Sisters of the Burning Branch Goddess Gallery Presents...
GODDESS RHIANNON
“Divine
Queen of the Fey”
by WillowMoon
Rhiannon is the Celtic Goddess of the
Moon, fertility, rebirth, wisdom, magick, transformation, beauty, artistic
inspiration, and is the patroness of poets, as well as the Divine Queen of the
Fairies. She is reputed to be extremely
beautiful and have a tremendous singing voice.
She was born at the first Moonrise, and much of what we know about her
comes from the Mabinogen, an ancient book of Welsh folklore.
She is generally pictured as being
dressed in gold and riding a ghostly pale horse, with birds around her head who
are reputed to be able to sing the living to sleep and raise the dead with
their song. Wiccans usually celebrate
her feast day on July 4, but she is also celebrated at Beltane.
She has associations with the horse
goddess, Epona, the ancient Goddess, Rigatona, and The Lady of the Lake, Goddess Vivienne. She is traditionally
worshipped in forests or in a grove of trees, with natural altars made from
materials found in the forest. The
ultimate time for worshipping her is at night, when the Moon is at Her highest.
According to the Mabinogen, Rhiannon
fell in love with a mortal and refused to marry one of her “own kind”, much to
the distress of her family. The lucky guy was Prince Pwyll. They first met by Pwyll’s castle, at The
Tors, a place reputed to be just above the entrance to the underworld, and was
thought to cause enchantment and love.
Pwyll immediately fell in love, and when Rhiannon rode by, he followed
her. On and on they rode, Pwyll persuing
her, however he could never bridge the distance between them, no matter how
fast or long he rode. When
he could ride no more, he called out to her in desperation and she stopped to
wait for him, smiling to let him know all he had to do is ask for her.
They were married at Rhiannon’s
family’s castle with the fey, and there was much feasting and merriment. The wedding almost went off without a hitch,
except for Rhiannon’s former intended, who made quite a fuss. To solve the problem, Rhiannon turned him
into a badger and threw him in a sack into the river. As they left their wedding for Pwyll’s castle
in Wales, Rhiannon had to leave the realm of the fairies forever. However, she was welcomed by Pwyll’s people,
and was much admired for her tremendous beauty and singing prowess.
A couple of years later, Rhiannon
gave birth to a son, Pryderi, at the Winter Solstice. This should have been a time of great
happiness for his parents, however the baby went missing that first night, and
the servants panicked. They schemed and
decided to put puppy blood on Rhiannon’s face as she was sleeping, and
scattered puppy bones all around her.
Everyone believed Rhiannon had eaten her baby! As punishment, she humbly stood at the castle
gates with a horse’s collar around her neck.
She was obliged to offer to carry anyone who came to the gates inside to
their destination. She never complained
over the long seven years she was humiliated this way. One day, her son came to the gate, and mother
and son immediately recognized each other, and Rhiannon’s good name was
restored. This shows how incredibly
forgiving and truly regal she was. She
knows hardship, and comforts us with understanding when we call on her.
She is a goddess of love, even sexual love, giving her associations also with Venus, and her
transformative powers are strongest when used for love of others or self. She is thought of as an example of true love
and beauty, and it is said one can only completely know Rhiannon when they
truly love themselves. She also shows us,
through love and intent, that transformation
is really possible. She represents the
constant ebb and flow of life and how we are ALWAYS able to create change.
Rhiannon is also known as a Goddess
of Doubt, in that she helps us to work out the doubt we have in our lives, and
helps us listen to our instincts. She
encourages us to seek answers to our questions and not to blindly trust. In order to repair our self-esteem and truly
be on a journey towards wholeness, she helps us to question ourselves and our
world to help us gain the knowledge we seek, and not let doubt and despair lead
us off our life path.
Poem to Rhiannon
By WillowMoon
Your beauty and
humility fill me with awe
What lessons in
humbleness you have for us all.
Queen of The Fey, you
who lead the way
To happiness and growth, where we need it the most.
Your curly locks,
Your sparkling frocks,
You are Beauty Divine
Where I seek I may
find
You, so majestic,
riding your pale white horse
I cannot catch you so
far up course.
“Rhiannon, please be
with me!” I cry.
You stop and wait for
me, giving a smile.
“You have only to ask
for me, and I will be there,
To tend to your needs
with love and with care.”
O, Rhiannon, I thank
you for pausing for me,
For showing me beauty:
in nature and me.
Things Sacred to Rhiannon
General: The Moon, gates, the wind, the number
7.
Animals: Horses, frogs, dogs and puppies,
songbirds (i.e. canaries), dragons, badgers, and hummingbirds.
Plants: Rosemary, Sage, Narcissus, pansies,
daffodils, cedar and pine.
Incenses/Oils: Lavender, Geranium, Narcissus,
Sandalwood, Bergamot, and Neroli.
Metals and Stones: Crystal quartz, Bloodstone, Silver,
Gold, Cat’s Eye, Moonstone, Amethyst, Garnet, Ruby, and Turquoise
Colors: White, Silver, Red, Grey, Dark
Green, Gold, Maroon, Black and Brown.
Rhiannon's Ritual of Love
Around the time of
Beltane (May 1st), go outdoors to a natural place where you won’t be
disturbed. (A place of fairies would be ideal!)
Take with you a gift for Rhiannon.
Become comfortable, closing your eyes, centering and taking some deep
breaths. Be aware of your body and
consciously relax all your muscles. Sit
in silence for a few minutes.
Place your hands on
the Earth directly, and say,
“Rhiannon, Queen of
the Fey Folk,
White Mare Ancestor,
Lady of Love,
I call to You from The
Earth.”
Raise your hands
upwards towards the sky and say,
“Rhiannon of the
Birds, Rider Between the Worlds,
I call to You in
Heaven”
Place your hands on
your heart, feeling your entire body fill with love, and say,
“Rhiannon, Goddess of
Sacred Union,
Goddess as Lover, my
heart pours out to you,
And I call to You in
Love,
Come unto me so I may
know you in me”
Sit and feel
Rhiannon’s love for awhile. While you’re
in this loving state, ask to be shown those parts of yourself you don’t
love. Take some time to think about what
you really don’t like about yourself.
Let these parts flow through your mind, then see them sprout wings, as a
golden bird and fly away from you. Then
visualize a beautiful pinkish white light surrounding you. You hear the sound of hooves and feel the
white mare’s breath on your neck.
Breathe in the light surrounding you into your body, mind and spirit,
filling up completely. As you come back
to reality, see Rhiannon’s energy fade away and offer Her love and flowers from
your heart. Center and ground by growing
roots into the Earth. Before leaving,
leave your gift for Rhiannon.
Sources and Links
*www.goddesswithin.co.uk/apri_rhiannon.htm
(ritual)
*www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/celtic_goddess_rhiannon.htm
*www.angelfire.com/va/goddesses/rhia.html
*www.answers.com/topic/Rhiannon
*www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhiannon
*The Book of
Goddesses : A Celebration of the Feminine Divine,
By Kris Waldherr, pgs. 98-100 (Rhiannon image, also)
*www.epona.net/later.html