I'm going to talk about Arianhrod.
She is a Welsh Goddess and one of the Five Goddesses of Avalon.
Arianrhod represents the Mother Aspect of the Triple Goddess formed with Bloudewedd and Cerridwen.
In the book Magic
of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses by Carl McColman and Kathryn Hinds the authors
point to Arianhrod as a Goddess of initiation, to be called upon when great
transformations are called for, and more specifically for the initiator of
warriors and leaders. The authors say “she sets ordeals to test the candidate and makes sure
the circumstances are right from crossing from one state of life into the
next.”
I'm going to share a story, this is taken from Magic of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses by Carl McColman and Kathryn Hinds, I do not claim what comes next as my own, it is theirs.
Arianrhod is one of the children of the
goddess Don, along with her brothers Gwydion, Amaethon, and Gofannon. Her
uncle, Math the Ancient, is the ruler of Gwynedd in north Wales. As a condition
of his kingship, he must rest his feet in a maiden’s lap whenever he is sitting
in judgment. A time comes when he has need of a new footholder, so Gwydion
suggests Arianhrod for the job. Math summons her and asks her if she is indeed
a maiden. Her answer “I do not know other than that I am” is hardly conclusive,
so Math puts her to a test. He stretches out his magickal staff close to the
ground and tells Arianhrod to step over it. As she does, she “drops” a yellow
haired boy, whom Math later names Dylan and who goes to live in the sea. (in a
fuller version I read, he was thrown into the sea and happened to turn into a
fish of some kind, but this version says it nicer then they tried to drown the
boy and failed.)
Arianhrod keeps walking, but as she is about
to go out the door, she drops something else. Only Gwydion sees it. He scoops
it up and hides it in a chest at the foot of his bed. Time passes until, one
morning, he is awakened by the noise coming from the chest. Opening it, he
finds a baby boy. The child grows twice as fast, in body and mind, as ordinary
boys. When he is 4 years old, Gwydion takes him to Arianhrod’s seaside fortress
to meet his mother.
It isn’t a particularly happy reunion. First,
Arianhrod scolds Gwydion for disgracing her by keeping the boy for so long.
Then, when she asks what his name is, Gwydion tells her that he has not yet got
a name. “Well” says Arianhrod, “and he will not have a name unless he gets it
from me.” Gwydion and the boy leave, but the next day Gwydion uses his magickal
arts to disguise the two of them as shoemakers. He conjures a ship out of
seaweed, and they sail into the harbor below Arianhrod’s fortress. There they
set about making shoes of beautiful gilded leather. Arianhrod goes down to the
ship to have a pair of shoes made for herself. While Gwydion is measuring her
foot, a wren, the smallest of birds, alights on the deck. In a flash, the boy
casts his shoemaker’s awl at it, hitting its leg. Arianhrod smiles and
declares, “Lleu llaw gyffes!”- “A bright one with a skillful hand!” From his
mother’s words, the boy’s name becomes Lleu Llaw Gyffes.
Then Arianhrod says “Now I swear, he will
never take arms till I arm him myself.” Gwydion takes Lleu home and continues
to raise him. The years pass; Lleu grows and matures. At last it is time that a
youth of his age and station should take arms, so Gwydion disguises the two of
them as bards, and they head for Arianhrods fortress, where they are welcomed
eagerly and shown great hospitality.
After feasting, Gwydion and Arianhrod tell
tales and recite lore. Later, while all the court sleeps, Gydion works his
magic so that , when dawn comes, a huge fleet of ships appears to be anchored
just off the coast, with warrior’s pouring ashore. Arianhrod comes to Gwydion
and Lleu’s room to ask for their help in defending the castle. They agree, but
because neither of the “bards” has arms or weapons, Arianhrod and two maidens
fetch what is needed from the castle stores.
“Lady,” says Gwydion, “let the maidens help me
arm, and you assist the young man.” She does this gladly, and when Lleu is
fully armed, weapons in hand, Gwydion lifts all his enchantments.
“So, he has his name and his arms.” Says
Arianhrod. “But I swear this destiny: He will never find a wife among the
people now on this earth”. Gwydion declares that he will get Lleu a wife all
the same.
As a result, Bloudewedd is made with the nine
flowers and presented to Lleu as his wife.
0 comments:
Post a Comment