Blodeuwedd the Flower Maiden Goddess (Welsh myth)

Author: Traditional Welsh

Time Period: 1001 CE–1500 CE; 1701 CE–1850 CE

Country or Culture: Wales; Western Europe

Genre: Myth

Overview

The story of Blodeuwedd the Flower Maiden Goddess arrived in the modern corpus of British literature through a rather circuitous route. First told through oral tradition, the myth was recorded in Welsh during the Middle Ages and translated into English in the mid-nineteenth century by Lady Charlotte Guest for its inclusion in The Mabinogion. This collection of Welsh myths covers The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, stories chronicling the life of Pryderi, and other related myths. The first branch, “Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed” (Pwyll, prince of Dyfed), recounts Pryderi’s parentage and early years. In the second branch, “Branwen ferch Llyr” (Branwen, daughter of Llyr), Pryderi appears only minimally; the story centers on Branwen’s marriage to the king of Ireland. In the fourth branch, “Manawydan fab Llyr” (Manawydan, son of Llyr), Pryderi returns from his journeys with home with Branwen’s brother Manawydan. In the fourth branch, “Math fab Mathonwy” (Math, son of Mathonwy), Pryderi challenges Math and Gwydion.

It is in this fourth branch that Blodeuwedd makes her appearance—she is created out of flowers as a wife for Math’s nephew Llew Llaw Gyffes, who is cursed to have no human wife. Once married to Llew, Blodeuwedd thrives contentedly for some time, until one day Llew leaves her alone so that he may visit his uncles. When Llew is gone, Blodeuwedd catches sight of Gronw Pebyr, lord of Penllyn, as he hunts wild game. She extends her hospitality to him, and the two fall in love such that Blodeuwedd begins plotting to rid herself of her husband so that she might wed Gronw.

“[B]ecause of the shame thou hast done unto Llew Llaw Gyffes, thou shalt never show thy face in the light of day henceforth; and that through fear of all the other birds. . . . And thou shalt not lose thy name, but shalt be always called Blodeuwedd.” Now Blodeuwedd is an owl in the language of this present time, and for this reason is the owl hateful unto all birds. And even now the owl is called Blodeuwedd.

“Math, son of Mathonwy,” The Mabinogion

However, Llew is protected by certain enchantments that make him nearly impervious to death. Through trickery, Blodeuwedd elicits the details of the one way—contrived though it seems—of killing her husband and then plots to bring about his untimely demise by constructing just such a scenario and exploiting his one weakness. Working together, Blodeuwedd and Gronw are able to injure Llew; he does not die but turns into an eagle and escapes. However, his uncles rescue him and return seeking retribution for these wrongs. They kill Gronw by the very means by which he had tried to kill Llew and turn Blodeuwedd into an owl, causing her to be forever shunned by other birds. Blodeuwedd’s treachery is thus avenged, and Llew returns to his rightful throne; the good is rewarded and the bad is punished.

However, such a straightforward interpretation of the myth ignores the intricacies of women’s roles. At first reading, Blodeuwedd seems little more than a deceitful and adulterous wife, traitorous to the husband for whom she was created. But a feminist reading of the myth yields more nuanced meaning and lends perspective to Blodeuwedd’s oppression, freedom, and eventual return to captivity and marginalization. These experiences shape Blodeuwedd’s identity while revealing the culturally defined gender roles of the Middle Ages and Victorian era.

Summary

Blodeuwedd’s story begins before her creation, which is precipitated when the goddess Arianrhod places a curse on her second son, Llew Llaw Gyffes, in revenge for her humiliation at the hands of her brother Gwydion and her uncle Math, both magicians. Llew’s curse is that he will never carry a name, never bear a sword, and never marry a human woman. Though the magicians are able to secure both a name and a sword for Llew, they cannot seem to get around the curse preventing his marriage.

In time, they decide to use charms and illusions to create a wife for Llew from flowers, so that the maiden will be not of the race that inhabits the earth. Using nine types of flowers—oak, broom, meadowsweet, and others—they create a beautiful woman and name her Blodeuwedd, or “flower face.” After Llew and Blodeuwedd’s bridal feast, Gwydion gifts to Llew the Cantrev of Dinodig, where Llew becomes a beloved ruler.

A day comes when Llew wishes to travel to visit his uncle Math, son of Mathonwy. Blodeuwedd, left alone in the court, is wandering the halls when she hears a horn blast and sees a hunt in progress. A tired stag runs by, then a dog, and then a crowd of men. Of her servants, she asks that a youth be sent to inquire who is hosting the hunt. The youth returns to report that Gronw Pebyr, lord of Penllyn, is the host. By this time, Gronw has chased the stag down to the water, where he kills it. Busy with handling the carcass and caring for his dogs, he remains by the river’s edge until nightfall. By then, it being too late to travel home, he presents himself at the court of Blodeuwedd and asks for lodging. Blodeuwedd, intrigued by this young man, points out that it would be terrible manners to turn him away. The members of the court agree, and Gronw is invited in.

As the lady of the court, Blodeuwedd meets Gronw to personally extend her hospitality to him. He thanks her, and they put aside the riding gear and retreat to a sitting area. As they look upon each other, they fall instantly in love. Gronw declares his love for her; overjoyed, she responds in kind, and for the rest of the night, they share each other’s company and speak of their affections for one another. The next day, as Gronw prepares to depart, Blodeuwedd entreats him to stay another day. During their second night together, they begin planning the means by which they can stay together always. Gronw counsels Blodeuwedd that she must learn of Llew’s weakness and how the god may be killed. After a third night together, Blodeuwedd permits Gronw to depart so as to avoid her husband’s homecoming.

That very night, Llew returns home. Following a day of feasting and festivity in celebration of his return, Llew and Blodeuwedd take to bed. Llew speaks to her, but she does not respond. Again he tries, and still she does not respond. On the third try, having grown concerned, Llew presses her for an answer as to whether something is wrong. Carefully, Blodeuwedd explains that she would be quite upset should Llew be taken from her by an untimely death. Llew, thrilled at his wife’s apparent care for his well-being, readily tells her of the specific way he must be harmed in order to be killed: “‘Not easily can I be killed, except by a wound. And the spear wherewith I am struck must be a year in the forming. And nothing must be done towards it except during the sacrifice on Sundays’” (Guest 42).

When Blodeuwedd presses further, she learns that Llew cannot be slain within a house or outside it, on horseback or on foot, but must be killed according to a very specific and highly intricate process. When Llew finishes listing the specifics, Blodeuwedd states her gladness that it will be so difficult to kill him, and thus having placated her husband, she commences plotting how to enact this death. She sends word to Gronw straightaway, and he commences making the spear with which to kill Llew. A year later, he has finished it and sends word back to Blodeuwedd.

Receiving word from Gronw, Blodeuwedd contrives to have Llew act out the very scenario in which he could be killed. She again expresses concern for his welfare and asks that he reassure her of the difficulty of realizing such a death. Trusting her completely, Llew agrees to show her. Meanwhile, Blodeuwedd has sent for Gronw to wait in ambush. When the trap is set, with Llew arising from the bath and perching precariously atop the edge of the cauldron and the back of a buck, Gronw hurls the spear and pierces Llew’s side. Llew does not die, but takes the form of an eagle and flies up out of sight.

Thinking the matter of Blodeuwedd’s husband settled, the two lovers claim Llew’s castle and lands and begin their rule over Ardudwy and Penllyn. However, Math soon learns of what has happened to Llew and, upon searching for his nephew, finds the eagle high in a tree shedding putrid flesh. After coaxing Llew out of the tree, Math, Gwydion, and Llew formulate a plan to seek revenge for the wrongs done to Llew. Llew arrives in Ardudwy prepared for battle, backed by his uncles’ men. When she sees him coming, Blodeuwedd takes to the mountains, but she is captured by Gwydion. He changes her into an owl, cursing her to live ever by night and in fear of other birds. As for Gronw, he is captured by Llew and subjected to the same contrivance Llew endured and, in this way, is killed.

Bibliography

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Garner, Alan. The Owl Service. 1967. New York: Ballantine, 1981. Print.

Guest, Lady Charlotte E., trans. The Mabinogion. Mineola: Dover, 1997. Print.

Hamilton, Claire. Maiden, Mother, Crone: Voices of the Goddess. Winchester: Hunt, 2005. Print.

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