Poetry and Art, Gareth Davies and Jen Delyth

Midweek Mythology;

The Story of Rhiannon,

Celtic Welsh Goddess. 

In Welsh mythology Rhiannon is the horse goddess, she was a daughter of Hefeydd the Old. She was married to Pwyll, and later to Manawydan.

Pwyll first met Rhiannon when he saw her as a beautiful woman dressed in gold and riding a white horse. Pwyll sent his horsemen after her, but she was too fast and rode away from them. She was actually riding no faster than Pwyll and his knights; she simply created an illusion for the benefit of Pwyll. After three days, he recalled his horseman and gave chase to her himself. When he caught up with her and spoke, Rhiannon told him she did not want her arranged marriage and would rather marry him.

She made a deal with Pwyll and; after a year from that day, he won her from Gwawl (her intended husband). He followed Rhiannon's instructions and tricked Gwawl into climbing into a magic bag that Rhiannon had given him for the purpose. Once his opponent was in the box he made an agreement to free him providing he could have Rhiannon.

Rhiannon gave birth to a son after three years; but on the night of the birth, the child disappeared while in the care of six of Rhiannon's ladies-in-waiting. The ladies in waiting  feared they would be blamed and put to death, to avoid any blame, they smeared blood from a puppy on the sleeping Rhiannon. Then they lay the puppy bones around her bed. Pwyll's counselors insisted on a punishment for Rhiannon for her supposed crime. She was forced into to remain in the court of Arberth for seven years, and to sit every day near a stable block by the  gate telling her story to all who passed. To add to her misery  she was told to carry guests to the court on her back.


BUT;…The child appeared outside a stable of Teyrnon, whose mares had just given birth but whose new born foals had disappeared in the same way as Rhiannons baby has disappeared . Teyrnon had been watching his stables when he saw an unknown  beast coming to take the foal. Teyrnon stopped the beast by cutting off its arm at the elbow and then found the lost child outside the stable. He and his wife adopted the child and nurtured him through out childhood. The child grew to adulthood within only seven years and when fully grown was given the foal which had led Teyrnon to the stable. Teyrnon understood this was a very special child and realized who he was,  he returned the young man to his rightful parents and, on his return, the young man was named Pryderi by his original parents.


Following his fathers death Pryderi married Cigfa and become Prince of Dyfed. His Mother, Rhiannon remarried a man called Manawydan and both Rhiannon and her new husband Manawydan were invited to live with her son and daughter-in-law in Dyfed. Soon, Dyfed drought visited the land of Dyfed laying it waste and barren, Rhiannon, Pryderi, Cigfa and Manawydan survived.


Manawydan and Pryderi were out hunting together when they , saw and followed a white boar. The boar led them to a magical golden bowl, when Pryderi and his mother, Rhiannon, touched the  golden bowl they became enchanted.


Manawydan and Cigfa tried to help but were  unable to until they captured a mouse (which was actually a woman, the wife of Llwyd, Rhiannon's enemy). Once this woman/mouse was captured the spell was lifted and Rhiannon and Pryderi were freed. http://www.redoakgrove.org/aboutrog/seasonaldeities.html

The Poem; Rhiannon
By Gareth Davies

She's fire in the afterglow
Rising on the spray
Buried in the undertow
And woven in the waves

She's wind, which echoes old and low
Rippling across the bay
She follows where the voices go
Of whispered words and yesterdays

In language only water knows
She lullaby's the deep
A softly singing sadness falls
For ancient sorrows there asleep

But something stirs the black below
Something moves and slowly wakes
Rhiannon rises as she goes
Mountains tremble at her gates

She travels in a cloak of foam
Water whitens in her wake
And bare beneath her flowing gown
Granite glistens
Oceans break

The Artist;
Jen Delyth, Welsh Celtic Artist.

Artist Jen Delyth creates original Celtic paintings and illustrations which are directly inspired by Celtic folklore. Her work is informed by the folk motifs and symbols of the ancient Celts, but woven through her experience and vision as a woman of the twenty-first century.

She was born in the Welsh borderlands of the Wye valley, and raised in the industrial heartlands of south Wales, in Port Talbot, and Penllergaer a small village. Jen Delyth was surrounded by landscapes that have inspired poets and artists throughout the ages. Her childhood was spent exploring Welsh hills and coastal beaches with her family.

This early connection to the natural world has played an important part  in her development as celtic artist.

As a child she briefly lived in the small village of Colerne, up in the hills around the ancient Roman city of Bath. From her house she could see the chalk carvings of both the Cherhill and the Westbury White Horse figures on the hillside across the valley. There was a natural Spring in the woods at the bottom of her garden that had once been known for its healing properties

http://www.kelticdesigns.com/Pages/Catalog.html

 

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Sep 24, '09 welshdoug said The Mabinogion is well worth a read. thanks Dougie..............and thanks for the link...........you obviously know a great deal more about this than I do

delete reply eggpainter wrote on Sep 24, '09 I like mythology so the story was really fasinating. And as an artist I was blown away by the art work. Thank you for sharing.

delete reply welshdoug wrote on Sep 24, '09 I've read The Mabinogion many times. Rhiannon's legend is one of the mose evocative chapters I've also read some of Gareth Davies' excellent poetry. Great post, and to all non-Celts out there, The Mabinogion is well worth a read. http://www.mabinogion.com/

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Sep 23, '09 This is so staggering. Thank you. I knew of the Roman and Greek mythologies but nothing of Rhiannon. The art work is beautiful.

delete reply ladylimoncello wrote on Sep 23, '09 Beautiful summary of the Mabinogion.

delete reply lauritasita wrote on Sep 23, '09 Loretta, this has got to be your best post. It's just wonderful. I was always curious about who Stevie Nicks was singing about ! I never thought to check it out. Thanks so much for the story and all the beautiful artwork, too !

delete reply caffeinatedjo wrote on Sep 23, '09 That artwork is spectacular! So was the poem. I was not familiar at all with the subject, so thanks for the lesson.

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Sep 23, '09 Jen Delyth's art is fabulous. It is good to know the story of Rhiannon. I had read some cross references to her, when reading about Roman mythology and the worship of Epona. I enjoyed this very much.

delete reply greenwytch wrote on Sep 23, '09 what a gorgeously told story and the artist is amazing! thank you, loretta!

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Sep 23, '09 just realised.... none of the pictures enlarge.................oh dear.... sigh.....

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Sep 23, '09 hedgewitch9 said Not that I have any bias of course... that thought never entered my head lol

delete reply hedgewitch9 wrote on Sep 23, '09 Absolutely fabulous :) Not that I have any bias of course.... Ahem ;) x