• Cerridwen’s Cauldron and the birth of Taliesin

  Filed under Celtic myth
  Dec 31

  According to legend, the great bard Taliesin was born from a somewhat reluctant mother goddess, Cerridwen. Cerridwen had a magical cauldron of inspiration, which was stirred by a boy named Gwion. Gwion, after accidentally burning his hand on the cauldron, raised his hand to his lips. He immediately became all-knowing. The enraged goddess pursued Gwion, who was not meant to have this knowledge. Gwion, now having the power to shapeshift, transformed himself, first into a hare, then a fish, then a bird. Cerridwen kept one step behind, until Gwion finally turned himself into a grain of wheat. Cerridwen shapeshifted into a hen and swallowed him! But the story does not end here. As the cauldron represents rebirth, Gwion was reborn into Taliesin, the bard who began reciting poetry as soon as he came into the world!

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