Ceridwen is a Welsh Goddess who appears in several tales in Welsh mythology. She is known as a Goddess rebirth, transformation, and inspiration.
In one of the main tales surrounding Ceridwen, she had two children; a son named Mordfran who was described as hideously ugly, and a daughter named Creirwy. Creirwy was a beautiful woman, a stark contrast to her brother.
To compensate for his looks, Cerdiwen decided to give her son the gift of wisdom. She mixed a potion in her cauldron which would give whoever drank it wisdom and poetic inspiration, known as 'Awen'. However, only the first three drops of the potion would bring wisdom; after those three drops, the potion would be reduced to poison.
The potion needed to boil for a year and a day to be effective, and so Ceridwen tasked a blind man to tend the fire beneath the cauldron, and a young boy named Gwion to stir the cauldron. Whilst stirring the cauldron, three scalding drops of the potion spilled onto the thumb of the young boy. He put his thumb in his mouth to try and relieve the burning, inadvertently tasting the first three drops of the potion and obtaining infinite wisdom. Fearing what Ceridwen would do when she found out, Gwion fled. Ceridwen gave chase, but using his new-found powers, Gwion transformed himself into a hare. Cerdiwen responded, turning herself into a greyhound to better catch him. Gwion then transformed himself into a fish so he could escape into a river, but Cerdiwen turned herself into an otter and continued the chase. He transformed himself into a bird to try and fly away, but she turned into a hawk. Finally, Gwion transformed himself into a grain of corn, at which Ceridwen transformed herself into a hen and ate him.
However, this did not kill him, and when Ceridwen became pregnant, she knew it was Gwion who grew inside of her. She vowed that she would kill him at birth, but when he emerged he was so beautiful that Ceridwen could not bring herself to kill the infant. Instead, she tied him into a leather skin bag and threw him into the ocean. Still, he did not die, but was rescued by a Prince, and eventually grew to become the legendary bard Taliesin.
In one of the main tales surrounding Ceridwen, she had two children; a son named Mordfran who was described as hideously ugly, and a daughter named Creirwy. Creirwy was a beautiful woman, a stark contrast to her brother.
To compensate for his looks, Cerdiwen decided to give her son the gift of wisdom. She mixed a potion in her cauldron which would give whoever drank it wisdom and poetic inspiration, known as 'Awen'. However, only the first three drops of the potion would bring wisdom; after those three drops, the potion would be reduced to poison.
The potion needed to boil for a year and a day to be effective, and so Ceridwen tasked a blind man to tend the fire beneath the cauldron, and a young boy named Gwion to stir the cauldron. Whilst stirring the cauldron, three scalding drops of the potion spilled onto the thumb of the young boy. He put his thumb in his mouth to try and relieve the burning, inadvertently tasting the first three drops of the potion and obtaining infinite wisdom. Fearing what Ceridwen would do when she found out, Gwion fled. Ceridwen gave chase, but using his new-found powers, Gwion transformed himself into a hare. Cerdiwen responded, turning herself into a greyhound to better catch him. Gwion then transformed himself into a fish so he could escape into a river, but Cerdiwen turned herself into an otter and continued the chase. He transformed himself into a bird to try and fly away, but she turned into a hawk. Finally, Gwion transformed himself into a grain of corn, at which Ceridwen transformed herself into a hen and ate him.
However, this did not kill him, and when Ceridwen became pregnant, she knew it was Gwion who grew inside of her. She vowed that she would kill him at birth, but when he emerged he was so beautiful that Ceridwen could not bring herself to kill the infant. Instead, she tied him into a leather skin bag and threw him into the ocean. Still, he did not die, but was rescued by a Prince, and eventually grew to become the legendary bard Taliesin.
Thanks to this tale, Cerdiwen is associated with granting poetic inspiration, wisdom, and knowledge, with her cauldron being one of the core symbols associated with this Goddess.
She is also known as the Goddess of rebirth and transformation. As she turned into the various creatures to hunt down Gwion, she can aid us in our own journeys of transformation, and more literally is also associated with shapeshifting.
There is a lot of information about Ceridwen out there, although not all of it is verifiable. For example, that she is a Goddess of the dawn, or as a triple Goddess who represents destruction. With her association of birth and rebirth, she is also associated with death, and is seen by some as a Goddess of the underworld. A lot of what I have found about Ceridwen seems to be extrapolated from the tale of Taliesin, and so is very much up for interpretation. The best way to truly understand Ceridwen and what she represents is to work with her directly. Personally, I see her as a Goddess of ancient wisdom and knowledge, who can bring an understanding of the cycles that are present in all of life, and can support us in the transformations needed to progress along our journeys. I find her easier to connect with during the darker months of autumn and winter, and she can be a great deity to work with to help us understand that there is light at the end of the tunnel if we keep can find the strength to persevere.
Other symbols which have been associated with Ceridwen include the full moon, the dark moon, the harvest and grain, and the colours black, purple, green, and silver.
She is also known as the Goddess of rebirth and transformation. As she turned into the various creatures to hunt down Gwion, she can aid us in our own journeys of transformation, and more literally is also associated with shapeshifting.
There is a lot of information about Ceridwen out there, although not all of it is verifiable. For example, that she is a Goddess of the dawn, or as a triple Goddess who represents destruction. With her association of birth and rebirth, she is also associated with death, and is seen by some as a Goddess of the underworld. A lot of what I have found about Ceridwen seems to be extrapolated from the tale of Taliesin, and so is very much up for interpretation. The best way to truly understand Ceridwen and what she represents is to work with her directly. Personally, I see her as a Goddess of ancient wisdom and knowledge, who can bring an understanding of the cycles that are present in all of life, and can support us in the transformations needed to progress along our journeys. I find her easier to connect with during the darker months of autumn and winter, and she can be a great deity to work with to help us understand that there is light at the end of the tunnel if we keep can find the strength to persevere.
Other symbols which have been associated with Ceridwen include the full moon, the dark moon, the harvest and grain, and the colours black, purple, green, and silver.
