Cerridwen

KRISTOFFER HUGHES (Isle of Anglesey, Wales) is Chief of the Anglesey Druid Order, a Mount Haemus Scholar, and a member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. He is a teacher, writer, workshop leader, and guest speaker at Pagan conferences, camps, and festivals throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, and North America. Kristoffer has also contributed to Welsh and English television and radio. He s the author of four books and the creator of the Celtic Tarot. www.AngleseyDruidOrder.co.uk

Contents

Prologue xiii

Introduction xvii

At the Chair of the Bard xxv

1: The Quest for Cerridwen.......................................................... 1
2: Beginning the Chase................................................................. 9
3: The Power of Mythology....................................................... 15
4: The Quest for Meaning........................................................... 23
5: Cerridwen and the Welsh Bardic Tradition............................ 29
6: The Four Eras of the Welsh Bardic Tradition........................ 41
7: Songs of Praise: Cerridwen and the Gogynfeirdd.................. 53
8: The Book of Taliesin.............................................................. 63
9: The Chair of Cerridwen......................................................... 71
10: Cerridwen: What's in a Name?............................................... 81
11: Cerridwen and the Cauldron.................................................. 95
12: Witch?....................................................................................107
13: Cerridwen and the Mabinogi.................................................117
14: The Zoomorphic Faces of Cerridwen...................................127
15: A Pig by Any Other Name.....................................................133
16: Initiatory Transformation......................................................147
17: The Children of Cerridwen...................................................153
18: The Deification of Cerridwen...............................................161
19: Cerridwen and the Deep Mysteries.......................................171
20: The Narrative Spirit: Yr Ysbryd Adroddol.............................183
21: The Prophetic Spirit: Yr Ysbryd Proffwydol..........................189
22: The Enchanted Spirit: Yr Ysbryd Swynol..............................199
23: The Awen...............................................................................207
24: What's in a Word? The Meaning of Awen............................217
25: The Awen-Filled Legacy of Iolo Morganwg..........................225
26: The Song of the Awen...........................................................237
27: Cerridwen, Annwfn, and the Andedion.................................247
28: Cerridwen and the Bardic Mysteries......................................253
Stirring the Cauldron: Ritual & Practise 259
Appropriate Appropriation..........................................................261
Creating a Cerridwen Altar.........................................................264
Cerridwen's Three Crafts............................................................266
Becoming Gwion Bach, Part 1....................................................267
Becoming Gwion Bach, Part 2....................................................269
A Swyn to Glean Poetic Inspiration............................................274
A Swyn for Clarity.......................................................................276
Daily Awen Affirmation..............................................................277
Daily Devotional to Cerridwen...................................................278
The Power of Three....................................................................280
The Cauldrons of Land, Sea, and Sky.........................................282

Conclusion 291

A Guide to Welsh Pronunciation 293

Glossary 297

Resources 305

Bibliography 307

Index 315