The Major Goddesses and Gods

 


Aengus is the Celtic god of soulmate love. His name means “young son”. In Celtic mythology, the story goes as follows: Aengus was said to have lived at Newgrange by the River Boyne, Co. Meath and his parents were the Dagda and Boann. The Dagda had an affair with Boann, wife of Nechtan. In order to hide their affair, the Dagda made the sun stand still for nine months; therefore, Aengus was conceived, gestated and born in one day.   Aengus fell in love with a girl he had seen in his dreams. His mother, Boann, searched Ireland for an entire year. Then his father, the Dagda, did the same. Finally, King Bodb Derg of Munster found her after a year. Aengus went to the lake of the Dragon's Mouth and found 150 girls chained up in pairs. He found his girl, Caer Ibormeith. On November 1, Caer and the other girls would turn into swans for one year on every second Samhain ( a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. Most commonly it is held on 31 October–1 November, or halfway between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice). Aengus was told he could marry Caer if he could identify her as a swan. Aengus succeeded. He turned himself into a swan and they flew away, singing beautiful music that put all its listeners asleep for three days and nights.

Aengus now plays a magical golden harp that mesmerises all who hear its sweet melodies. Whenever romance is threatened by quarrels or outside interference, Aengus weaves a net of his golden harp music around the lovers and draws them back together. It’s said that when he blows a kiss, it turns into a beautiful bird that carries his romantic messages to lovers who ask for his help. Aengus lives among the fairies in a brugh (a fairy glen). He’s the half brother of the goddess Brigit. He also escorted two young lovers named Diarmuid and Grainne out of harm’s way (but that's another story in Irish mythology).

Arawn was the king of the Otherworld, the realm of dead, Annwn.  His memory is retained in a traditional saying found in an old saying of Cardigan, South Wales Folktale: 

" Hir yw'r dydd a hir yw'r nos, a hir yw aros Arawn".  

which means:

"Long is the day and long is the night, and long is the waiting of Arawn"

In Welsh Folklore, the Cwn Annwn, or "Hounds of Annwn" ride through the skies in Autumn, Winter and early Spring.  The baying of the hounds was identified with the crying of wild geese as they migrate and the quarry of the hounds as wandering spirits, being chased to Annwn.  Later the myth was Christianised, to describe the "capturing of human souls and the chasing of the damned souls to Annwn, and Annwn was equated with the "hell"  of the Christian tradition.

Some writers, notably Robert Graves, have written of an incident in which Amaethon, steals a dog, lapwing and a white Roebuck from Arawn, leading to the "Cad Goddeu" (Battle of the Trees), which Arawn lost to Amaethon and his brother, Gwydion.   The standard text of "Cad Goddeu" in the "Book of Taliesin" makes no mention of this, but the Welsh Triads records the Battle of Goddeu as one of the "Three Futile Battles of the island of Britain... it was brought about by the cause of the bitch, together with the roebuck and plover, while Lady Charlotte Guest notes in her Mabinogion an account in the Myvyrian Archaeology, that the battle "was on account of a white roebuck and a whelp; and they came from Hell, and Amathaon ab Don brought them. And therefore Amathaon ab Don, and Arawn, King of Annwn (Hell), fought. And there was a man in that battle, unless his name were known he could not be overcome; and there was on the other side a woman called Achren, and unless her name were known her party could not be overcome. And Gwydion ab Don guessed the name of the man".


Arawn was the first king of the Celtic Otherworld, but later was superseded in the myths by Gwyn ap Nudd.  The Hounds of Arawn could be seen riding through the skies in any season but summer.  The Hounds chase wandering spirits back to the Otherworld, Annwn (pronounce roughly “ah-noon”).

Arawn was instrumental in elevating the status of the mortal Pwyll, Lord of Dyfed ( pronounced “duu-ved”.) The two met when Pwyll chased away Arawn’s hounds bringing down a stag and sent his own hounds on the stag.  Arawn was understandably rather offended, and as payment as Pwyll to trade places with him for one year and defeat Arawn’s enemy Hafgan.  Pwyll agreed, and wore Arawn’s likeness and ruled over Annwn for a year, while Arawn wore Pwyll’s likeness and ruled Dyfed.

At the end of the year, Pwyll had defeated Hafgan.  Arawn and Pwyll became good friends not only for Pwyll’s victory, but because Pwyll had slept chastely next to Arawn’s wife the entire year (Pwyll was not yet married, so Arawn had no like temptation).  Pwyll was happy because his realm had never flourished so well as it had under the care of Arawn.  When Pwyll returned, he gained the name of Pwyll Pen Annwn, and is considered a lord of the Otherworld.

Arawn’s wife is not named, and it’s not known if they had any children.  What is known is that the friendship between Annwn and Dyfed continued long after Pwyll’s death.

Light and Dark Sides
Although there is a pretty good description of Arawn and his personality, it’s difficult to say exactly where he falls on the spectrum.  I’d say he’s a very grey character.  He brings back the souls that get lost or wander and returns them to their place in Annwn.  In that respect, he and his hounds are guiders of the soul, a psychopomp. 

Since he is the king of the Otherworld, there is a great deal of mystery and magic associated with Arawn.  The Otherworld is a strange and mysterious place–clearly seen in its name, the Other World.  It is Other, and therefore unknowable.  Arawn, as lord of that realm, would carry many of those same qualities with him.  He is Other himself, a guider of souls but also the unknowable mystery of the soul.. if that makes sense. 

The only remaining source is a story in the Mabinogion:

The Story of Math ap Mathonwy

It is the story of Math ap Mathonwy (MAHTH ap mah-THOHN-wee), who is king, teacher, and wizard, brother of Don; uncle of Arianrhod, Gwydion, Amaethon, and Gofannon.

She was the daughter of the Welsh Goddess Danu. Her uncle, King Math, was compelled by a taboo to keep his feet in the lap of a virgin whenever he was not actively engaged in battle. After his first 'footholder', Goewin, was deflowered, Math asked Arianrhod to take her place. She had to step across a magic rod to prove her virginity, but when she did so, twin boys dropped from between her legs. Math named the first of the boys Dylan.


The second of these was taken away by Arianrhod's brother Gwydion and raised in a magic forest. Arianrhod incensed by what she had suffered, laid three curses on the boy, Lleu. He shall have no name except one she gives him. He shall bear no arms except ones she gives him. He shall have no wife of the race that is now on the earth. Through elaborate magic and trickery, Gwydion deceived Arianrhod into breaking the first two curses herself. To break the third, Math and Gwydion created Blodeuwedd, a woman made of flowers, to be Lleu's bride. Blodeuwedd (flower face), who appears to the embodiment of a fertility Goddess, betrayed her lover, Lleu, to his death, but his spirit hung on a tree was resurrected on the following day.
 
Humiliated by King Math, thwarted by her son, forsaken by her brother, Arianrhod retreated to her castle Caer Arianrhod. Here she later drowned when the sea reclaimed the land.