Maiden, Mother and Crone-Welsh Goddesses?
Posted: Mon Aug 14, 2017 5:56 pm
Who do you think would be the Maiden, Mother, and Crone of Welsh mythology in the Wiccan framework?
The reason this interests me is because of the great variance of how many Female Deities could fit each role in a variety of ways. For example, the Goddess Ceridwen-tending to her magical cauldron, for a year and a day, until a slip of one of her servants leads to a great tale of transformation into her chasing the servant, until various series of events she ends up giving birth to the great Bard, and demi-God, Taliesin.
This tale seems to fit her role as a Goddess of Rebirth, Transformation, and Knowledge. The knowledge of all the herbs she picked for the cauldron's potion in order to transform her ugly son into a handsome son. Thus, you see her role as a mother; yet, her ruthless chase by which she transforms into many animals to catch her dim-sited servant portray her as more aggressive. A trait, that is more of the Crone side of the Triple Goddess--one that Graves agrees with as Ceridwen being the darker side of the Goddess.
Then, we have the beautiful and strong Rhiannon!
Who definitely portrays in Welsh mythology her range from Maiden (her gifts into tricking her horrible-to-be husband into the man she wants Pwyll), Mother (Pwyll is deceived by Rhiannon's nannies that Rhiannon is blamed and forced to tell her tale to all visiting people and carry them among her shoulder), and then her rescuing from the Tower of Dyfed by Manawydan-her 2nd husband).
Thus, it seems she is a Goddess of Strength for having to be forced to carry all people to enter the city upon her shoulders. This seems like Motherly strength proving her innocence and the grief for her child and as a feminist figure in my opinion. Thus, here we see Rhiannon imo as a Mother.
However, her youth in seeking Pwyll while he sat upon the seat of Cathair Idris and drew him down where they fell in love and planned her escape from her horrible husband-to-be; her beautiful young figure that drew Pwyll--from the chair that would either render you bardic qualities or possible insanity--Rhiannon's beauty upon her white horse in the forest counter ideas romance. Words better suited to describe the young Goddess-the Maiden.
Speaking of feminine Welsh deities we can't forget of the beautiful Branwen, sister of Bran the Blessed, who in an attempt to have piece between Wales (England)-the Isle of the Mighty and Ireland-The Isle of the Brave, or sometimes, Blessed.
[I feel here a connection between Helen of Troy--the face that launched a 1,000 ships an the great journeys of Odysseus. Here her story, ends in much the same way--a devastation for Wales, and the loss of their Beloved.]
Her beauty is so much (Maiden) that the families (Bran-King of Wales and Matholwych-King of Ireland) to end war and strife between their countries make a trade. Bran will give the holy cauldron (upon which soldiers are made invincible in the coming war; or possibly, the Holy Grail?) which has great powers leading to much devastation and a marriage between Matholwych and Bran's sister Branwen to stop feuding. However, once in Ireland Branwen is made to be a slave and once she gets to Math, Math declares war on Ireland.
A war that wages on for years and years this is due to the Irish soldier's immorality by using the holy grail/cup; however the Welsh win, at horrible odds: leaving only 7 Welsh to return to Wales. Among them, Taliesin return, and Branwen returns but then dies on the coast soon after; however, the great Bran is slayed. (Whereupon Taliesin and the remaining Welsh engage in a quest for Bran's concealment and subsequent perilous but successful adventure so his gaze may always protect Britain from Invaders).
Speaking of beautiful Welsh Goddesses we have the beautiful Goewin. Whom upon the great demi-God, Math rests on in case of times of war upon which he must serve to war; however, the woman must be maiden (virgin).
In another tale, Math is tricked by Gwyddion into creating a war, so Math must leave his beautiful maiden, Goewin, in innocence to Gwyddion's brother-Gilfaethwy (Gil-fae-thoo-i)- who has his way with Goewin.
Upon returning, Math shows the brothers a lesson and turns them into a series of animals for 3 years, before returning them to men.
Thus, without a virgin foot holder (since Goewin is no longer a maiden because of Gilfaethwy) Gwyddion suggests his sister: Arianrhod. Who upon failing the test for her maidenhood gives birth to the sun Goddess himself Llew Llaw Gyffes also known as Lleu, or Llu in other Irish traditions, or Celtic for that matter: His worship goes back into the Middle Ages.
Arianrhod we see as a symbol of cunningness, because upon her humiliation of the test she curses her son that he will never have a name, never bear arms, and never be married. All of which, her brother Gwyddion outmaneuvers her in all three and he marries Blodeuwedd-who Gwyddion makes out of all the flowers (Maiden symbol) of the earth for Llu. Because Arianrhod curses her son that he can never marry a human. Thus, because she was made of flowers, Llew Llaw Gyffes marries her.
Blodeuwedd even tries to kill Lleu, but is caught and turned into an Owl. Thus, connecting her to the Full Moon-the Mother; even though her flowery character, is more maiden.
Thus, we see the many roles that women play in Welsh mythology that the framing of each deity into Maiden, Mother and Crone can be so difficult.
What do you think? I personally see how each deity can be many characteristics of the Maiden, or Mother, or Crone.
I can't come up with them because in my mind they are so broad. What is your opinion?
The reason this interests me is because of the great variance of how many Female Deities could fit each role in a variety of ways. For example, the Goddess Ceridwen-tending to her magical cauldron, for a year and a day, until a slip of one of her servants leads to a great tale of transformation into her chasing the servant, until various series of events she ends up giving birth to the great Bard, and demi-God, Taliesin.
This tale seems to fit her role as a Goddess of Rebirth, Transformation, and Knowledge. The knowledge of all the herbs she picked for the cauldron's potion in order to transform her ugly son into a handsome son. Thus, you see her role as a mother; yet, her ruthless chase by which she transforms into many animals to catch her dim-sited servant portray her as more aggressive. A trait, that is more of the Crone side of the Triple Goddess--one that Graves agrees with as Ceridwen being the darker side of the Goddess.
Then, we have the beautiful and strong Rhiannon!
Who definitely portrays in Welsh mythology her range from Maiden (her gifts into tricking her horrible-to-be husband into the man she wants Pwyll), Mother (Pwyll is deceived by Rhiannon's nannies that Rhiannon is blamed and forced to tell her tale to all visiting people and carry them among her shoulder), and then her rescuing from the Tower of Dyfed by Manawydan-her 2nd husband).
Thus, it seems she is a Goddess of Strength for having to be forced to carry all people to enter the city upon her shoulders. This seems like Motherly strength proving her innocence and the grief for her child and as a feminist figure in my opinion. Thus, here we see Rhiannon imo as a Mother.
However, her youth in seeking Pwyll while he sat upon the seat of Cathair Idris and drew him down where they fell in love and planned her escape from her horrible husband-to-be; her beautiful young figure that drew Pwyll--from the chair that would either render you bardic qualities or possible insanity--Rhiannon's beauty upon her white horse in the forest counter ideas romance. Words better suited to describe the young Goddess-the Maiden.
Speaking of feminine Welsh deities we can't forget of the beautiful Branwen, sister of Bran the Blessed, who in an attempt to have piece between Wales (England)-the Isle of the Mighty and Ireland-The Isle of the Brave, or sometimes, Blessed.
[I feel here a connection between Helen of Troy--the face that launched a 1,000 ships an the great journeys of Odysseus. Here her story, ends in much the same way--a devastation for Wales, and the loss of their Beloved.]
Her beauty is so much (Maiden) that the families (Bran-King of Wales and Matholwych-King of Ireland) to end war and strife between their countries make a trade. Bran will give the holy cauldron (upon which soldiers are made invincible in the coming war; or possibly, the Holy Grail?) which has great powers leading to much devastation and a marriage between Matholwych and Bran's sister Branwen to stop feuding. However, once in Ireland Branwen is made to be a slave and once she gets to Math, Math declares war on Ireland.
A war that wages on for years and years this is due to the Irish soldier's immorality by using the holy grail/cup; however the Welsh win, at horrible odds: leaving only 7 Welsh to return to Wales. Among them, Taliesin return, and Branwen returns but then dies on the coast soon after; however, the great Bran is slayed. (Whereupon Taliesin and the remaining Welsh engage in a quest for Bran's concealment and subsequent perilous but successful adventure so his gaze may always protect Britain from Invaders).
Speaking of beautiful Welsh Goddesses we have the beautiful Goewin. Whom upon the great demi-God, Math rests on in case of times of war upon which he must serve to war; however, the woman must be maiden (virgin).
In another tale, Math is tricked by Gwyddion into creating a war, so Math must leave his beautiful maiden, Goewin, in innocence to Gwyddion's brother-Gilfaethwy (Gil-fae-thoo-i)- who has his way with Goewin.
Upon returning, Math shows the brothers a lesson and turns them into a series of animals for 3 years, before returning them to men.
Thus, without a virgin foot holder (since Goewin is no longer a maiden because of Gilfaethwy) Gwyddion suggests his sister: Arianrhod. Who upon failing the test for her maidenhood gives birth to the sun Goddess himself Llew Llaw Gyffes also known as Lleu, or Llu in other Irish traditions, or Celtic for that matter: His worship goes back into the Middle Ages.
Arianrhod we see as a symbol of cunningness, because upon her humiliation of the test she curses her son that he will never have a name, never bear arms, and never be married. All of which, her brother Gwyddion outmaneuvers her in all three and he marries Blodeuwedd-who Gwyddion makes out of all the flowers (Maiden symbol) of the earth for Llu. Because Arianrhod curses her son that he can never marry a human. Thus, because she was made of flowers, Llew Llaw Gyffes marries her.
Blodeuwedd even tries to kill Lleu, but is caught and turned into an Owl. Thus, connecting her to the Full Moon-the Mother; even though her flowery character, is more maiden.
Thus, we see the many roles that women play in Welsh mythology that the framing of each deity into Maiden, Mother and Crone can be so difficult.
What do you think? I personally see how each deity can be many characteristics of the Maiden, or Mother, or Crone.
I can't come up with them because in my mind they are so broad. What is your opinion?