"Cerridwen at the Cauldron" ©1992 Joanna Colbert. Used with permission.

The name Cerridwen has been translated to mean Cauldron of Wisdom, cerru meaning cauldron. Cerridwen is known in various forms; she is both a Moon Goddess and the devouring sow, the Mother and the Crone. Most legends emphasize her terrifying aspect of the power of the Great Mother, yet hers is the Cauldron of Knowledge, Wisdom and Inspiration. She is the muse who drives and inspires poets and authors to create great works.

Mighty in magic, enchantment and divination, the ancient Cerridwen lived upon an island in a lake. It was on that island that a son was born to Cerridwen, which she named Morfran, because he was as black as a raven, yet some ridiculed his darkness and called him ugly. Fearing that he would be disadvantaged in his life Cerridwen set to bestowing special gifts upon her son to make his life easier. She began to prepare the Cauldron of the Deep from which three drops of liquid bestowing foresight and magical powers would be given to her son. She poured the waters of prophecy and inspiration, gathered herbs and plants, instilled the knowledge of the planets and stars and patiently waited for the brew to work its magic. For a year and a day this potion needed to brew, so she set a young lad named Gwion to stir the Cauldron and watch it for her.

When the day finally came when the three drops would be ready she placed her son near the Cauldron and in her exhaustion fell asleep in the forest. But the young lad Gwion saw his opportunity to become more than he was, and he pushed the child to one side and took the three drops of brew upon his own fingers and thrust them in his own. The poisonous remainder of the distilled brew cracked the sides of the Cauldron and spilled upon the earth. The thunderous noise of the cracking Cauldron woke Cerridwen from her sleep. She soon realized what Gwion had done, and set about to punish him for his treachery, but Gwion, using his new found powers turned himself into a hare and sped off. Cerridwen transformed herself into the form of a Greyhound and followed in pursuit of Gwion. She was just about to catch him when he shape shifted again into a fish and slipped into a river nearby. Following suit, Cerridwen changed into the form of an otter and speedily swam after her prey, once again however just as She was about to catch him, Gwion changed shape again, this time into a bird and flew off into the sky. Cerridwen however was just as quick and had changed into a hawk and was still right on his tail.

Fearing more than ever that his punishment and death was inescapable he noticed a pile of wheat on the land below him, and hoping to conceal his presence he changed himself into the tiniest of grains and dropped upon the pile. Cerridwen's sharp eyes saw what he had done and taking the form of a hen, She pecked at the grains until She found and ate the seed that had been Gwion, thinking that would be the end of him.

But the tiny grain of wheat took root inside her womb and soon began to grow. Cerridwen swore during the nine month term that she would still exact her punishment upon the reborn Gwion and would destroy the infant. Yet upon the day of his birth she took pity on the baby and placed him in a watertight leather sack and threw him into the raging waters to be left to fate

Legend has it that this sack was fished from the rivers on All Hallow's Eve and that the reborn child Gwion became the poet and bard Taliesin.

 

The beautiful image used on this page is called "Cerridwen at the Cauldron" by Joanna Powell Colbert. Please support her as an artist and do not download or copy any of her images without her express permission. My thanks to Joanna for allowing me to use her work. To order prints and cards of her work click on the banner below to go to her online catalogue.

 

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