Cultural Mythology: Myth, culture, and consciousness

Where the wind blows

As always I begin with the caveat that a good story can be read from many different directions. I titled my telling "The Cauldron of Inspiration and the Birth of Taliesin" instead of "Cerridwen and Taliesin" because I feel that she is in service to the real magic in the story--- the muse.

The uncanny witch is an instigator. She gets things going in ways that we can't predict or control. In the form of Cerridwen she seeds the imagination by opening a creative doorway that Gwion, who literally becomes a seed and then seeds her, steps through. I love that Cerridwen lives on an island in the middle of a large lake (Lake Bala is four miles long and one mile wide and sacred in the Welsh tradition). As a reflective body, a lake suggests the play between the surface and the depths and often symbolizes a portal into the unconscious.

Cerridwen brews the potion, but does she get what she wants? The fire flares and the cauldron sputters and suddenly the gifts that she intended for her son Morvran are given instead to Gwion, who is reborn as the great bard Taliesin. In the end she is mother to a wise poet, despite her hostility to Gwion. Something works out perfectly and a marvelous boon is given to the world, but not in the form that Cerridwen intended. She can conjure and bring forth but she cannot control who will be gifted. Such is the muse. Which leads me to Taliesin's riddle and its possible significance. Apparently no one in the court had sufficient knowledge of the wind to come up with that answer, and here the story repeats that central message about the unpredictable power of creative inspiration.

What is the wind? From the Greek pneuma, Hebrew ruach, and Arabic ruh, this wind is the divine breath of creation, the Holy Spirit, the disperser of seeds. It is that unpredictable factor that moves or compels us to change course, perhaps pushing us in the direction of our destiny. It is another metaphor for the inspiration that takes form as the bard Taliesin.

This is a beautifully layered story of echoing themes. I'll end with one more to ponder: the shapeshifting during Cerridwen's pursuit of Gwion. Shapeshifting reveals the protean nature of the material world. One thing can become another because everything is One thing. And what wisdom did the potion impart, to fuel the creativity of the poet? The ability to know past, present, and future and to apprehend the underlying unity of all things. So is this "just" an old fairy tale with a fun bit of magic or a Celtic commentary on the Tao?

 

The cauldron of inspiration and the birth of Taliesin (part 2 of 2)

At last the year and a day was up. The last herb had been duly added. The pot had simmered, the contents stirred, and Cerridwen, with great anticipation, brought the son Morvran into the room to receive her blessing and the three potent drops of the potion. Gwion stood by the pot with his long spoon in his hand. “Come,” she said to her young servant,” and bring forth what I have created for my son.” Gwion moved to serve Morvran his portion when the fire leapt and the great pot sputtered and several drops flew out and landed on Gwion’s tender fingers.

Without a thought he thrust the burning fingers into his mouth and instantly he knew all that was true, and he knew that he had stolen Morvran’s birthright and that Cerridwen would kill him.

Young Gwion ran for the door. Cerridwen dropped her son and followed him, arms outstretched. “Come back here,” she cried, “there is no escape from what comes next!” But Gwion understood the full extent of his powers and turned himself into a hare. In rabbit form he raced across the fields fifty times faster than any boy could run. But Cerridwen turned herself into a greyhound and swiftly followed, snapping at his heels.

When he reached the river Gwion jumped in and turned himself into a fish. Down, down, down into the cold depths he dove. His silver fins flashed. But Cerridwen turned herself into an otter, sleek and greedy, and dove after him.

Feeling her whiskers brush his tail, Gwion burst from the water into the sunlight, turned himself into a bird, and flew away. But Cerridwen turned herself into a hawk and followed close behind. In the final moments, before she could plunge down to grip him in her sharp talons, Gwion spied a farmyard and barn down below. He ceased his flapping and as he fell to the earth, changed himself into a grain of wheat on the threshing floor.

Cerridwen followed him down to the farmyard. “Oh you are clever my dear Gwion,” she said, “But not clever enough.” She turned herself into a black hen and began scratching the ground and sorting the many seeds. Until finally she found Gwion and ate him.

Full of frustration at her wasted efforts, Cerridwen went home to the island in the middle of lake Bala. Days passed. To her horror she discovered that she was pregnant and knew it was that little grain of wheat. She decided to kill the child as soon as it was born. But the baby boy was so beautiful that she could not raise her hand against him.

Two days before May Day she sewed him into a leather bag and threw him into the sea.The baby drifted into Cardigan Bay and was found by Prince Elphin, who had come there to net fish. Because the boy was so beautiful, Prince Elphin named him Taliesin, which means “shining brow,” and took the child home and brought him up as his own.

All was well for several years, until royal enemies imprisoned Prince Elphin. The child Taliesin went to the court to demand his release. Everyone laughed although many were impressed by his boldness. “My lord,“ the boy said to the king, “If this be your court, and you are a true king, make me a wager for the life of my guardian. I will pose a riddle to you and your court. If any one can answer it I will go quietly home, but if I confound you all, then Elphin goes free.”

“I see no harm in that,” answered the king, quite certain that no child could perplex him and all the wise men in his court. “Proceed with your riddle.”

“Discover what it is,” said the boy, “The strong creature that can wreak havoc, from before the Flood, Without flesh, without bone, without vein, without blood, without head, without feet… in field and in forest roams… without hand, without foot. It is also as wide as the surface of the earth, and it was not born, nor was it seen.”

The great men of the court pondered and even the poets, the bards of the courts were called. But none knew the answer. So the prince was freed and thus began the fame of Taliesin, the greatest bard to ever live. It is said that he even sang for King Arthur. And the answer to his riddle: the wind.

(Running hare illustration by Tracey Long. Black hen illustration by Anne-Marie Perks)

The cauldron of inspiration and the birth of Taliesin (part 1 of 2)

The days are getting short and winter is approaching. The ancient Celts called this period between Halloween (All Saint's Day/Samhain) and the winter solstice (Dec. 22nd) the season of sleep. Winter nights are also the traditional time for storytelling. The story that I'm about to tell is drawn from Celtic mythology. It is part of the Welsh Mabinogion, a collection of eleven medieval tales, and the Book of Taliesin. Texts date from 14th to 16th century but the original language suggest that these tales may have been told as early as the 6th century. 

I read it as a story about the muse, but something else may speak to you.

The Cauldron of Inspiration and the Birth of Taliesin

Long ago, when the world was a bit younger than it is today, there was no veil separating the realm of the seen from the realm of the unseen. What we call elves and fairies and spirits moved freely among human beings. But that time is past. Humans needed to grasp at what is “real” in their eyes, at what is felt in their hands, and so the curtain was hung. But it is still “just” a curtain and there are times and places where the fabric is thin. Very thin.

In the early days of the two worlds there was a woman named Cerridwen who moved between the realms. Some say she was a moon goddess or the Great Mother of the grains, others call her a sorceress, but I won’t pretend to know such things. It is said that she was quite beautiful, with flowing dark hair and skin like milk, and she surely possessed great magic, as our story will reveal.

Cerridwen lived with her husband and three children on an island in Bala Lake, in the hard rock country of northern Gwynedd. Her oldest son, Afagddu was well blessed. Her only daughter Creirwy, was the fairest maiden for miles around with a voice like silver bells. But her middle child, the boy called Morvran, was ugly and ill formed. This caused his mother great concern. It is hard to get along well in the world without some measure of beauty and grace. Cerridwen decided to concoct a potion that would instill wisdom in her son Morvran, and a poetic tongue, so that he too would prosper. His face cannot be beautiful, she thought, but his voice, his words, and his thoughts-- these will be.

She built a fire and took out her great cauldron, called Awen, and filled it with water and honey, acorns, barley, and other grains. Her magic would take one year and a day to complete and the fire must be kept and the pot must be stirred this whole time lest the contents burn and stick. Cerridwen called upon her ancient manservant Morda. “You sir,” she said, “must tend this fire day and night and make sure that it does not go out.” Morda was half-blind and could manage no more than this, so she also called the young Gwion, a servant boy, and gave him the important task of stirring the pot. “This is your job for one year and one day,” she told the lad, “See that you perform it faithfully--- or suffer the consequences.”

The desired potion was powerful indeed and tricky to bring to completion. Every day Cerridwen went into the woods and fields to find the herbs and other ingredients necessary to make her son wise. These she chopped and ground and handled carefully, and added to her great cauldron when the astrological signs were right, often under the light of the full moon, or perhaps in the deep darkness of the new. She said the right prayers and sang the right songs and brought all of her powers to the task, even in silence. Although a great pot sat simmering on the fire, all that could be consumed were the first three drops. Whoever partook of the first three drops would instantly know past, present, and future, and perceive the underlying unity of all things. But the rest was poison.

Slowly, slowly, day by day, and night by night, the vital strength of Cerridwen’s potion took shape and grew. And always Morda tended the fire and Gwion stirred the pot.

 

Touching the monster

"Ask a toad what beauty is." Voltaire

The story of Gawain and Lady Ragnell turns on the knight's willingness to wed a hideous hag and the subsequent revelation of the lady's beauty. Her transformation is complete when he offers Ragnell what women desire most, sovereignity, or the right to live by her own will and rules. In the time of actual kings, this tale was often read as a story of king-making, and the lady was understood to symbolize the land. In times past and present, the story also brings the burden of patriarchy into focus, as a function of both outer and inner relationships between masculine and feminine principles and men and women.

When I contemplate the age of this story, which appears in other well known forms like "The Tale of the Wife of Bath" in Canterbury Tales, I have to wonder if we will ever live in a world without gender inequality. This cause is one reason to continue to tell the story. But we can broaden our view of the hag as any rejected Other that we perceive to be ugly, and find a path through many forms of injustice to healing. Healing for the world and for our selves.

This takes courage and an eye for beauty hidden in the depths. Like Gawain, we have to touch the monster, which transforms our expectations of what it is possible for us to do. In her lovely reading of the story, Trebbe Johnson suggests that deepening soul or Self involves a search for beauty. We can reveal the beauty beneath what is ugly, she says, by showing compassion, acknowledging the sovereignity of the Other, confronting the unbeautiful, and loving actively. In this way we can turn suffering into beauty. She writes,

"Daring to touch the unbeautiful, we realize that not only are we not dragged down into something loathsome, but that just the reverse occurs. We feel empowered, joyous, connected with the other. To give beauty-- to our own misshapen selves, to another person, to a group of people, even to a damaged place on the earth--is to move past the fear or repugnance that keep us separate from life itself. To restore beauty is to marry the world, outside us and within." Trebbe Johnson, "Beauty Redeemed."

You can download the whole article, which first appeared in Parabola magazine, at Radical Joy for Hard Times. I highly recommend it. And may you gaze into the eyes of your monster and give her your sweet kiss of love.

The stag and the hag

My apologies for leaving you hanging on the final words of the story of Sir Gawain and Lady Ragnell this past couple of weeks. Like King Arthur, I've recently found myself on the edge of the oak wood, confronted by the riddle of my deepest desire. What can we glean from this story about this important question and the process of finding our answer?

"What do women want above all else?" can be understood as "What does my inner feminine want above all else?" or "What does my soul want?" As subjects of the patriarchy each of us is likely dominated to some degree by our "king," a masculine energy that does not understand the feminine. If we read the story as a dialogue between different aspects of one's psyche, the king, the vengeful Gromer, Gawain the loyal and courteuous knight, and the Lady Ragnell are all players in a process of Self discovery. This story, like Psyche and Eros and Valemon the White Bear King, deals with the relationship between male and female in the outer world and with the hieros gamos, the internal union of opposites or archetypal marriage of feminine and masculine in the psyche.

We are invited to entertain this idea at the beginning of the tale, when King Arthur sees and follows a white stag. White animals suggest the supernatural. They are a bridge between the earthly and spiritual realms. The king is out alone "hunting," looking for the Other, that is knowledge of the Self. The hunt and the stag remind me of Actaeon and his fateful meeting with the goddess Artemis, who turned the young hunter into a stag. In stag form, Actaeon was torn apart and killed by his own hunting dogs. He found and became his Self; the separation that we commonly perceive was dissolved. (See the story of Actaeon and Artemis for more on this interpretation).

King Arthur follows the white stag to the edge of the oak wood. Oak trees and acorns are associated with potential and the eternal, and with the cycle of birth and death. They are huge trees with deep roots and can live a thousand years, conjuring up the image of the axis mundi, the world tree at the center of the earth. So Arthur is on the edge of the ancient and eternal deep mystery, in proximity to the source. There the vengeful Sir Gromer emerges from the wood and compels him with the threat of death to find the right answer to a question the king believes cannot be answered: "What do women want above all else?"

Do you know what your soul desires above all else? What will compel you to find your answer to the riddle of desire, and who holds that answer? Later in the story, Lady Ragnell, in the form of a loathesome hag, emerges from the oak woods with the answer the king needs.This reminds me of Percival, who is urged back on to his grail quest by the harsh criticism of another loathly lady.

Arthur wants to reject Lady Ragnell because she is ugly and bristles when she demands the sacrifice of what he loves most, his nephew Gawain. Gawain is the finest knight, brave and loyal and courteous, so he makes the bargain willingly. In my reading of this story, Gawain is the inner masculine champion, who is finer than the king. Arthur takes what we would call the ego position with all of its cultural conditioning.

The answer comes from what is rejected and ugly. The end result is redemption and exaltation for both the feminine and masculine. How is this accomplished? Stay tuned for more on Gawain and Ragnell.(The tree image is a fantastic quilt by DJ Berger.)

The end of the story of The Marriage of Sir Gawain and Lady Ragnell

The news spread quickly through the castle that a bizarre wedding was to take place between an ugly hag and the magnificent Gawain. No one could imagine what had persuaded Gawain to marry this creature. Some thought she must possess great lands and estates. Others thought she must have some secret magic. Most were just stunned at the fate of poor Gawain.

King Arthur drew his nephew aside.  “A postponement might be in order,” he said. “I gave her my promise, Uncle.  Would you have me break my word?” Gawain replied. Lady Ragnell wanted a big wedding and a fine wedding feast. So the wedding took place in the abbey and the feast was held before the entire court. Ragnell gobbled her food and guzzled her wine. Others were revolted but Gawain remained pleasant and courteous and paid kind attention to his bride.

At last the wedding couple retired to their chamber. The young knight was a bit pale and his hands shook just a little. “You have kept our promise well and faithfully,” Lady Ragnell observed. “Come kiss me now that we are wedded.” Gulp. Gawain went to her at once, his stomach churning, and looked into her eyes. He glimpsed sadness in their depths that stirred his compassion and gave her a tender kiss. “My husband,” the lady murmured in a soft voice that he did not recognize.

Suddenly Gawain realized that the woman in his embrace was not as wide as she was tall. He opened his eyes and took a step back. There was a beautiful woman with a smiling face. “Who are you?” he said in amazement, “And where is Lady Ragnell?” “I am she,” said the beautiful lady. My stepbrother Gromer hated me because I would not bend to his will. He obtained knowledge of sorcery and used it to change me into a monstrous hag until the finest knight in Britain willingly chose me as his bride.”

With great admiration Gawain said, “Then you have won and his evil spell is broken!” “Only in part, my dear Gawain” Ragnell replied. “I can only be beautiful half of the time. You have a choice of which way I will be.  Would you have me beautiful at night in our chamber and ugly in front of the court during the day?  Or would you have me grotesque in our chamber at night and my own shape by day in the castle?  Fair by night, or fair by day- think carefully before you choose.”

Gawain thought for a moment. Then he knelt before his bride and said, “It is a choice I cannot make. It concerns you my dear lady, and whatever you choose, I will willingly abide by it.” Ragnell released a long, deep breath. “You have answered well, dearest Gawain. Your answer has broken Gromer’s evil spell completely. You have given me what women desire above all else, the right to exercise my own free will.”

And so in wonder and joy began the marriage of Sir Gawain and the Lady Ragnell.

 

 

The Marriage of Sir Gawain and Lady Ragnell continued

When Arthur returned to the castle, he found himself telling his nephew about his adventure and the loathsome Lady Ragnell. He couldn’t bring himself to mention her proposal however. “I’m sure that she knows the answer,” Arthur concluded, “but I didn’t intend to tell you any of this.” Gawain was confused. “This sounds like good news, Uncle. Why do you sound so discouraged?”

With his eyes averted, the king reported Ragnell’s demand, along with a detailed description of her grotesque face, warty skin, and bulging size. “How fortunate that I can save your life!” Gawain immediately replied. "No," said Arthur, "this is too much. Did I mention her yellow teeth? Did I tell you that she is almost as wide as she is tall?" Over his uncle’s protests Gawain stated, “It is my decision. I will return with you tomorrow and agree to the marriage, on the condition that her answer saves your life.”

Early the next morning Gawain rode out with Arthur to meet the Lady Ragnell. She was truly loathsome, but Gawain did not betray his disgust. He bowed to her courteously and said, “If tomorrow your answer saves the king’s life, we shall be wed.” Ragnell beckoned to Arthur and whispered the answer into his ear.

The fateful day arrived. Gawain rode with Arthur to the edge of the oak wood and the king assured him that he would try all of the other answers first. Then he rode on alone to his meeting with Sir Gromer.     The tall powerful chieftain was waiting for Arthur, his broadsword gleaming in the sun. Arthur got out the two big books and read out one answer after another. “What a woman desires above all else is admiration,” he said. “No” said Gromer. “What a woman desires above all else is fine clothes and jewelry.” “No,” said Gromer. “A big, beautiful house with maid servants.” “No.” “A lusty man.” “No.” “A lusty man on a Hawaiian vacation.” “No.” Arthur read through his list and Gromer shouted “No! No! No!” until at last he raised his sword high above his head. “Wait!” the king cried. “I have one more answer. What a woman desires above all else is sovereignty, the right to exercise her own free will.”

With a loud curse Gromer dropped his sword to his side. “You didn’t find that answer on your own! My cursed stepsister Ragnell gave it to you! I must let you go unharmed, but I’ll run her through with my sword!”  He turned and plunged back into the forest, shouting.

Arthur returned to where Gawain waited with the Lady Ragnell. All three rode back to the castle in silence. Only Lady Ragnell seemed in good spirits.

The Marriage of Sir Gawain and Lady Ragnell

One day, King Arthur was out hunting. He followed a great white stag to the edge of the oak woods, where a powerful chieftain, swinging his great broad sword, suddenly confronted him. “Greetings King Arthur,” he said, “I am Sir Gromer and you have taken some of my northern lands. Tell me, is there any reason why I should not cut you down on this spot?”  “I am unarmed,” said Arthur, “You would not kill a man without a fair fight.”

“True enough,” Gromer replied. “I will show you mercy today. But you owe me your life so you must meet my challenge. In exactly one year, you must return to this spot unarmed, with the correct answer to the question I pose. If you do not have the right answer, I will kill you.” “What is the question?” Arthur asked. “Only this,” replied Gromer, “What do women desire above all else?”

“You must be joking,” said Arthur, “No one can answer that question.” He was certain that this was a trick. But Gromer would not be shaken. Arthur rode home to his castle, very discouraged.

Back at the castle Arthur told the entire story to his nephew Sir Gawain, who was known as the wisest, bravest, most handsome, and most courteous of all the Knights of the Round Table. “I’m doomed,” Arthur told him. But the young Gawain was hopeful. “We have an entire year to question everyone in the kingdom,” he said, “Surely we will find someone who knows the answer to this riddle.”

Arthur and Gawain rode around the countryside and asked every man and woman for their answer to this question. They collected many answers and wrote them down in two big books. But the year was almost over and the pages were full and not one of the answers had the ring of truth. King Arthur was close to despair.

One morning, he rode out alone through the meadows and purple heather, deep in thought about his predicament.  At the edge of the oak woods, a large, grotesque woman suddenly confronted him. Her skin was red and coarse and her hair was lank. Her long yellow teeth overhung her flabby lips. She was covered with warts and almost as wide as she was tall.This hideous woman took a fearless step toward him and declared, “You are King Arthur and in two days you must meet Sir Gromer with an answer to a question.” “Yes,” Arthur replied hesitantly, “But how do you know about this?”

“I am Lady Ragnell and Sir Gromer is my stepbrother. You don’t have the right answer, do you?”

“I have many answers, and I don’t see how it concerns you,” Arthur retorted, gathering his reins to turn and ride home.

“You do not have the right answer,” said Ragnell in a tone that made him pause. “I have the answer.”

Arthur turned and leaped off his horse. “Tell me the answer and I will give you a large bag of gold!” “I have no use for gold,” she calmly replied. “Nonsense, woman, you can buy anything you want with it! Or maybe you want land or a fine castle. Whatever you want, I will pay you—that is, it you have the right answer.”

“I know the answer, I can promise you that,” she responded. “Then tell me what it will take to get you to share it with me,” Arthur asked. After a slight pause she said, “I demand in return that Sir Gawain become my husband.” Arthur gasped. “Impossible! You ask the impossible, woman. I cannot give you my nephew. He’s his own man, not mine to give!” “I did not ask you to give me the knight Gawain." she said. "If Gawain agrees to marry me of his own free will, then I will give you the answer. Those are my terms.”

“Terms!  What right do you have to give me terms? I could never bring him such a proposal” Arthur said. Ragnell stared calmly at the king’s face and simply said, “If you should change your mind, I will be here tomorrow.”  Then she disappeared into the woods.

Shaken from this strange encounter, Arthur road home at a slow pace, thinking that he could never speak to Gawain of this matter.  The loathsome woman!  How dare she ask for the finest knight in marriage!  But the fateful meeting with Gromer weighed heavily on him...