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Great Queen ~ Goddess of Horses
The Welsh horse goddess of the Underworld, Rhiannon (pronounced ree-ah-nin) is also known as Rigatona or "Great Queen" in Welsh lore. An equine goddess-turned-magical queen, she is unique in the sense that she is exclusively a horse deity -- while other goddesses of antiquity typically have other identities and functions.
Accordingly, horse themes are very strong in Irish and Welsh mythology. As such, Rhiannon's Irish sister Macha, a transfunctional goddess spanning all possible functions of society as priestess, warrior, and nurturer, has also been represented as a horse.
Nevertheless, Rhiannon is one of a kind with the exception of one Gaulish equine goddess counterpart known as Epona -- a diety who has no other function than being the patroness of horses.
Even more anomalous however, is her legendary fairy tale: one that is fraught with ambivalences. Appearing in the first "branch" (or chapter) of the Mabinogi as a mysterious lady riding a horse, Rhiannon is depicted as a graceful and wild goddess -- untamable and free to the point that no one can ever catch her or overtake her gallop.
Alas, she is finally tamed in the sense that Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, convinces her to stop and speak with him. As if fated, the two marry and Rhiannon bears him a child -- one who mysteriously disappears at birth. Because the attendant maids (who should have been keeping vigilance) shirk their duties by falling asleep, the baby is effectively spirited away by an unknown creature. Trying to absolve themselves of any blame, the maids then resolve to kill some puppies, smearing the blood and gore on Rhiannon, claiming that she had killed her own child.
In light of the goddess-queen's presumed guilt, Pywll does not divorce her, since that had been an act reserved exclusively for barrenness. Instead, she is sentenced to sitting near a horse-block outside of the city gate and is correspondingly instructed to carry passersby inside the city walls, becoming a horse in all but physical appearance and wild freedom.
Incidentally, right after Rhiannon's son disappears, a mare of a villager named Teyrnon Twrf Liant gives birth to rather attractive colt. At the moment of delivery, a great claw reaches through the window of the house as if to seize the newborn. In bewildered response, Teyrnon slices off the arm and rushes outside only to find a noble baby boy -- Rhiannon's child.
Raising the boy as his own for over four years, the man eventually hears about the unfortunate plight of the goddess-queen, sees the resemblance between the two, and brings the child to the castle. Happy and free from her position as a compulsory horse-substitute, Rhiannon embraces her long-lost son, naming him Pryderi. And then they all live happily ever after . . . until the story changes again.
In a twist of fate, in the third "branch" of the Mabinogi following her husband's death, Rhiannon marries her son's friend Manawydan. After a number of experiences and adventures, she and her son eventually disappear into the magic fortress of Llwyd, (son of Cil Coed) where she is made to pay a horse penance once again, wearing the collars of donkeys.
Sources:
The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky (2002)
Whence the Goddesses: A Source Book by Miriam Robbins Dexter (1990)
Source of image: A relief of Epona (Gaulish horse goddess equivalent) from Salonica, Greek Macedonia, 4th Century CE
Other articles of interest:
Ancient goddess spotlight: Durga
Ancient goddess spotlight: Inanna
Ancient goddess spotlight: Baba Yaga
Ancient goddess spotlight: Tara
Ancient goddess spotlight: Hathor
Ancient goddess spotlight: Aphrodite
Ancient goddess spotlight: Shakti
Ancient goddess spotlight: Hestia
Ancient goddess spotlight: Minerva
Ancient goddess spotlight: Kali
Ancient goddess spotlight: Hecate
Juliette Frette
Comments
Wonder what the take away message of a life like this is -- happy for a few years, kid kidnapped and miserable, then back to happiness before more penance as a beast of burden. Kind of like real life for many people, tho few of us end up in an enchanted fortress...
Very interesting folklore. Haha, until I read this I always just thought it was a Fleetwood Mac song.
Yes, the old 'celtic' legends tend to have grim endings. They don't appear to have been big on sentimentality.
first, function function function function =D, now that thats done with.
what i think is interesting is that in celtic lore, a man was not able to divorce his wife except for the reason of being barren. which in some ways might be a negative thing, women have value as long as they can rear children. but i think you can also draw a positive from this, that while being barren is the exception, it is also the only exception. which in some ways is legitimate if society has a population growth pro
problem.
what i also think is interesting is that rhiannon doesnt (or maybe she does and juliette just didnt tell us) use her powers to solve her problems. rather than maybe call on some horses to find her son, or simply leave or escape from her punishment - she endures these hardships.
and to listen to fleetwood mac you have to be at least 40+
Ohhhh...thats 'youngest' LOL.
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