..and raising his voice began to speak: "What I´m about to tell you begins long ago on the shores of Lake Tegid. This is the story of Keridwen (Cerridwen) and how she gave birth to the greatest bard of all the times. Goddess of abundance and knowledge, Keridwen had a cauldron in which she brewed a potion of immense power. One of her sons was so terribly ugly that she decided to compensate for his ugliness by turning him into the greatest of bards. Only the first three drops of her potion had the power for it, and the potion had to be cooked for a year and a day, a task she charged young Gwyon with. As Gwyon stirred the potion, 3 fiery drops splashed onto his hand and he quickly licked them off. This is how Gwyon got the powers of the potion from Keridwen, which enraged and chased the young man. During the chase Gwyon and Keridwen were transformed into different animals, until the goddess turned hen engulfed him in the form of a grain of wheat, becoming pregnant with him. The baby, who was born during Beltaine, was so beautiful that she was unable to kill him so she abandoned him in the sea in a sack of sealskin. This baby survived, was rescued and raised by a prince and his name was Taliesin, meaning 'shining forehead', master among the bards."
Gavin paused during which he took the opportunity to refill his jar and when he raised his head again everyone around the fire watched him without a sound, spellbound by his story. That was the real power of the Cyfarwydd. The power of a story well told...
Text in Collab with @fornleidh
#oldtraditions#folkmedicine#oldlegends#oldtraditions#völva#seiðr#wildwoman#celticculture#ancestralstories#books#bards#wildwitch#cerridwen#taliesin#witch#storyteller#welshculture#celticfolklore#welshfolklore#cyfarwydd#ancientraditions#ancestralwisdom#nwmb#tgao6
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