Beltane/Calan Mai: The Dove and the Sparrowhawk

May 1, 2025May 5, 2025 ~ Erin Guinevere ~ 1 Comment

Beltane/Calan Mai

Clover blooms in the fields
Spring breaks loose, the time is near
What would he do if he found us out?
Crescent moon, coast is clear
Spring breaks loose, but so does fear
He’s gonna burn this house to the ground

How’s one to know?
I’d live and die for moments that we stole
On begged and borrowed time
So tell me to run
Or dare to sit and watch what we’ll become
And drink my husband’s wine

Ivy by Taylor Swift

The Wheel of the Year turns once again to Beltane/Calan Mai, by far my favourite holiday and time of year. Last night, before laying my offerings, I sang songs to Gwenhwyfar and Rhiannon, and also acknowledged Olwen, Blodeuedd, Creiddylad as May Queens whose energy is strong this time of year.

I also acknowledged these ladies’ consorts, particularly Edern/Ydern the Sparrowhawk Knight as Gwenhwyfar’s lover in the Otherworldly faery realms, and Arthur as her earthly consort.

Edern ap Nudd

But wait, who is Edern?

Edern/Ydern/Isdernus/Yder, known as the Sparrowhawk Knight is a lesser-known Arthurian knight who appears in both antagonist and heroic roles in roughly equal measure, but in most of these stories he always ends up reconciled with Arthur. In the ‘Romance of Yder’, it is Arthur who is antagonistic, being depicted as a selfish and borderline-tyrannical king, and Ydern is depicted as a young, courageous, noble but untested young man desperate to prove himself. He is also a son of Nudd, like Gwyn. Nudd is likely identical with the proto-Brythonic god Nodens. Gwyn is an Otherworldly faerie figure, Lord of the Wild Hunt, which would likely make his brother Edern more-than-human too.

But here’s where it gets interesting. In a cathedral in Italy, Arthur and Edern (as Isdernus) are depicted rescuing Guinevere from a tower, in a motif that parallels the later abduction of Guinevere by Melwas and then Maleagant, in which she is rescued by Lancelot. In an early version of Tristan and Isolde, there is an allusion to Edern being a lover of Guinevere. In the ‘Romance of Yder’, his lover is a ‘Guenloie’, who is likely a split-off version of Guinevere created to keep two traditions alive: Guinevere as the wife of Arthur, and Guinevere as the lover of Edern, without upsetting Christian morality and monogamy norms. In the Modena relief, Edern/Isdernus is not wearing armor, unlike the other knights, which could point to his Otherworldly faery origins, and the fact that in courtly love romances, knights were often depicted as vulnerable before their ladies.

The evidence, to me, seems to suggest that Edern was ‘the original Lancelot’, serving as Gwenhwyfar’s original protector and lover. At first this conclusion was mostly academic and based on research, but I was experiencing such a strong sense of intuition that this was the truth Gwenhwyfar was pushing me to find. Last night, on the eve of Beltane, I had a dream in which she confirmed this for me. I couldn’t believe it. On Beltane! How fitting and magical. I have jokingly said that this discovery has been ‘my Da Vinci Code’ and dubbed it ‘The Modena Code’.

Constructing A Unique Mythognosis

As I have discussed prior, the ‘Gwen’ in Gwenhwyfar’s name means something like white, holy, or blessed. The ‘Hwyfar’ means something like phantom, enchantress, or fairy. In Culhwch and Olwen, Arthur lists Gwenhwyfar among his most prized possessions, many of whom seem to, based on their names, possess magical and otherworldly characteristics. Considering his raid on the Otherworld in Preiddeu Annwfn, is it possible Gwenhwyfar was one of his spoils? A faerie maiden of the Otherworld taken from her home to legitimise the Sovereignty of a mortal king?

Considering the story in the Italian cathedral is parallel to the story of Guinevere’s abduction by Melwas who is identified with Gwyn ap Nudd, an Otherworldly faery king associated with Glastonbury and Avalon, here is the brief shape of my UPG around this whole love… diamond? Square? Please keep in mind I am not presenting this as The Truth, just mine, based on a blend of research and intuition, plus Gwenhwyfar’s messages to me herself.

Gwenhwyfar is a Queen or perhaps a Princess of the Otherworld.
Faerie Lords/Kings/Princes Gwyn (who later becomes Melwas, Mardoc and Maleagant) and Edern (who later becomes Ydern, Yder, Isdernus and somewhat Lancelot), brothers, are in love with her. The former represents winter and death, the latter represents summer and life, like several other Celtic love triangles including the one from Culhwch and Olwen in which Gwyn is also involved.
But there is a third contender in the battle for Gwenhwyfar’s here, too. Arthur, King of the Britons. Perhaps he loves her, perhaps he seeks her hand in marriage to legitimise his sovereignty and claim to the throne. I have mostly positive feelings around Arthur, but I’m aware he is still mostly seen as a Christian king with his own agenda, although he may have earlier origins as a pagan bear god. He finds Gwenhwyfar in the Otherworld and consensually or not, the two end up married. Perhaps this was done to forge an alliance between the Otherworld and the mortal world, as several knights and ladies who seem to have Otherwordly origins end up becoming loyal to Arthur, not just Gwenhwyfar and Edern.
Edern joins Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table in order to stay close to Gwenhwyfar and protect her even in this new, dense, material world of men and a foreign religion.
Years go by, Gwenhwyfar beside Arthur as his queen consort, Edern watching from the sidelines. Edern comes in to relative conflict with Arthur a few times, but always ends up remaining loyal to him. Gwenhwyfar learns to appreciate Arthur and believes him to be a good king trying to do right by his people and understands her role in protecting Albion by staying by his side and embodying Sovereignty Herself.
Gwyn, rightfully annoyed a Christian king is treating a divine faerie goddess as his own possession to legitimise his sovereignty, kidnaps her and takes her back to his Glass Tower in Avalon/Glastonbury. Gwenhwyfar may or may not have complied.
Arthur, Edern and the other knights show up to get Gwenhwyfar back.
Gwenhwyfar is returned to Arthur, but her and Edern remain as lovers in secret, much like how she is written with Lancelot.
Eventually this is revealed. Arthur is destroyed and his sovereignty is lost as he no longer has the favour of the Sovereignty goddess, in the form of his wife, Gwenhwyfar.
The stories are written down by monks and scholars, and carved into cathedral walls. Gwyn becomes Melwas/Maleagant/Mardoc/Mordred, Gwenhwyfar becomes Guinevere, Winlogee and Guenloie, Edern becomes Yder, Ydern, Isdernus and… Lancelot.
Edern is canonised as a Christian saint, like many other Celtic deities and Otherworldly/faery figures.

A Note on Totemic Animals

Many Celtic deities are associated with birds, be it birds in general or specific ones. Rhiannon has her Adar Rhiannon, whom I see as songbirds; sometimes robins, sometimes blackbirds, sometimes three different coloured birds whose species I cannot quite place. Cliodhna, the Irish goddess, has similar magical birds. Brigid has a swan. The Morrigan, Morgan le Fay, Bran and Gwyn ap Nudd are all associated with crows and ravens. Bran’s sister Branwen has both the white raven and the starling. Blodeuwedd is of course the owl. Lleu is a majestic eagle. Edern is known as ‘the Sparrowhawk Knight’, and I believe that to be his totemic bird. Gwenhwyfar, though it may be UPG, I associate with a white dove, a classical and Near-Eastern symbol of the love goddess, and Guinevere is syncretically linked to Aphrodite/Venus. She is sometimes depicted with a dove in art. Having just Googled ‘Guinevere and doves’, it turns out doves are actually associated with her in a Grimm brothers tale of Guinevere and Arthur.

In his saint/monk form, Edern is depicted riding a stag, an obvious symbol of the Celtic Divine Masculine that can symbolise death and rebirth due to their shedding and regrowing of their antlers.

In Praise of Guinevere

Navigating the world of UPG vs attested sources can be confusing. I would never want people to end up stumbling upon this personal blog entry annoyed at me for trying to preach that my UPG is The Truth, but I’m certainly not the only one who believes Edern to be Gwenhwyfar’s true love, even if the specifics may be unique to me.

But as a Sovereignty Goddess and a figure associated with Venus, Gwenhwyfar’s love is not bound by Christian morality. She bestows it upon who she sees fit, for reasons I cannot begin to truly comprehend. Regardless of whether her lover is Edern, Lancelot, Arthur, Melwas, Mordred, multiple of these, or she has no consort at all, she remains my Lady, Venus of Albion, Sovereign and complete in herself with or without a consort. I can only implore you, if you are called to worship and work with Gwenhwyfar, to spend time with her, pray to her, and do your own research to figure out who you should honour as her consort(s). She is a most loving, warm but firm goddess who, just like she does with the knights in service to her, shows me how to become a better version of myself. She embodies the paradox of the Lady of Love who both loves you as you already are, and wants you to rise to meet her.

Beltane Blessings

This morning, I awoke early to go and collect morning dew from a local hawthorn tree. When I got there and found her bone dry, I instead just spent some time with her before heading back home to instead dab my face with dew from our own garden. Feeling refreshed, I called in the Wheel of Rhiannon and blessed and consecrated several pieces of jewellery to, Rhiannon, Gwenhwyfar and one to Venus. After that, I recorded a journey meditation for my Beltane gathering this coming Monday, for meeting your faery guide and Gwenhwyfar, which I can share if anyone wants it.

I intend to spend the rest of the day meditating on these themes, sacred union, and enjoying the beautiful golden May sun on my skin. Gwenhwyfar reunites with Edern, and the light half of the year returns. Sunday I am going to a Beltane event with my beloved who is a complete newbie to anything pagan related- breaking him in should be fun! I’ve told him to think of it as like church, but with more whooping, dancing, moving, sensuality, and acknowledgement that all of creation is sacred. On Monday I am hosting my third annual Beltane gathering with my friends- which I think will be the best one yet.

On May 12th, the next full moon- the ‘Flower Moon’, I will conduct a small ceremony in praise of Guinevere. I am currently constructing a system of lunar workings in which for each full moon in the 13 month year, I worship and work with a different Celtic goddess. The Flower Moon corresponds with Guinevere, and next will be Rhiannon.

Blessed Beltane, one and all!

Sources:
https://clasmerdin.blogspot.com/2011/05/modena-archivolt.html
https://clasmerdin.blogspot.com/2011/05/white-winter-king.html
https://clasmerdin.blogspot.com/2011/05/white-phantom.html
https://clasmerdin.blogspot.com/2011/07/isle-of-glass.html
https://clasmerdin.blogspot.com/2011/07/isle-of-glass-2.html
https://www.maryjones.us/jce/edern.html
https://nightbringer.se/the-legend-of-king-arthur/arthurian-characters/y-arthurian-characters/yder-the-son-of-nut/
https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780231879439_A39320851/preview-9780231879439_A39320851.pdf
https://druidry.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Guinevere-as-Venus-revised.pdf
https://aegtte.weebly.com/de-bruidsjurk-van-guinevere-guineveres-bridal-gown.html

Olwen: May Queen and Solar Goddess of Love

May 10, 2023April 19, 2025 ~ Erin Guinevere ~ 1 Comment

I know I said I was done with the Beltane/Calan Mai/May Day posts but we’re still in Beltane season until the solstice so I lied. And I have a couple more ideas for Beltane related posts. So there.

One of the Beltane/May Queen goddesses I’ve not really talked about is Olwen of the White Track. She is much more obscure and not as widely acknowledged in Brythonic polytheism/the Avalonian based traditions as her similar sister-goddesses Gwenhwyfar, Blodeuedd, Rhiannon etc. (Creiddylad, Yseult etc too but they’re also quite obscure).

In the main text in which she appears, Culhwch and Olwen, she does not appear much in the story because obviously it’s a tale of Manly Knights doing Manly Knight Things, but she is the reason they headed off on their adventure to begin with, as in order to marry her, Culhwch has to go on an epic quest which will prove his worthiness to her father, Ysbaddaden (whose name refers to the hawthorne tree, an obvious link to Beltane), who will die if she marries. Many believe him to represent the old Winter King who does not want to give up his throne, with Olwen as the Flower Bride waiting to be set free from this overprotective paternal figure- one of the oldest examples of stories about fathers who believe no man to be good enough for their daughter, perhaps. This leaves Culhwch as the young, untested Summer Lord who needs the hand of the Flower Bride to begin his reign as Summer King.

But what makes Olwen so different from the other Flower Brides (other than it being her father and her potential lover who she is the hinge in the love triangle between and not two lovers) is, to me, she seems to have more agency. We do not hear things from her point of view, but she seems to actually be attracted to Culhwch. Culhwch asks for her hand, and she simply says her father won’t allow her to marry, not that she doesn’t want to. Red, to the Welsh Celts, was not, as far as we know, associated with sexuality as it is today, but represented the Otherworld (along with white). When we think of most of the Flower Brides, who many associate with the Maiden aspect of the Goddess, we think of them as wearing white. But Olwen, she wears red. From a contemporary comparative mythology and symbolism perspective, this to me indicates she is ready to become sexually active and enter in to the Lover stage of her life, the transitory period between Maiden and Mother. In the Avalonian tradition of Glastonbury Goddess Temple, Maiden, Mother, Crone is stretched to Maiden, Lover, Mother, Crone, with the Lover archetype representing Beltane (the Maiden instead represents Imbolc, the Mother at Lammas, and the Crone at Samhain). Olwen isn’t a passive figure who has little control over her fate like Creiddylad, or forced in to a marriage she didn’t consent to like Blodeuedd, or married for political reasons like Guinevere/Gwenhwyfar. She seems to actually want to marry, and it’s simply her father holding her back. Not to say that we cannot interpret the aforementioned goddesses as having agency too (the latter two definitely express agency in choosing who to love later on in their stories), but I feel like with Olwen there’s less reclamation that needs to be done. As well as her signature red gown, she is described as wearing many rings upon her fingers, and a necklace of red gold and jewels. She is fully aware of her beauty and sexuality, as opposed to a white-robed, demure, innocent maiden. It’s UPG and modern comparative mythology, sure, but I feel like Olwen is, probably along with Gwenhwyfar, the Flower Bride who is the most aware of her role as passionate Lover. Her red gown such as those worn in depictions of sensual Irish goddesses Áine and Medb, and jewellery worn by the likes of the Nordic love goddess Freya and Mesopotamian love goddess Inanna, tell her father “I’m not a little girl any more, dad.” I think about the way the Glastonbury Avalon tradition depicts Rhiannon, and that’s very close to how I view Olwen. I wonder if parts of Olwen’s energies are being channeled in these more modern depictions of Rhiannon as Lover Goddess.

Rhiannon altar at Glastonbury Goddess Temple or House

Her name is said to mean ‘white track’. Where she steps, tiny flowers bloom below her feet. Like Brigid, and Ostara/Eostre, she arises from the underworld out of slumber to awaken the land. Today, while I was walking through a local green space to feed the birds, there were thousands of daisies. One of the best things about this time of year is the little wildflowers that cover the grass. There were so many daisies that I could smell them in the air as I walked. I imagined myself as Olwen, awakening the land with my footsteps.

There is some etymological research to suggest her name means ‘Golden Wheel’, in contrast to the Silver Wheel of Arianrhod, which may make her a sun goddess, due to the fact that the word ‘olwyn’ is believed to have meant Wheel, though I’m unsure where the ‘golden’ part come from. As a spring/summer goddess, she certainly is aligned with solar energies. Arianrhod doesn’t have as clear of a connection to the moon as people may think (though she certainly does with the stars), but as I’ve said in the past, modern interpretations of the domains of these deities aren’t invalid just because we can’t find indisputable proof for them. The silver wheel in Arianrhod’s name, if indeed ‘Rhod’ does mean wheel, I suppose could be due to her association with the Corona Borealis. That being said, I see no reason why modern pagans shouldn’t be able to associate Arianrhod with the moon. Moving back to Olwen, I get annoyed by the New Age and Wiccan idea that all goddesses are lunar and all gods are solar, when the Celtic pantheons and other European pantheons have no shortage of solar goddesses and in the Nordic tradition, the sun is female and the moon is male. One theory as to why there are more sun goddesses and moon gods the more north you get is that in warmer climates, the daytime sun is viewed as a harsh and aggressive force, associated with masculine energy, whereas the night is cool and gentle, associated with feminine energy. Whereas in more Northern climates, the nights are bitter and hard, whereas the warmth of the sun is benevolent and loving. I’ve always been drawn to solar goddesses, and Olwen is no exception.

In another story, Einion and Olwen, a young shepherd travels to the Otherworld, wins her heart, and the two marry and have a son named Taliesin (likely different to *that* Taliesin.) Olwen exercises plenty of agency in this tale, falling in love with Einion and wanting to marry him rather than him just pursuing her which is often the case in these stories. She has two sisters, pointing to a triple goddess, like Gwenhwyfar in the Welsh Triads, the three Brigids etc.

By Judith Shaw from her Celtic Goddess Oracle Card deck

I have read her described as being the keeper of the Apple Orchard of the Otherworld, a role that is often given to the god Afallach, his daughter Modron, Morgan le Fay, and various sovereignty goddesses associated with the Otherworld. Given Olwen fits nicely in to this archetypal ‘family’ of Otherworld deities, and her associations with the colour red and love, I can accept this correspondence on the grounds of syncretism and comparative mythology, although I would like to find the source for it and the direct justification. Honestly, a lot of these sovereignty, love, spring and Otherworld goddesses are so similar that it can be hard to discern where one ends and one begins.

We can interpret Olwen as triple-aspected: when she is with her father during winter, she is the Lady of the Underworld. She then leaves with her lover to the upper world to bring about Spring, making her almost like a reverse Persephone. She is also a solar goddess, giving her heavenly connections. As such, she can be seen as Lady of the Underworld, Lady of the Earth, and Lady of the Heavens, just like Ostara/Eostre.

The theme for the 2019 Glastonbury Goddess Conference was ‘Sun Lover’, a combination of the solar goddess & lover goddess archetypes. I cannot think of a better candidate for this than Olwen other than maybe Áine, who is an Irish goddess and therefore not as much of an ideal fit for an Avalonian tradition, but still relevant. I believe Áine was honoured as I read the little Sun Lover book published after the conference, but did not recall any mention of Olwen, which is a shame. I would love to see this powerful, beautiful, sensual, loving Goddess honoured more among those of us who gravitate towards Welsh traditions and the more neopagan, sacred feminine focused Avalonian traditions, especially at Beltane/Calan Mai, which is her time of year.

If you wanted to build an altar for Olwen, at Beltane or any time of year, here are some things you could include:

Small white wildflowers, especially trefoils
Gold rings and necklaces
Solar imagery and crystals associated with the sun
Red altar cloth, red candles
Rubies
Broom flowers
Red roses
Hawthorne flowers
A printed off painting of her, or a drawing you’ve done yourself
Makeup

I believe Olwen encourages women to embrace their beauty and sexuality, inflames the passion between lovers, and encourages women to be active participants in our own love lives. However, the fact that Culhwch had to perform thirteen impossible tasks to be able to marry her shows that we should have high standards for who we choose as our lovers, and we can invoke our inner masculine, our inner father, to hold that boundary for us if we feel we cannot do it through our feminine. She also tells us that ‘vanity’ is not a sin and its okay to want to dress up, wear makeup and jewellery to feel sexy and confident. When I put on my red dresses with matching signature red lipstick and gold jewellery, I instantly feel a boost of confidence and sexual, feminine power: Olwen’s influence. She also does not need to wait for a lover to awaken her sexuality, she seems capable of doing it herself, though she awaits her king to have someone to share it with. Therefore, she reminds me that I am capable of embodying the Lover Goddess and embracing my sensuality and sexuality whilst single, awaiting my king or queen to share it with.

Hail to the triple-aspected Lady of the Underworld, Lady of the Earth, and Lady of Heaven. Hail to the May Queen and Her King. Hail to the Summer!

~ Rhianwen