May 20 2012
Arianrhod – Bad Mother or Mythic Goddess? by Claire Hamilton
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Author Clare Hamilton raises some excellent points about the story of Arianrhod from the Welsh Mabinogi tales in this wonderful article from The Goddess Alive Ezine.
Arianrhod was a Welsh Goddess who lived on an island off the west coast of Wales. At the centre of her castle was a turning glass tower, which contained the mystical Seat of Poetic Inspiration. Her name Arianrhod means ‘starry wheel’.
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She is obviously a very powerful Celtic Goddess even though she apparently completely disgraces herself as a mother within her story.
Let us go to the bones of the story. A virgin births a child, apparently miraculously. The child grows up, is betrayed, killed, hangs on a tree in agony, then is resurrected by his uncle/father’s magic.
Sounds vaguely familiar? Here we have the prototype of the central Christian story, the story of the Virgin Mary and the boy Jesus. And of course behind that story lies the Mother/Son duo, the Mother Goddess and the King Child, most anciently portrayed of course by Isis and Horus. So it seems we are dealing here with far more than would at first appear. For here we have the heart of the great mystical Mother/Son relationship. This should certainly give us pause for thought and make us look closely at the apparent strange behaviour of Arianrhod.
Arianrhod, as we have noted, is a very powerful Goddess, guardian of the Seat of Poetic Inspiration and linked with the sea, the moon and the stars. She is also the prototype of the Virgin Mary. There are many depictions of the Virgin Mary with a wheel of stars about her head, and she is also often portrayed standing on a new moon, and at other times with the sea all around her. We are looking here at the ancient figure of Arianrhod, her feet on the new moon of Virginity; the wheel of stars, which is her name, circling her head; and the sea, which her tower commands, stretching away from her island castle.
So why does she Deny her Son his Rights?
So let’s look at some of the difficult questions arising out of her story. If Arianrhod really is the great mother of the Sacred King child, then why does she seem so vindictive? What are these so-called curses about? Why does she seem to be denying her son his rights?
And why is she so powerful that Gwydion has to work so hard to outwit her?
In addressing these questions, we should first bear in mind the strong possibility that by the time her tale was written down by the Welsh monks, they had spotted her pagan power and decided to deliberately slander her name. There are three injunctions that she pronounces, a mystical number, and they represent her power over her son. They therefore have all the hallmarks of magic about them.
The first thing to notice is that her pronouncements are not curses at all. What she actually says (translated from the Welsh) is:
“I swear a fate, a destiny, upon the boy”.
This is very suggestive, very magical, and her words in themselves are not even particularly contentious – it is only the reaction of Gwydion that makes them appear so. In the first injunction, on discovering that her boy hasn’t yet been named, she says that
he will have no name until she gives him one, not that she is denying him a name.
In ancient times, a name was a very magical thing, and in native American cultures names are often not given until the inner nature of the child is understood. Arianrhod sees him hit a wren with extreme accuracy with his sling, and then names him ‘Lleu of the Skilful Hand’ He grows up to become the Welsh sun-God, counterpart of the Irish Lugh. He has killed a wren, in ancient Welsh tradition the King of the Birds, triumphing over the Eagle, so this is an act of sacrificial kingship. We have here on Arianrhod’s part not an act of wilful withholding but the vestiges of an ancient female rite of Naming. To read more of this fascinating article visit Goddess Alive Magazine
Claire Hamilton’s Amazing book Maiden, Mother, Crone is available at either Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
We also recommend another book by Claire Called Tales of the Celtic Bards available at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
You can subscribe to Goddess Alive ezine at http://www.goddessalive.co.uk/subs_info.html
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