Annwn1
lonely candle
Yours is the
task to make us feel
The deep, the dark, the unknown.
You make
the darkness visible.
You bring
awareness of the veil
That we may
long to fall a droplet
Into the deep
unknown
Seduced by
the dark waters’ wanton whispers
To reach
out for the blessed beloved.
_______________________________
1. Annwn or Annwfn is the name which is given in Welsh to an “otherworld“, which is complementary or, more accurately, inverse to the visible world of men. It is difficult to translate the meaning of this word, for “dwfn”, the second half of this word, could be traced back to either “deep” (dwfn) or dwfn with the meaning “world”. The first part is also of ambiguous meaning. The prefix an can mean either “not”, “very” or even “inner”. Thus possible meanings of Annwn are “Non-World”, the “Great Deep”, or “InnerWorld”.
Interestingly, the poem Preiddeu Annwn relates about a magical cauldron which is guarded by nine maidens, a motif which is certainly of interest for those who explore the meaning of divine or supernatural women in medieval Welsh literature.
___________________
The picture shows the White Spring at Glastonbury, which actually inspired the poem. The life of St. Collen (Buchedd Collen), which is found in early modern Welsh manuscripts, links Annwn to Glastonbury Tor. The manuscript relates that Saint Collen went to meet the king of Annwn, Gwyn ap Nudd, at mynydd glassymbyri which is interpreted by various scholars to be identical to Glastonbury Tor.
Further reading:
Maier, B 1994, Lexikon der keltischen Religion und Kultur, Alfred Körner Verlag, Stuttgart.
Haycock; M 1983/84, “’Preiddeu Annwn’ and the Figure of Taliesin” in: Studia Celtica, vol. XVIII/XIX, p.52-78.
Rhyddiaith Gymraeg, Y Gyfrol Gyntaf, Detholion o Lawysgrifau (1488-1609), 1954, Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru, Caerdydd, p.36-41.
Read Meet Mago Contributor Angelika Heike Ruediger.
We, the co-editors, contributors, and advisers, have started the Mago Web (Cross-cultural Goddess Web) to rekindle old Gynocentric Unity in our time. Now YOU can help us raise this torch high to the Primordial Mountain Home (Our Mother Earth Herself) wherein everyone is embraced in WE. There are many ways to support Return to Mago. You may donate to us. No amount is too small for us. For your time and skill, please email Helen Hwang (magoism@gmail.com). Please take an action today and we need that! Thank YOU in Goddesshood of all beings!
(Click Donate button below. You can donate by credit card or bank account without registering PayPal. Find “Don’t have a PayPal account?” above the credit card icons.)
Angelika,
Your knowledge of folkways and languages, coupled with your writing and photographic talent make a unique contribution to our collective knowledge and pleasures, while connecting us to
Angelika, just realised I recognised your name from an essay on ‘Gwyn ap Nudd: Travelling the Skies’ in Temple Publications. An excellent work and your knowledge of Gwyn and Annwn is reflected here…
The white spring is a magical place and perfect for reaching out for connection with the deep, with the ancestors. Love this 🙂