My Goddess, Rhiannon by Shade

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Rhiannon is A Welsh Goddess Of The Underworld, she is also known as The Celtic Goddess of the Moon, the Welsh Goddess of Earth and Fertility, Goddess of Death,
and believed also to be the original Mother Goddess of the Celtic people and Viviane the "Lady of the Lake" who handed Arthur the sword Excaliber, empowering
him to become King, in the legends of Camelot. She is found in several ancient cultures and called by several different names.

The Feast of Rhiannon is celebrated on March 4th.

Rhiannon is a Goddess of movement, change and Magick, who will come to you in times of crisis, loss and illness. The story of Rhiannon about healing, power,
laughter and tears and forgiveness. Rhiannon comes into your life to help you work with doubt. The Goddess tells you to question rather than doubt, so that
you can gain answers you need to continue on your path to wholeness.

Rhiannon can aid in overcoming enemies, exercising patience, working Magick, Moon Rituals, and enhancing Dream Work.

She is deeply associated with Horses and birds, and has links to the Underworld. She is linked with the British Goddess Rigatona ("Great Queen"), and the
Continental Celtic Horse-Goddess Epona, who is also linked with horses dogs and birds like Rhiannon. Rhiannon was known to be a protectress of the Animals.

Rhiannon is said to be very wise and not afraid to speak her mind!!! She brings forth peaceful sleep, dreams and sometimes nightmares.

Her name came from the Welsh word Rhiain which means "maiden" , her name is a variant of rigatona "Great Queen" , which is how most translate her name.

Some people claim that Rhiannon died centuries ago but is still seen to this day in Wales and England. She is riding a white horse and accompanied by
three birds whose singing can wake the dead and lull the living to sleep, one white, one gold and one is emerald green.

Rhiannon's Correspondences

Horses
Birds
Dreams
Magick
Moon
music

Gemstones: Cats-eye, Ruby and Moonstone

Crystal: Quartz Crystal

Metals: Gold and Silver

Animals: Horses, Birds, Badger, Dogs, Dragons and Frogs

Plants: Narcissus, Daffodils, leeks, pansies, forsythia, cedar and Pine Trees and bayberry, sage and rosemary

Perfume Scents: Sandalwood, Narcissus, bergamot and lavender

Colors: Gold White and Emerald Green

The Myth


The legends vary from one story teller to another, but Rhiannon's story, none the less is a tragic series of events.

Rhiannon first appeared to Pywll, Lord of Dyfed, as a beautiful woman in dazzling gold upon a white horse. He sent his fastest horsemen to fetch her to him,
but none could catch her. After three days she told Pywll that her true errand was to seek him. She told Pywll that her family had chosen a suitor for her named
Gwawl, but what she really wanted was to marry him. Pywll was to meet her again in a year and a day.
So after a year and a day Pywll came to Court to ask Rhiannon's father for her hand.
During the festivities, there was arguing about the fact that Rhiannon was going to marry out of her people. So Rhiannon slipped away from Pywll side to deal
with the situation as discreetly as possible. Using her Magick, Rhiannon turned the persistent suitor, Gwawl. into a badger. Then she caught the badger and stuck
him inside a bag, that she tied up tightly and tossed into the lake.
So Pywll and Rhiannon were married, and for a while they were very happy and deeply in love. Then Rhiannon gave birth to the most beautiful baby boy. After her
baby was born Rhiannon fell into a deep sleep, so did her servant woman. When the seventy awoke, she saw that baby had been stolen while they slept. Out of fear
of punishment for sleeping instead of taking care of the newborn, she quickly killed a puppy and smeared it's blood on Rhiannon. In order to save herself, she
set up Rhiannon, so it looked like she had murdered her own baby!
As her punishment she was made to carry people to Court as if she was a horse, and to tell her story to all comers for seven years.
Poor Rhiannon new in her heart that she could never had killed her own child. Still Rhiannon was so exhausted from childbirth, and weak with grief, that she
accepted the punishment that she was dealt.
Meanwhile the baby boy was found at the Court of Teyron, while the mares were foaling on that May Eve. Mysteriously all the foals died but one that Teyron was
able to save, while at the same time he saw the baby boy.
Teyron and his wife took the baby in and raised him as their own. The boy grew to manhood in seven years and at that time, all could tell by looking at him, that
he was Pywll's son. He was given the foal that was rescued the night they found him and returned him to his family.
Rhiannon and Pwyll were overjoyed to be reunited with there son, and Rhiannon named him Pryderi, which means "worry".
After the death of her husband Pwyll, Rhiannon married Manawydan,the brother of Bran and Branwen and the son of Llyn, a great Magician. Then one day all of Dyfed
was turned into a wasteland. The only ones that were spared were Rhiannon, Manawydan, Pryderi and his wife Cigfa.
One day while Manawydan and Pryderi were out hunting an enormous white boar, they followed the boar into a Fortress. It was there that Pryderi saw a Golden Bowl
and when he touched it, he went under a spell. Rhiannon went after her son, only to fall under the same spell. Then the Fortress vanished taking Rhiannon and
Pryderi with it! Manawydan came to the rescue by capturing the wife of the Enemy Llwyd. It is said it was all done for revenge, because Rhiannon had turned Gwawl
into a badger and thrown him in the Lake.
It is also said that later Rhiannon herself became the legendary "Lady of the Lake" .
Symbols/Aspects of Rhiannon

Colors: white, silver, gold
Moon phase: waning
Animals: horse, bird
Herbs/Flowers: Jasmine, evergreens, any white flower
Stones: moonstone, quartz crystal
Aspects: leadership, movement, change, death, fertility, crisis, magic for women,
protection, strength and truth in adversity, dreams
Wheel of the Year:
Willow moon (Saille): April 15 - May 12
Ivy moon (Gort): September 30 - October 27