From the Cauldron Born by Kristoffer Hughes

Author:Kristoffer Hughes
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Welsh, Celtic, Welsh-Celtic, myth, lore, Taliesin, Cerridwen, Wales, legends, magic, goddess, Druid, myth, Kristoffer Hughes
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2012-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

The manner by which her name is spelt has been changing for centuries, dependant on the narrative or preceding manuscript the current scribe used as source material. This must be seen in perspective, and one must bear in mind that the majority of scribes were not overly familiar with the native tongue and dialects, allowing greater room for error. Yet it can be surmised that the majority of variations are slight and that her name remains similar in sound and meaning. Eventually her name was modernised in the eighteenth century to the consistent form we know today as Cerridwen.65 According to the Celtic scholar Rachel Bromwich, her name consists of two syllables, the prefix cerid, taken to mean “love” or “loved,” and the suffix wen, meaning “fair” or “pure.” In combination, she translates the witch goddess’s name as “fair and loved,” in stark contrast to the ghastly translation by Ifor Williams.66

As we have seen, Cerridwen’s name is as multifaceted as she, and this gives further depth to the witch goddess. But what of that title “witch goddess”—surely she must be one or the other? Can one be a witch and a goddess simultaneously? You will have noted that I use the term witch goddess throughout this book, and it is here that I present to you my justification for doing so.

Cerridwen as Witch

It is important to stress that within every manuscript—with the exception of the Ystoria or Hanes Taliesin scripts, which form the heart of this study—Cerridwen is not described as a witch or a magician. Within the books of poetry she is presented as the owner of the cauldron of Awen and that all poetic and prophetic abilities and powers emanate from this vessel. She is presented as its guardian; it is only in the later tale that she is directly associated as the creator of the brew that imbues the knowing of Awen into the querent. But, as we have previously seen, the themes exhibited within the tale of the prophet and the witch are remarkably older than the surviving manuscripts; therefore lines become blurry and the edges of knowing frayed. It is at this junction that Awen must be utilised. Within the early poetry attributed to Taliesin, we are provided with tantalising snippets of information that belie Cerridwen’s position as a sacred archetype. She is often described as a component of Awen, in succession or as an aspect of Ogyrwen. She demonstrates that she is in possession of supernatural abilities, and yet her tale portrays her as a mortal woman.

The element that makes her human—and, indeed, identifiable—is the fact that she is flawed; she got it wrong. The brew was never intended for Morfran Afagddu, but in Cerridwen’s mind it was meant for him. When the situation takes a surprising turn, we are subjected to her rage and retribution. The very presence of these traits informs us that she is as flawed as we are; she may be in possession of subtle powers, but she is still human, not an ethereal force that is beyond our reach.

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