Mythology Book

170

SO THEY TOOK THE

BLOSSOMS AND

PRODUCED FROM

THEM A MAIDEN

BLODEUWEDD

I

n ancient Welsh mythology,

Blodeuwedd—meaning “flower-

faced”—was the wife of the

great hero Llew Llaw Gyffes. She

was not a real woman, but was

instead made from the flowers of

broom, meadowsweet, and oak by

the magicians Math and Gwydion.

Blodeuwedd was a key figure in

the “Math fab Mathonwy,” a book

full of magic and invention, which

was the last of the mythical The

Four Branches of the Mabinogi.

Llew Llaw Gyffes could only

marry with the help of magic or

divine intervention, due to a

tynged, or curse, applied to him

by his own mother, Arianrhod. She

was embittered at the loss of her

virginity—of which the presence

of her son was a constant reminder.

Arianrhod was also angered by a

series of tricks and humiliations

she was subjected to by Math and

his nephew Gwydion. As a result,

she placed three curses upon Llew,

the last of which stated that he

would never have a wife from any

race on the earth.

However, the cunning Math

and Gwydion eventually managed

to break this last curse by magic:

they created Blodeuwedd and

betrothed her to Llew Llaw Gyffes.

The couple were married and given

a palace to live in together.

Love at first sight

One day, while her husband was

away on business, a man pursuing

a stag arrived at Blodeuwedd’s

home. He was Gronw Pebyr, Lord of

Penllynn. Being of a charming and

hospitable disposition, Blodeuwedd

welcomed the visitor. However, as

soon as they looked into each

other’s eyes, the pair fell in love.

After this, the couple commenced

an affair and, determined to be

together, they began to plot the

IN BRIEF

THEME

Mythical woman

SOURCE

Math fab Mathonwy (“Math,

son of Mathonwy”), The Four

Branches of the Mabinogi,

12th-century Welsh folktales.

SETTING

Gwynedd, northwest Wales,

c. 10 60 –120 0 ce.

KEY FIGURES

Blodeuwedd A woman

made of flowers; wife of

Llew Llaw Gyffes.

Llew Llaw Gyffes Son of

Gwydion; Blodeuwedd’s nearly

immortal husband.

Math A magician; son of

Mathonwy, Lord of Gwynedd.

Gwydion Nephew of Math;

also a magician.

Gronw Pebyr Lord of

Penllynn; lover of Blodeuwedd.

The tree was a gift

from a merciful god,

its roots lapping up the

blood to hold the spirits

for blessed release into

another, brighter age.

Math fab Mathonwy

US_170-171_Blodeuwedd.indd 170 21/12/2017 12:06

171

Blodeuwedd met Gronw Pebyr as

he hunted a stag near her home. They

are depicted here by British artist

Ernest Wallcousins for Charles Squire’s

1920 book, Celtic Myth & Legend.

See also: The founding of Athens 58–59 ■ Arachne and the spider 115 ■ The voyage of Bran 165 ■ Cúchulainn 166–67

NORTHERN EUROPE

death of Llew Llaw Gyffes. There

was one major obstacle for the

lovers: Llew’s immortality.

Blodeuwedd’s betrayal

There seemed to be no way in

which Blodeuwedd’s husband could

be killed. He had previously told her

that he could not be killed during

the day or night, not indoors nor

outdoors, neither riding nor

walking, not clothed and not naked,

nor by any lawfully made weapon.

However, Blodeuwedd soon tricked

Llew into giving away the secret,

and he revealed to her that he could

be killed at dusk, wrapped only in a

net, with one foot on a trough and

one on a goat, beside a river bank,

and by a special spear forged for

one year during the hours when

everyone should be at Mass.

Armed with this information,

Blodeuwedd arranged for Llew’s

demise. She and Gronw prepared

an ambush, but things did not go

according to plan. When Gronw

threw the spear, it hit Llew,

wounding him but not killing him.

In that split second, Llew turned

himself into an eagle and flew

away. Gwydion, Llew’s father,

eventually discovered the severely

wounded eagle perched high in an

oak tree. Realizing that the bird

was Llew, he transfigured his son

back into human form. Gwydion

and Math then nursed Llew back to

health, before mustering an army to

take back his lands from Gronw

and Blodeuwedd. The latter fled,

but Gwydion hunted her down and

turned her into an owl. He told her

that she would never see the light

of day again and would be alone

for eternity. Her name would forever

be Blodeuwedd—which in the

modern Welsh language now

simply means “owl.” ■

The reverse side of an ancient

Greek coin. This owl represented the

goddess Athena, whose head was

depicted on the other side.

Owls

Regarded as sacred in many

cultures, the nocturnal owl is both

a symbol of wisdom—because it

can see in the dark—as well as of

death and spiritual renewal.

In ancient Welsh mythology,

these birds had a dark and

foreboding significance. Gwydion

turned Blodeuwedd into an owl

because, due to her plot to kill her

husband, he believed she should

never see the light of day again.

He knew that other birds—fearful

of owls—would attack her if she

appeared during daylight.

Owls are also found in Irish

mythology. The heroine and

dark goddess Echtach was a

ghostly owl whose screeches

were heard in midwinter, after

sunset. She was said to haunt

the region where her sister

Echthge, a cannibal, lived.

Athena, the ancient Greek

goddess of wisdom and war,

was often depicted with a little

owl, which was regarded as a

good omen. The Roman goddess

of wisdom and arts, Minerva—

Athena’s counterpart—was

depicted with an owl perched

on her right hand.

[Llew Llaw Gyffes] flew

up in the form of an eagle,

and gave a fearful scream.

Math fab Mathonwy

US_170-171_Blodeuwedd.indd 171 01/12/17 4:23 pm