About Blodewedd: Known as the Nine fold Goddess of the Western Isles of
Paradise and Flower-Face. Lily maid of Celtic initiation ceremonies.
She was changed into an owl for her adultery and for plotting Lleu's
death. The Maiden form of the Triple Goddess. Goddess of the Earth in
bloom. Blodeuwedd was created from the flowers of oak, broom, and
meadowsweet by Gwydion and Math as a wife for Gwydion's nephew Lleu. This arose
because Lleu had been cursed by his mother, Arianrhod, that he would
never win a bride of his own people. While Lleu was away one day
Blodeuwedd saw Gronw hunting in the woods and the two fell madly in love at
first sight. She and Gronw made plans to kill Lleu, but because he was no
mere mortal, Gronw asked his lover to discover for him the secret of his
death. Blodeuwedd coaxed the information out of Lleu, and not only
passed the information along to Gronw, but tricked Lleu into being at the
right place at the right time. At the moment of his death, Lleu turned
into an eagle and flew away. Gwydion sought out Blodeuwedd to seek
revenge, and for her punishment decided he would turn her into a bird, one
which only lived by night, a carnivore whom other birds shunned and
feared. Thus she became an owl.
She can be viewed as a May Queen, bound in sacred marriage to
sacrificial king who must eventually be sacrificed to her and through her to his
people.
To Do This Week: Find a picture of an Owl and place it somewhere you
can look at it all week. This will help you connect with the goddess as
you will continually be reminded of her and why she was turned into an
owl. You can also place a vase filled with flowers in your home. This
will also bring some beauty into your home. I just love flowers and they
always make me feel so happy and they always bring a smile to my face.
Try to get ones that really smell good and that fill the room and house
with a wonderful fragrance so that every time you smell them you are
reminded of Blodeuwedd.
You can also do some kind of craft with flowers, like making a lei or
put a flower in your hair or press some flowers that you can use to make
book marks etc.
Here is a poem dedicated to Blodeuwedd:
"White lady of the dark
silent in flight
let out a primal scream
in the dream world you did come to me
the sister world of death
at the bottom of the lake
my eyes saw you
swimming down to you
hand reaching out to me
third time down underwater
I reach your death grasp
warm embrace your wings give me
your soul sheds its skin
to be born anew
Blodeuwedd turn the wheel of life you do
once again we meet
in this timeless dance of mystery"
