Arianrhod

[WitchCraftWeaver]

Does anyone have any information beyond the typical stuff on the websites? I have the info about jumping Math's wand and giving birth to the twins.

I'm looking for information connecting her to any festivals, animals, that kind of thing...

Thanks.

[~*Ginger*~]

Here's a search link.
Arianrhod (http://websearch.cs.com/wm/search?query=Arianrhod&fromPage=WMTRoll)

[Arion]

(Welsh) "Silver Wheel", "High Fruitful Mother", "Star Goddess", Sky Goddess; Virgin Goddess of reincarnation; Full Moon Goddess. Her palace was called Caer Arianrhod (Aurora Borealis) Keeper of the circling Silver Wheel of Stars; a symbol of time or karma. This wheel was also know as the Oar Wheel, a ship which carried dead warriors to the Moon land (Emania). Mother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes and Dylan by her brother Gwydion. Her original consort was Nwyvre (Sky or Firmament). Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess in Wales. Honored at the Full Moon. Beauty, fertility, reincarnation.

Arianrhod's name means 'silver circle'. This major Welsh Goddess is the Goddess of reincarnation, the Wheel of the Year, the full moon, fertility, an da primal figure of female power. Some Celtic scholars believe her story represents the shift from woman-centered clans to patriarchal power.

Her heavenly star/island, Caer Arianrhod in the Corona Borealis, is believed in some Welsh traditions to be the place where dead souls go to await reincarnation. There she lives with her female attendants presiding over the fates of the departed.

She is sometimes depicted as a weaver, which links her to lost creation myths and to magickal practice, sometimes called 'weaving a spell'.

Arianrhod mated freely with whomever she chose and was not questioned until the magician Math claimed she had conceived two children that she had not borne. By jumping a staff she gave birth to Llew and Dylan. Dylan left immediately to go to the sea. Arianrhod denied the remaining son, Llew, the right to bear a name or arms, as was a Welsh mother's right to bestow. She was later tricked into bestowing both.

She married her brother Gwyddion, and she is the daughter of the great Welsh Goddess, Don.

Arianrhod can be invoked to help females find their own feminine power. She can also assist you with spirit contact, sex and fertility magick, and past-life knowledge. Because her myths are linked with jumping the broom, an event which is part of Pagan marriage, she can be called upon to bless Handfasting rites

from http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Celtic/deities.html

[Simply Puzzled]

Does anyone have any information beyond the typical stuff on the websites? I have the info about jumping Math's wand and giving birth to the twins.

I'm looking for information connecting her to any festivals, animals, that kind of thing...

Thanks.

Knowledge of her, along with most Welsh deities, is sketchy at best. I would recommend reading the Mabinogion. A couple of the stories mention her, and the rest will give you a little bit more understanding of Welsh mythology. Be sure to get the Penguin version, as it helps to clarify what they probably said before Christianity got ahold of them.

[Philosophia]

Some links to help:
http://www.shadowdrake.com/celtic/arianrhod.html
http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/gods&goddesses/celtic/arianrhod.html
http://www.geocities.com/ariannon/acorr.html

[Meadhbh]

Yet more links:

http://www.fables.org/crown_thistle/arianrhod.html
http://realmagick.com/articles/66/166.html
http://www.thaliatook.com/arianrhod.html
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/celticpanth/p/arianrhod.htm
http://www.pantheon.org/areas/gallery/mythology/europe/celtic/arianrhod.html
http://inanna.virtualave.net/arianrhodshrine.html
http://www.gwdihw.com/arianrhod.htm

[Nantonos]

Knowledge of her, along with most Welsh deities, is sketchy at best. I would recommend reading the Mabinogion. A couple of the stories mention her, and the rest will give you a little bit more understanding of Welsh mythology.

Good advice.

Be sure to get the Penguin version, as it helps to clarify what they probably said before Christianity got ahold of them.

Who is the translator of that version? And how do they clarify it?

[WitchCraftWeaver]

Thanks All. GREAT places to start. Some I've been to, some I haven't.

I will look into the Mabinogion when I get home tonight.

Thanks again. Looks like I have a lot of digging to do... I just LOVE a good Mystery. ;)

[ancestral_lee]

the Jones and Jones translation is regarded as the better of the three main ones. the penguin one is by gantz.

as to Arianrhod herself. her name is almost always translated as silver Wheel, however in welsh, the noun goes before the adjective - so if it was silver wheel it shoudl be Rhodarian. ive seen a translation which im inclined to agree with.

it uses the name as mentioned in the original manuscripts 'Aranrot' which translates as round hill/mound. that being the case she is more of an earth mother type goddess. id also ignore the triple goddess construct thing that often pops up. its not original and is modern construct.

as for weaving - not reason to suppose she has any connection. she is more connected with destiny/fate and conflict.

lee

[Nantonos]

the Jones and Jones translation is regarded as the better of the three main ones. the penguin one is by gantz.
I would also recommend the Parker translation, which is online:
http://www.mabinogi.net/translations.htm


it uses the name as mentioned in the original manuscripts 'Aranrot' which translates as round hill/mound.

This reminds me of Rhiannon; when I checked, the original manuscripts in Middle Welsh say riannon.

http://epona.net/images/riannon.jpg

The h was added when the original manuscripts were translated into modern welsh so that Lady Charlotte Guest could translate them into English (and remove 'improper' parts).

Would a similar process explain Aranrot -> Arianrhod?