 21, 2002, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339 "2002-03-21T13:54:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/1 "2002-03-21T13:54:36Z")
I’ve been re-reading the Chronicles of Prydain for about the 1000th time, and I’m _still_ wondering how to pronounce the Welsh names. **Prydain** - pri-DAIN or PRY-dain? **Eilonwy** - EEL-on-wee, ell-ON-wee, ELL-on-wy? **Taran** - TAR-an or tar-AN or tar-AHN? And what about **Arawn**? ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/2 "2002-03-21T15:36:08Z")
Having never read these books, i’ve read that it is pronounced like " Pruh - dane" ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/3 "2002-03-21T15:47:08Z")
Between my own reading and Disney’s version of _The Black Cauldron_, here are the pronunciations I use: [ul] [li]prih-DAIN[/li][li]eh-LON-wee[/li][li]TAIR-en[/li][\*}HEN-wen [/ul] ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/4 "2002-03-21T15:57:49Z")
Just a day or two ago, I was lamenting the fact that I haven’t read these books in nearly fifteen years. But, my two cents:[ul][_]PRY-dain[_]AYE-lon-wee[_]TAIR-an (like hair)[_]little-upside-down-e - RAWN.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/5 "2002-03-21T16:39:46Z")
I have an edition with a pronunciation guide. I don’t have it at hand, but I recall being surprised by the pronunciation of Eilonwy, which is “AYE-lon-whee” ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/6 "2002-03-21T19:20:45Z")
Shouldn’t Eilonwy be pronounced something like AIL - un - oo - ee, since it’s a Welsh name? And Arawn would be a - ROUN (like “round” without the D). (Not to dispute your pronunciation guide, **Hello Again** , since the author’s word is authoritative. And my grasp of Welsh pronunciation is tenuous at best. Just saying, is all… 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/7 "2002-03-21T19:26:42Z")
[This page](http://www.umr.edu/~duy/misc/prydain.html) supposedly shows the pronunciation of most of the main characters/places. However, this might just apply to the movie and they very may well have butchered some of the Welsh. ---
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/8 "2002-03-21T20:00:15Z")
Ack! You guys are some help! and \*Mighty Maximino \*, you think I’m going to accept the _Disney_ version? C’mon, I want the Straight Dope. ---
**Author:** ![teppei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/58956e/32.png) [@teppei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teppei)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/9 "2002-03-21T20:05:05Z")
as I recall from the pronunciation chart in the back of the collection ‘The Prydain Chronicles,’ it’s pronounced prih DAYN, AYE lon wee, and TAIR ihn. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/10 "2002-03-21T20:56:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by FriendRob \* > \*\*Ack! You guys are some help! and \*Mighty Maximino \*, you think I’m going to accept the _Disney_ version? C’mon, I want the Straight Dope. \*\* So shoot me. It’s the best I’ve been able to find so far! They even link to it off of Lloyd Alexander fan pages, so there must be a couple correct statemements in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/11 "2002-03-22T00:19:15Z")
As long as you realize that it’s “Fuh-flew-duh-dur Fuh-flam,” you should be OK. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/12 "2002-03-22T01:08:32Z")
Okay, NOW I am looking at the Prydain Pronunciation Guide, pp. 187-188 in the hardcover edition of The Book of Three (Henry Holt, 1999). ahem. Prydain – prih-DANE Taran – TAH-ran Eilonwy – eye-LAHN-wee (shite! I coulda sworn…) Arawn – ah-RAWN and for good measure: Dalben – DAHL-ben Llyan – lee-AHN (surprising; I would have thought “lion”) Gwydion – GWIH-dyon ---
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prydain-pronounciation/99339/13 "2002-03-22T16:44:45Z")
Hooray, **Hello**! I guess that’s official (even if not truly Welsh … but LlA probably got it right). Thanks to all (even **Maximino** for the Disney page … 😉 … who actually got it right! Even Lee-AHN!)