Title: Pagan Portals - Blodeuwedd: Welsh Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty
Author: Jhenah Telyndru
Rating: 5/5
Pagan Portals - Blodeuwedd: Welsh Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty is the first book I have read by author Jhenah Telyndru. The book is 122 pages long and includes an introduction and bibliography. I plan to purchase more of her works because I was pleasantly surprised by the writer's style. The author's writing is informative while being easy to read and comprehend. The Pagan Portals books are meant to be a small sample of a broader topic, and I believe Blodeuwedd is an excellent choice for a beginner in Welsh mythology.
Blodeuwedd's story is based on the 12th-century Welsh story Y Mabinogi. The reader does not need to be familiar with the medieval work since the author recounts the tale excellently. We begin in the fourth branch with the story of Arianrhod's embarrassing birth of twins and the follies of her son Lleu as he gains a name, a weapon, and ultimately a wife. It is when Lleu is cursed by his mother never to marry a woman of the race of the earth. So, his uncle decides to create a wife out of a flower for him. And thus begins the sad tale of the life of Blodeuwedd.
Anyone familiar with Welsh history will not be surprised to hear how important consent was. If one were to have a baby, it would not legally be allowed to wed until they were of age. So, it is appalling to read that a female was created and immediately married on the day of her birth. She had no choice, family, or knowledge of the working world. It was very much as if Gwydion said, "Well, she has all the body parts, so she's a woman." According to common sense, not to mention early Welsh clan law, this marriage was not valid. For me, the story of Blodeuwedd is one of discovering self-agency, finding true love, and escaping a captor.
The final half of the book revolves around Blodeuwedd's powers as a seasonal sovereignty and embracing cycles of change. Although the story was a quick read, it was delightfully insightful. I applaud Jhenah Telyndru's understanding of Blodeuwedd, and I believe she is a subject matter expert with her wonderful analysis. Telyndru gives both the original Welsh passages as well as an English translation. Welsh tales can be extremely difficult to decipher due to much of their history being orally shared instead of written. I especially enjoyed reading her thoughts on some passages that may have referenced older traditions now lost to us.
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