Picture from Judith Shaw’s Celtic Goddess Oracle Cards
Blodeuwedd is a Celtic or Welsh Flower Goddess created entirely from flower-buds by two magicians using nine kinds of wildflowers, including meadowsweet, oak, broom, primrose, and cockle. She is also known as the Ninefold Goddess of the Western Isles of Paradise. She is a central figure in the Mabinogion, the Welsh cycle of stories about early Celtic Goddesses and Gods. Blodeuwedd was created by men, specifically through magic, to be the wife of Llew, in order to fulfill a curse that he could not have a wife “of the race that is now on the earth.” She was made from flowers and was intended to assure Llew’s right to rule the land.
Despite being created to fulfill others’ needs, Blodeuwedd ultimately awakened to her own desires and fate. Trapped in a marriage she did not want, she conspired with her lover Gronw to kill Llew. After the plot was discovered, Blodeuwedd was transformed into an owl, becoming a solitary night predator. Her story is seen as one of reclaiming personal power and determining her own fate, moving from innocence and passivity to connection with the powerful Divine Feminine, embodying both life and death. Her tale serves as a lesson about the consequences of manipulating and controlling women, and the importance of self-determination.
From Danu Forest’s Celtic Goddesses, Witches, and Queens deck,… see in the tale how she is a strong and passionate character, desperately trying to direct her life in the way she chooses, and to be with the man she loves. She defies the role set for her. Rather than seeing her created for men’s desire, we can see that all they have done is to draw her into a human form from the otherworld – she is a spirt of nature and the land, trapped and abused for their ends.
Fairest woman of the wild,
lady of oak, or broom, of meadowsweet,
teach me to listen to my needs and wants,
teach me to shrug off shame
and limitations and reclaim my power
to choose my life and my loves.Let me know when to unfurl my claws
and when to blossom.Help me remember I need obey no one
but my own nature.
Honour your wild side … and remember you are part of nature.
This post is part of Goddess 101 Texts – telling another side of Our Story.
Text ‘Join’ to 256-815-0760 to get your free daily dose of inspiration. *text Stop to stop at any time. Consent.
#Goddess101Texts a daily wake up call from Ancient Mother.
Use QR code above to text ‘Join’ plus your email to 256.815.0760 (Sorry for now, US only as International Texting is a thing, but you can see our monthly texts here.)
Brought to you by the divine feminine app. Over ten years, the original source for finding Sacred Women Circles, events, retreats and resources. Sign up on the app to get a weekly email of Circles by you and online.
1 Comment