Rhiannon

Rhiannon is a Welsh goddess of the earth, fertility, birds and horses.  She appears in the first and third branches of the Mabinogion, as well as the Arthurian tale of Culhwch and Olwen.  Through her marriage to Pwyll pen Annwfn she is also connected to the Otherworld.

Rhiannon is thought to be predecessor of the Brittanic goddess Rigantona (‘Great Queen’), and therefore could have a possible link to the Irish Macha and Morrígan (also ‘Great Queen’).  She is also linked to the Gaulish goddess Epona through their association with horses.

The First Branch of the Mabinogi, Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed , tells of how the Demetian king Pwyll sees Rhiannon in a forest riding a shining white horse.  Even though she is already engaged to Gwawl ap Clud, Pwyll and Rhiannon eventually marry.  They produce a son, however the boy disappears on the night of his birth while under the watchful eye of Rhiannon’s ladies-in-waiting.  Fearful of the king’s wrath, the ladies smear dog’s blood on the sleeping Rhiannon, and claim she killed her son by eating him.  Rhiannon was found guilty, and as punishment was forced to stand outside the castle for seven years and offer strangers a ride on her back like a horse.

Meanwhile, the boy is found outside a stable by Teyrnon and his wife, who claim the boy as their own and name him Gwri Wallt Euryn (‘Gwri of the Golden Hair’).  The boy grows quickly, and soon his resemblance to Pwyll grows more obvious.  Teyrnon realizes Gwri’s true identity, and he is eventually reunited with Pwyll and Rhiannon.  Gwri  is renamed Pryderi, meaning ‘loss’.

Rhiannon later marries Manawydan fab Llyr (equivalent to the Irish Manannán), the god of the sea, after Pwyll’s death.  Their adventures, outlined in the Third Branch of the Mabinogi, Manawydan fab Llŷr, describe how a magical mist descends over the land of Dyfed, leaving it empty of animals and humans apart from Rhiannon, Manawydan, her son Pryderi and his wife Cigfa.  The group travels to England where they unsuccessfully try to make a living making saddles and shoes.  Pryderi and Rhiannon eventually get trapped in a magical fort and vanish from sight.

Manawydan and Cigfa continue to try to make a living by farming, however their crops are continuously destroyed.  Upon catching one of the mice who had devoured his grain, he finds out that the mice were attendants of the mage Llwyd ap Cil Coed who had been magically transformed.  Llwyd was friend to Gwawl, Rhiannon’s former fiancé, and they find out the trouble which had plagued the group was done out of revenge.

Rhiannon had three magical birds, the Birds of Rhiannon, whose song can wake the dead or lull the living to sleep.  One of the birds was thought to be Badb, the crow, which deepens Rhiannon’s link to the Morrígan.

Rhiannon is a symbol of strength and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Wiki – Rhiannon
Thalia Took – Rhiannon
Celtic Deities – Rhiannon
Mary Jones’ Celtic Encyclopedia – Rhiannon

© The Celtic Journey (2013)

The Mabinogion

The Mabinogion is a collection of Welsh stories, mostly mythology and folklore, including the earliest Arthurian myths.

The stories were originally found in two manuscripts, the White Book of Rhydderch (1300-1325) and the Red Book of Hergest (1375-1425), however some of the stories are thought to have been written as early as the 11^th century.  Lady Charlotte Guest was the first to translate these stories to English in the mid-19^th century.  Curiously, the name ‘The Mabinogion’ is thought to have arisen from a translation error of ‘Mabinogi’, meaning ‘tale of a hero’s boyhood’.

The Mabinogion is divided into three categories:

Four Branches of the Mabinogi (“Pedair Cainc y Mabinogi”)

• Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed (Pwyll, Prince/Lord of Dyfed)
• Branwen ferch Llŷr (Branwen, daughter of Llŷr)
• Manawydan fab Llŷr (Manawydan, son of Llŷr)
• Math fab Mathonwy (Math, son of Mathonwy)

Independent Tales from Welsh tradition and legend

• Breuddwyd Macsen Wledig (The Dream of Macsen  Wledig)
• Lludd a Llefelys  (Lludd and Llefelys)
• Culhwch ac Olwen (Culhwch and Olwen)
• Breuddwyd Rhonabwy ( The Dream of Rhonabwy)
• Hanes Taliesin (The Tale of Taliesin)

Welsh Romances

• Owain, neu Iarlles y Ffynnon (Owain, the Lady of the Fountain)
• Peredur fab Efrog (Peredur, son of Efrawg)
• Geraint ac Enid (Geraint and Enid)

The first four stories, the Four Branches of the Mabinogi, all containing a central character, Pryderi.  In the first story, Pwyll, Pryderi grows into a man.  In the second Pryderi is scarcely mentioned, however Branwen marries the King of Ireland.  In the third, Pryderi return home with Manawydan, brother of Branwen.  The fourth involves Math and Gwydion, who come into conflict with Pryderi.

In the Independent Tales, The Dream of Macsen Wledig involves an emperor marrying a maiden he saw in a dream.  Lludd and Llefelys tells the story of Britain suffering from three strange plagues.  The next two, Culhwch and Olwen  and The Dream of Rhonabwy, involve King Arthur and his companions.  A fifth story sometimes included is the Tale of Taliesin, however this story was not found in the earlier manuscripts and is thought to have been included at a later stage.

The Welsh Romances, Owain, Peredur, and Geraint and Enid, are similar to the French Arthurian romances written by Chrétien de Troyes in the 12^th century.

The entire collection is set in a magical Welsh landscape with giants, magical creatures, beautiful women, and brave heroes.  They deal with the theme of fall and redemption, loyalty, marriage, love, fidelity, the wronged wife, and incest.

Given that the fantasy fiction genre was practically unknown before its publication, The Mabinogion has had a huge cultural influence.  It introduced literary figures such as King Arthur and Merlin, and has provided a basis for European and world literature that has been published since.

Wiki – Maginogion
Timeless Myths
BBC History

© The Celtic Journey (2013)

Cerridwen, Keeper of the Cauldron

Cerridwyn, Ceridwen, Cyrridven, Caridwen, Kyrridwen

• Cerridwen is a Welsh goddess of inspiration, wisdom, rebirth, transformation and prophecy.
• She is known as the keeper of the cauldron of knowledge, the mother of transformation and change, and the white lady of inspiration and death.
• Cerridwen holds great power and knowledge and is often described as a crone goddess, creating a triad with Blodeuwedd and Arianrhod.
• She often represents the darker aspect of deity and has connections to the Underworld.

• She was married to Tegid and lived on an island with her daughter Creirwy the fair, and Morfran/Afagddu the dark.
• Cerridwen is associated with a great white sow.

• Cerridwen is mentioned in the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsh myths.
• In one story, Cerridwen brews up a magical potion in her cauldron of poetic inspiration (Awen) in order to make her son Morfran/Afagddu wise and knowledgeable to make up for his ugliness.
• She leaves young Gwion Bach in charge of stirring it, warning him not to taste a drop.  However three hot drops of potion fall onto his thumb, which he instinctively put into his mouth.  Tasting the potion, he was granted the sacred knowledge meant for Cerridwen’s son.
• Furious, Cerridwen chases Gwion through the seasons, changing forms and shapeshifting, until finally she swallows Gwion.  She becomes pregnant, and nine months later she gives birth to Taliesin (“radiant brow”).
• Initially thinking to kill the child, she has a change of heart, and instead throws Taliesin into the sea. He is later rescued by the Celtic prince, Elffin, and becomes a great Welsh bard.

• Cerridwen’s cauldron contained a potion that was brewed for a year and a day in order to reach its full potency.
• The cauldron is a symbol of transformation (both physical and spiritual), enlightenment, wisdom, the womb, the Mother Goddess, and rebirth.
• Through the Mabinogion, Cerridwen is also associated with the legend of King Arthur.  Her son Taliesin became associated with the legend of Merlin through his role of bard of the court of Elffin (Arthur).

About.com – Cerridwen
Sacred Mists Blog
Wiki Ceridwen
Thalia Took – Cerridwen
Goddess School – Cerridwen

© The Celtic Journey (2013)