Cerridwen
Cerridwen is a Welsh Goddess. She is seen as one of the “Old Ones”, one of the pre Christian Goddesses that had great power and influence. Though she is most commonly identified as the “white sow” and the Crone if you know her story you will see that she actually goes through all three aspects of the Triple Goddess. She is most often depicted in are with her cauldron of Wisdom, Inspiration, Rebirth and Transformation. Cerridwen is often connected with Arianrhod and Blodeuwedd as a Triple Goddess. She is also often compared to Hecate, Badb and even the Greek Muses.
Stories say that Cerridwen lived on an island that was situated in the middle of Lake Tegid, which was named after her husband, the giant Tegid. She lived there with her two children; a daughter Creidwy who was very beautiful and a son Afagdu (or Morfran) who was exceptionally ugly. These two children represented the light and the dark which is a theme that we see often in stories of other Celtic Goddesses and their children.
Being a loving mother Cerridwen wanted to give her son Afagdu something that would give him significance and over come his ugliness so she created a magickal brew that she simmered for a year and a day which is a common and magickal amount of time in Celtic tradition and in current Wiccan and pagan beliefs. It is also a significant time period in that it is seen as the common waiting period before magickal initiation. She tended it, adding herbs at the proper astrological time. This brew would give Afagdu all wisdom and knowledge. It would make him able to give prophecy and would make him exceptionally brilliant and inspired.
She left the brew in the care of a boy named Gwion. He was stirring the brew one day and three drops of it splashed out of the cauldron. The drops fell on his hand and like anyone would do in reaction to the pain he sucked on his burned hand. This had an expected result however and he suddenly could hear everything, had all knowledge and was even able see the past and the future. The interesting thing about this brew was that the first three drops of the brew would impart all wisdom while the remaining was a deadly, fatal poison.
Gwion knew that Cerridwen was going to be exceptionally angry so he changed himself into the form of a rabbit and ran. This began a chase where they continually changed forms. When he became a rabbit she became a Greyhound. When he changed into a fish she changed into an otter. He changed into a sparrow and she into a hawk. Finally Gwion changed into a cornel of corn and hid amongst other cornels of corn. Cerridwen changed into a hen and promptly ate him up. (In some stories this is a grain of wheat instead of a cornel of corn.)
When Cerridwen returned to her normal form the cornel of corn that was Gwion was conceived in her womb and as is usual she gave birth to a baby boy nine months later. Angry and disgusted by the birth of the child she decided to kill him and threw him into a river to drown. Fortunately for the child he was rescued. He grew up to be the great Bard – Taliesin.
The story of Cerridwen and her cauldron presents us with a number of significant themes and symbols that we have seen used in many ways through out history and in our current pagan and Wiccan practices.
Cauldron
In studying the Celtic Mystery Traditions you will see that there are three types of cauldrons often mentioned in the Celtic myths. There is the cauldron of transformation, the cauldron of Rejuvenation and Rebirth and the cauldron of inspiration. In the story of Cerridwen we can see that her cauldron brings together all three of these types cauldron. This merging of the cauldron imagery gives Cerridwen a special significance and power.
The Cauldron corresponds with the Goddess and femininity. It is a representation of the womb of the Goddess were we and all things are born and reborn. The cauldron is a symbol of the source of justice, knowledge, wisdom, life and rebirth. It is the symbol of birth and fertility as everything is birthed in the womb of the Goddess. Like other well known Goddesses such as Demeter and Isis Cerridwen is viewed as a Goddess of inspiration. Her cauldron is a symbol of inspiration as well as it was in the cauldron that she made the brew for her son that was to bring him wisdom, inspiration and prophecy. It is also the cauldron of mysteries and secret knowledge.
It is unfortunate that the significance and the power of the cauldron has been attacked and for many substituted by the Holy Grail. Through the patriarchal influences that likely started around the times of the Arthurian legends the Cauldron, the symbol of the Goddess was changed into the Holy Grail, which was a Chalice that was supposedly used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. The Grail became the new symbol of illumination and spiritual change and enlightenment. Though the underlying meaning of the Cauldron and Grail has not changed it has become a symbol of the patriarchy and not the Mother Goddess. An interesting note is that the brew that Cerridwen was creating was said to have been called “greal,” perhaps indicating the source of the change to the grail being of more relevant significance.
Initiation & Transformation
Cerridwen brewed the potion for her son for a year and a day. This and her great wisdom connect her to the process and theme of initiation and transformation. A year and a day is commonly viewed as the appropriate time of waiting, learning, growth and change before initiation. We see this commonly today in our elevations from dedicant to initiate to priest or priestess. We also see this in handfasting and other significant life passages. The process of initiation is in effect a process of transformation. For example if we look at the process of going through the year and a day for moving from dedicant to initiate we see that during this time there is a process of learning, growth and ultimately change. This is traditional in all forms of initiation regardless of what tradition or purpose the initiation serves.
Shape-shifting
There has been speculation on the purpose and meaning behind the story of Cerridwen and Gwion’s shape shifting. It is popularly viewed that the changes of form indicated the elevations of the Druidic initiation rites. For those not of a Druid path it is viewed as the different changes or forms that our souls take as we move through our lifetimes. In essence it is an analogy for the cycle of life that we must go through in order to attain our final place. As Cerridwen chased Gwion he had to learn and put his knowledge into practice in order to evade her. When in the end she as a hen eats him we see the cycle of life moving into death, which we all know is simply the precursor for his rebirth as the famous and skilled Bard Taliesin. Through his death he was able to be “initiated” into deeper knowledge, wisdom and the mysteries that he didn’t know before.
The White Sow
The White Sow has a number of meanings. One meaning has its connection to the moon. As well the white corpse eating sow is a representation of Cerridwen’s role in bringing about rebirth. In order to bring about rebirth death is necessary. In order to be reborn one must enter Cerridwen’s cauldron and that can only be achieved through death. We often look at this type of regeneration as physical death and rebirth but this can also be indicated by spiritual, emotional or material giving up of things like giving up of bad habits, letting go of old relationships, accepting the truth about something. Pigs are often connected to fertility and life. The white sow is thus a connection to renewal and also the fertility of new birth.
These are just a few of the themes and symbols of Cerridwen. She is a Goddess of many aspects and much power. There is much to learn and be gained by knowing her and drawing on her energy.
Themes Symbols
Life/Death/Rebirth
Initiation
Change
Transformation
Fertility
Bardic Arts Poetry/Music
Arts and Crafts
Enchantment Scientific knowledge
Shape-shifting
Astrology
Divination
Herbology
Psychic Abilities
Spellcraft
Inspiration
Cauldron
Dark Moon
Holy Grail
Hearth Rose
Colours
Black
Dark Green
Dark Purple
Dark Blue
White
Alternate Names
Caridwen
Ceridwen
Cereduin
Kyrridwen
Dark Moon Goddess
Goddess of Witchcraft Goddess of the Underworld
“White Sow”
Mother of Poetry Great Mother
Grain Goddess
Goddess of Nature
Keeper of the Cauldron
Goddess of Death
Goddess of Transformation
White Crafty One
White Lady of Inspiration and Death May 4th
Celebrations
July 3rd
Herbs/Plants
Roses
Grains
All Herbs
Animals
The White Sow
Greyhounds
Boars
Hawks
Otters
Hens
Hearts Cry to Cerridwen
Wellspring of Wisdom
I cry to you
Lady of the dark moon
All-knowing Lady of the night
Pour out Your abundant power
Fill this willing vessel
With Your unspeakable knowledge
Pour hidden secrets
Into the misty depths of my mind
Fill the emptiness
With the transforming nurture
Found in Your cauldron
Of life and death
Travel with me Cerridwen
Along the spiral path
The path to the eternal
Pull back the veil and share with me
The wisdom of your magick
Pour out Your blessings
Of shadow and light
Empower my life with your craft
Enlighten me to your way
Transform my intentions, wishes and dreams
Into a bright reality
There is naught that lives
That will not die
There is naught that dies
That will not live
Take me at last
Into your womb of life
And rebirth me afresh
In Your cauldron of transformation
Resources
Celtic Women's Spirituality, Edain McCoy
Celtic Myth and Magick, Edain McCoy
A Witches' Bible, Janet and Stewart Farrar
The Witches' Goddess, Janet and Stewart Farrar
The Wiccan Mysteries, Raven Grimassi
http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Celtic/deitiesc.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceridwen
http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/Celtic/deitiesn-o-p.html
http://www.angelfire.com/journal/ofapoet/cerridwen.html
http://www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/cerridwentale.html
http://mydailygoddess.blogspot.com/2008/03/cerridwen-death-rebirth.html
http://www.lunaea.com/goddess/magic/cerridwen.html
