Cerridwen

Cerridwen

Although she is often called Celtic, Cerridwen is probably extremely ancient, possibly even Neolithic, and is a deity of death and regeneration, as well as being the Mother of the corn and of fertility. Her cauldron stands for the forces of dissolution and new growth that are found throughout life and especially in the seasonal cycle. Cerridwen has qualities of wisdom but can also be perceived as being somewhat shamanic, as is seen in the legend wherein she changes into one animal after another in order to pursue Gwion. Her sacred animal is the white sow: the pig is often found in mythical association with the Goddess, especially in her chthonic or Underworld rule.

In Welsh myth, Cerridwen had a child who was dark and ugly, so she decided to boil up a magickal brew in her cauldron, which would give him compensatory gifts of wisdom and prophecy. She instructed a little boy, Gwion, to stir the potion while she slept, but he splashed three drops on his thumb, which he then put in his mouth to ease the burn. Of course, by doing this he ingested some of the potion, which gave him magickal powers. Cerridwen woke up, and when she discovered what had happened she furiously attacked Gwion, who fled. Thanks to the magick brew, he was able to change himself into a hare, but Cerridwen became a hound and gave chase; then Gwion became a bird, but Cerridwen transformed into a hawk; then she was an otter to Gwion's fish. At last, exhausted, Gwion changed into an ear of corn and hid on the threshing floor, but Cerridwen became a black hen and ate him. Within her womb he stayed nine months and was born to her as a beautiful baby, Taliesin. Cerridwen was unable to bring herself to murder such a beautiful child, and so threw him into the river wrapped in a leather bag. He was found and rescued and went on to become the wisest and most gifted of bards.

In this legend can be seen the transformation of dark to light, of something considered ugly or deficient into fresh, radiant growth. Thus Cerridwen can be worked with at old moon when something needs to be transformed or transmuted so that it can be put to creative use. The tale, like many Celtic stories, deals with the fact that the things we often think are hideous or warped are often filled with hidden beauty and potential.