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gingersnaptaff · 4 months ago

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Welsh Law, Women, and The Mab - Mab March Madness 3

Sorry I have been gone for like what a week? Two? Idk. Anyways, I'm super sorry but I bring a TASTY TREAT TO APOLOGISE.

I'm gonna talk about The Mabinogion, Welsh law, and women's rights because boi howdy is a tasty af text. Quick note: I'm gonna be focusing like on every lady BUT I want you to know that they're all great. Another quick note: I'm not an academic but I am SICK AS FUCK OF SEEING PEOPLE USE ONE FUCKIN SOURCE FOR WELSH DIVORCE AND THINKING THAT EQUATES TO THE WHOLE FUCKIN THING. BAM. DONE. FUCK OFF. READ A GODDAMN BOOK. It's so much more complex and, by God, I'm going to tell u about women's rights, OKAY?!

‘Welsh myth,’ writes Peter Berresford Ellis, ‘is not short on determined women.’ Seriously, the Four Branches give us Arawn's wife (who in her only conversation with her husband gets the upper hand, TWICE!) Rhiannon (resourceful af, a fuckin QUEEN,), Branwen (a dignified figure, SENDS A MESSAGE TO HER BROTHER WITH A STARLING, brokenhearted for the destruction done in her name), Cigfa (owner of the only brain cell within the third branch), Aranrhod (actually needs to kill her brother and I support her), Goewin (what she goes through is horrific and she needs a SWORD), and Blodeuwedd (her whole vibe is IMMACULATE). The Three Romances give us Luned (Best girl, not afraid to give Owain a piece of her mind), Angharad (who could be seen as a thingy for colonialism but also generous if her ‘golden-handed’ epithet is anything to go by), and Enid (one of the Three Splendid Maidens of Arthur's court in the Triads! Eat shit, Geraint!)

Furthermore, you have Gwenhwyfar, who would later ‘get the short end of the stick’ within the Anglo-Norman Christian retelling of Arthuriana. Both Arthur - who had three mistresses in Welsh myth - and Gwen herself were having ‘adulterous intrigues’ in Welsh myth. She, particularly in Geraint ac Enid, is a fascinating look at a queen’s role within the Welsh court.

But lemme focus on the Four Branches real quick! They are, I'd argue, an enmeshment of Welsh Law and Welsh myth, in regards to women. Andrew Breeze says the Mab, ‘reads convincingly’ as being written by a woman. Its main thrust is to do with women and how they're treated by the men and the small but significant ways they break out of their patriarchal cycles.

Now, not every branch has laws in it but what they do have is fascinating. This can be most clearly seen in Branch 1 and Rhiannon's whole affair. It is she who holds the command within the first half of the text after she makes herself known to Pwyll. She is the one who makes the first move, as Breeze writes: ‘the shots are called by the woman not the man.’ It is she who rides past him in her ‘shining, golden garment,’ ‘sitting astride a pale-white horse,’ and imitates the chase that ultimately results in Pwyll chasing after her (and exhausted his horse.) Furthermore, she is presented as being the main instigator of the whole affair for she did not wish to be given to Gwawl ap Clud in marriage. This is true to Welsh texts for, as the Venedotian (North Walian) code states, ‘every woman is to go the way she willeth, freely.’ Try as her father might - and he doesn't thankfully, good ol’ Hyfaidd - he cannot force Rhiannon to marry Gwawl, even if he might try. But all this results in him being whacked in a bag and smacked about. ‘And that was the first time that Badger in the Bag was played,’ so the text proclaims.

Now, this personal bestowal or ‘lladrut’ (stolen, secretive, furtive) wasn't looked down upon as you might think. If it was then why did a literal fuckin princess do it in the 1100's? (*Blows kiss to the sky* for as Geraint H. Jenkins writes, ‘a beautiful princess so terrifyingly androgynous that she was liked by Gerald of Wales to the Queen of the Amazons:’ Gwenllian ferch Gruffudd ap Cynan!) This was just as legally binding as a ‘rod o cenedl’ (gift of kindred) marriage, and all children were accepted.

After that though, it Rhiannon she who is on the back foot and regarded suspiciously by Pwyll's court. Her aforementioned white and gold colours would've let the reader/listener of these tales know that she was Otherworldly, something to be feared as much as admired, and so she is by both the men who counsel her husband, and the women her son’s care is entrusted to.

The primary suspicion is cast upon her after she and Pwyll have been married for three years. ‘The nobleman of the land began to worry at seeing a man whom they loved as much as their lord as foster-brother without an heir, and they summoned him to them.

“Lord,” they said, “we know that you are not as old as some of the men of this land, but we are afraid that you will not get an heir from the wife you have. And because of that, take another wife from whom you may have an heir.”’

Now, The Mab brings up an excellent point that the Laws themselves remain silent on - a woman could be divorced if she did not give her husband an heir. Other reasons for a husband to divorce his wife were ‘dependant on her unchastity either before or after a marriage,’ loose conduct in her marriage so like if she had an affair or smth, or ‘failure to observe the terms of the marriage contract.’ Women too could divorce their wives - which is great, sure! - except that they could only do so ‘on the grounds of impotency, leprosy, or fetid breath,’ as well as if she found him committing adultery but only after the third time. There is an inherent imbalance there as well when you take into account that men could have - and raise! - their bastards without scorn. Notable fucker (as in the sexual sense) Owain Gwynedd is perhaps the shining example of this. Man had many kids! His second wife, Cristina, had to give up her legitimate child she'd had with her first husband before she married Owain, and it doesn't seem like she made efforts to contact him after that.

Rhiannon, too, is then further unjustly punished for her loss of the child. ‘Pwyll punishes her,’ writes Berresford Ellis, ‘by ostracising her’ and as The Mab states: ‘there was a mounting block outside the gate,’ and she was, ‘to sit by that every day and tell the whole story to anyone whom she thought might not know it, and offer to carry guests and strangers on her back to the court if they permitted it.’ Luckily nobody does, but it alludes to the ostracisation women had to deal with if they could not give their husband a child, as well as, perhaps, the punishment applies to a woman if it was discovered after she'd married that she was unchaste before said marriage. ‘The woman's clothes were cut to the level of her hips, she was made to hold the tail, well greased, of a year-old steer, which was thrust through a hole in the house door. Two men prodded the steer, and, if the woman could hold the animal, she could keep it as her agweddi [her dowry that was payable by a husband once a marriage was consummated] and that only if she could not, she had to be content with the grease that clung to her fingers.’

Furthermore, as can be seen in ‘Culhwch ac Olwen,’ if a woman was given in marriage - so if she did not elope herself - then only her father and brothers could do so, with the proviso that it was done so in concert with the other generations of the family. Ysbaddaden Pencawr (big giant lad, Olwen's father, winner of the longest beard award for the nth year running) states: ‘“Her four great-grandmothers and four great-grandsires are alive; it is needful that I should take counsel with them.”’ This lines up with Welsh law, where the son of a Welsh woman given in marriage claimed a ‘mamwys’ if they were given in marriage to an alltud (foreigner) then he claimed it from those who were related to him in four degrees.

You can also see this within the Second Branch. Branwen, ‘a sensitive and intelligent young woman,’ the sister of Bendigeidfran and Manawydan and the half-sister of Nisien and Efnisien, is bestowed in marriage to Matholwch, King of Ireland. Efnisien's whole dealio is rage. He's literally named HOSTILE. When he is not consulted on the matter of his sister’s marriage - ‘“Is that what they have done with such a fine maiden,’ he says in The Mab, ‘and my sister at that, given her away without my permission? They could not have insulted me more.”’ - he flies into a rage and ‘went for [Matholwch's] horses, and cut their lips to the teeth and their ears down to their heads, and their tails to their backs, and where he could get a grip on the eyelids he cut them to the bone.’ This act of violence causes Matholwch to abuse Branwen once the couple returns to Ireland, even though an attempted redress upon the insult has been made through Bendigeidfran bestowing the Cauldron of Rebirth (or Pair Dadeni) to his brother-in-law, and results in Branwen rearing a starling to send a message to her brother Or GET HER OUTTA THERE. The ‘sorrows’ that Branwen subsequently endured are traceable to the unjustified revenge of the ‘quarrelsome’ Efnisien for he, being only her half-brother, was not entitled to consultation in the matter of his half-sister's marriage. As Andrew Breeze writes in his book ‘The Origins of the Four Branches of the Mabinogi,’ the starling escapade ‘shows the narrator’s awareness of how a woman might use literacy to escape from bindsge and male violence.’ It is this letter that brings about her liberation, as well as the fleet from Britain. This stratagem also achieves the redress for Branwen that Bendigeidfran’s attempt. Personally, for me, this shows why divorce would be fuckin pointless for her. She is hidden. She is being abused. She gets given ‘a box on the ear’ every day. Do you think she can escape from that?

Likewise, with Enid ‘a patient’ young woman, she could NOT divorce Geraint. She is the daughter of Ynwyl, ‘chieftain who has fallen on evil days,’ and is fuckin dirt poor. She could keep her gowyn, cowyll, and argyfreu - payments made payable to the woman by the man after they were married - ‘although the Venedotian code deprived her of the latter if the separation were caused by the woman’s own immortality,’ but, unless you were a King's daughter, it wouldn't amount to much. Enid’s predicament within the text is made that much more brutal when you realise it's Gwenhwyfar who has given her and Geraint leave to marry. It is she who is ‘entrusted with the Maiden [Enid]’ once she arrives at court along with Geraint. Arthur is the one to give Enid to Geraint. If she fled then she would be insulting both the King and the Queen.

Furthermore, it is not a divorce within the modern-day sense. The Laws speak of ‘ysgar,’ or separation. A distinction was drawn between separation before or after seven years - for, unlike with say the Normanic church marriage wasn't seen as being for life as such, but was merely a contract that could be broken but only by mutual consent. This distinction only affected the woman's rights the woman had in property. Enid, Branwen, and also Blodeuwedd could only divorce if their husbands agreed to it. Neither Geraint, Matholwch, nor Lleu Llaw Gyffes would want to divorce their wives for 1) he's a dick and would rather she ‘constantly prove her love and loyalty to him,’ 2) she’s Queen of Ireland - although she says herself she wryly says, “though I am no ‘lady'” when she is questioned about the mysterious 'forest on the sea’ - and, chiefly, has given him a son, and 3) Blodeuwedd, 'the most beautiful maiden that anyone had ever seen’ was ‘conjured’ for Lleu. He owns her entirely. For as Sauders Lewis has her say in his play ‘The Woman Made of Flowers: Blodeuwedd,’ ‘I bear Llew's collar.’

Plus, if you don't possess land by yourself - which I think neither lady I've mentioned does, really - then she could not enter into ‘any bargains or surety’ in regards to Sarhâd - blood-price - and so her husband must do it for her. You could say, if you wanted to get really out there, that the war between Wales and Ireland is Branwen's Sarhâd, although that's speculative and I'm hesitant to give it a complete YES.

Now, to THE QUEEN. The laws give an look at what exactly an insult towards the queen would entail - as does the Mab - when Gwenhwyfar is assaulted by a knight in Peredur: ‘And the knight grabbed the goblet from Gwenhwyfar's hand and poured the drink that was in it over her face and breast, and gave Gwenhwyfar a great clout of the ear.’ This punishment echoes Branwen's, as well as the one she receives from Mordred in The Triads where he ‘dragged [her] from her royal chair and struck a blow upon her.’ No surprise, would be seen as Bad Fuckin News.

The Laws are clear on this: striking the Queen was seen as an insult. In Arthuriana, Mordred - or, in some cases, Gwenhwyfach's - striking of Gwenhwyfar leads to the Battle of Camlann. In the Mab, this clout on Branwen’s ear also leads to war. I’d also say you could take this further and suggest that Rhiannon’s treatment - being a horse - is an insult as - I’m assuming - you're not gonna be nice to the woman you're using as a LITERAL STEED. Anyways, like I've mentioned beforehand it was the Queen’s job to take care of the ladies of her court, and, also, fun fact, the amobyr (a fee payable for the maidenhead of the woman), was payable to the queen instead of the King after their daughter married. Not much is said about the queen in regard to her position within the laws, but we have to be grateful for what we do have.

The queen had no political power - except maybe through her personal influence of the King, like, say, Joan, Princess of Wales. This ‘soft power,’ as it were, could be used when you became Queen Dowager, as evidenced by the way Queen Angharad, the wife of Gruffudd ap Cynan used the lands she'd been granted on her becoming queen to aid her wayward third-born son, Cadwaladr - although she had a ‘wide power of protection, a considerable special entourage of servants,’ and possessed certain privileges like ‘the right to circuit the land.’ Furthermore, there was never a ruling queen throughout Welsh history when the Laws of Hywel Dda were in operation, and certainly no Queen Regnant. (Strange considering the laws were drawing on Celtic sources where there were defo women leaders like Boudicca (Buddug) and Cartimandua. ‘This ambivalence of gender,’ writes Alice Roberts in The Celts, ‘[provided] women the possibility to achieve the highest status in society’ so it is curious as to why the later Welsh have dropped this. Surely, on account of that, they would not be opposed to it? However, Barry Cunliffe writes ‘it must be readily admitted that any consideration of Celtic social systems is likely to be biased, not only by the prejudices and preconceptions of the Graeco-Roman sources but by the narrow time span and geographical area over which they range.’ As well as this, ‘women clearly occupied a more significant position in Celtic society than they did in the Graeco-Roman world’ and this can be seen within Welsh law, I'd just caution anybody who thinks it was a noted feminist utopia.

Yet the queen's high status can be evidenced in there being both the ‘transmission of royal dignity through the female’ as well as ‘devolution of land through females,’ thus allowing the matrilineal descent to hold the same reverence as male which was very v handy for Owain Glyndŵr cuz his mam was descended from the house of Gwynedd. As well as that, the Queen had her own privy purse and ‘it was a universal rule - so in ALL codes - that one-third of the income derived from the king went to the queen for her personal use.’ Plus, all officers of the household were ‘under her socially’ and received their linens from her, while the Judge of the Court received his insignia of office, that being a gold ring, from her too once he was invested. Furthermore, she was second to the king in status - including to the Etifedd or Edling, that being the king's first bastard or legitimate son!

(Look, all my essay stuff is interconnected. It's the Marvel Universe of Wales. The Cymru-verse. 🤷)

The ‘dominant role of women within the Mabinogion’ does reflect in some ways the power women had within Welsh society. It is, perhaps, our finest link to showing what rights women had within the time period. Certainly, it's a valuable text in both a feminist sense AND a mythological one. Certainly as Miranda Aldhouse-Green writes in ‘Enchanted Wales’ ‘it is my belief that … some medieval mythic narratives may have drawn inspiration … from Iron Age and Roman Welsh culture.’ This bridging is evident within both mythology and the Laws of Hywel Dda, or Cyfraith Hywel. Whether it be in Pwyll Pen Annwfn, or Peredur, Owain, or The Dream of Macsen Wledig these tales serve as a bridge to both the medieval and the ancient, and, with them, so to do we get a view on Medieval Wales’ attitudes to women.

Women are front and centre across pretty much all eleven - twelve if you count The Tale of Taliesin - tales. As Bendigeidfran says in The Mab, ‘I will be a bridge,’ so too are these vitally important texts. Both they and the laws are heavily Christianised, yes, but their outer trapping of Celticism remains.

You gotta remember these laws were codified by Hywel Dda, but they're drawing on earlier Celtic laws. Hywel Dda was Christian (he wrote the laws in about the mid-tenth century although the earliest manuscripts we have are later, from the 13th, a bit like the Mab!) but - much like whoever the writer of the Mab was, be they an anonymous monk, or, as Andrew Breeze postulates, Gwenllian ap Gruffudd ap Cynan - drew on earlier Celtic sources. Furthermore, Cyfraith Hywel is a bloody wonderful text! Do you know that it has a law relating to intersex people?! No? Well here we are: ‘If a person be born with the members of a man and those of a woman, and it be doubtful of which it may make use; some say, that according to such as it principally may use, its privilege is to rank; but, if it make use of each, the law says, that it is to rank with the highest privilege, and that is the privilege of a man: and, if it should become pregnant, the offspring is to have the patrimony of the man who caused the pregnancy; but, if it should make a woman pregnant, the son is then to obtain its patrimony.’

*Blows a kiss to the sky* For Cyfraith Hywel. There's a reason he's known as ‘The Good.’ There's a reason why The Senedd (Welsh Parliamenus's building that houses the members of the Senedd and their staff is called Tŷ Hywel or Hywel's House. He's a big dealio.

Anyways, Welsh law is great. Read a fuckin book. If anybody makes a half-baked assumption about Welsh law again, I'm killing you and taking all your teeth.

Sources

Peter Berresford Ellis - Celtic Women

Sioned Davies - The Mabinogion

Miranda Aldhouse-Green - Enchanted Wales

Barry Cunliffe - The Celtic World & Ancient Celts (Second Edition)

Andrew Breeze - The Origins of The Four Branches of The Mabinogi

Alice Roberts - The Celts

Thomas Peter Ellis - Welsh Tribal Law (DM for a link if you want it!)

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petergwaelod · 8 months ago

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Cŵn Annwn

Cŵn Annwn (the hounds of Annwn) are spirit beings associated with the Welsh lord of the otherworld, Arawn. He appears in the Mabinogi, a medieval literary cycle. Welsh mythology suggests that the twilight landscape of Cader Idris was the hunting ground of the hounds of Annwn.

The Cŵn Annwn are associated with the Wild Hunt. They are supposed to hunt on specific nights (the eves of New Year, Saint Agnes (21 January), Saint David (1 March) , and Good Friday) St. Martin, (8 November) All Saints (1 November). Also on the eves of the following quarter days:

• Midsummer Day (24 June, the Nativity of St John the Baptist)

• Michaelmas (29 September, the Feast of St Michael and All Angels)

• Christmas (25 December)

According to Welsh folklore, their growling is loudest when they are at a distance, and as they draw nearer, it grows softer and softer. Their coming is generally seen as a death portent.

#Dogs hellhound #Mythical dogs #cymraeg

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little-ghostgirl-31 · 6 months ago

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Hi my name is August or ghosty (online name) my godrent of arawn or Myrtha, which are Celtic/galloroman gods/ physchopomps

Otp

: valzhang, valangelo, frazleo, Octavian x Rachel (platonic) (it’s an AU) nam gyu x min su

Fandoms

:Ulster cycle, Greek and Celtic mytho, pjo, digital art, Tyler the creator, rtc, heathers, bmc, Hamilton, hades (game), hooked on cthotnics (WEBTOON). Ares…my silly oc’s. And funky pops, squidgames

We listen and don’t judge!!

DMs are open for vents/free commissions (I don’t do nsfw) (I can draw your oc, keep in mind I’m a newer artist. Asking me to draw you oc helps me get better!!) or questions about mythology!!

NOT a pro shipper, if you are please dni

Multi shipper (yes I will draw your ship if it’s not illegal 😜)

Rp blogs:

@brutus-of-roma

@brigid-goddess-of-thecelts

STRAWPAGE!!

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silverthornwitchery · 2 years ago

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My Experiences With The Horned God

Ok goes without saying but this is my own experience, my upg. Whether or not things are historically accurate is NOT my concern with this post. I am simply documenting my experiences. I am also NOT a reconstructionist, I am an Eclectic Neo-pagan that draws inspiration from NUMEROUS sources.

In my experiences Worshipping The Horned One and The Goddess, they're definetly like, the Primary Godheads/Energy Archetypes of the universe/nature.

My experiences with the Horned One aligns pretty well with Feri tradition, albeit he's a bit more Faceted for me.

I Experience Him as The Lightbringer, The Lord of the Forest, and The Royal Darkness/The Arddu. I'll go into Detail Below:

The Lightbringer - The Solar and Illuminating aspect of the Horned God. This form of him is the divine rebel, and very much into embracing the joys of life and pleasure. I Break the Lightbringer down into two more facets: The Blue God, and The Solar God. Both are relatively similar but to me the Blue God (this name stems from Feri) is the more esoteric and taboo aspects of light, and The Solar God is the more nature based and wild aspects of the sun itself.

The Names I use currently for these are Oberon for the Blue God, and in the past for the Solar God I've called upon Apollo and his various celtic forms, but I can't seem to find a name that sticks. I've also used Lucifer for the Lightbringer as a whole, but I'm trying to frame this side of my practice in English and Celtic folklore specifically for sake of ease. I am including things like Shakespeare, Arthurian Legends, and so on in this.

The Lord Of The Forest - This tends to be the popularized form of the Horned God. Fertility, Nature, Animals, Magic, the Cycle of Life and Death. He is blending of both the LightBringer, and The Arddu. The Lord of the Forest is a seasonal God. With the Oak King being his Spring and Summer forms, and the Holly King being his cthonic Fall and Winter forms, but name wise, I use three.

Cocidius/Callirius being the more human form of this God. Mostly human aside from ears and antlers or horns.

Herne is the Median between human and Animal, primal yet civilized, he is at least to me, 50/50 in terms of man and beast, but can shift between either pending what you are doing. The way he manifests to me and his energy feels is basically Hircine from TES, and I have worked with him under that name in the past.

Cernunnos to me is the Animal aspect of him. He speaks through nature itself, and is the large stag in the woods. He is cthonic, he is liminal, he is primal. He is the green forest itself in the warm seasons, and the dead and rebirthing forest in the cold. Cernunnos is the masculine embodiment of nature itself.

The Arddu - The Dark/Shadow aspect of the Horned God. He is the master of the Witches Sabbath, the embodiment of death, decay, and the shadow. Since he is death he is also rebirth and transformation. He is not malevolent, actually quite the opposite, but he is not opposed to destroying things to rebuild them, nor is he opposed to baneful workings in any ways. The Arddu as I understand him, often appears as a humanoid black goat or Stag with a candle lit between his horns. Sometimes his head is a skull, sometimes it is not. Sometimes he is more human in appearance. Regardless, The Arddu fulfills the role of "folk devil" in my own practice, though I've moved away from calling him that, as Arddu, meaning Dark One, feels more natural to me. Though I am not against, and actually quite enjoy the reclamation of the word Devil.

The Arddu comes to me in two colors, Black and White.

Black is the color of the fertile soil, which is made that way through decay. Black is the color of the shadow, the subconscious, and the taboo. That which we as people are taught to fear, but once embraced gives us immense power. In this form he's been coming to me as Arawn, but also in the past has come to me as Sathanas and the archetypal Sabbatic Goat. He dons the skull of either a Stag, Ram, Wolf, or Goat, or has those skulls for his actual face.

White is the color often associated with the otherworld, and the Wild Hunt. The White Arddu is the Light Betwixt the Horns and the winter snows. He is faery king in essence. To me he manifests in a more humanoid form, and is very fae-like. He is a trickster, a teacher, and a phantom.. to me he appears as Gwyn Ap Nudd, and I understand Gwyn and Arawn to be two sides of the same coin in my path.

#upg #pagan #the horned god #wiccan #witchcraft #folk devil

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fernthewhimsical · 2 years ago

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Fern's (new) introduction to the Gleaming Grove

The Gleaming Grove is the name I use for my personal pantheon. It is a mix of historical, unrecorded, and constructed deities that I have been honouring for a little over a year now. Some of these deities have been in my life for quite a bit longer, some even right from the start.

Through personal interactions with these deities I have gotten to know them beyond what is historically known. This is called UPG, or Unverified Personal Gnosis. So please, keep in mind that these are my personal interpretations of these deities. Also, as I walk this path and learn more about myself and about these deities, the pantheon might change.

Now, allow me to introduce you.

Cernunnos: Horned Hunter – historical and unrecorded Gaulish deity of the forest, of animals and the hunt. He is the leader of the Wild Hunt and the King of the Fae. He is the god of the liminal, the in between. The cycles of nature – death, decay, and life again.

Nehalennia: Wildmother – historical Dutch deity of nature, the sea, harvest. She guides travelers over sea, guiding them with her stars, or with profitable winds. She is the tempest and the storm, but also the cooling breeze on a hot day. She is the deity of agriculture, especially orchards. Her travel over the sea also includes being a psycho-pomp, guiding those who have passed to their afterlife.

Baduhenna: Rootwoman – historical Dutch deity of the forest, magic, and war. They protect the sacred places and fight against any who wishes to take it away. Protects the oppressed and gives them the tools and power to fight against their oppressors, in both weapons and magic.

Elen of the Ways: Wayfarer – historical or constructed deity of roads and pathways, of journeys both physical and spiritual. She guides us with her lit lantern when we are lost. Labyrinths are dedicated to her, especially as a way to travel inward. She protects us when we travel and nudges us in the right direction of where we need to be. An antlered deity carrying a lantern and surrounded by green.

Nemetona: Sanctuary – historical Gaulish deity of sacred spaces. Protector of boundaries. Both the sacred spaces we creating when practicing witchcraft, as the sacred spaces that are our home and our personal boundaries.

Avalon - Lady of Avalon. Goddess of healing, magic, apples, and harvest. Queen of the Fae, keeper and protector of magic.

Hearthlight – unrecorded and constructed deity of home, hearth, and community. Protects the home and hearth, provides and guards warmth and love in the home. Connections and community. Sharing what you have and taking what you need. Perhaps a mantle shared between different deities

Loki: Trickster – historical Norse deity of mischief, change, laughter. God of the outcasts, challenges societal norms and brings necessary change.

Venaris: Lady of Flowers – unrecorded deity of spring, of flowers, love, joy, mirth, and art. Beauty, music, poetry and inspiration. She invites us to dance to the tune of the seasons, to stop and smell the roses, and see the small wonders around us. Is related to Eostre/Ostra and Meda

Liyesa: The Iridescent One – historical and constructed deity of beauty, self love and -acceptance, freedom. She teaches us there is beauty in all of us, and helps us learn to love and accept ourselves as we are. Breaker of Chains, she guides us to break free of the chains society and our own perfectionism throw around us. She grants us second chances should we need them.

Holle: the Veiled Silence – constructed and historical Dutch deity of silence, of winter and of secrets. She is the silence of snowfall. She urges us into contemplation and introspection, and what secrets mean and how to keep them.

Arawn - historical Welsh deity of the Underworld, the wild hunt, loyalty, and honour. King of the Fae and Lord of the Dead. Also called Gwyn.

Ashka: Ashkeeper – unrecorded deity of the dead, graveyards, and memories. Gathers and keeps the memories we have of those who have passed. Keeps the ‘souls’ safe until they are ready to continue to wherever they choose their afterlife to be.

the Morrigan: Crowmother – historical Irish deity of war, magic, and sovereignty. She is connected to Baduhenna both through historical sources and my own interaction with both.

Mona: Moonmother – historical deity of the Moon, magic, the night. Bringer of change and moving through cycles. Mother/sister to Starsister. Void created the stars, Herta (the Earth) and the moon. We gave them life in the form of divinity. Moon came first, and she inspired humans to give her a sister/daughter.

Stēra: Stardancer – unrecorded deity of the stars and the night sky, of navigation and of hope. A light in the dark, a guide to lead us home. She dances across the sky, leaving a trail of stars behind.

Herta/Arda: Greenmother – historical Dutch deity of the Earth, nature, growth, and harvest. Her day was called “Hartjesdag” or “Heart’s Day” and was a day for collecting magical herbs to bless the home.

Gahella: Void/Creation – The emptiness from which anything can be created (chaos in Latin) The depth of space. The Divine Chaosyne. Void is the emptiness that was here before the big bang. The void from which creation springs forth. They are the darkness between the stars that birth the galaxies and starfields. Chaos is needed to keep things from getting stagnant, and is the catalyst for change.

Werda: Wordweaver – unrecorded deity of words, stories, magic. Muse of writing. They spark the inspirational spark and guide the words on paper. They are the keepers of knowledge, both mundane and magical.

Lycke: Lotweaver – unrecorded deity of fate, luck, and the tapestry of life. They weave the threads of life, guide and watch over them. Fate is not set in stone, choices and such will always have an influence on the tapestry.

Klaithe: Craftweaver – unrecorded deity of creativity, artistry, and artisans. The joy of creation for the sake of creation. The inspirational spark that is within all of us. The need to express our true selves in our own ways.

Spirits honoured in my practice: the Good Neighbours, Alven, Merfolk, Dragon, Unicorn. My ancestors of blood and bone, land, heart, spirit, and craft. The spirit of Wolf and Crow.

[Updated March 9 2024]

#deity #personal pantheon #gleaming grove #unrecorded gods #constructed pantheon #constructed gods #gaulpol #dutch mythology #dutch deities #long post #fern's practice

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dairedara · 1 year ago

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hi, i hope you're doing okay. i'm sorry to ask this - but considering you made a switch from hellenic to brythonic/irish paganism, i was wondering if you had any advice for me. i'm worshipping many hellenic gods, and my shrines are overflowing with statues and devotions build up over many years. and yet i feel the pull of welsh deities - i have had one in particular reach out - and i find myself overwhelmed. i want to explore this new path, without the old feeling either 1) abandoned, 2) unworthy of my attention, or 3) forced if i can't beat the anxiety of the former 2 options. How did you tackle this? What was your experience? Thank you for your time.

Ooo this is a good question!

Alright, so, my main switch happened during a pretty sizable break I was taking from religion in general, when I was very burnt out and stressed, but I did incorporate some Celtic deities into my practice before that switch happened— namely Arawn, who I found out had been a presence in my life since I was young but I hadn’t been able to name him, and also the Dagda and the Morrígan.

My advice to incorporating these new deities is to get into the mindset of an ancient polytheist. When a Roman soldier went to Brittania and sacrificed to the new gods he met, he wasn’t abandoning his old ones— he simply made more room for them on his altar. Also, he didn’t necessarily have a super deep complex relationship with every deity he ever honored. He may have offered or prayed a few times to one for a specific reason.

The reason we associate gods with different concepts or things is because we need them in different spheres of our lives. We, as humans, are always growing, always changing, and as pagans we are going to naturally gravitate away from certain gods and go towards new ones. We may return to the old ones eventually. The gods understand this. I always think about it like my relationships with other humans. I have childhood best friends that I grew apart from, whether because of circumstance or because we just naturally parted, but despite the fact I don’t talk to them I still think of them fondly and appreciate the memories of them because they helped make me who I am today. One thing I did to ease the process was to do a new moon ritual where I thanked my “old” gods for all they did for me before I formally welcomed my “new” hearth cult.

One advantage of moving towards celtpol as a helpol rather than something else is the fact that there is… pretty much zero way to correctly practice celtpol from a reconstructionist perspective. If you are used to a certain style or process of ritual and/or worship, you can keep doing that. There’s no need to replace a working part of your practice when there is literally nothing to replace it with, lol.

Just some general advice for dealing with Celtic deities: you will have to rely on UPG a lot. Read the Mabinogion, read the Irish Cycles, wherever your deities are found. Read them multiple times, take notes. Eventually you will start to associate certain things with them. The archaeology just isn’t there like it is with classical religion, so there’s much less academic stuff out there if you’re used to that sort of thing. You will have to do a lot of extrapolation and put in the work.

One helpful resource I enjoyed from a contemporary perspective was Morgan Daimler’s Irish paganism books, she is one of the only Celtpol authors I trust and enjoy. Unfortunately there’s not really a Brythonic equivalent for her stuff, although maybe we’ll get one someday.

In terms of celtpol community, you’ll find it’s a lot lonelier than the helpol community. There’s just simply not many of us, and also we all just have radically different beliefs. There’s basically nothing that’s agreed upon. You’ll have celtpols who are very regionalist, anti-woo, etc. and you’ll have celtpols who are hyper-syncretist, very woo-y and whatnot. I’m in America, so it might be different for real-life communities in Ireland/the UK if that’s where you are.

Thank you so much for the question, nonnie <3 I wish you good luck on all your journeys, and please feel free to reach out again with asks or DMs if you have any other questions!

#asks #dara asks #celtpol #helpol #celtic paganism #brythonic polytheism #irish polytheism #hellenic polytheism #pagan

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maddyaddy · 2 years ago

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Gesith, the personal retinues of a Greymanes Aetheling, fill a number of roles in the Chapter's organization. One such role is to carry the Fyrd's banner - a symbol of the warrior-brotherhood that binds the members of the Fyrd. This Gesith is from the 1st Fyrd, the Wighthounds. An august but ill-starred formation roughly equivalent to the 1st Company in Codex-compliant Chapters, the Wighthounds are personally led by the Cyning. While such an arrangement of personal leadership by the supreme Chapter officer is not unusual amongst even (cf. Chapter XVIII "Salamanders") Codex-compliant chapters, it is notable. Upon the escutcheon of the banner borne by the Gesith is the device of the Burhghest. In New Albian lore, the Burhghest is an omen of death, one of the hounds of 'Arawn'. This bears some explanation on this chronicler's part. It should be noted that New Albians are monolatrists. That is to say, they acknowledge gods besides the Emperor, or in their parlance, Al-fodr. As such, the New Albians, and by extension, the Greymanes cannot be said to be strict monotheists. No doubt, this vexes the Ecclesiarchy, though they allow this because of the extreme isolation of the Eastern Fringe and ever-necessary Imperial syncretism. The New Albians, however, do not worship these other gods. They know better than that. Rather, they are mostly objects of terror, and if more benign, respect. Arawn, 'Black Lord of the Underverse' (cf. Morkai, Erlking), is not respected. He is feared.

Of Arawn, we have a number of both oral and written accounts. There is the "Russ and Arawn" cycle of scopic literature, centering on a theomachy between the Wolf King and this figure, ending in the 'Death-King' bending the knee to Russ and losing his black sword, the so-called "Iron of Death". These are the oldest written texts about the subject, with manuscripts for the written versions dating to at least the Age of Apostasy. The Russ and Arawn stories are without a doubt far older in oral form. Of whether Russ actually ever visited New Albia and whether this battle actually ever happened, the chronicler cannot say. What has passed to us in the wider Imperium from the Space Wolves - never a people to write things down, the infamous Omega Codex and other such exceptions not withstanding - tells us he disappeared two hundred and eleven years into the 31st Millennium. The Space Wolves notably, to this day, have not found a trace of him on their famous Great Hunts. Yet, here is an oral tradition of him visiting a world on the utmost edge of the known galaxy, battling an autochthonous death-god into submission. It might be myth. It might be truth. It might be a half-remembered, older theomachy.

Nobody knows the truth of this. Moving forwards from this disquieting revelation, Arawn is widely held to be a malicious figure. His emblems are manifold - the aforementioned black sword (which by some accounts persists in the hands of the Cynings under the name of Caladbolg, literally meaning "cut steel"), a great axe which he replaced it with, the skull of a human being, and the Wighthound or black-furred Burhghest. These are omens of death. Violent and horrific death, but not necessarily heedless, reckless, unending murder. Rather than the Blood God's rage, Arawn is said to have a "cold disdain" for mankind at large. I have written more than enough for your edification, students. But something compels me, a foolish old man whose faith and health is failing, to reveal something.

Through all my time studying the Greymanes, both in the field and from afar, I have never seen or heard of anything resembling the 'foul mutants' the Space Wolves are held to harbor.

The so-called 'Curse of Wulfen' does not exist amongst them, or so it seems. Perhaps it is one of Magos Cawl's miracles, perfecting even the Emperor's divine work, or something unknowable, that has kept them from that particular malediction. Another has taken its place. I leave you these scopic verses, a set of lines the Greymanes have tried to extirpate. This dates from the immediate aftermath of the so-called Winter of Woes. I, The scop who wrote this was expelled from the Greymanes' protection, to never return to New Albia - on pain of death. They do not want this to be remembered. The Death-King's wycca dreams gave them spoor of the Cu Poor souls who became hounds, they now see only that which seems! All of them, victim of the Death-King. He who patiently waits. They serve not Al-fodr, but the Guardian of the Mounds.

He who threads men's fates. Cullain led them onwards to ruddy war, and kinslayer Hildebrand too. The unfastening of their chains, an omen of sorcerers' doom

#40k #Greymanes #Space Wolves #vlka fenryka #warhammmer 40000 #miniature painting #homebrew lore

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white-tree-barden · 1 year ago

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I love the books but haven’t read them in a couple of years and want to find a specific section. There’s a section where Dante discovers the cycle isn’t “scripture” but a way to find those with the gift, etc. It may be a different section where there’s a discussion about whether the stories were true. Can you help me remember which book(s) this was in? I signed up for tumblr specifically to ask this question so I hope I can get your answer.

heyas!

there's a couple sections that fit those descriptions, both pretty early in the white tree, in discussions with cally about the cycle before the execution in whetton

on using the cycle as bait for potential nethermancers: chapter 5. pg 101 in my kindle edition. if you've got a searchable copy, ""So why do they want people to steal the Cycle?""

on how true the stories might be (and the general composition of the cycle): chapter 6. pg 119 in mine. ""Who wrote the Cycle?""

hope that's enough info to help you find it! if not, feel free to shoot me another message

#cycle of arawn #the cycle of arawn #asks #dunno what medium you've got/have access to so tried to get a few markers in there #alas if it's audio i won't be much help

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incorrect-legendborn-quotes · 1 month ago

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Cestra: The legendborn have spoiled my plans for the last time!

Erebus: Yeah, the last time today maybe.

#legendborn #incorrect legendborn quotes #the legendborn cycle #erebus varelian #cestra legendborn #the shadow king #arawn of annwfyn #source: kim possible

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tipsycad147 · 2 years ago

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Pagan Afterlife: Where Do Pagans Go When They Die?

posted by : kitty fields

Just as Christians and other religions have their beliefs in an afterlife, so do pagans. Depending on the pagan tradition and even down to the individual, the pagan afterlife will have different names and legends to go along with it. Learn about different ideas of the pagan afterlife and we will answer the question “where do pagans go when they die?”

The Pagan Afterlife

What we’ll cover in this article:

The Wiccan Summerland

The Celtic Otherworld

Norse Pagan Afterlife: Valhalla, Folkvangr and Helheim

Reincarnation

Variations in Belief

Where Do Wiccans Go When They Die?

Wicca is a religion unto itself. Often people get Wiccans mixed up with Pagans. They think if you’re pagan, you must be Wiccan, right? Wrong. There are many different forms of paganism, Wicca is just one branch. That being said, Wiccans believe in a pagan afterlife and they call it the Summerland. The Wiccan Summerland is comparable to the Christians’ Heaven with some pagan differences.

Wiccans believe souls travel to the Wiccan Summerland after death to await reincarnation. Once the soul learns or experiences all it needs, the reincarnation cycle ends. Then the soul stays in the Wiccan Summerland for eternity. Of course, beliefs on exactly how this happens varies. The Wiccan Summerland belief was no doubt influenced by the Celtic Otherworld and the Norse Pagan afterlife.

The Celtic Otherworld

To our ancient Celtic ancestors, death was just a part of the cycle of life. There were various beliefs in a Celtic pagan afterlife, depending on the people. In Welsh mythology, the Celtic Otherworld was called Annwn and was a place of abundance, health, and eternal youth. The Welsh Celtic god Arawn ruled the Celtic Otherworld, as told in the early Welsh prose story The Four Branches of the Mabinogi.

The Irish Celts also believed in the Celtic Otherworld, located somewhere under the earth or under/over the sea. There were many names for it including Tir Na Nog, Tir Naill, Tech Duinn, and Mag Mell. Whether these were different names for the Celtic Otherworld or separate places within it remains a mystery. The Celtic Otherworld was a place where the gods and ancestors lived – a place of eternal life.

Our bodies become the earth after life and are then recycled.

The Norse Germanic Pagan Afterlife

Similar to the Celts’ belief in the Otherworld, the Norse peoples believed in a pagan afterlife too. The World Tree concept was an integral part of Norse paganism, but their name for it was Yggdrasil. The tree consisted of nine realms: Niflheim, Muspelheim, Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim, Vanaheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, and Helheim. The gods, dwarves, giants, elves, humans, and the dead dwelled in various realms throughout.

Maybe you’ve heard the word Valhalla, mentioned often in the popular TV show Vikings. Valhalla was one of the places the dead could go after death – a place with Odin in Asgard for fallen warriors to go in preparation for a future war known as Ragnarok. Hel was another realm of the dead, somewhere under or in the earth, ruled by the goddess Hel. The goddess Freya presided over a field of the dead called Folkvangr.

Valhalla

You’ll find many people online who claim you must be a soldier or die in battle to go to Valhalla with Odin. I believe if you are a warrior for a cause (it doesn’t have to be literal) and you/or you are Odin’s devotee, you have the ability to reach Valhalla. Ultimately it was up to the gods and your deeds on earth that determined where you went in the Norse Pagan afterlife. More can be read about the Norse Pagan beliefs in the Edda by Snorri Sturluson.

Folkvangr: Freya’s Hall of the Dead

Many people forget, there is more than one place in the Norse afterlife where the dead may go. Freya, goddess of love, war and witchcraft, also had her own hall of the dead called Folkvangr. The Norse myths say that those who died on the battlefield were first surveilled by Freya, and she took those whom she wanted FIRST…before Odin received his fallen warriors in Valhalla. But there’s other Sagas that point to the fact that it wasn’t just warriors or fallen warriors that went to Freya’s realm. But those who were devoted to her, as well.

Helheim a.k.a. Hel

No, this is not the same place as the Christian Hell. Though it does have a similar name. I’m sure that happened for a reason. But Helheim, also known as the goddess Hel’s realm, is another place where the dead could go in the Norse pagan afterlife. Although Snorri Sturluson, the scholar who recorded many of the Norse myths, painted Helheim to be a very bleak and torturous place. Modern scholars and neo-pagans believe Sturluson’s view of Helheim was clouded by the Christian influence all around him at the time. Still others claim Helheim is a place where the dead go to rest and even “party” with their ancestors. It is potentially a place where we go before reincarnating…

Pagan Belief in Reincarnation

In addition to having a place for the dead to go after life, many pagans believe in the process of reincarnation. Reincarnation is the belief the soul cycles in and out of physical bodies. When you die in this life, your soul will return to the earth in another body. This concept is worldwide and ancient. Reincarnation can be found in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and other far east religions. Before the rise of the Church in Europe, the Celts believed in reincarnation and so did the Norse people.

But what happens upon death, exactly?

No one alive knows exactly what happens upon death. I would venture to say the only people who may know have had near-death experiences and were clinically dead for a period of time. Often their stories are similar – floating out of their bodies, flying up into a tunnel of light, and then seeing their dead loved ones or hearing voices on the “other side” before returning to their bodies. This is a consistent story and correlates to the dreams of death I’ve had. Yes, I’ve died in my dreams. I float out of my body, up into the sky, and look around to see the stars before going to a “place” in the sky. It felt as if I was being absorbed into the Universe. If I had to tell you what happens upon death, it would be this.

Variations in Pagan Afterlife Beliefs

Because paganism is an umbrella term, and because there are so many branches of paganism, it’s impossible to give one answer to the question where do pagans go when they die? Every tradition has its own beliefs such as Valhalla, Tir na Nog, and the Summerland. Every individual has their own beliefs about such places which might vary from someone else who follows the same tradition. Still others say we have options when we die: we may choose to go be with the gods, reincarnate, or even to become a guide or ancestor and stay on the earthly plane.

In my humble opinion, I believe whatever you believe in the afterlife is what will happen to you. We create our own realities. That being said, it’s difficult for me to believe in anything other than the cycle of life/death/rebirth. I’ve had too many dreams and experiences that indicate an afterlife is inevitable. Energy never dies, only changes form. So whether we have a soul that moves to the beyond upon death, or whether our energy goes into the earth upon death, either way – our energy just transforms into something else. Therefore, we live forever in one way or another. Othala.

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