Blodeuwedd is the Welsh Maiden Goddess, revered on Avalon as the Goddess of new beginnings, independence and empowerment. The story which patriarchy has to tell of Blodeuwedd can be found in the branch of the Mabinogion called Math, Son of Mathonwy. She is made of Nine Flowers by the great magicians Math and Gwydion, to be the Bride of Llew, the Welsh Sun God. She chooses another lover, who attempts to slay Her husband, but Llew instead turns into an Eagle. Llew is found and restored by Gwydion, who transforms Blodeuwedd into an Owl as punishment. There is much more to this story than meets the eye... look beyond what is written to see the truth.
The name "Blodeuwedd" means "Flower Face", which refers to Her Flower origins as well as her association with the owl.... which in Wales, still bears Her name: blodeuwedd.
Arianrhod
I have spent three turns
In the Castle of Arianrhod...
Arianrhod — Celtic Moon-Mother Goddess. Called the Silver Wheel that Descends into the Sea. Like Kali she symbolizes cosmic time, and was also imaged as a vessel which carries the dead. Here she is depicted as Cosmogenitrix, her matron/fertility aspect. Throne-seated, nurturing her children, she wears the ceremonial torc of Queenship. The original of this piece dates from c. 100 AD, just prior to the Romano-Christian invasion of Celtic Europe. —picture and text © 1996 JBL Statues (now called Sacred Source), original text created by Tom Laudeman
- Hanes Taliesin
The Goddess Arianrhod, is one of the faces of the Mother Goddess looked to in Avalon. She was Mother to Llew (God of the Son) and Dylan (God of the Sea). Her Name literally means "Silver Wheel", and Her home, Caer Arianrhod, is none other than the Milky Way.
She too is portrayed in Math, Son of Mathonwy, and again we must look beyond the surface of Her tale. She is called to the court of Math by Her brother Gwydion, and is asked to serve as Math's Footholder. To perform this task, She must prove Her virginity, for it is Math's geas that his feet be kept from touching the ground by the lap of a maiden. She is asked to step over the wand of Gwydion to verify Her assertion that She is indeed a virgin. She steps over it, and while doing so, gives birth to Her two sons. Dylan crawls away and slips into the Sea, while the other child is snatched up by Gwydion. The angry Arianrhod swears that the child in Her brother's arms will never have a name, never bear a sword, and never marry a woman of the Earth - for all of these things can only be granted by the child's Mother. Over time, through lies and deception, Gwydion tricks Arianrhod into naming and arming Her son, but only through the creation of Blodeuwedd could the young Llew have a wife.
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