Mythical white satin Carousel Unicorn"Rhiannon", leaves and
vines-lace and Pink roses-twining and curling.....handcrafted with
magic--3, 4, or 6 feet tall--The perfect decorative Unicorn gift for
your own little pagan or unicorn lover. She's a goddess!
vines-lace and Pink roses-twining and curling.....handcrafted with
magic--3, 4, or 6 feet tall--The perfect decorative Unicorn gift for
your own little pagan or unicorn lover. She's a goddess!
Rhiannon, Celtic Goddess
of Inspiration and the Moon
Rhiannon, the celtic goddess of the moon was a Welch goddess. The goddess
Rhiannon's name meant “Divine Queen” of the fairies. In her myths, Rhiannon was
promised in marriage to an older man she found repugnant. Defying her family’s wishes
that Rhiannon, like other celtic goddesses, declined to marry one of her "own kind".
Instead, the goddess Rhiannon chose the mortal Prince Pwyll (pronounced Poo-ul or
translated as Paul) as her future husband. Rhiannon appeared to Pwyll one afternoon
while he stood with his companions on a great grass-covered mound in the deep forest
surrounding his castle. These mounds, called Tors, were thought to be magical places,
perhaps covering the entrance to the otherworld beneath the earth. It was thought that
those who stood upon them would become enchanted, so most people avoided them.
So it is no surprise that the young prince was enchanted by the vision of the beautiful
young goddess Rhiannon, who was dressed in glittering gold as she galloped by on her
powerful white horse. Rhiannon rode by without sparing him even a glance. Pwyll was
intrigued and enraptured, and his companions were understandably concerned.
Ignoring the protest of his friends, Pwyll sent his servant off riding his swiftest horse to
catch her and asked her to return to meet the prince. But the servant soon returned
and reported that she rode so swiftly that it seemed her horse’s feet scarcely touched
the ground and that he could not even follow her to learn where she went.
The next day, ignoring his friends’ advice, Pwyll returned alone to the mound and, once
more, the celtic goddess appeared. Mounted on his horse, Pwyll pursued her but could
not overtake her. Although his horse ran even faster than Rhiannon's, the distance
between them always remained the same. Finally, after his horse began to tremble with
exhaustion, he stopped and called out for her to wait. And Rhiannon did.
When Pwyll drew close she teased him gently, telling him that it would have been much
kinder to his horse had he simply called out instead of chasing her. The goddess
Rhiannon then let him know that she had come to find him, seeking his love.
Pwyll welcomed this for the very sight of this beautiful Celtic goddess had tugged at his
heart, and he reached for her reins to guide her to his kingdom. But Rhiannon smiled
tenderly and shook her head, telling him that they must wait a year and that then she
would marry him. In the next moment, the goddess Rhiannon simply disappeared from
him into the deep forest.
Rhiannon returned one year later, dressed as before, to greet Pwyll on the Tor. He
was accompanied by a troop of his own men, as befitted a prince on his wedding day.
Speaking no words, Rhiannon turned her horse and gestured for the men to follow her
into the tangled woods. Although fearful, they complied. As they rode the trees
suddenly parted before them, clearing a path, then closing in behind them when they
passed.
Soon they entered a clearing and were joined by a flock of small songbirds that
swooped playfully in the air around Rhiannon’s head. At the sound of their beautiful
caroling all fear and worry suddenly left the men. Before long they arrived at her father’
s palace, a stunning site that was surrounded by a lake. The castle, unlike any they
had ever seen, was built not of wood or stone, but of silvery crystal. It spires soared into
the heavens.
After the wedding a great feast was held to celebrate the marriage of the goddess.
Rhiannon’s family and people were both welcoming and merry, but a quarrel broke out
at the festivities. It was said that the man she’d once been promised to marry was
making a scene, arguing that she should not be allowed to marry outside her own
people.
Rhiannon slipped away from her husband’s side to deal with the situation as discreetly
as she could . . . using a bit of magic, she turned the persistent suitor into a badger and
caught him in a bag which she tied close and threw into the lake. Unfortunately, he
managed to escape and later returned to cause great havoc in Rhiannon's life.
The next day Rhiannon left with Pwyll and his men to go to Wales as his princess.
When they emerged from the forest and the trees closed behind them, Rhiannon took a
moment to glance lovingly behind her. She knew that the entrance to the fairy kingdom
was now closed and that she could never return to her childhood home. But she didn’t
pause for long and seemed to have no regret.
The goddess Rhiannon was welcomed by her husband’s people and admired for her
great beauty and her lovely singing. However, when two full years had passed without
her becoming pregnant with an heir to the throne, the question of her bloodline, her
“fitness” to be queen began to be raised.
Fortunately, in the next year she delivered a fine and healthy son. This baby, however,
was to become the source of great sorrow for Rhiannon and Pwyll.
As was the custom then, six women servants had been assigned to stay with Rhiannon
in her lying-in quarters to help her care for the infant. Although the servants were
supposed to work in shifts tending to the baby throughout the night so that the goddess
Rhiannon could sleep and regain her strength after having given birth, one evening
they all fell asleep on the job.
When they woke to find the cradle empty, they were fearful they would be punished
severely for their carelessness. They devised a plan to cast the blame on the goddess
Rhiannon, who was, after all, an outsider, not really one of their own people. Killing a
puppy, they smeared its blood on the sleeping Rhiannon and scattered its bones
around her bed. Sounding the alarm, they accused the goddess of eating her own
child.
Although Rhiannon swore her innocence, Pwyll, suffering from his own shock and grief
and faced with the anger of his advisers and the people, did not come strongly to her
defense, saying only that he would not divorce her and asking only that her life be
spared. Rhiannon’s punishment was announced.
For the next seven years the goddess Rhiannon was to sit by the castle gate, bent
under the heavy weight of a horse collar, greeting guests with the story of her crime
and offering to carry them on her back into the castle.
Rhiannon bore her humiliating punishment without complaint. Through the bitter cold of
winters and the dusty heat of four summers, she endured with quiet acceptance. Her
courage was such that few accepted her offer to transport them into the castle. Respect
for her began to spread throughout the country as travelers talked of the wretched
punishment and the dignity with which the goddess Rhiannon bore her suffering.
In the fall of the fourth year three strangers appeared at the gate—a well-dressed
nobleman, his wife, and a young boy. Rhiannon rose to greet them saying, “Lord, I am
here to carry each of you into the Prince’s court, for I have killed my only child and this
is my punishment.” The man, his wife, and the child dismounted. While the man lifted
the surprised Rhiannon onto his horse, the boy handed her a piece of an infant’s
gown. Rhiannon saw that it was cloth that had been woven by her own hands. The boy
then smiled at her, and she recognized that he had the eyes of his father, Pwyll.
Soon the story was told. Four years earlier, during a great storm, the nobleman had
been called to the field to help a mare in labor, when he heard the infant’s cries and
found him lying abandoned. He and his wife took the baby in, raising him as if he were
their own. When the rumors of the goddess Rhiannon’s fate had reached his ears, he
realized what had happened and set out at once to return the child to his parents. Most
legends suggest that the badger actually was the enraged suitor that Rhiannon had
rejected who had escaped and taken his revenge by kidnapping Rhiannon's infant son.
Pwyll and his people quickly recognized the boy for Pwyll and Rhiannon’s son. The
goddess Rhiannon was restored to her honor and her place beside her husband.
Although she had suffered immensely at their hands, Rhiannon, goddess of noble
traits, saw that they were ashamed and was filled with forgiveness and understanding.
In some versions of the legend, Rhiannon was the celtic goddess who later became
Vivienne, best known as the Lady of the Lake. She was the celtic goddess who gave
Arthur the sword Excalibur, empowering him to become King in the legends of Camelot.
The story of the celtic goddess Rhiannon reminds us of the healing power of humor,
tears, and forgiveness. The goddess Rhiannon is a goddess of movement and change
who remains steadfast, comforting us in times of crisis and of loss.
of Inspiration and the Moon
Rhiannon, the celtic goddess of the moon was a Welch goddess. The goddess
Rhiannon's name meant “Divine Queen” of the fairies. In her myths, Rhiannon was
promised in marriage to an older man she found repugnant. Defying her family’s wishes
that Rhiannon, like other celtic goddesses, declined to marry one of her "own kind".
Instead, the goddess Rhiannon chose the mortal Prince Pwyll (pronounced Poo-ul or
translated as Paul) as her future husband. Rhiannon appeared to Pwyll one afternoon
while he stood with his companions on a great grass-covered mound in the deep forest
surrounding his castle. These mounds, called Tors, were thought to be magical places,
perhaps covering the entrance to the otherworld beneath the earth. It was thought that
those who stood upon them would become enchanted, so most people avoided them.
So it is no surprise that the young prince was enchanted by the vision of the beautiful
young goddess Rhiannon, who was dressed in glittering gold as she galloped by on her
powerful white horse. Rhiannon rode by without sparing him even a glance. Pwyll was
intrigued and enraptured, and his companions were understandably concerned.
Ignoring the protest of his friends, Pwyll sent his servant off riding his swiftest horse to
catch her and asked her to return to meet the prince. But the servant soon returned
and reported that she rode so swiftly that it seemed her horse’s feet scarcely touched
the ground and that he could not even follow her to learn where she went.
The next day, ignoring his friends’ advice, Pwyll returned alone to the mound and, once
more, the celtic goddess appeared. Mounted on his horse, Pwyll pursued her but could
not overtake her. Although his horse ran even faster than Rhiannon's, the distance
between them always remained the same. Finally, after his horse began to tremble with
exhaustion, he stopped and called out for her to wait. And Rhiannon did.
When Pwyll drew close she teased him gently, telling him that it would have been much
kinder to his horse had he simply called out instead of chasing her. The goddess
Rhiannon then let him know that she had come to find him, seeking his love.
Pwyll welcomed this for the very sight of this beautiful Celtic goddess had tugged at his
heart, and he reached for her reins to guide her to his kingdom. But Rhiannon smiled
tenderly and shook her head, telling him that they must wait a year and that then she
would marry him. In the next moment, the goddess Rhiannon simply disappeared from
him into the deep forest.
Rhiannon returned one year later, dressed as before, to greet Pwyll on the Tor. He
was accompanied by a troop of his own men, as befitted a prince on his wedding day.
Speaking no words, Rhiannon turned her horse and gestured for the men to follow her
into the tangled woods. Although fearful, they complied. As they rode the trees
suddenly parted before them, clearing a path, then closing in behind them when they
passed.
Soon they entered a clearing and were joined by a flock of small songbirds that
swooped playfully in the air around Rhiannon’s head. At the sound of their beautiful
caroling all fear and worry suddenly left the men. Before long they arrived at her father’
s palace, a stunning site that was surrounded by a lake. The castle, unlike any they
had ever seen, was built not of wood or stone, but of silvery crystal. It spires soared into
the heavens.
After the wedding a great feast was held to celebrate the marriage of the goddess.
Rhiannon’s family and people were both welcoming and merry, but a quarrel broke out
at the festivities. It was said that the man she’d once been promised to marry was
making a scene, arguing that she should not be allowed to marry outside her own
people.
Rhiannon slipped away from her husband’s side to deal with the situation as discreetly
as she could . . . using a bit of magic, she turned the persistent suitor into a badger and
caught him in a bag which she tied close and threw into the lake. Unfortunately, he
managed to escape and later returned to cause great havoc in Rhiannon's life.
The next day Rhiannon left with Pwyll and his men to go to Wales as his princess.
When they emerged from the forest and the trees closed behind them, Rhiannon took a
moment to glance lovingly behind her. She knew that the entrance to the fairy kingdom
was now closed and that she could never return to her childhood home. But she didn’t
pause for long and seemed to have no regret.
The goddess Rhiannon was welcomed by her husband’s people and admired for her
great beauty and her lovely singing. However, when two full years had passed without
her becoming pregnant with an heir to the throne, the question of her bloodline, her
“fitness” to be queen began to be raised.
Fortunately, in the next year she delivered a fine and healthy son. This baby, however,
was to become the source of great sorrow for Rhiannon and Pwyll.
As was the custom then, six women servants had been assigned to stay with Rhiannon
in her lying-in quarters to help her care for the infant. Although the servants were
supposed to work in shifts tending to the baby throughout the night so that the goddess
Rhiannon could sleep and regain her strength after having given birth, one evening
they all fell asleep on the job.
When they woke to find the cradle empty, they were fearful they would be punished
severely for their carelessness. They devised a plan to cast the blame on the goddess
Rhiannon, who was, after all, an outsider, not really one of their own people. Killing a
puppy, they smeared its blood on the sleeping Rhiannon and scattered its bones
around her bed. Sounding the alarm, they accused the goddess of eating her own
child.
Although Rhiannon swore her innocence, Pwyll, suffering from his own shock and grief
and faced with the anger of his advisers and the people, did not come strongly to her
defense, saying only that he would not divorce her and asking only that her life be
spared. Rhiannon’s punishment was announced.
For the next seven years the goddess Rhiannon was to sit by the castle gate, bent
under the heavy weight of a horse collar, greeting guests with the story of her crime
and offering to carry them on her back into the castle.
Rhiannon bore her humiliating punishment without complaint. Through the bitter cold of
winters and the dusty heat of four summers, she endured with quiet acceptance. Her
courage was such that few accepted her offer to transport them into the castle. Respect
for her began to spread throughout the country as travelers talked of the wretched
punishment and the dignity with which the goddess Rhiannon bore her suffering.
In the fall of the fourth year three strangers appeared at the gate—a well-dressed
nobleman, his wife, and a young boy. Rhiannon rose to greet them saying, “Lord, I am
here to carry each of you into the Prince’s court, for I have killed my only child and this
is my punishment.” The man, his wife, and the child dismounted. While the man lifted
the surprised Rhiannon onto his horse, the boy handed her a piece of an infant’s
gown. Rhiannon saw that it was cloth that had been woven by her own hands. The boy
then smiled at her, and she recognized that he had the eyes of his father, Pwyll.
Soon the story was told. Four years earlier, during a great storm, the nobleman had
been called to the field to help a mare in labor, when he heard the infant’s cries and
found him lying abandoned. He and his wife took the baby in, raising him as if he were
their own. When the rumors of the goddess Rhiannon’s fate had reached his ears, he
realized what had happened and set out at once to return the child to his parents. Most
legends suggest that the badger actually was the enraged suitor that Rhiannon had
rejected who had escaped and taken his revenge by kidnapping Rhiannon's infant son.
Pwyll and his people quickly recognized the boy for Pwyll and Rhiannon’s son. The
goddess Rhiannon was restored to her honor and her place beside her husband.
Although she had suffered immensely at their hands, Rhiannon, goddess of noble
traits, saw that they were ashamed and was filled with forgiveness and understanding.
In some versions of the legend, Rhiannon was the celtic goddess who later became
Vivienne, best known as the Lady of the Lake. She was the celtic goddess who gave
Arthur the sword Excalibur, empowering him to become King in the legends of Camelot.
The story of the celtic goddess Rhiannon reminds us of the healing power of humor,
tears, and forgiveness. The goddess Rhiannon is a goddess of movement and change
who remains steadfast, comforting us in times of crisis and of loss.
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