Podcasts Culture Ritual Recipes Beltane, Fairies, the Hawthorn, and the Goddess Bloddeuwedd

Beltane, Fairies, the Hawthorn, and the Goddess Bloddeuwedd

Published: July 5, 2019, 5:41 a.m.

The Celtic festival of Beltane, celebrated on or about May 1, is associated with fertility, flowers, fairies, the Hawthorn tree.

From the Hawthorn, we get the story of Bloddeuwedd, a woman created from nine plants and trees by two magicians who wanted to make the perfect bride for a young man. All went well for a while, until Bloddeuwedd met another man and fell in love. What follows is a story about death, transformation, and the power of a woman’s authentic self.

Books mentioned in the podcast: The White Goddess by Robert Graves; A Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl; A Modern Herbal by Mrs. M. Grieve; Voice of the Trees by Mickie Mueller; Midsummer: Magical Celebrations of the Summer Solstice by Anna Franklin