The Goddesses of Imbolc: Arianrhod - Welsh Goddess of The Wheel, Cycles & Fate
Arianrhod (ah-ree-AHN-rhohd) is the Welsh goddess of fertility, rebirth, weaving, cosmic time and fate. Her name means 'the silver wheel' and she is the Mistress of the moon, the cosmos, cycles and the seasons; the Great Cosmic Mother of Destiny.
She is sometimes depicted in her Maiden form as a Welsh sorceress, who, surrounded by women attendants, lived on the isolated coastal island of Caer Arianrhod. The name "Caer Arianrhod" is also used in Welsh for the constellation Corona Borealis.
Beautiful and pale of complexion, Arianrhod was the most powerful of the mythic children of the mother Goddess Dôn. She took sexual partners of her choosing and had a particular fancy for Mermen.
Arianrhod is a Triple Goddess and is associated with birth and reincarnation. The true ‘Castle of Arianrhod’ is ‘Caer Sidi’, the Otherworld - a castle in the stars, believed to be the resting place of souls in between incarnations.
She was associated with spinning and weaving, and like our previous Goddess of Imbolc, Frigg, she was believed to spin or weave time and destiny. Arianrhod is also allied to Ariadne, weaver of the cosmic web in Greek mythology. The symbology of wheels, weaving and webs are all bound up with the idea of destiny.
Also like our previous Imbolc Goddesses, she is connected with fertility, creative inspiration and transformation, and like Brigid was also a Patron Goddess of Poets or Bards. Indeed the famous Welsh Bard, Taliesin claimed “I have been three times in Caer Arianrhod”. Her castle was believed to hold ‘the Seat of Awen’ (a Welsh word for flowing or divine inspiration). Where Brigid is a Goddess of transformation through being forged or alchemised in the fire, Arianrhod is a fierce Goddess of initiation through challenge.
HER MYTH:
The story of Arianrhod is found in the fourth branch of the Mabinogion and her legend goes as follows:
Maiden and beautiful ‘Virgin Goddess’ Arianrhod dwelt in the tower of her castle, Caer Arianrhod in the stars. Her tower turns, symbolising the changing cycles of nature and of life, death and rebirth.
She has two brothers, Gifaethwy and the poet-wizard, Gwydion, son of Dôn and heir to his uncle, Math. Gifaethwy is obsessed with Math’s ‘virgin foothold’ wife, Goewin. The brothers scheme to take-over Math’s kingdom and Gifaethwy rapes Goewin, his uncle’s new wife and so removing her from his ‘foothold’.
Math punishes the two brothers by having them shape-shift into pairs of various creatures over several years. Once he returns them to men, he demands they find a replacement for ‘his virgin foothold’.
Gwydion goes to fetch Arianrhod from her castle to become Math’s new wife and to re-ensure his sovereignty of the land. Before Math will marry her though he asks her if she is a ‘virgin’ and Arianrhod responds ambiguously ‘I do not know but that I am’.
Math decides to subject Arianrhod to a test of virginity, having her jump over his magic wand to prove her virginity. The wand causes the seed of her lover, which is in her womb, to ripen, grow and give forth in an instant, giving birth to Dylan Ail Ton, whose name means “Sea, son of Wave”. Dylan makes straight for the sea where he becomes a sea-god.
As Arianrhod apparently flees the castle, she drops another small something from her womb that her brother, Gwydion, snatches up and hides where he incubates it into a boy who grows at twice the normal rate. Gwion raises the boy at court whilst Arianrhod returns supposedly “in shame” to her castle.
Gwydion eventually brings the boy to Arianrhod for naming and it’s claimed that taking vengeance for being tested she issues three “curses” - firstly that she won’t name the boy, secondly that she won’t allow him to bear arms and thirdly a curse that he can never marry a human woman.
She is apparently then ‘foiled’ at every turn by a smarter Gwydion and her son and that through Gwydion’s clever tricks she ends up inadvertently naming her son (Llew Llaw Gyffes, ‘the great archer’) and later ‘accidentally’ arming the boy who has been disguised by Gwydion on both counts. Gwydion then cunningly also gets round the curse of the no human wife by creating a woman, Bloedewudd, from flowers for Llew to marry.
The patriarchal re-tellings of the story generally have it that Arianrhod stays retreated in her castle til the end of her days, sulking at being foiled by all the male figures in her life.
The Shift from Matriarchal Culture:
Arianrhod’s story reflects all three aspects of the Goddess: Maiden, Mother and Crone, but she has been much maligned and misunderstood in these roles. “By the time her tale was written down by the Welsh monks, they had spotted Her pagan power and decided to deliberately slander Her name.” (1)
She was known as the ‘Virgin Goddess’ but in the original meaning of virgin: ‘a woman whose status was in her own right, one not subject to any man’ (celibacy was irrelevant, a matter of her personal choice). It should be noted that by the time the Mabinogian was committed to paper, ‘virgin’ meant ‘virgo intacta’ - the disposable property of her father. So Math’s question to her is in the new sense, meaning ‘Are you virgo intacta?’, a suitable hostage to my survival’ and her response is in the original sense, essentially saying ‘I am my own woman, read it how you like’ (2).
“The Goddess as Maiden is not a figure of sexual innocence, rather she is a woman who does not belong to a man, and is free to exercise power over her sexual choices. The term ‘virgin’ therefore means self-ownership rather than physical purity. Seen in this light , the virginity of the Goddess, which is also self-renewing, cannot be lost. Arianrhod knows this and stands on this truth. Yet she has to bear the humiliation and punishment of patriarchal condemnation based on lack of understanding. It is this conflict over her virginity, together with the struggles she experiences with her brother Gwdion, that suggests her story may chart the transition from Matriarchal to Patriarchal power.” (Claire Hamilton - Maiden, Mother, Crone: Voices of the Goddess)
With regard to the ‘Virgin Foothold’ of their Uncle 'Math’ - this strange condition that Math could ‘only rule with his feet in the lap of a virgin’ - has ancient roots in the recognition of the female principal of sovereignty; the woman was the throne, the only base of operations which validated the King’s authority.
The rearing of Lleu and Dylan (and come to that of Arianrhod’s brothers, Gwydion and Gilvaethwy) at Math’s court rather than the mother’s, and the shadowiness of Arianrhod’s partner, were both in keeping with the old matrilineal tradition, where the maternal uncle was much more important to a child than the father. Arianrhod’s insistence on her right to name the boy is a reaffirmation of the matrilinear principle and her own independent motherhood. (3)
And as for the weapons, ‘Arianrhod’s giving of arms to her son is common Celtic form; that women had this prerogative is mentioned by Tacitus in his work on [Celtic] Germany.’ (4) When this prerogative was the accepted standard (and indeed when Celtic youths were trained in the use of arms by warrior witches, as Cuchulainn by Scathach) the youths would have had to prove themselves worthy of such initiation, but in the Mabinogion this proper requirement has degenerated into mere vindictiveness on Ariarnrhod’s part.(5)
It is in her role as Crone that Arianrhod has been particularly maligned and misinterpreted. Seen in the context of the role of the Crone, Arianrhod is not a cold-hearted Goddess who curses her son, rather her curses are challenges - aspects of the Dark Goddess that are vital to the journey her son must make into sacrificial kingship. The three injunctions she lays on him have been carelessly translated as ‘curses’, more in keeping with a depiction of her as more cunning ‘sorceress’ than powerful Mother Goddess, but are defined in the original text as ‘fates’ or ‘destinies’, which allows for a very different understanding of her power (6). That context also makes sense given she was originally revered as the Goddess who weaves Destiny.
So a very different, and more positive Ariarnrhod emerges from careful examination of the Mabingian story. When seen in her true light, Arianrhod emerges as an important and powerful Goddess who guards the Poetic Seat of Awen (meaning divine or flowing inspiration) and holds the key to creative inspiration and initiation.
WORKING WITH HER:
Take Charge of Your Destiny
The guidance and forward-focused energy of the Arianrhod card in the Goddess Spirit Oracle is perfect for tapping into her power of helping us to take charge of our own destiny:
Arianrhod:
Waxing Crescent Moon
Intention Setting & Destiny
Time & Fate are interwoven by the free-spirited Goddess, Arianrhod. Her name means ‘silver wheel’. She is the Weaver, in charge of destiny.
Take charge of your destiny. Look at what you have already woven. What threads are active? Which ones no longer serve you? Now is a great time to note plans and ideas that come your way. Instead of reacting to life and staying in the vibration of circumstances, manifest your desires with awareness. Focus attention to grow intention.
Affirmation: “I am a powerful weaver of magic and destiny”.
Adaptability to Cycles
Arianrhod was seen to preside over the revolving year and evolution of the four seasons of life and nature. A fertility Goddess and provident provider, Arianrhod can support us to plant the seeds of our intentions, to work with and adapt to the natural rhythms and cycles of nature. She helps us to support the growth of those seeds, balancing patience and dedication with focused time, intention and energy and then harvesting the rewards of our efforts.
Sometimes we are attuned and in sync with the seasons of nature - our energy and output aligned with the natural rhythms of the seasons. At other times, we may go through a personal cycle within our lives such as an extended ‘winter period’ where there is no apparent outer growth or manifestations regardless of what’s going on seasonally.
Often these times can yield huge inner growth and transformation, though there is often immense resistance and challenge in surrendering to these personal winters in a solar-focused society that expects and demands nearly constant productivity. Arianrhod can help us to adapt to the inner seasons and cycles within our own life journey with more ease, to both put in and get out exactly what we need out of each season of our life.
She is a Triple Goddess - a Goddess whose realms and power encompass the freedom, independence and creative fertility of the Maiden, the fullness and birthing potential of the Mother and the initiatrix power of the Crone. With her connection to cycles, she can help us to transition in and through the feminine cycles of Maidenhood to Motherhood (which doesn’t have to necessitate becoming a Mother of human children - this can be stepping into more authority and sovereignty in your life and sacrificing your time and energy to bring other births such as ‘creative babies’ or a business to life and shepherding its growth) and Motherhood to Cronehood.
Tap Into Divine Timing
Arianrhod is an excellent Goddess to work with at Imbolc - a potent energetic portal in the Wheel of the Year to seed your new intentions for the solar half of the year ahead. She can help us to come into alignment with divine timing and to champion patience, dedication and quiet anticipation - all ideal Imbolc energies - ready for working our potential.
If you worry there is not enough time or you’re running out of time to achieve your dreams or wishes or if you feel too late, too old, too stressed, too overwhelmed this is all fuelled by fear which has a strange and unusual power to contract time.
‘To come into alignment breathe deeply and trust the process. Know that even if you are temporarily struggling, you will always have enough time to choose how you experience your reality. Consider that everything you intend and desire all has its own relationship to time, and all will come to you in the perfect form and in the perfect moment. Right now, you have all the time in the world to reach the fullest potential of your intentions and desires. Arianrhod is your champion, and your timing is perfect.’
(from the Arianrhod card, Goddess Power Oracle, by Colette Baron Reid,)
Arianrhod & the Wheel of Fortune
Arianrhod in her capacity as Mistress of the Wheel of birth, death and rebirth brings to mind the Wheel of Fortune, the Major Arcana card in Tarot with its energy of life cycles, change, new beginnings and the ebb and flow of life.
More specifically, the Womb of Potential card (representing the Wheel of Fortune) in the Triple Goddess Tarot by Isha Lerner shares many of Arianrhod’s themes and feels fitting as Arianrhod’s guidance:
The Womb of Potential
“The Wheel of Fortune represents motion and change. Ruled by the planet Jupiter, this card points towards possible developments and changes in one’s future. Life is a process of constant transformation and movement involving generation, degeneration, integration and disintegration. Having recently experienced a death and rebirth cycle, the individual is now ready to embrace an expanded understanding of the universe. Prior to greeting the Wheel of Fortune, the Hermit, or Crone, had set off to encounter the depths of the inner world as a means of reconciling life’s unresolved or unconscious dilemmas. The new visions and insights retrieved by the Crone are now available to be actualised. New inspirations, hopes and ideals are eager to take shape and be expressed in the world.
[...]When you encounter the archetypal imagery of the Womb of Potential, you are asked to open your heart and soul to the many opportunities that surround you each day. This is not a time to become dogmatic or overbearing with your opinions. The wheel of fate is shifting and new values, concepts, and ideas are forming within.
There are many positive, life-affirming ways to work with the energetic force of the Womb of Potential. You may wish to take a class, rearrange your daily schedule, or branch out and do things you have been thinking about but have not taken the time for. It is not to your advantage to remain stuck in the same routines, fearing the significant changes looming on your horizon. Meet this wonderful opportunity with an open mind. The womb of potential is preparing you for a birth of new consciousness.”
RITUALS TO CONNECT WITH ARIANRHOD:
Carve out some sacred time, light a candle and do an intention-setting ritual - write the intentions you have for the remainder of the year down (remember to open your heart and soul to new potential and opportunities!) and either bury them or put them on an altar or in a magickal pouch.
Do a journaling process with Arianrhod: ask yourself which threads from the past you need to cut and which threads you want to weave? What wisdom did you alchemise over the Crone seasons of Samhain and Yule that you can now bring forward into Spring?
Get an Ideas Notebook and start noting down any plans and ideas that come your way. Focusing your attention and awareness on your desires and ideas grows intention. From there carve out time-specific goals to help you take action on those intentions.
Try manifesting techniques such as scripting where you write down a list of your manifestations in sentences as if you already have them, for example: “I’m so grateful I have the house of my dreams”. Read this for 30 nights right before bed and 30 mornings as you first wake up.
Like Goddess Frigg, weaving and sewing activities can also connect you with Arianrhod in her role as Weaver of Destiny.
REFERENCES:
1) From Claire Hamilton ‘Arianrhod - bad mother or mythic Goddess’ essay also via https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/tag/welsh/
2 & 3) The Witches Goddess (book by Janet & Stewart Farrar)
4) From Graves, the White Goddess p.318 cited in ‘The Witches Goddess’
5) The Witches Goddess
6) Maiden Mother Crone: Voices of the Goddess (book by Claire Hamilton)
Goddess Spirit Oracle Deck - Rachel Johnson
Goddess Power Oracle - Colette Baron-Reid