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Modron
Modron ("mother") is a figure in Welsh tradition, known as the mother of the hero Mabon ap Modron. Both characters may have derived from earlier divine figures, in her case the Gaulish goddess Matrona. She may have been a prototype for Morgan le Fay from the Arthurian legend. Origin Modron largely features in the Welsh tradition as a supernatural mother figure. She likely derives from the Celtic goddess Matrona, known to have been worshiped in Gaul. Similarly, Modron's son, Mabon ("youth"), appears to derive from the youth god Maponos.Koch, p. 1299. Both Matrona and Maponos were worshiped in the area around Hadrian's Wall, which may account for the prominence of Modron and Mabon in literature connected to the Brittonic ''Hen Ogledd'' (Old North) of Britain.Koch, p. 1209. Certain elements of Modron's story – specifically that her son Mabon was stolen from her in the night as a baby – suggest a connection with Rhiannon in the First Branch of the Mabinogi, whose son Pryder ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morgan Le Fay
Morgan le Fay (, meaning 'Morgan the Fairy'), alternatively known as Morgan ''n''a, Morgain ''a/e Morg ''a''ne, Morgant ''e Morge ''i''n, and Morgue ''inamong other names and spellings ( cy, Morgên y Dylwythen Deg, kw, Morgen an Spyrys), is a powerful and ambiguous enchantress from the legend of King Arthur, in which most often she and he are siblings. Early appearances of Morgan in Arthurian literature do not elaborate her character beyond her role as a goddess, a fay, a witch, or a sorceress, generally benevolent and connected to Arthur as his magical saviour and protector. Her prominence increased as legends developed over time, as did her moral ambivalence, and in some texts there is an evolutionary transformation of her to an antagonist, particularly as portrayed in cyclical prose such as the ''Lancelot-Grail'' and the Post-Vulgate Cycle. A significant aspect in many of Morgan's medieval and later iterations is the unpredictable duality of her nature, with potential ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Welsh Mythology
Welsh mythology (Welsh: ''Mytholeg Cymru'') consists of both folk traditions developed in Wales, and traditions developed by the Celtic Britons elsewhere before the end of the first millennium. As in most of the predominantly oral societies Celtic mythology and history were recorded orally by specialists such as druids ( cy, derwyddon). This oral record has been lost or altered as a result of outside contact and invasion over the years. Much of this altered mythology and history is preserved in medieval Welsh manuscripts, which include the Red Book of Hergest, the White Book of Rhydderch, the Book of Aneirin and the Book of Taliesin. Other works connected to Welsh mythology include the ninth-century Latin historical compilation '' Historia Brittonum'' ("History of the Britons") and Geoffrey of Monmouth's twelfth-century Latin chronicle ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' ("History of the Kings of Britain"), as well as later folklore, such as the materials collected in ''The Welsh Fair ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mabon Ap Modron
Mabon ap Modron is a prominent figure from Welsh literature and mythology, the son of Modron and a member of Arthur's war band. Both he and his mother were likely deities in origin, descending from a divine mother–son pair. He is often equated with the Demetian hero Pryderi fab Pwyll, and may be associated with the minor Arthurian character Mabon ab Mellt. Etymology His name is related to the Romano-British god Maponos, whose name means "Great Son"; Modron, in turn, is likely related to the Gaulish goddess Dea Matrona. The name ''Mabon'' is derived from the Common Brittonic and Gaulish deity name ''Maponos'' "Great Son", from the Proto-Celtic root ''*makwo-'' "son". Similarly, Modron is derived from the name of the Brittonic and Gaulish deity ''Mātronā'', meaning "Great Mother", from Proto-Celtic ''*mātīr'' "mother". Role in Welsh tradition ''Culhwch ac Olwen'' Culhwch's father, King Cilydd, the son of Celyddon, loses his wife Goleuddydd after a difficult childbi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maponos
In ancient Celtic religion, Maponos or Maponus ("Great Son") is a god of youth known mainly in northern Britain but also in Gaul. In Roman Britain, he was equated with Apollo. The Welsh mythological figure Mabon ap Modron is apparently derived from Maponos, who by analogy we may suggest was the son of the mother-goddess Dea Matrona. The Irish god Aengus, also known as the ''Mac Óg'' ("young son"), is probably related to Maponos, as are the Arthurian characters Mabuz and Mabonagrain. Etymology In Gaulish, ''mapos'' means a young boy or a son.Matasović, Ranko. Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic, page 253. 2009. Brill. The suffix ''-onos'' is augmentative. Besides the theonym ''Maponos'', the root ''mapos'' is found in personal names such as ''Mapodia'', ''Mapillus'', and ''Maponius''; ''mapo'' is also found in the Carjac inscription (RIG L-86). The root is Proto-Indo-European ''*makʷos''. (Delamarre 2003 pp. 216–217). In Insular Celtic languages, the same root is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dea Matrona
In Celtic mythology, Dea Matrona ("divine mother goddess") was the goddess who gives her name to the river Marne (ancient ''Matrŏna'') in Gaul. The Gaulish theonym ''Mātr-on-ā'' signifies "great mother" and the goddess of the Marne has been interpreted to be a mother goddess. Many Gaulish religious images—including inexpensive terracotta statues mass-produced for use in household shrines—depict mother goddesses nursing babies or holding fruits, other foods, or small dogs in their laps. In many areas, such ''Matronae'' were depicted in groups of three (or sometimes two) (see Matres and Matronae for the triads of mother goddesses well attested throughout northern Europe). The name of Welsh mythological figure Modron, mother of Mabon is derived from the same etymon. By analogy, Dea Matrona may conceivably have been considered the mother of the Gaulish Maponos. See also * Aveta In Gallo-Roman religion, Dea Aveta was a mother goddess, also associated with the freshwater ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pa Gur
Poem 31 of the Black Book of Carmarthen, a mid-13th century manuscript, is known from its first line as ''Pa gur yv y porthaur?'' (meaning "What man is the gatekeeper?") or ''Pa gur'', or alternatively as ''Ymddiddan Arthur a Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr'' ("The dialogue of Arthur and Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr"). It is a fragmentary, anonymous poem in Old Welsh, taking the form of a dialogue between King Arthur and the gatekeeper Glewlwyd Gafaelfawr, in which Arthur boasts of his own exploits and those of his companions, especially Cai the Fair. ''Pa gur'' is notable for being one of the earliest vernacular Arthurian works, and for alluding to several early adventures of Arthur which are now lost. Its precise age is not known and has been the subject of wide-ranging disagreement, but scholarly opinion now tends to favour a date of c. 1100. Summary ''Pa gur'' is in places a very difficult text, and translations of it vary widely. This summary is based on the version of Jon B. Coe and Simon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uther Pendragon
Uther Pendragon (Brittonic) (; cy, Ythyr Ben Dragwn, Uthyr Pendragon, Uthyr Bendragon), also known as King Uther, was a legendary King of the Britons in sub-Roman Britain (c. 6th century). Uther was also the father of King Arthur. A few minor references to Uther appear in Old Welsh poems, but his biography was first written down in the 12th century by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' (''History of the Kings of Britain''), and Geoffrey's account of the character was used in most later versions. He is a fairly ambiguous individual throughout the literature, but is described as a strong king and a defender of his people. According to Arthurian legend, Merlin magically disguises Uther to look like his enemy Gorlois, enabling Uther to sleep with Gorlois' wife Lady Igraine. Thus Arthur, "the once and future king", is an illegitimate child (though later legend, as found in Malory, emphasises that the conception occurred after Gorlois's death and tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Afallach
Afallach ( Old Welsh Aballac) is a man's name found in several medieval Welsh genealogies, where he is made the son of Beli Mawr. According to a medieval Welsh triad, Afallach was the father of the goddess Modron. The Welsh redactions of Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'', Brut y Brenhinedd, associate him with Ynys Afallach, which is substituted as the Welsh name for Geoffrey's ''Insula Avalonsis'' (Island of Avalon), but this is fanciful medieval etymology and it is more likely his name derives from the Welsh word ''afall'' "apple tree" (modern Welsh ''afal'' "apple", afallen "apple tree"Bernhard Maier, ''Dictionary of Celtic Religion and Culture'' (trans. Cyril Edwards, The Boydell Press, 1997). cf. Proto-Celtic *''aballo-'' "apple"< ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthurian Legend
The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Western story cycles recalled repeatedly in medieval literature, together with the Matter of France, which concerned the legends of Charlemagne, and the Matter of Rome, which included material derived from or inspired by classical mythology. History The three "Matters" were first described in the 12th century by French poet Jean Bodel, whose epic ' ("Song of the Saxons") contains the line: The name distinguishes and relates the Matter of Britain from the mythological themes taken from classical antiquity, the "Matter of Rome", and the tales of the Paladins of Charlemagne and their wars with the Moors and Saracens, which constituted the "Matter of France". King Arthur is the chief subject of the Matter of Britain, along with stories related ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morfudd
Morfydd ferch Urien (Middle Welsh orthographical variations include ''Morvydd verch Urien''; "Morfydd daughter of Urien") is a figure of Welsh Arthurian legend. She is the daughter of Urien Rheged by Modron, and twin sister to Owain. Morfydd appears in the Welsh Triads and is also referred to in ''Culhwch and Olwen''. The enduring love between her and Cynon son of Clydno, one of Arthur's warriors, is remarked on in several of the Triads, pointing to a now lost popular tradition. The circumstances of their birth is related in a Welsh folktale: :In Denbighshire there is a parish which is called Llanferes, and there is there Rhyd y Gyfarthfa (the Ford of Barking). In the old days the hounds of the countryside used to come together to the side of that the ford to bark, and nobody dared go to find out what was there until Urien Rheged came. And when he came to the side of the ford he saw nothing except a woman washing. And then the hounds ceased barking, and Urien seized the woman and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madrun
Saint Materiana is a Welsh saint, patron of two churches in Cornwall and one in Wales. Alternative spellings are Madrun and Madryn. The name was corrupted to "Marcelliana" in medieval times. Another spelling of her name sometimes used is "Mertheriana" or "Merthiana", resembling the Welsh ''merthyr'' - "martyr". Origin Materiana is said to have been a princess of the 5th century, the eldest of three daughters of King Vortimer the Blessed, who, after her father's death, ruled over Gwent with her husband Prince Ynyr. She is said to be the "Madryn" in whose name (along with her handmaiden Anhun (Antonia)) the church at Trawsfynydd is dedicated, and Carn Fadryn/Fadrun is named. Matrona was a widespread Roman name, and there is no evidence of any purported connection with a pre-Christian goddess named Modron. The ''Hymn to St Materiana'' in use at Tintagel calls her "Materiana, holy Mother" and prays her to "Over thy people still preside, over thy household, clothed in scarlet vestur ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pryderi
Pryderi fab Pwyll is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and king of Dyfed after his father's death. He is the only character to appear in all Four Branches of the Mabinogi, although the size of his role varies from tale to tale. He is often equated with the divine son figure of Mabon ap Modron, while Jeffrey Gantz compares him to Peredur fab Efrawg, who is himself associated with the continental figure of Sir Percival de Galles.''The Mabinogion.'' Translated with an introduction by Jeffrey Gantz. 1976. Penguin Books, London. Ifor Williams speculated that he was once the focal character of the Mabinogi as a whole, although some subsequent scholars disagree with this theory. Pryderi is described by Jeffrey Gantz as "bold and enterprising, but rash to the point of foolishness." He goes on to say that "his downfall, while pathetic, is not entirely undeserved." Role in Welsh mythology Birth and early life Pryderi was born in Arberth to Pwyll, Lo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_Uthr_Bendragon.jpg "Click for more on -> Uther Pendragon")
