Ceridwen or Cerridwen is a Welsh goddess (often considered a witch ) who possessed the cauldron of Inspiration and Wisdom. She was married to Tegid Foel and had three children, the maiden Creawy and two boys: Mofan and Morvran.
Cerridwen is one of the goddesses most often found in neo-pagan rites. Although in its myth the three female archeotypes (maiden, mother and witch) can be found, it is mainly related to that of the “witch”, which represents the waning moon within the lunar cycle. Among the elements commonly associated with their representations are the cauldron and a large white sow or javelin. The cauldron is a symbol of the feminine principle, like the chalice or the cave and is commonly associated with the uterus, as well as with processes of transformation and rebirth. The sow is a symbol of fertility and sensuality. She is considered a patron goddess of the cycles of life, death, and rebirth, as well as inspiration, creativity, and divination.
Legend
According to legend, Ceridwen was the mother of three children: Creawy, who was the most beautiful girl in the world; Morvan who was an ugly man, but strong and brave in battle and Afagduu who was so terribly ugly that he would never be accepted by society. Cerridwen decided to compensate for the ugliness of his son by making him the greatest of the Welsh bards, for which he would prepare a potion, of which only the first three drops would be magical, the rest being a lethal poison. The potion made with six magical herbs had to be cooked for a year and a day; To guard the potion, Ceridwen had two servants, the old blind Morda and the young Gwion (or Gwyon) whom he had warned not to touch a drop of the potion, lest they suffer a terrible death.
But one day when Gwion was stirring the potion, three drops of the burning liquid leaped onto his hand, instinctively, Gwion put his hand to his mouth, thus obtaining the gifts that were intended for Afagduu. Furious, Cerridwen pursued Gwion to kill him, but the young man, using his new magical powers, turned into a hare. Cerridwen then became a dog; Gwion then transformed into a fish and jumped into a river, Cerridwen became an otter and continued the chase; Gwion became a sparrow and Cerridwen an eagle. Finally, the young man was transformed into a grain of wheat and Cerridwen, in the form of a hen, ate it.
When Cerridwen returned to her human form, she realized that she was pregnant and that the child she carried in her womb was Gwion and resolved to kill him as soon as he was born. However, when the baby was born, he was so beautiful that Cerridwen did not dare to kill him, so he put the baby in a sealskin sack and threw him into the sea. However, the boy survived and was picked up on the coast by a prince named Elphin, who adopted the baby, calling him Taliesin. As time passed, Taliesin marched to King Arthur’s court, where he became the chief harpist and advisor to the king.
