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 The
Magic of the Tales
The
Celtic tradition of storytelling is as
ancient as humanity itself, an oral tradition
that began in the times when there was
no possibility to record history in any
other way. Each generation had a
specific storyteller who was responsible
for the memorization and recital of the
local mythology as well as the tribe's
genealogy. To retell a story was
to bring about its particular power, for
it brought visions and sounds into the
minds of the listeners, allowing them
to enter an imaginary world where fantastic
things were possible: clearly the work
of magic. The stories were broken down
under headings: tales of battle, wooing,
voyages, feasting, catastrophe, etc. and
though many were told on long Winter evenings
to while the hours away, most were meant
to be told during different parts of the
year, at feasts and celebrations and on
occasions of reverent importance.
Each tale was said to manifest a charm
upon those who listened intently, and
often were begun with an introduction,
stating its particular power.
As
the Celtic civilization began to grow
and rearrange its order to accommodate
a larger social network, the role of the
storyteller was expanded to include poetry
and song, as well as all secrets of the
earth and its elements. The learned
person became part of a sacred order,
once called Druid, (in Welsh: Derwydd)
meaning Wisdom, or Seer, and he or she
was all-important to the chieftain.
His words were magical, and he had the
ability to cause harm with satire, or
to bless with a proverb. After conquerors
drove the British Druids out in order
to better control the Celts, the role
fell to a less threatening class, the
privileged but no longer sacred order
of the chief poet, or Bard, who
literally carried the nation's history
in his head as well as all the knowledge
of the mysteries. This is a terribly
inefficient overview of a very complicated
and intricate cultural system, which I
will go into a bit later in this book;
I hope it will give you cause for further
exploration on your own.
The
tales of old seem only to be fit for children
in this present day; their significance
is discarded by the main population.
Know that the first tales ever spoken
were told to explain the early truths
about Nature and its grand scheme, through
the use of strong but forgotten symbolism
and imagination. All who listened
to these tales would be beneficently rewarded
because they underlined the sacred beginnings
of mankind...
 The
Unkindest Worlds Can Collide:
Elders
merely teach the hateful steps to a single
dance they have never understood.
Tripping unwillingly along the ridiculous
path.
Blind, yet ever mindful of the directions
given.
Only to become the invidious step-sisters
of Serenity. Shadow'd by Expectation.
The clouded mind has its own brilliant
clarity spoken in a language known only
to one face:
Disgraced.
Shame needs must hold its hand out for
a partner.
Should I have become something so insignificant
as to have followed in footsteps?
I simply wish to dance.
 On
the Presence of the Muse
"The
function of poetry is the religious invocation
of the Muse, its use is the experience
of mixed exultation and horror that her
presence excites." - Robert Graves
Mysteriously,
the idea of the goddess has been evident
throughout written history, in the guise
of the unattainable woman so often obsessed
over by poets and artists alike. Her presence
is everywhere, and her attributes can
be found in that strange truth beyond
words, where images bring about the same
feelings and thrills in people of all
cultures. Such is the idea of the goddess
in mythology and all subsequent literature
for she is the most beautiful woman of
all: her shape follows the curves of the
landscape, her skin gleams in the moonlight,
her ruby lips touch the skin of her helpless
lover like a caress, her walk mirrors
her feline perfection and her subtle perfume
lingers after she leaves. She is the perfect
image of woman (changing, of course, from
the ideals of person to person) that brings
about an inexplicable hunger... She enkindles
the kind of passion only alive in feverish
fantasy...
The
original goddess archetype was omnipresent
but always unattainable, for she was not
for mortal man. She was characteristically
connected to the moon, its glow as well
as its coldness. And it is most certainly
her coldness that made her so attractive,
manifesting strongest towards suitors
who believed they could master her.
The
Romantic Poets, so in love with love,
found their home in praising the goddess.
They threw themselves at her feet and
begged for her mercy. They thrilled at
her ability to break their hearts, for
they were smitten beyond their human control,
and so her ever-elusiveness encouraged
them to call upon her again and again,
pleading for her attention and approval.
After all, the ultimate function of the
Muse is to inspire...
 The
Tale of Arianrhod:
Introduction
The
Destroyer entity was the Wintry landscape.
She allowed for the necessary death of consort
and land in order to make way for rebirth
and renewal, hence she was also the Warrior
goddess. The Destroyer manifested in various
guises: her most obvious face was that of
the aged crone, and in this persona she
was the all-powerful goddess of Wisdom,
for as her blood no longer flowed monthly,
it was believed that her retained blood
made her wise. The crone hid underground,
rejuvenating herself throughout the Winter
months, to emerge once again as the Maiden...
There
is great evidence of matriarchal values
in the written version of this tale, for
the kingdom of Gwynedd is a matrilineal
one; the heirs to the throne are the King's
sister's sons, and the story plainly states
that it is Arianrhod who has the power to
name her child as well as give him arms,
an ancient custom practiced thousands of
years before Christianity. This tale,
originally titled "Math, Son of Mathonwy,"
is much altered to the version inscribed
hundreds of years ago. There are numerous
trivial situations in the initial written
version that would have carried much more
significance to those who had heard its
original oral tellings, and so I have done
what I could to restore its rudimentary
meaning.
The
changes I have made are crucial, for the
scribes placed Arianrhod more as an angry
victim, as opposed to the destroyer
death-in-life entity she truly was...
The
Riddle of the Dragon
The
dragon, in some shape or form, exists in
nearly every human culture and embodies
the very essence of Nature itself, the progeny
of all four elements combined. Its
conception is the amalgamation of totem
animal deities found in the Matriarchal
Age, including snake, bird, and fish goddesses
dating back to as early as 30,000 BC.
Its current incarnation, only a couple thousand
years old, is well-recorded and quite self-contained:
though covered in scales and possessing
the gills of a water creature, its weapon
is fire; though its home is found in the
cavernous wombs of the earth, its mode of
travel is by air. The ability of a
sorcerer or sorceress to tame the dragon
proved their power over the laws of Nature.
Complicated
and distorted by Christianity, the dragon
as abductor and forced liberator of a virgin
damsel is wrapped in the foundation of ancient
seasonal mythology. Nature's ferocious
protection of its chosen potent female until
the proper virile hero secures her release
can be simplified to the very source point
of Life's most significant change: the tangible
regenerative act of the earth that causes
the warmth and rebirth of Spring after the
barren hiatus of Winter. The virgin's
liberation is the release of the Egg of
Spring, as it were, and the Male aspect
of virility was changed into a Knight with
the Sword of Virtue, rather than a potent
sexual partner... |
The
Book of Annwyn - Contents