Blodeuwedd

Arianrhod, the mother of Lleu Llaw Gyffes, placed him under various taboos including one preventing his marriage. His uncle, Gwydion, got around that injunction by creating Blodeuwedd, a magical woman formed from broom, oak, and meadowsweet flowers. Just how magical she is (or how gifted a magician is Gwydion) is indicated by this selection of flowers: each blooms at a different time of year in a different location.

Blodeuwedd is extremely beautiful. Although created specifically to be Lleu’s wife, the magician is unable to program her behavior or feelings. She took a lover, with whom she plotted Lleu’s death. Delilah-like, she inveigled Lleu into revealing how he can be killed. (He’s almost immortal.) The plot fails; Gwydion kills Blodeuwedd’s lover, but Blodeuwedd cannot be killed as she is not really “alive” in the same sense as a mortal. (Or because a Welsh goddess lurks beneath this tale.) Blodeuwedd was always an Otherworld being, and so she was transformed into an owl for eternity.

This myth was committed to paper by Christian commentators based on earlier oral traditions. Blodeuwedd is very much cast as Delilah. It has been interpreted that because she is not truly human, she lacks moral sense as well as a soul, hence her faithlessness. The myth never expresses why she seeks to kill her husband, whether she has any motivation beyond being cold and immoral. Blodeuwedd may be understood as following in Arianrhod’s footsteps. Lleu is a new solar, patriarchal-oriented deity. Arianrhod and Blodeuwedd may represent earlier spiritual traditions threatened by Lleu and seeking to halt his progress in their territory. Adding to the argument that Blodeuwedd is not merely a magician’s invention is her resemblance to the Irish spirit Blathnat.

By transforming Blodeuwedd into an owl, a nocturnal bird, she has been banished from the presence of the solar spirit, Lleu, but can keep company with his mother, the Moon Lady, Arianrhod. Blodeuwedd is a spirit of love and beauty. Invoke her to enable you to choose your own lovers, not to be forced into marriage or other relationships.

Petition and perform rituals for Blodeuwedd exclusively at night; she may be inaccessible during the day.

ORIGIN:

Wales

FLOWERS:

Oak, meadowsweet, broom: the flowers from which she was created

BIRD:

Owl

SEE ALSO:

• Arianrhod
• Blathnat
• Lleu Llaw Gyffes

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses– Written by :Judika Illes Copyright © 2009 by Judika Illes.